Walsh returns allowance to pay down debt

Congressman Joe Walsh issued the following news release Wednesday:

Rep. Walsh Returns Personal Budget Funds to U.S. Treasury

Joins Other Members in Requesting these Funds be Used to Pay Down the Debt

WASHINGTON- Congressman Joe Walsh (IL-8), along with seven colleagues, sent a letter to Speaker Boehner that requested the returned Members Representational Allowance (MRA) funds leftover from the first session of the 112th Congress be used to pay down the national debt. From these eight offices, over $1.4 million in taxpayer money will be given back to the U.S. Treasury. Each member is allocated roughly $1.5 million for their yearly office budget.

Walsh stated:“Since day one, I promised to fight for lower taxes, less spending, and a balanced budget. The national debt has spiraled out of control and is now nearly the size of the entire U.S. economy. Americans have seen big government policies try to fix this problem, but big government is the problem. The place to start is at home, which is why I am giving back almost $200,000 in taxpayer funds that must be used to pay down the debt.

“One of my first votes as a member of Congress was to cut Congressional budgets by 5 percent. While that was a good start, I did not think that cut went far enough so I am giving almost 15 percent of my entire budget back to pay down the national debt. Every day we ask that the American people tighten their belt and it is time that we do the same. This is not our money, it’s the American taxpayer’s money and that is why I am proud to do my part in returning these funds.”