D.C. a ‘sad state of affairs,’ U.S. Rep Burchett tells RCF
U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-2nd District)
Burchett asked Rotarians to wake up and hold their legislators accountable, sharing concerns including the national budget, foreign wars and national resources during RCF’s weekly noon meeting in Fox Den Country Club Wednesday, April 24.
“One question I get about Washington, D.C., is ‘What have I been surprised about?’ he said, then added, “The only thing I have been surprised about Washington, D.C. is, I haven’t been surprised by any of it.”
Comparing Washington to the TV show, “House of Cards,” Burchett said, “The only difference between ‘House of Cards’ and Washington, D.C., is on that miserable TV show, they pass an education bill in five weeks, and there ain’t no way they’re going to pass an education bill in D.C.
“Right now, all we’re doing is messaging, and it’s a sad state of affairs,” he added. “I think it’s a complete disorganization from top to bottom. We’re not passing anything that’s intending to pass in the Senate. It’s just trying to put one group into a box over another. Folks, that’s no way to go. Politics is alive and well.”
As a result, “It’s depressing, really, because of the state of affairs,” Burchett said.
He serves on the House Foreign Affairs, House Budget and House Small Business committees, and noted he asked to serve on the Budget Committee because, while “it’s not sexy,” he thinks that committee is especially important.
Burchett pointed out Article I of the U.S. Constitution requires legislators to pass a budget every year.
Yet Congress has not passed a budget in 20 years, he added.
“The truth is it’s a lot of smoke and mirrors,” Burchett said. “Everything that’s going on in Washington right now, it’s all a diversion, folks. We need to pass a dad-gum budget in Washington, D.C.
“Can you imagine the Town of Farragut, the coal miners, your church, anybody not passing a budget in 20 years?
“That is sinful,” he added. “We can do better; we’ve got to do better.
“The reason they don’t and the reason they push this stuff out, in my opinion, is you’ve got a lot of gutless people in Washington who don’t want to make tough decisions, and you’ve got to make some tough decisions.”
Attempting to draw a line, “We can’t keep printing money; we can’t be the world’s police force,” he said, relating to “those crazy foreign wars we’re in right now.”
Burchett said the United States currently has military troops in 100 countries.
“We need to bring our troops home,” he said. “All we’re doing is creating enemies across the world. We can’t be the world’s peacekeeper. We’re having enough trouble in our own backyard.”
Instead of spending on wars and troops occupying so many nations, Burchett said he thinks federal money should be spent on finding environmentally-conscious ways to retrieve coal for energy and education. “When we develop our local industry and our natural resources for energy, I think we can do some incredible things,” he said.
Burchett also addressed the treatment of the country’s veterans. “We owe them a better debt of gratitude than when they come home, living underneath a dad-gum bridge,” he said. “Congress has better health care than those (returning veterans), and those jug heads (referring to some in Congress) couldn’t pour water out of a boot if the instructions were written on the heel.”
