North Shore Louisiana News

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On May 31,  House Majority Leader Steve Scalise appeared on Fox Business Network’s Mornings with Maria to discuss H.R. 3746, the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which will be voted on today in the House. Leader Scalise highlighted how the bill would curb out-of-control spending while continuing to protect America’s veterans. Leader Scalise also discussed the growing military threat of the Chinese Communist Party and how provisions in the Fiscal Responsibility Act promote America’s defense and long-term security. 

Click here or the image above the view the interview.

On the upcoming vote on the Fiscal Responsibility Act:

“So we'll pass tonight. We're going to start a debate, then we're going to go on to the rule itself around 3:30 [P.M.], and then have debate and later tonight pass the bill."

On the bill:
“Yeah, and I share [Speaker McCarthy's] assessment. Look, Speaker McCarthy did a really good job of getting President Biden to the table and, if you go back to January, and then that first meeting in February, President Biden was insistent. He was not going to negotiate. Work requirements were a red line that the White House would not give on. We got that. We've got a number of cuts. We got real reforms to permitting, which is going to allow for more jobs to be created. We reclaim all the unspent COVID money – you're talking about almost 30 billion dollars right there.

“At the end of the day, you always want to get more. There is more that we want to fight for and I think, you know, whether it's people like me that support this bill or Freedom Caucus members that are opposing it, it's because they want to see more cuts, but at least we start the process of cutting spending in Washington. That's something we haven't seen in this town for over 10 years, Maria, and it has to start now, and then let's go fight and get more. We got the appropriations process coming up to do just that starting in a few weeks.” 

On spending caps:

“Well the first year, there's an actual reduction in spending over where we are currently. That, again, that hasn't been something that’s been signed into law, going back pre-sequester. If you look at the [Internal Revenue Service], the first year of the ability for the Biden Administration to hire more IRS agents, there's over a billion dollars in cuts to the IRS, and we've been very clear: we're going to keep going back at that. Not just next year, but later in this appropriations process and [Congressman Perry] was one of those people that was at the meeting. We had a long meeting last night – about three hours long with the full membership – going through all of this. Not just what's in the bill, but the things we want to then do after this bill is passed: to keep fighting to get spending under control in Washington and get our economy back on track. But it starts with this bill. Remember, the alternative is a clean debt ceiling as opposed to real cuts [and] real reforms that are in this bill.”

On the upcoming appropriations process:

“You know, [House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman] Granger and her committee have already started the appropriations process. The subcommittees have been [holding] hearings. There's 12 different bills, we want to start moving those bills. The biggest one is the Department of Defense bill. Now that number is set in this agreement. We have a defense number to start competing with China. We have to work out the details in what's called the NDAA – as you're familiar with, the National Defense Authorization Act – that lays out how we're going to change the way military spending has been done to start competing with China, where I think a lot of people have been asleep at the wheel for too long. We're going to finally start confronting that threat, and then – in the individual appropriations bills – go into some of these agencies that are wasting money [and] that are using their money to weaponize government.

“We set up a committee looking into the weaponization of government. Now we're going to be starting to follow through on the appropriations process there as well. All that starts, you know, probably next week you'll see more of the bills coming out of committee and then pretty soon on to the House Floor. I hope everybody that wants to continue this fight to cut spending is with us on those appropriations bills that will be doing just that."

On defense spending:

“We've got to shift the way that the Pentagon has been spending money in defense. Again, shift it towards the threat that China poses. We set up that Select Committee on China that Chairman Gallagher has headed up and has done some really important work on.

“This bill sets the stage. This bill does increase defense. Overall spending numbers are down, which means non-defense [and] non-veterans programs will get cut. Defense will not get cut. It's the only agency – in addition with [the Department of Veterans Affairs] – that is not cut. The other agencies get cut over 20 percent, but defense is not only spared, but we need to shift the focus of how the money is spent.

“We've got to stop the woke ideology that we see over at the Pentagon and start focusing the money on building a military that focuses on China. That is our main threat right now and that hasn't been the focus at the Pentagon. You've seen other things that they're dealing with that have nothing to do with the main threat we've got to face. That has to shift and that's going to be part of what we do in the NDAA and the appropriations process." 

Original source can be found here.