WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today the House of Representatives made significant cuts to wasteful discretionary government spending with passage of the Agriculture Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2012, which cut over $2.7 billion from last year’s level or over $5 billion below the Presidents’ budget request for these programs.  In response to the billions in cuts passed by Congress today, Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Santa Clarita) made the following statement:

“America is over $14 trillion in debt and government spending has been spiraling out of control for years,” said McKeon.  “Forty-six cents of every American dollar is owned by foreign governments such as China and 25 cents out of every dollar America spends goes back into paying for the federal government.

“We are holding to the promises we made to the American people and specifically for me – promises made to the people of my district who are regularly dealing with major California state budget shortfalls and rising taxes – that we would continue to cut millions and billions from the federal budget.  Far too many programs within our nation’s grand bureaucracy are inefficient and duplicative. Today marked yet another area where significant overspending was pared down to save taxpayer dollars help get America back on steady financial ground.”

Info on the Agriculture Appropriations Bill for FY 2012:

• Total funding of $17.3 billion in discretionary spending (decrease of $2.7 billion – or 13.4% – below FY11 and $5.04 billion – or 22.6% – below the President’s request).  This brings discretionary spending to near 2006 levels.
• Commodity Futures Trading Commission: $172 million
• Assumes the Agricultural Research Service will close 10 facilities
• Prohibits funds for USDA inspections at U.S. horse slaughter facilities
• Prohibits funds to implement a rule that amends the livestock marketing provisions of the Packers and Stockyards Act (GIPSA Rule)

List of Additional McKeon Votes for Cuts, Cuts, Cuts to Wasteful Spending and Inefficient Programs:

• $6.2 trillion in government spending and reduce deficits by $4.2 trillion over the next decade compared to the President’s budget, repeal the government takeover of health care, save Medicare and Social Security for future generation while protecting those at or near retirement, and spur economic growth and the create jobs in the Republican FY 2012 Budget Resolution. (H.Con.Res. 34)
• Cut nearly $45 billion in non-defense spending from last year’s levels in the Department of Defense and Other Departments and Agencies for FY2011 appropriations bill. (H.R.1473)
• Vote to prevent $29.9 billion of TARP funding from being spent on a program that has been singled out by the Special Inspector General for TARP for low uptake and the Treasury Department’s failure to monitor the program’s success. (H.R. 839).
• Save $180 million over the next five years by reducing the amounts authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Defense in 2012 for printing by 10 percent. (H.R. 910)
• Reduce the regulatory burden on our nation’s job providers and prevent a national energy tax in the name of climate change by voting to prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from regulating greenhouse without Congressional action. (H.R. 910)
• Cut spending by $16 billion by repealing the Prevention and Public Health slush fund created by the government takeover of health care. (H.R. 1217) I voted to cut $4.01 billion in the first two-week-long continuing resolution. (H.J.Res. 44) I voted to repeal the job-destroying 1099 provision in the government takeover of health care, save taxpayers $24.7 billion in tax receipts, and stop $24.8 billion in wasteful government spending. (H.R. 4)
• Vote to end the failed mortgage refinancing program and save $175 million of direct spending and cancel $8 billion of TARP funding. (H.R. 830)
• End the failed Dodd-Frank program and save $840 million, as allocated. (H.R. 836)
• Cut $6 billion in the second three-week-long continuing resolution. (H.J.Res. 48)
• I also voted to cancel unobligated balances from the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, a wasteful government program, potentially saving $1 billion if enacted today. (H.R. 861)
• Cut Congressional budgets by five percent, saving $35 million each year. (H.Res. 22) House Republicans have banned all earmarks. (House Republican Conference Rules for the 112^th Congress).
• Cut new spending by $2.6 trillion over ten years and reduce the deficit by $700 billion when we repealed the government takeover of health care. (H.R. 2) I voted to cut current government spending back to FY 2008 levels or less, which will reduce nonsecurity discretionary spending to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout levels. (H.Res. 38).
• End the taxpayer funding of presidential election campaigns and party conventions, saving $617 million. (H.R. 359)
• End the wasteful mandatory printing of bills introduced in Congress, saving the American taxpayers $35 million. (H.R. 292)
• Reclaim $180 million in wasted funding for the United Nations Tax Equalization Fund. (H.R. 519 – failed to pass the House)
• Cut more than $100 billion of spending in H.R. 1.
• Repeal $14.6 billion in Obamacare spending by eliminating a slush fund created for the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award states health care funds without Congressional oversight. (H.R. 1213)
• Repeal $100 million in Obamacare spending by eliminating a grant program for Washington to pay for the construction of hospital centers in schools. (H.R. 1214)
• Cut deficits by $800 million by opening up new domestic oil and gas exploration in our country’s most productive locations. This will not only reduce deficits, but lower the cost of gas, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and create American jobs. (H.R. 1231)
• Reduce government spending by $40 million by auctioning off leases for domestic offshore oil and gas development. (H.R. 1229)