Congressman Randy Neugebauer Believes Fiscal Cliff Is Not An Income Problem, But A Spending Problem [AUDIO]

On Monday's edition of Lubbock's First News, Congressman Randy Neugebauer talked with Tom Collins and Laura Mac about the latest goings-on in Washington.

Now that Congress is back in session, the major concern is the impending "fiscal cliff." A number of tax cuts and policies are expiring in the next few weeks, but Neugebauer says it's still unclear at this point how the government will deal with it. However, he suggested that it wasn't an income problem the government had, it was a spending problem.

"What you hear the president talking about is raising taxes. What you don't hear the president talking about, or hear anybody on the other side of the aisle talking about is cutting spending. We don't have an income problem, we have a spending problem. We spend more money than we bring in. States can't do that, so there's no reason the federal government should do that."

As far as a solution to the fiscal cliff issue, Neugebauer said that time would be a major issue, as people are expecting Congress to do in weeks what they haven't done in years.

Neugebauer went on to highlight the huge gaps between spending and income, using the recently bankrupt Hostess as an example. Neugebauer said that lobar union have, for a while now, negotiated for lucrative employment and retirement programs for its members. Now, it's gotten to the point where businesses can no longer support those packages, and now there are a large number of companies going bankrupt.

You can listen to Congressman Randy Neugebauer Mondays at 7:35 during Lubbock's First News on NewsTalk 790 KFYO.