Yesterday, President Obama released his latest proposal for health care legislation. Once again, we see a health care plan that was created without bi-partisan input behind closed doors in the White House. The President’s 11-page proposal melds elements of the House and Senate-passed health care bills along with new provisions. However, the White House has not revealed legislative text and no CBO score is yet available.
After traveling around the district last week, I know the people of the 19th Congressional District want health care reform that lowers the cost of health insurance without growing the size of government. But it’s also clear that the American people don’t want a government takeover of health care.
On Thursday Republican and Democrat leaders will meet with the President at the White House to discuss health care reform. Republicans care about health care, and tomorrow’s meeting will reflect our willingness to work out a plan that actually benefits the American people and will improve their access to affordable, quality health care. The White House claims this health care plan is an improvement of the House and Senate legislation from last year. However in reality, this plan is just another version of the same government takeover of health care that will increase premiums, destroy jobs, raise taxes, and cut Medicare benefits. According to the Obama Administration’s own experts, this bill increases health care spending— not reduces it. This plan would cost at least $950 billion and likely raise individual health insurance premiums by more than $2,100 for every family. While the “Cornhusker Kickback” for Nebraska was dropped from the text, there are still several other states and special interest groups receiving special deals in President Obama’s legislation.
And now, President Obama and the Democrat Leadership will attempt to push this proposal through Congress without bi-partisan support. This is the same thing we saw last year. According to a new Rasmussen poll released today, 41% of voters favor Obama’s health care plan, while 56% oppose it. The American people know what they want, and it is not this health care plan.
We can reform health care without the government restructuring the entire system, and we need to start over with a clean slate. We need a balanced, common sense approach that provides assistance to those who truly need it and keeps health care patient-centered rather than government-centered for everyone.
The GOP alternative would reduce insurance rates by up to 10 percent and give Americans access to high quality, affordable care. As your representative in Congress, you can be certain that I will continue to push for real reform that will empower the people of the 19th Congressional District, not limit their health care coverage. Let’s find immediate, measurable ways to make it more accessible and affordable without jeopardizing quality, individual choice, or personalized care.
To read a full outline of President Obama’s proposal, click here.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
A Fiscal Commission Won’t Solve the Spending Problem
Yesterday, President Obama issued an Executive Order creating a bipartisan fiscal commission with the expressed mission of "identifying policies to improve the fiscal situation in the medium term and to achieve fiscal sustainability over the long run." The commission would be charged with identifying and presenting policy recommendations "designed to balance the budget," including policies to cut deficits by increasing taxes and slowing the growth in entitlements.
While the President’s commission may produce some helpful suggestions, it can’t be a substitute for Congress doing its job, which is to make responsible decisions with the taxpayers’ dollars. Congress must fulfill its responsibility to the taxpayers of being good stewards of their money. We will face some difficult choices, but the taxpayers should expect and desire nothing less from their Representatives. Unfortunately, since taking over Congress and the White House, Democrats have an atrocious record of increasing spending, deficits, and taxes. Since Democrats took control of Congress and started passing their budgets in 2007, the national debt has grown by 42.8 percent. In 2009 alone, House Democrats passed a "stimulus" bill-which the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) now predicts will cost $862 billion-a $1.3 trillion health care takeover that raises taxes by more than $700 billion, a $873 billion national energy tax on every American, two omnibus spending bills totaling more than $855 billion, and increased non-defense discretionary spending by 12 percent.
Congress can’t sit back and wait to get recommendations from this Commission in December when the federal government is continuing to run such high deficits. Congress needs to start doing its job now with the budget and spending bills we will take up this year and begin taking steps to reign in spending.
If President Obama were really serious about reducing the deficit, he shouldn’t propose a budget that would result in more than a trillion dollar deficit and then set up the commission to try to reduce the deficit. Instead, he should use his budget proposal to submit solid ideas about reducing the deficit and make the tough choices he was elected to make.
More taxes to pay for this spending are not the answer to our problems. Real deficit reduction will require actual, significant spending cuts. The government is trying to do too many things for too many people. We need to slow down the entitlements, and get back to the principles of empowerment employed by our Founders. As long as I am in Congress, I will work to empower rather than entitle and protect America from digging deeper into debt.
While the President’s commission may produce some helpful suggestions, it can’t be a substitute for Congress doing its job, which is to make responsible decisions with the taxpayers’ dollars. Congress must fulfill its responsibility to the taxpayers of being good stewards of their money. We will face some difficult choices, but the taxpayers should expect and desire nothing less from their Representatives. Unfortunately, since taking over Congress and the White House, Democrats have an atrocious record of increasing spending, deficits, and taxes. Since Democrats took control of Congress and started passing their budgets in 2007, the national debt has grown by 42.8 percent. In 2009 alone, House Democrats passed a "stimulus" bill-which the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) now predicts will cost $862 billion-a $1.3 trillion health care takeover that raises taxes by more than $700 billion, a $873 billion national energy tax on every American, two omnibus spending bills totaling more than $855 billion, and increased non-defense discretionary spending by 12 percent.
Congress can’t sit back and wait to get recommendations from this Commission in December when the federal government is continuing to run such high deficits. Congress needs to start doing its job now with the budget and spending bills we will take up this year and begin taking steps to reign in spending.
If President Obama were really serious about reducing the deficit, he shouldn’t propose a budget that would result in more than a trillion dollar deficit and then set up the commission to try to reduce the deficit. Instead, he should use his budget proposal to submit solid ideas about reducing the deficit and make the tough choices he was elected to make.
More taxes to pay for this spending are not the answer to our problems. Real deficit reduction will require actual, significant spending cuts. The government is trying to do too many things for too many people. We need to slow down the entitlements, and get back to the principles of empowerment employed by our Founders. As long as I am in Congress, I will work to empower rather than entitle and protect America from digging deeper into debt.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
A Year of ‘Stimulus’, More Government Waste
One year ago today, President Obama signed the so-called stimulus into law. I opposed this bill because of increased spending and lack of accountability for the funds.
In the past year, we have heard how money has been wasted on pet projects and pointless initiatives. Yesterday, Vice President Biden referred to the stimulus as “one of the best run programs in terms of fraud and abuse and waste of any program the federal government has ever initiated.” Now, I’m not sure where he gets his information from, but let me take this opportunity to highlight some of the wasteful spending under the stimulus.
•ABC News reported that road signs advertising stimulus-funded road projects cost $500 apiece in Maryland and New Hampshire, $1,700 in Georgia, $2,000 in Pennsylvania and New York, and $3,000 per project in New Jersey. For the price of one $2,000 sign, 40 potholes could be repaired. New York was reported to be spending about $1 million on signs.
•$390,000 to study the relationship between malt liquor and marijuana use. The State University of New York at Buffalo received $390,000 in Stimulus funds to conduct a study on the relationship between drinking malt liquor and using marijuana. 100 people will be paid $45 a day for three weeks by taxpayers to drink malt liquor and smoke marijuana.
•Rose Hagner of Anne Arundel County, Maryland, received a $250 supplemental Social Security check funded by the stimulus bill. However, Mrs. Hagner died on Memorial Day 1967.
•$2.3 Million in stimulus funds for beauty school tuitions. Eight Tampa Bay cosmetology and massage schools are receiving $2.3 million in Stimulus funds to pay the tuitions for hairdressers, masseuses and nail technicians … Monica Ponce, the owner of Tampa’s Muse The Salon, doesn’t believe there is actually a demand for more beauty school graduates in the bay area. Chad Malm, owner of Tampa’s Salon Jack, agreed with Ponce noting there are already plenty of hairdressers in the area. According to Malm, not only is the idea of subsiding beauty school tuitions ridiculous, it’s also “wasting tax dollars.” (Will Van Zant, $2.3 Million In Federal Stimulus Money Is Going To Pay For Tampa Bay Area Beauty School Tuition, The St. Petersburg Times, 10/17/09)
These examples are just a handful of initiatives that make it clear that the stimulus is wasting American tax dollars. Of that nearly $1 trillion in spending, much remains unspent and all of this government spending has done nothing to create new, permanent jobs. It is time to take a new approach. I am looking at how we can reduce spending in programs that have unspent stimulus funds. Let’s stop wasting our hard-earned money, and get this economy moving again. For more information on where we stand after one year of the so-called “stimulus,” click here.
In the past year, we have heard how money has been wasted on pet projects and pointless initiatives. Yesterday, Vice President Biden referred to the stimulus as “one of the best run programs in terms of fraud and abuse and waste of any program the federal government has ever initiated.” Now, I’m not sure where he gets his information from, but let me take this opportunity to highlight some of the wasteful spending under the stimulus.
•ABC News reported that road signs advertising stimulus-funded road projects cost $500 apiece in Maryland and New Hampshire, $1,700 in Georgia, $2,000 in Pennsylvania and New York, and $3,000 per project in New Jersey. For the price of one $2,000 sign, 40 potholes could be repaired. New York was reported to be spending about $1 million on signs.
•$390,000 to study the relationship between malt liquor and marijuana use. The State University of New York at Buffalo received $390,000 in Stimulus funds to conduct a study on the relationship between drinking malt liquor and using marijuana. 100 people will be paid $45 a day for three weeks by taxpayers to drink malt liquor and smoke marijuana.
•Rose Hagner of Anne Arundel County, Maryland, received a $250 supplemental Social Security check funded by the stimulus bill. However, Mrs. Hagner died on Memorial Day 1967.
•$2.3 Million in stimulus funds for beauty school tuitions. Eight Tampa Bay cosmetology and massage schools are receiving $2.3 million in Stimulus funds to pay the tuitions for hairdressers, masseuses and nail technicians … Monica Ponce, the owner of Tampa’s Muse The Salon, doesn’t believe there is actually a demand for more beauty school graduates in the bay area. Chad Malm, owner of Tampa’s Salon Jack, agreed with Ponce noting there are already plenty of hairdressers in the area. According to Malm, not only is the idea of subsiding beauty school tuitions ridiculous, it’s also “wasting tax dollars.” (Will Van Zant, $2.3 Million In Federal Stimulus Money Is Going To Pay For Tampa Bay Area Beauty School Tuition, The St. Petersburg Times, 10/17/09)
These examples are just a handful of initiatives that make it clear that the stimulus is wasting American tax dollars. Of that nearly $1 trillion in spending, much remains unspent and all of this government spending has done nothing to create new, permanent jobs. It is time to take a new approach. I am looking at how we can reduce spending in programs that have unspent stimulus funds. Let’s stop wasting our hard-earned money, and get this economy moving again. For more information on where we stand after one year of the so-called “stimulus,” click here.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
National Salute to Veteran Patients
National Salute to Veteran Patients is an annual program recognized during the week of February 14. This week promotes activities designed to pay tribute and express appreciation to America’s many hospitalized veterans. There are more than 98,000 veterans of the U.S. armed services who are cared for every day in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers, some of them right here in the 19th Congressional District at the Big Spring VA Medical Center.
First established as an official VA program in 1978, National Salute to Veteran Patients serves as a valuable public awareness program to help people understand the important role of VA medical facilities and encouraging volunteer activities to help veterans.
It is great to have a facility in West Texas to care for our veterans. Veterans play an important role in our communities, and so often we forget of their great sacrifices on our behalf. I encourage everyone across the 19th Congressional District to take time beyond this week to recognize the contributions of our service men and women. We owe an eternal debt of gratitude to America's soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. Giving our support to hospitalized veterans and recognizing their service, as we are doing this week, is one important step toward repaying that debt. May God bless our men and women in uniform, both past and present.
For more information on the Big Spring VA Medical center, and how you can volunteer, click here.
First established as an official VA program in 1978, National Salute to Veteran Patients serves as a valuable public awareness program to help people understand the important role of VA medical facilities and encouraging volunteer activities to help veterans.
It is great to have a facility in West Texas to care for our veterans. Veterans play an important role in our communities, and so often we forget of their great sacrifices on our behalf. I encourage everyone across the 19th Congressional District to take time beyond this week to recognize the contributions of our service men and women. We owe an eternal debt of gratitude to America's soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines. Giving our support to hospitalized veterans and recognizing their service, as we are doing this week, is one important step toward repaying that debt. May God bless our men and women in uniform, both past and present.
For more information on the Big Spring VA Medical center, and how you can volunteer, click here.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
More of the Same: More Debt
This afternoon, the House passed yet another debt limit increase, without a single Republican vote. Today’s vote to increase the debt limit by $1.9 trillion is a giant Ponzi scheme to allow Democrats to continue spending taxpayer dollars and create massive debts for our children and grandchildren to pay. In the past two and a half years we have increased the debt limit six times, adding more than $4 trillion dollars to the government credit limit. Today we increased the limit on the government credit card again, but we continue to do nothing to slow the spending that keeps bringing us back to this same place. My question is: who is going to pay the bill?
As someone who studied accounting and ran a small business, the math just doesn’t add up. Simply put, President Obama and the liberals in Congress are addicted to spending. This 15.3 percent increase in the debt limit will allow the government to keep spending at leisure, accumulating more record debt to be passed along to our children and grandchildren. Furthermore, each American will shoulder an increase of $6,157 in debt, totaling $40,053 for every man, woman, and child in the U.S.
If we want to bring relief to the people, we must address the cause of these continued and massive increases in our government’s borrowing: spending. Yesterday I introduced H.R. 4587, which would require Congress to pass 10-year statutory spending caps in conjunction with any increase in the statutory debt limit. This legislation will require Congress to have a plan for controlling spending before we simply allow the federal government to borrow more. If Congress can’t be more responsible when it comes to spending and running up the debt in first place, binding spending caps will force us to do so.
We cannot continue to borrow, spend and tax our way back to a growing economy. I firmly believe government should empower citizens to succeed in the economy, not erode their freedoms and encourage dependency. This debt increase undermines empowerment by reducing our economic growth and making America dependent on other nations for financing. The necessary road to recovery must be based on the principle of empowering Americans through limited government, fiscal and personal responsibility.
As someone who studied accounting and ran a small business, the math just doesn’t add up. Simply put, President Obama and the liberals in Congress are addicted to spending. This 15.3 percent increase in the debt limit will allow the government to keep spending at leisure, accumulating more record debt to be passed along to our children and grandchildren. Furthermore, each American will shoulder an increase of $6,157 in debt, totaling $40,053 for every man, woman, and child in the U.S.
If we want to bring relief to the people, we must address the cause of these continued and massive increases in our government’s borrowing: spending. Yesterday I introduced H.R. 4587, which would require Congress to pass 10-year statutory spending caps in conjunction with any increase in the statutory debt limit. This legislation will require Congress to have a plan for controlling spending before we simply allow the federal government to borrow more. If Congress can’t be more responsible when it comes to spending and running up the debt in first place, binding spending caps will force us to do so.
We cannot continue to borrow, spend and tax our way back to a growing economy. I firmly believe government should empower citizens to succeed in the economy, not erode their freedoms and encourage dependency. This debt increase undermines empowerment by reducing our economic growth and making America dependent on other nations for financing. The necessary road to recovery must be based on the principle of empowering Americans through limited government, fiscal and personal responsibility.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
President Obama's Budget
Despite President Obama’s recent calls for fiscal responsibility, if Congress implements his budget request, we would more than double the debt, drive spending to a new record of $3.8 trillion for the next year, push the deficit to a new record of $1.6 trillion this year, and raise taxes by more than $2 trillion through 2020.
This budget goes beyond fiscal irresponsibility; it is fiscal insanity. The President’s budget features too many new taxes, too much new spending and too much new debt, all of which will discourage job creation and growth in our economy.
Although, I’m pleased President Obama has spoken out about the need to get our fiscal house in order, and his proposed freeze of some spending next year is certainly a good first step, Washington must get serious about fiscal responsibility. As the voice for the people of the 19th Congressional District in Washington, I will continue to hold the President and Congress accountable and fight for fiscal discipline. We need more than a targeted freeze in some spending; we need real spending reductions.
This budget goes beyond fiscal irresponsibility; it is fiscal insanity. The President’s budget features too many new taxes, too much new spending and too much new debt, all of which will discourage job creation and growth in our economy.
Although, I’m pleased President Obama has spoken out about the need to get our fiscal house in order, and his proposed freeze of some spending next year is certainly a good first step, Washington must get serious about fiscal responsibility. As the voice for the people of the 19th Congressional District in Washington, I will continue to hold the President and Congress accountable and fight for fiscal discipline. We need more than a targeted freeze in some spending; we need real spending reductions.
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