    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
    [June 16, 2007]
    [Pages 763-764]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    June 16, 2007

        Good morning. This week, Congress began to debate its annual
    spending bills. The American people expect us to spend their tax dollars
    wisely, or not at all, and to pursue progrowth economic policies that
    will allow us to reduce the deficit while keeping our economy strong.
        Since my administration's tax relief was implemented 4 years ago,
    our economy has added more than 8 million new jobs, and we've
    experienced 45 months of uninterrupted job growth. With more Americans
    working and more businesses thriving, our economy has produced record
    tax revenues. The Treasury Department recently reported that this year's
    Federal revenues are up 8 percent over last year. As a result, our
    Nation's budget deficit is about one-third lower than it was at this
    time last year.
        In addition to pursuing progrowth tax relief, my administration is
    working to reduce the Federal deficit through strict fiscal discipline.
    Over the past 3 years, we have met the urgent needs of our Nation while
    holding the growth of annual domestic spending close to 1 percent, well
    below the rate of inflation. I've also proposed policies that would slow
    the unsustainable growth of our most serious long-term fiscal challenge:
    entitlement spending. By keeping taxes low and restraining Federal
    spending, we can meet my plan to have a balanced budget by 2012.
        The Democrats in Congress are trying to take us in a different
    direction. They've passed a budget that would mean higher taxes for
    American families and job creators, ignore the need for entitlement
    reform, and pile on hundreds of billions of dollars in new Government
    spending over the next 5 years. This tax-and-spend approach puts our
    economic growth and deficit reduction at risk.
        For months, I've warned the Democrats in Congress that I will not
    accept an irresponsible tax-and-spend budget. I put Democratic leaders
    on notice that I will veto bills with excessive levels of spending. And
    I am not alone in my opposition. In the House, 147 Republicans have
    pledged to support fiscal discipline by opposing excessive spending.
    These 147 Members are more than one-third needed to sustain my veto of
    any bills that spend too much.
        Another key area of difference between my administration and the
    Democratic leadership in Congress is my support for meaningful earmark
    reform. Earmarks are spending provisions that are slipped into bills by
    individual Members of Congress, often at the last hour and without
    discussion or debate. It's not surprising that this leads to unnecessary
    Federal spending. And the problem is growing. Over the last decade, the
    number of earmarks has more than tripled.
        In January, I proposed reforms that would make the earmark process
    more transparent, end the practice of concealing earmarks in so-called
    report language that is never included in legislation, and cut the
    number and cost of earmarks by at least half. My administration has also
    developed the Government's first public database of earmarks, and we've
    posted them on a web

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    site: earmarks.omb.gov. On this web site, we will also be releasing
    information on new earmarks, because this administration wants you to
    see where your tax dollars are being spent.
        After I announced my earmark reforms in January, the House passed a
    rule that called for full disclosure of earmarks. But in the past few
    weeks, Democratic House leaders announced that they were abandoning this
    commitment. Instead of full disclosure, they decided they would not make
    public any earmarks until after Members had already voted on the
    spending bills. This change would have allowed a small group of
    lawmakers and their unelected staff to meet behind closed doors to
    decide how and where to spend your tax dollars. I'm pleased to report
    that earlier this week, a group of House Republicans stopped this plan
    and extracted a commitment from House Democrats to list all earmarks in
    advance and give lawmakers a chance to strike them. The American people
    need to hold House Democrats accountable for keeping that commitment.
        In the weeks ahead, my administration will continue pushing for
    earmark reform and holding the line on Federal spending. The American
    people do not want to return to the days of tax-and-spend policies. They
    expect accountability and fiscal discipline in Washington, DC. And I
    will use my veto to stop tax increases and runaway spending that
    threaten the strength of our economy and the prosperity of our people.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 7:15 a.m. on June 15 in the Cabinet
    Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on June 16. The
    transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    June 15, but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office
    of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of
    this address.