Right Now

Majority Party Set to Employ Desperate Tactic to Increase Government Control over Health Care
Speaker Pelosi has indicated that the House will vote on the government takeover of health care at the end of this week despite the fact that the American people have continually made it clear that they do not support it. Beginning at town hall meetings across the country last August, and continuing through Scott Brown’s stunning election to the Massachusetts Senate seat formerly held by Ted Kennedy, the people have sent an unmistakable message to Congress: This bill costs too much, taxes too much, gives the government too much control over health care, and should be defeated.

Unfortunately, Democratic leaders in Congress aren’t getting the message. Their latest attempt to make an end-run around the American people consists of using an obscure tactic known as “budget reconciliation.” A reconciliation bill can pass with just 51 votes in support, instead of the 60 votes that are typically needed for passage in the Senate. While the intricacies of Congress’s procedural rules might ordinarily be of little interest to most people, it’s important for Americans to understand how Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid are willing to use any and every tactic to ram through a government takeover of one-sixth of the U.S. economy—in complete defiance of the American people. Now, it is more important than ever that Americans make their voices heard in Washington, D.C. As this process unfolds, I and my Republican colleagues in the House and Senate will be working around the clock to expose the Democratic Majority’s desperate actions and stop this damaging bill from becoming law.Share your thoughts

Americans Still Asking ‘Where Are the Jobs’ After a Year of So-Called Stimulus
Over a year has passed since the passage of the so-called “stimulus” package, an ill-conceived, budget busting package of federal spending proposed by President Obama that I vigorously opposed. The Administration promised last year that the nearly one trillion dollars in spending would keep unemployment from reaching eight percent; yet since it became law, over three million people across our nation have lost their jobs and the national unemployment rate is nearly ten percent. It’s clear the bill has failed to result in any meaningful job creation but has significantly increased our already alarming national debt, which will have severe long term economic consequences for our nation. What we already knew has become even clearer – we cannot spend and borrow our way back to prosperity. Along with other House Republicans, I have consistently supported better solutions that would put our economy back on the right track without burying our children in more debt. Share your thoughts

Iraq Elections Represent another Milestone
Recently, an estimated 62% of eligible Iraqis went to the polls and cast their votes in parliamentary elections. Importantly, turnout was high among all of Iraq’s ethnic and religious backgrounds, indicating that each segment of the population believed the election process was fair and legitimate. Although election results are not yet finalized, it appears that either the current Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki or former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi will be Iraq’s next leader. As noted by the New York Times, both of these leaders “campaign[ed] as secular, nonsectarian leaders promising to unite all Iraqis.”

Iraq’s democracy is promising but still in its early stages. It is critical that its current and future leaders reject radicalism and remain committed to democratic ideals, such as the freedom of speech, the freedom of religion, and the rule of law. Based on the latest milestone election, I remain upbeat that the Iraqi people are determined to build a strong, stable, and united nation. While difficult days remain, continued progress toward that end would allow our remaining troops to return home by the end of next year as planned, and significantly bolster U.S. security in the Middle East by further strengthening our alliance with Iraq and by encouraging and enhancing the pro-democratic movements in theocratic Iran and other non-democratic countries. Share your thoughts

Recent Past

Mr. President, Start Over on Health Carebt
President Obama held a White House "summit" recently to meet with members of both parties to discuss health care reform. Republicans offered a number of substantive solutions for addressing the nation’s health care problems and came to the event in good faith to discuss our ideas for bringing down health care costs. We also reminded the President that his government-run plan will lead to higher costs, create an unaffordable multi-trillion dollar new entitlement and impose hundreds of billions of dollars in new taxes on the American people.

Unfortunately, the President’s refusal to seriously address Republican proposals showed that he is still ignoring the American people’s concerns. Instead of trusting Americans to make the best decisions about their own health care needs, the President and House and Senate Democrats continue to believe that our personal health decisions should be put in the hands of Washington bureaucrats. I strongly disagree. It’s long past time for the President and his allies in Congress to start listening to the American people. They should abandon this fatally flawed legislation and work with Republicans to find commonsense solutions that will make health care more accessible and affordable. Share your thoughts

UN Nuclear Inspectors Conclude Iran is Building a Nuclear Warhead
The International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear watchdog group, recently issued a report declaring that Iran is indeed developing a nuclear warhead. The report also concluded that Iran is speeding up its nuclear program, based on its continuing enrichment of uranium, the recent discovery of a secret nuclear facility, and its refusal to transfer uranium to another country for enrichment after promising to do so. The international community is clearly running out of time to prevent a nuclear Iran.

I remain deeply troubled about Iran’s nuclear program. I believe President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton should immediately abandon their ineffective goodwill efforts toward Iran and demand that the United Nations impose paralyzing sanctions that cripple Iran’s energy sector and its ability to acquire nuclear materials. We must also express solidarity with the brave men and women in Iran who are risking their lives every day to demand democratic reforms in their homeland. Additionally, we should leave all options on the table. These actions would demonstrate that our nation is serious about addressing this emerging threat to U.S. security interests and denying Iran its dangerous power grab in the Middle East. Share your thoughts

Northern California News and Events

Beale AFB’s Global Hawk Vital Asset to U.S. Military
I had the opportunity to speak at the Global Hawk Industry Team Conference just outside of our nation’s capital. Global Hawk is our nation’s most capable high-altitude unmanned spy plane and is operated from Northern California’s Beale Air Force Base. It flies in excess of 60,000 feet and provides our commanders on the ground with near real time imagery that reveals enemy hideouts and threats, giving U.S. troops a significant advantage in war. It has also provided informative pictures during humanitarian missions in the wake of the recent earthquake in Haiti and during the devastating forest fires in California in 2007 and 2008. The conference was attended by the many defense companies that help build the aircraft. I was pleased to have the chance to speak out for a project so important to our military and to Northern California. You can read the full text of my remarks here. Share your thoughts

Former Governor Palin Visits Redding
This week I had the pleasure of meeting with Colonel Thomas Chapman, head of the Sacramento District of the Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps of Engineers Sacramento District constructs and oversees a number of flood control and water projects that are vital to our flood-prone area. Flood control and water issues remain one of my top priorities in Congress. As such, I value having the chance to periodically discuss the many projects that the Corps is involved in around the Second Congressional District. Given the hundreds of miles of levees and other projects affecting water availability and supply, Colonel Chapman and his team play an incredibly valuable role in protecting our livelihoods and property in the North State. Share your thoughts

VA Responds to Delay in GI Benefits
Last year, I joined with other Members of Congress from California in expressing concern over the VA’s significant delay in processing Post 9/11 GI benefits and requested information detailing what actions the VA is taking to correct the situation. I have heard from many North State veterans who have been struggling financially to make ends meet or have even had to put their education on hold while they wait for the VA to process their benefits. Given this widespread concern, I wanted to share the VA’s response with you that details their efforts to reduce the claims backlog and process the GI benefits payments as quickly as possible. Please know that I will continue to closely monitor this issue to ensure that our veterans receive their education benefits in a more timely matter. Share your thoughts

Social Media Helps You Stay on Top of the Issues
As technology becomes more and more a part of our lives, people are using the internet and social media tools to stay in touch and keep informed. As part of my ongoing effort to improve communication and outreach to my fellow Northern Californians, I have launched a Facebook page and a YouTube account. Through these web pages, you can get the latest information about what I’m doing in Washington or around the Second Congressional District, see videos of floor speeches and town halls, and stay on top of what matters to you. I hope you will visit my Facebook page and YouTube account soon.