Ignoring Deficit, Democrats Want To Spend Even More This Year

In a recent article, Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez wrote about “$12 billion in spending cuts” he claims lawmakers have made since 2004, arguing why Democrats will refuse to vote for a budget that does not contain higher taxes this year. He went on at length about how “those $12 billion in cuts we’ve made were painful to the people who depended on [government] services.”

The only problem with this analysis is that it is not reality. California is facing severe budget problems today for one simple reason – Democrats have spent too much of our tax dollars for too long. Now we are being asked to pay the price for years of their irresponsible overspending.

Democrats need a reality check. California is not facing a $16 billion budget deficit today because lawmakers were heartless, budget-cutters in recent years. The truth is state spending went up 32 percent over the past four years as Democrats went on a spending spree creating bigger government.

Over the past 10 years, Democrats pushed to expand countless state programs, at a significant cost to taxpayers. Despite the fact that California has experienced significant budget instability in recent years, they have continually pushed for bigger government and it has led to more ongoing spending and made our deficit far worse.

For example, Democrats expanded a host of government health care programs run by the state, increasing spending by more than $192 million over the past decade, and these costs continue to grow by the day. At the same time we were implementing historic welfare reforms to help more Californians go from welfare to work, Democrats were working to undermine these reforms by proposing expanded eligibility and benefits at a cost of more than $517 million.

Even worse, Democrats recently passed a new law signed by the Governor that puts hard-working Californians on the hook for food stamps for convicted drug felons living in our state, at a cost of $540,000 every year.

With lawmakers facing some very tough budget choices this year to get our state back on track, you would expect that lawmakers would be focused on finding budget savings. Astonishingly, some in Sacramento are continuing to ignore our budget problems by proposing to increase spending even higher! Already this session, Democrats in the Assembly have passed legislation creating a new government-run health care scheme that would trigger billions in new spending.

On top of that, the Governor’s January budget plan contains several proposals to create new programs or expand existing ones. One measure would provide rate increases to taxpayer-funded family planning programs at a time when other health providers are seeing their rates cut, at a cost of $33.6 million. Another would throw $450 million at our lowest-performing schools in an effort to raise test scores, while classroom funding in nearly every other school in the state is being threatened.

Worse yet, at a time when vital services relied upon by the most vulnerable of Californians are on the budget chopping block, the Governor’s budget would provide health care to the children of illegal immigrants in our state, at a cost of $15.4 million.

One thing is certain – Californians should not have to pay one cent more in higher taxes because Sacramento Democrats refuse to stop overspending. We pay more than enough in taxes each year to meet our state’s critical needs. My Assembly Republican colleagues and I don’t believe you should be punished with higher taxes because Democrats can’t responsibly spend your tax dollars.

While these programs are well-intentioned, it’s clear that creating new programs or expanding current ones will push our state into financial ruin this year. The only responsible course is to reject new spending and new programs and work together to do what’s right. I am confident we can find realistic budget savings and help California live within its means again.