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Jenkins makes stop in Bourbon County
U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins, R-Kan., offered her thoughts on the federal budget, health care reform legislation and the country's future during a stop on the congresswoman's listening tour Monday in Fort Scott.
About 75 people packed the commission room at Fort Scott City Hall during the meet-and-greet event. Jenkins told the crowd that she planned to talk about "the lay of the land in Washington" and would take the feedback she receives from local citizens with her to the nation's capital when she returns there at the beginning of September.
Jenkins said two of the main issues in Congress are overspending and too much debt. The federal government is currently borrowing money to pay all the interest on its debt. Jenkins said continuing on this path will result in the nation's current financial system becoming bankrupt in eight years.
"We are in a spending-driven debt crisis," she said. "We're spending more than we're taking in."
During the 2010 fiscal year, 20 percent of the federal budget, or $692 billion, was spent on discretionary defense spending. Another 20 percent, or $666 billion, went toward discretionary spending on non-defense areas such as education and agriculture. Spending on Social Security totaled $701 billion, while $519 billion was spent on Medicare, according to budget charts Jenkins provided at the session.
The remainder of federal spending last year included Medicaid, net interest and other mandatory areas, the charts said.
Jenkins said there is "a lot of gridlock" in Congress concerning budget issues and while she doesn't expect that to end anytime soon, she said she hopes a bipartisan agreement can be reached so there will be a "safety net for future generations."
"All eyes have been on spending and the debt issue," she said. "No one is viewing the world through the same lens -- I expect that to continue."
While the budget debate continues, the focus for the future will be on growing revenue and job creation, Jenkins said.
"We can solve the budget crisis through growth and increases in revenue," she said. "Businesses are leaving the U.S. We want to keep the rate structure down to be competitive."
There is at least a 50 percent chance the U.S. Supreme Court will find the federal health care reform bill unconstitutional, Jenkins said.
Jenkins also took time to speak with several local residents individually during her visit, which is one of the stops on the August leg of her 2011 Congress to Kansas tour. Since January 2009, Jenkins has held Congress to Kansas events during congressional work periods to keep Kansans informed about what she is doing in Congress. She will continue traveling to communities in Eastern Kansas throughout the year.
office hours. Jenkins represents Kansas's 2nd congressional district.