Pledge to America Delivers Solutions Americans are Demanding

Last week, House Republicans presented “A Pledge to America,” a new governing agenda that responsibly addresses some of the major challenges facing America today.  The Pledge was created after months of engagement between Members of Congress and the public through town halls, business tours, individual meetings and the online forum America Speaking Out.    

A central aspect of the Pledge is that most of the solutions it offers can be implemented immediately.  Already, a proposal included in the Pledge to end the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) once and for all, which also received strong support through the online forum YouCut, was put up for a vote this week.  That effort, facilitated through a procedural motion on the House floor, failed mostly along party-line by a vote of 235-183.

Click here to read A Pledge to America in its entirety.  A pocket card is also available, which summarizes the Pledge’s major points.  

The purpose of the Pledge is simple: demonstrate a commitment to reduce the size and influence of government, cut spending and restore the public trust.  The sentiment that Washington has lost touch with the people it governs has been allowed to continue for far too long.  American workers and families are demanding a new way forward and the Pledge shows that House Republicans are listening. 

The Pledge is centered on restoring accountability, strengthening security and putting our nation back on a path toward prosperity.  In doing so, we honor our founding principles and identify a clear vision for the future through meaningful policy solutions.  Overall, this agenda puts the American people at the forefront and ensures government does what it’s intended to do: work in the best interest of the citizens it serves.
   
YouCut Proposes Significant Savings

To date, the online forum YouCut has offered more than $155 billion in budget savings – all of which I have supported.  Although these proposals have been rejected by the majority, there is still a tremendous benefit to highlighting duplicative and wasteful government programs.  Taxpayers are now learning some of the ways government spends money. 

Here’s an example: while only 16 percent of Amtrak railway passengers opt for “sleeper class” travel, as opposed to coach class, federal taxpayers provide extra subsidies for first class travel.  Passengers in long-distance first class travel are provided a sleeping room, complete with private amenities, turn-down service, entertainment and pre-paid food.  Still, Amtrak loses more than twice as much per passenger ($396 on average) for first class service as compared to coach service.  These losses are made up by taxpayers. 

Eliminating federal subsidies for first class service and requiring Amtrak to provide such service at cost is something I fully support.  This is just one example among many other spending cuts that have been offered through YouCut, which you can access here or by visiting my website.

Protecting Troops in Afghanistan from Roadside Bombs

You might recall from previous newsletters that, in addition to jobs and the economy, a large part of my focus, as a member of the House Armed Services Committee, is strengthening national security.  This includes ensuring our troops in harm’s way have the best resources available.  One of the issues I’ve been working on involves better protecting American troops in Afghanistan from the threat of roadside bombs. 

A recent story in the Washington Times – Hunter Lauds Tactic to Snuff IEDs – explains my efforts in greater detail.  Even more recently, another story in the Washington Times, featured among other defense-related articles in this week’s edition of Inside the Ring, references advancements in this area.  Here are a few short excerpts:

Fresh from a private Pentagon briefing on Wednesday, Rep. Duncan Hunter, California Republican, tells Inside the Ring that the command in Afghanistan has made great strides in defeating hidden bombs by doing something basic — watching the roads…

Mr. Hunter, who deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq as a Marine Corps officer, has been pushing the Pentagon to adopt in Afghanistan what is known as ODIN — observe, detect, identify, neutralize…

The task force doing the ODIN mission in Afghanistan is called Falcon Strike. Since its recent surge, the JIEDDO office said, it has killed 43 enemy involved in IED placements. Falcon Strike has reduced IEDs along major eastern supply routes by almost 50 percent, it said, compared with a year ago.

For Veterans, Retroactive Stop Loss Pay Deadline Approaching 
   
Veterans, current servicemembers and survivors of servicemembers who were involuntarily retained in the military under the “Stop Loss” program, between September 11, 2001, and September 30, 2009, are eligible to receive a retroactive payment of $500 for each month of extension.  The deadline to apply for Stop Loss compensation is October 21, 2010.

America’s military men and women have faithfully served the U.S. combat mission in Iraq and Afghanistan, while their families have sacrificed at home.  In some cases, servicemembers were involuntarily retained over the course of these operations, making them eligible for special pay.  These men and women earned this compensation for their service.  It’s now important that those who are eligible submit an application before the approaching deadline.  I encourage anyone in the San Diego community with questions about this program or the application process to contact my El Cajon office at 619-448-5201. 

So far, only 58,000 of 145,000 eligible claims have been paid.  Information on the Stop Loss compensation program and links to the application are available at: www.defense.gov/stoploss.