With the release of the president’s budget proposal, discussion about how to reign in our out-of-control spending and debt, and several bills I introduced in the Senate, this was a very busy week in Washington.

On Monday, the president sent Congress his budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year.  Frankly, I was disappointed in his proposal as I don’t think it does anything to tackle our national debt.  We are still reviewing it in its entirety, but from what I’ve seen so far, these recommendations fail to acknowledge our nation’s biggest budget problems, including entitlement programs.  It seems as though the president even ignored the work of his own Debt Commission.  While this budget proposal garnered a lot of media attention – both for what it included, and more importantly, for what it left out – it is important to remember that this proposal is just that, a proposal.  Congress has the final say on the national budget, and I will do everything I can to ensure that we take much bigger steps towards reigning in Washington’s spending habits.

Also this week, I introduced several pieces of legislation.  One of these was a resolution honoring veterans who served in Vietnam by designating March 30th as “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day.”  March 30th marks the anniversary of the day that combat and combat support units withdrew completely from South Vietnam. Our soldiers served honorably and bravely in Vietnam.  Unfortunately, they arrived home to a country in political turmoil, and never received the recognition they deserve.  By setting aside a day to focus on our Vietnam veterans, we can show our unified gratitude for their service and the sacrifices that these veterans made on our behalf.

I also introduced an important bill that will allow military servicemembers to participate in the federal Flexible Spending Account (FSA) program.  Currently, civilian federal employees, including civilians who work for the Department of Defense, are permitted to enroll in the FSA program, but active duty military personnel are excluded from enrollment.  North Carolina is home to thousands of active duty military servicemen and women who stand to benefit from this legislation by being able to aside a portion of their pre-tax income to cover out-of-pocket child care and health care expenses.

Earlier in the week, the Washington Times published an opinion piece I co-authored with Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma regarding the negative impact over-regulation has on health care and medicine.  I hope you will take the time to read it by clicking here.  

In other health care news, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius was on the Hill this week testifying about certain aspects of the new health care reform law.   During debate on this bill last year, one issue raised repeatedly by those opposed to the bill was the sustainability of the CLASS Act program, the new long-term care entitlement program included in the health care law.  After spending the bulk of last year telling us critics were wrong, it now appears the Administration agrees.  In testimony before the Senate Finance Committee, Secretary Sebelius admitted that the CLASS Act is “totally unsustainable” in its current form.  The Secretary’s admission only reinforces the concerns raised in analysis by Medicare’s own Chief Actuary, which found that the program had “a very serious risk” of becoming unsustainable.  This unsustainable new entitlement program is yet another example of why the American people and our nation cannot afford this new health care law.

Next week, the Senate is in recess, and I will be traveling around North Carolina visiting folks just like you, touring small businesses, and visiting with students at several schools.  For a complete list of my events, please visit my website by clicking here.  You can also stay updated with my travels around the state by following me on Facebook and Twitter.

 

Sincerely,

U.S. Senator Richard Burr