Despite this fact, and the fact that we now have the means through which to provide comprehensive tax relief, President Clinton has once again submitted a budget that will only balance if he is allowed to raise taxes, again. That is simply unacceptable. The last thing the American people need is new federal programs that require even higher taxes to pay for them. We can and must give the American people a balanced budget that has far less spending and far less taxation. I continue to be concerned about President Clinton's lack of concern for a prepared military and effective defense infrastructure as is evident, yet again, in his latest budget submission.
Defense is perhaps the greatest single responsibility of the federal government.
After all, if we cannot protect our overseas interests and secure our borders from others, then we certainly will not be in a position to debate how to spend the surplus. The defense budget is virtually the only part of the federal budget to sustain real cuts and enough is enough. Indeed, cuts from the nation's defense budget have provided the vast majority of deficit reduction which are putting us on the path to balancing the federal budget. When adjusted for inflation, the defense budget declines from last year's appropriated level of spending. This is the fourteenth consecutive year of decreased military spending.