Pete Hoekstra

Washington, Oct 29 -

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House voted today to once again increase spending that will be paid for by future generations.

"Congress needs to focus on balancing the budget and reducing debt, not digging us deeper and deeper into a hole," said U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland. "I could not support the interior appropriations bill because of its high level of spending."

The Interior Appropriations bill contains a massive increase in spending over last year, totaling $32.2 billion in funding, which is a $4.7 billion or a 17 percent increase. Under the Democrats’ FY 2010 spending plan, all twelve bills will receive spending increases, with a total spending level of $1.09 trillion—an increase of $77 billion or 7.6 percent compared to last year.