By Katie Knapp Schubert
Omaha, NE – Nebraska's federal lawmakers say spending cuts are needed and difficult budget decisions must be made in Washington D.C.
Congressmen Lee Terry, Jeff Fortenberry, and Adrian Smith, along with Senators Mike Johanns and Ben Nelson, spoke Thursday to business leaders at a Chamber of Commerce legislative summit.
Second Congressional District representative Terry says lawmakers have to deal with spending. "There's one thing that I'm certain about, and that the status quo of accepting a trillion and a half of deficit spending per year has to stop. Moody's says so, Standard and Poor's says so, the American people say so."
Fortenberry, who represents the First Congressional District, says he heard those same concerns during recent town hall meetings. A 12-member so-called "super committee" is being formed in Washington to decide on spending cuts contained in the debt ceiling law.
Senator Nelson says a shift of priorities is needed to bring economic improvement. "Everyone knows that getting the economy back on track has to be job number one. But in Washington, it seems the people are on a different page from business leaders in Nebraska and all around our country on issues like the debt, federal spending, taxes, and the burden of too many intrusive, expensive to comply with federal regulations."
Senator Johanns says reforms are needed at a time when five programs make up 86 percent of government spending. Johanns also called for lowering the corporate tax rate and putting a temporary moratorium on some regulations.