Taxes and Spending

Since more federal government spending means more taxes on the American people, the government should consciously try to cut unnecessary spending, reduce waste, and make sure that every dollar is spent accountably. I have used my position on the Budget Committee to fight wasteful spending and prevent things from just being rubber-stamped through Congress. Every dollar spent should be debated, and it is time for Congress to get back to work and exercise the power of the purse.

Americans deserve to keep more of their hard-earned money without the government forcing them to pay into a system that has failed them, so I support deregulation and tax cuts for the middle class. There is no good reason to raise taxes on hardworking families right now. That is why I am fighting to protect President Trump's Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which strengthened the middle class and small businesses by reducing the amount of taxes that individuals pay.

Taxes are a necessary evil to fund a limited government. However, a well-constructed system minimizes the economic impact caused to individuals and businesses wishing to innovate and create new jobs. The U.S. tax code should be restructured to give the American people relief from unnecessary burdens and cumbersome regulations. The tax code should be simplified into one page, not a ream of confusing and contradictory messages.

I am fighting for taxpayers. When, due to a clerical error caused by “teleworking” for years during COVID, the IRS harassed law-abiding Coloradans who had paid their taxes on time, I stood up and demanded answers from the IRS. When Democrats tried to give the IRS even more power to micromanage our lives by giving them the power to review every transaction over $600, I cosponsored the Protecting Financial Privacy Act to stop this government overreach in its tracks.

I believe that government spending should put Americans first, so when Biden proposed giving illegal aliens $450,000 checks, I introduced the We’re Not Paying You to Break Our Laws Act. My bill and successful public pressure campaign led the Biden regime to halt this awful plan.

Government spending should go to critical priorities like national defense—not pipedream liberal ideas supported by lobbyists and career politician hacks. When Congress announced the return of earmarks, I opposed them as a tool of corruption. I am calling out politicians who use your tax dollars to earn political favors, and I am working towards restoring fiscal responsibility in Congress. In March of 2022, Pelosi passed a $1.5 trillion, 2,741-page, drunken-sailor, monstrosity of a spending bill in less than 22 hours that included 2,727 earmarks totaling $4.2 billion. No one even read the bill. I voted no.

I use every opportunity in the legislative process to try and reduce federal spending, and I led Congress in the number of amendments filed to cut wasteful provisions in massive spending bills, including funding for critical race theory, taxpayer funded abortions, the Green Climate Fund, and gain-of-function research in China.

Too many programs get tax dollars by going around the law and not going through the established appropriations’ authorization process. The status quo needs to change, and Congress needs to get back to regular order.  Under regular order, Congress passes a budget resolution that caps spending levels and then reviews each federal program’s effectiveness annually through 12 different appropriations bills that are passed through both Houses. Instead of following this prudent fiscal process and allowing amendments, Congress has passed massive end-of-year omnibuses that are 2,700 pages and no one reads. Shockingly, regular order has not been followed since 1994. I took action to put America back on track by introducing a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution.

I support lowering all taxes for everyday Americans, including a full repeal of the Estate or "Death Tax." Americans are taxed enough already on their earnings and holdings and there is no reason they should be taxed again when they pass on what they have earned to the next generation. 

I fight for taxpayers every day, and I won’t stop. We need to balance the budget, significantly reduce our national debt, and restore fiscal responsibility to protect the American dream for future generations.