By Dr. Brian Babin

Last week, when most Americans were sound asleep, President Obama and a few Congressional leaders rolled out a massive 144-page “bipartisan” budget deal that was negotiated in secret.
On top of a giant $1.5 trillion debt-ceiling increase, this so-called “Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015” also grew government spending by an additional $80 billion over the next two years.
This alone was offensive enough to earn my NO vote. But, as the details of the agreement were slowly made available, it was clear that the rest of the bill was just as bad for hardworking taxpayers and America’s future generations.
Before I was sworn into office nine months ago, Washington had already accumulated $19 trillion in debt. It’s unfathomable that this Administration would ask for a blank check to go on another spending spree on bloated and unaccountable government programs that we don’t need and cannot afford.
Under the passage of this budget deal and President Obama’s legacy of unprecedented debt and spending, the U.S. will accumulate as much debt in his eight years as President as was accumulated over 232 years under all of the Presidents before him.

Simply put, the United States is on a path of fiscal suicide – and this recent budget deal only feeds the problem. Just as hardworking families and small businesses across the U.S. struggle to do more with less, it is time for Washington to follow suit. It’s a stark and serious reminder of why Congress must pass a Constitutional Balanced Budget Amendment to get this fiscal mess under control.

Unfortunately, this irresponsible budget agreement – which was jammed through Congress without any opportunity to amend it or adequately scrutinize its contents – fails to make the tough decisions needed to put America back on a path to fiscal sanity.
In addition to busting spending caps by $80 billion, this budget is filled with Washington accounting and budgeting gimmicks that hide its real costs on the American taxpayer.
It also imposes $30 billion in new taxes and fees on the American people, which will go to support the President’s liberal domestic agenda that seeks to grow government and empower runaway federal agencies, like the EPA and IRS.
As the grandfather of 12 grandchildren, I will have no part in Washington’s continued addiction to overspending, which has now burdened America’s future generations with a mountain of unconscionable debt.
According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), if Congress had simply held the line on spending between 2012 and 2015, our budget would be close to balancing this year instead of facing a $439 billion annual deficit.
Balancing our budget and paying down the debt will require that we make hard choices about what we can and cannot afford. Washington’s problem is not that is does not tax enough, but rather that it has an addiction to spending money it does not have.
As the representative of Texas’ 36^th Congressional District, I remain focused on tackling these problems by cutting wasteful spending, opposing tax increases and bringing our budget into balance.

Dr. Brian Babin is the U.S. Congressional Representative for the 36th District