Let me ask you an important question… do you think our nation is headed in the right direction? I don’t. I hear from folks every day who are frustrated and others who are playing by the rules, but struggling to make ends meet. That’s just one reason why I do not support the government funding bill passed by Congress and signed into law by the president last week. This stopgap spending measure simply kicks the can down the road until Dec. 11. We don’t deserve and we can’t afford the status quo, but that’s what Washington gave us with a short-term spending bill that once again fails to address our nation’s more than $18 trillion debt.
I’ll start from the beginning. As you know, Congress holds the power of the purse and must pass laws every year to spend our tax dollars. This is typically done through a process where Congress votes for a budget that sets overall spending levels and then passes a series of appropriations bills. This allows the people’s representatives to review all government programs line-by-line to ensure responsible stewardship of our tax dollars. In recent years, Congress and the president have failed to agree, forcing passage of what’s called a continuing resolution. This is also known as a CR, and it maintains spending levels for all or part of the year.
Unfortunately, this year has been no different. While my colleagues and I are fighting to restore order and govern responsibly from a position of opportunity instead of crisis, the other side has refused to come to the table. The House has been hard at work and passed a balanced, conservative budget and six appropriations bills with the other six slated to move, but it became apparent that the Senate — hindered by Democrats’ obstructionism — wouldn’t pass a single one. This brought us to where we were last week — facing another budget cliff.
I don’t think I need to tell you this is reckless governance. Allowing our bloated bureaucracy to essentially run on autopilot is no way to save our tax dollars. But one of the biggest reasons I do not support this measure is it fails to defund Planned Parenthood, fails to protect our tax dollars, fails to stop the brutal harvesting and trafficking of baby body parts, and fails to defend the most vulnerable among us. The allegations against Planned Parenthood — an organization that receives more than $500 million in our tax dollars each year — are deeply troubling. It is more than reasonable to call for transparency for taxpayers by temporarily suspending funding for this organization while Congress conducts a fair and thoughtful investigation into whether any laws were broken. I believe this debate is too important to delay until December, and I will continue to fight to defund Planned Parenthood and defend innocent children.
I can’t sign off without sharing joyous news. Some of you may know that last week, my wife Renee and I welcomed our first child into the world — a healthy, precious baby boy named Richard Lane Hudson III. We’re so grateful for all the prayers, love, support and friendship that kept our spirits lifted throughout this journey to parenthood. A North Carolinian commented on our announcement on Facebook and said, “Your life will never be the same, and your perspective on this country will shift drastically.” He’s right. Our country faces a lot of very serious challenges, and I’m even more committed to continuing to fight for the America my son, Lane, and your children and grandchildren deserve.
