The Budget

President Obama released his final budget proposal this week.

Here are some quick takeaways:

The $4.1 trillion proposal is the costliest Obama budget yet and the first $4 trillion budget in federal history.
The budget increases taxes by $3.4 trillion.
It places a $10 tax on every barrel of American oil. This tax will be passed to consumers, increasing the price of gas and other goods and services.
President Obama's budget gives another $1 billion the Internal Revenue Service. That's a 4.7% increase in the troubled agency's funding.
It adds $9.3 trillion to the national debt and would increase the national debt to $24.7 trillion over the next decade. This is more than twice the debt when President Obama took office.
Finally, this budget will never balance - ever.

While disappointing, it comes as no surprise that President Obama’s final budget provides no plan to help American taxpayers or balance the budget. Even with outrageous tax increases and increased spending, this budget confirms the deplorable reality that this president will leave office never providing a budget that balances. It is past time to cut up the credit cards and institute true fiscal solutions to grow our economy and create a better future for our children and grandchildren. While this budget will do neither, we are already working in the House of Representatives to provide a budget that will.

From our Nation's Capitol XLII

Monday, February 8, 2016: I’m in Boston, MA, this morning where I will be visiting a number of Bio Pharmaceutical companies today and tomorrow in an area that has become known as one of the leading bio tech hubs in the world. With world-class researchers at MIT and Harvard in Cambridge, this area has spawned a number of startups as well as Big Pharma companies that focus on research and development and are responsible for some of the world’s most innovative drug pipelines. It’s also cold and snowing here, which is certainly much different from what I left this morning in South Georgia. However, even with weather that would shut us down for days in the South, these New Englanders know how to cope and the area, although not at full speed, is still very much open for business. I begin with a visit with the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, a not-for-profit organization that represents and supports the more than 700 biotech companies, academic institutions and disease foundations. The President and CEO, Bob Coughlin, is one of those individuals who we’ve all met- passionate and dedicated to his work, and with good reason as his son suffers from Cystic Fibrosis and he’s committed to helping find a cure. Our next visit is with Novartis Institutes for Biomedical Research where we tour their global research headquarters and visit scientists working in their X-ray crytollagrahy lab and drug compound library. This amazing facility is located in the heart of downtown Boston in a renovated building that was built in the early 1900’s as a candy factory. Afterwards, we visit the Sanofi Genzyme Biologic Support Center, an early-stage research facility that uses technology in proteins, antibodies and cell therapy to work on cures for diseases, cancers and heart disease.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016: I’m still in Boston this morning and we begin with a tour of the EMD Serono facilities where they are doing outstanding work in developing cancer chemotherapy drugs. All during my visit, I am impressed with the work of the dedicated scientists at these facilities who face the constant disappointment of failed experiments but continue in the hopes of finding that one compound that will benefit mankind. Next, I visit Biogen, a great company that specializes in the discovery, development and delivery of therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative, hematologic and autoimmune diseases. My final visit of the day is with Vertex Pharmaceuticals, a company that exhibits the dedication that makes most of this industry so incredible as, since 2011, they have ranked among the top 15 best performing companies on the Standard and Poor’s 500 despite only posting one annual profit since the company was founded in 1989. Following this great trip, I head to the airport for my trip back to Washington where the news of the day is the budget that the President has submitted for FY 2017. It is certainly disappointing to learn that this President, who called the deepening of our ports “We Can’t Wait” projects, and a Vice President, who came to Savannah and said the deepening of our ports must happen “come hell or high water,” have not proposed enough funding to keep the project on schedule. Once back in my office, I spend the next few hours making calls and interviews with the media about this huge disappointment. After our first and only vote series of the day, I head back to my office to read and study for what will certainly be a busy week of hearings and committee meetings.

Wednesday, February 10, 2016: My morning starts early with a radio interview with Bill Edwards in Savannah to talk, of course, about the President’s failure to completely fund the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP). While this is certainly not surprising coming from this Administration, it is disappointing, especially to the citizens of Georgia who have already provided their $266 million portion of the project. My first meeting of the morning is our weekly Republican Conference where I am introduced by my assigned mentor, Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT), for the purpose of a freshman introduction where I officially introduce myself to the Conference. Next, I have a subcommittee hearing of the Committee on Education and the Workforce where we discuss implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act that we passed last year. Afterwards, I head to a Committee on Homeland Security hearing where we discuss the new visa waiver law that the administration has implemented to appease Iran.

Congressman Carter with the Pulp and Paperworkers Resource Council

Following meetings with representatives from the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) and the Pulp and Paperworkers Resource Council, I head to a Republican Study Committee (RSC) meeting where we discuss the FY 2017 budget that we will be submitting. The RSC is the conservative wing of the Republican Party and submits a budget of its own that is considered by leadership. Afterwards, I head to the House Chamber for our first vote series of the day before heading to a Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing on national security. Next, I head back to my office for a skype interview with WJCL in Savannah concerning the President’s proposed budget followed by our weekly staff meeting. After heading back to the House Chamber for our second and final vote series of the day, I return to my office where we have a tele town hall phone call.

Congressman Carter hosts a telephone town hall

Thursday, February 11, 2016: Following a meeting of the Committee on Education and the Workforce to discuss preparation for two hearings scheduled in the near future, I head to the House Chamber for a series of one minute speeches including one on Ms. Frankie Quimby and the Association for Cultural Equity. A link to my speech can be found here. Following a meeting with Ashley Burnsed of Blue Force Gear in Pooler, I head to the House Chamber where I speak on the rule for H.R. 2017, a bill that will stop the Administration’s attempt to require caloric counts on menus. Afterwards, I head to a hearing of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform where we question the IRS on their data and document preservation policies. A link to my questions can be found here. Later in the afternoon, I head to the House Chamber for votes where I preside as Speaker Pro tem.

Friday, February 12, 2016: We have another Republican Conference meeting this morning where we discuss at length the budget process and what our plans will be. This is a pressing issue that must be resolved before the end of the month in order to keep us on schedule. After a phone interview with Mary Landers of the Savannah Morning News to discuss offshore drilling, I head to a meeting hosted by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to discuss the upcoming reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) before heading to the House Chamber for our only vote series of the day. I’m heading to Iowa for the first time this afternoon where I will be speaking to the Midwest Pharmacy Association.