WASHINGTON, D.C.--Congressman Jeff Fortenberry today released the following statement regarding the federal debt and current budget situation. The U.S. Treasury reported earlier this week that the federal government in February ran a deficit of $223 billion, the largest monthly deficit in U.S. history:

"The United States government is borrowing 40 cents on every dollar, and our national debt stands at $14 trillion. That's $45,000 for every American. At all levels of government, there needs to be shared sacrifice to restore fiscal order, help the economy, and create jobs.

"However, the House of Representatives cannot run this country by itself. The President is showing no leadership, even as our debt problem spins further and further out of control. He has been absent from serious debate, and has taken virtually no steps toward implementing reforms that his own debt commission recommended. Instead, he seems content to stand in Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's shadow, deferring decisions to an unwilling Senate.

"The House of Representatives is taking meaningful and hard steps forward to stop overspending in the near term, but the process of restoring fiscal responsibility cannot be a one-way street. Together, Americans and all levels of government must dig our way out."

Fortenberry has voiced support for a variety of budgetary controls, including a balanced budget requirement, the presidential line item veto, and a biennium budgeting process.

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