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HARTFORD, Conn. Christopher Shays officially announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate on Wednesday afternoon, emphasizing that he wants to balance the federal budget within six years and get the countrys economy back on track.
Fairfield County's former U.S. representative criticized the current Senate and the Obama administration for not doing enough to fix the countrys economic problems. Nothing is getting done. Our leaders are putting their personal, political and partisan interests ahead of our countrys interests, and we are all paying the price, he said.
Would you believe its been 1,001 days since the United States Senate has passed a budget? he asked the enthusiastic crowd of supporters at the Old State House in Hartford. Without a budget, the Senate has no guideline to limit what the federal government can spend, what it can tax and what it can entitle.
He said the country needs a budget to keep the government from spending recklessly, which he believes will hamper economic growth and leave more Americans out of work.
Shays promised to work for repeal of the Obama Health Care Plan, saying that it should be the responsibility of the states to draft plans that meet their particular needs. He also wants to simplify the tax laws, eliminating loopholes that he says make our taxes complex and susceptible to special interest lobbying.
The Republican grew up in Darien and represented Stamford in the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1974 to 1987 before becoming the Fourth Congressional Districts representative in Congress. He will be competing for the Republican nomination for Senate against attorney Brian Hill, attorney Peter Lumaj, former Vernon Mayor Jason McCoy and Stamford businesswoman Linda McMahon.
Shays criticized McMahon for spending $50 million on her unsuccessful 2010 run for Senate, saying it was excessive. If you spend $50 million so recklessly, why would anyone think youll spend their money in any other way?
Other priorities Shays set include sponsoring legislation to improve the countrys infrastructure, helping the country become energy independent and getting rid of wasteful spending and unnecessary regulations.
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