Obama’s First 100 Days (Rep. Charles Boustany)

When President Obama was inaugurated, I committed to working with the President when he acted in the interest of Southwest Louisiana, but in his first 100 days, I am disappointed with the direction of this Administration.

At a time when the national economy is struggling, the American people need commonsense solutions to get businesses hiring again and make America competitive.

Instead of making a commitment to the American people, Congressional Democrats and President Obama have pushed tax hikes on our energy producers. In its current form, the President’s $3.5 trillion budget would increase taxes on every American.

Through higher prices at the pump and electricity costs, the President’s plan will reach into the pockets of consumers across America, which the EPA estimates will translate into an extra $1.27 per gallon tax paid by all Americans.

What’s worse is that the plan creates backdoor provisions which will allow Washington Democrats to implement radical changes to our healthcare system without any of the normal checks and balances. There will be no way to ensure these changes will provide the actual access to a doctor that millions of Americans so desperately need.

Over the past 100 days, my colleagues and I have offered sound alternatives and reached out across the aisle in an attempt to make substantial changes in the budget that we could all support, but President Obama and Washington Democrats failed to fulfill promises of a bipartisan budget.

As we move forward, I will continue to promote the values and needs of the people of Louisiana, and I sincerely hope the President will reach out to House Republicans in an effort to promote legislation that is truly bipartisan.