Dear Friend,

When House Republicans won the majority in November, we were left with unfinished business at the start of this Congress. In fact, not a single budget or appropriations bill reached the House floor in the 111^th Congress, leaving us to clean up the mess. The mess proved to be an opportunity that we capitalized on this week by demonstrating that we are serious about reining in out-of-control spending. Had the Democrats followed the process they were supposed to have followed we would never have had this chance.

We spent this week debating and considering amendments to a measure that will cut over $100 billion in discretionary spending from the budget.  The House passed this bill veryearly this morning. Just as families across Texas have had to tighten their belts, so too should the federal government. As Chairwoman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, I played a key role in making billions of dollars worth of cuts. My subcommittee alone had the third largest percentage of cuts out of the twelve Appropriations subcommittees.  

We were left with unfinished business and we turned it into an opportunity. As we write appropriations bills for the next fiscal year, we will have to go even further. Some of the choices we have to make are not easy but our national debt and deficits can no longer be ignored. We are making tough choices and as we move forward, I want to continue to hear from you.   

Sincerely,

Kay Granger