Hensarling Hosts America Speaking Out Town Hall Meetings

DALLAS, TEXAS — Congressman Jeb Hensarling (TX-05) hosted a series of town hall meetings in Mineola, Jacksonville, Palestine, Athens, Canton and Terrell on July 8 as part of the America Speaking Out program.

Congressman Hensarling, the second ranking Republican on the House Budget Committee, and sponsor of the Spending, Deficit, and Debt Control Act, is author of legislation often referred to as the “gold standard” of budget enforcement reform.

Dubbed “Rep. Budget Reform” for his efforts to reign in the spending, deficits and debt with which the federal government is saddling future generations of Americans, Hensarling is one of the leading voices in Congress for fiscal sanity and a long-time advocate of ending the taxpayer bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. One of the authors of the proposed Spending Limit Amendment to the Constitution, Hensarling is a member of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform; during the 111th Congress his work to control spending and taxes has been recognized by The National Taxpayers Union and The Club for Growth.

“I think part of the frustration many people are feeling about their government is that they don’t feel they really have a practical way to plug in to the system and be heard. So House Republicans launched a new program called America Speaking Out,” said Hensarling. “Today is really part of the celebration of freedom. This is all about our form of democracy and making sure as your elected member in the House of Representatives that I am held accountable and that I listen to those who sent me to office in the first place.”

Bill Baker from Terrell said what seemed to be on everyone’s mind at Congressman Hensarling’s America Speaking Out town hall meeting in Terrell when he said, "I'm concerned about the deficit, and the amount of spending in Washington, DC."

Jane Donelson of Athens caught the mood of many when she reinforced Congressman Hensarling’s position on bailouts when she noted, "In our everyday life and in business if you do right you succeed and if you don't you fail. If you fail, you pick yourself up, dust yourself off and try again. When is Washington going to realize there is no such thing as ‘too big to fail’?”

Jim Bateman of Athens lauded Hensarling for his commitment to listening and citizen input, "What you and the conference have done with "America Speaking Out" and "You Cut" is great. Never let it be said that what I think doesn't matter because this shows you are listening."

Joe Sanchez of Palestine voiced opposition to the concept of “too big to fail” and DC’s bailout culture by saying, "If banks are going to fail, they should fail. If GM is going to fail, they should fail. There are lessons to be learned from that. If we want to help them, we should cut their taxes."

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Jim Payne of Palestine seemed to sum-up the mood of the crowd toward the creeping intrusiveness of the federal government when he stated, "We need to get Washington, DC out of our local government and make them do the job they are supposed to be doing.

Steve Looney of Jacksonville went straight to the heart of our economic challenge when he pointed out, "If we are going to be a pro-growth country, we've got to create jobs."

Jacksonville business-owner Mark Ford offered this analysis of why job growth has all but stopped in the current environment, "There are so many rules and regulations on us as business owners. I spend all my time satisfying the requirements on us that I can't focus on the reason I got into business in the first place. If they want to help us then help us, but stop hurting us in the process."

Gary Penny of Yantis captured much of the frustration with Washington citizens in East Texas are feeling today when he said, "We need a law that says Congress will pass no law applying only to Congress and no law only to the people. If it is good enough for us, it should be good enough for Congress."

Perhaps Luke Miller of Mineloa best summed-up the feelings of the participants in Congressman Jeb Hensarling’s Mineola America Speaking Out town hall meeting when he said, "We are never going to fix the problems in this country until we get people back to work. We have an unhealthy business environment and unless we cut taxes on businesses, we aren't going to get people back to work and turn this nation around."

Brad Vogt of Canton caught the mood of many at the Canton America Speaking Out town hall meetings when he concluded his comments by saying, “We need major tax reform…”

“I’ve been around long enough to know that, by and large, the best ideas do not come from Washington, DC. They come from the people who do the work, who pay the taxes, who teach the children, who put out the fires, who make our streets safe, who start small businesses. That’s where the best ideas come from,” Hensarling concluded.

Constituents who wish to participate in America Speaking Out may join the online community where they can submit ideas, rate those of others, and post their comments on other social media such as Facebook and Twitter. To learn more about America Speaking Out visit www.americaspeakingout.com.