| Repeal Government Takeover of Health Care and Replace It With Solutions that Lower Costs |
I recently introduced the Reform Americans Can Afford Act, legislation that would repeal the government takeover of health care and replace it with commonsense solutions that would keep Washington out of the doctor’s office and, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, would lower health care premiums by up to 20% compared to the Democrats' law. It would also repeal the one-half trillion dollars in tax increases and one-half trillion dollars in Medicare cuts that the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services' actuaries said could jeopardize access to care for Medicare beneficiaries. I introduced this bill because the American people have made it clear, at town hall meetings, rallies, and the ballot box, that they oppose this new big-government health care law. It is essential that we repeal this massive government intrusion into Americans’ health care before it cripples America’s future by skyrocketing costs and exploding the national debt even further. You can find out more about what my bill would do here.
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| We Must Do More to Secure Our Nation's Borders |
President Barack Obama announced recently that he plans to send 1,200 National Guard to the Arizona border with Mexico. The President made this decision in response to the lawlessness and drug trafficking crisis that threatens our security. This long overdue action is a welcome development, but I believe much more is needed to secure our border. Senator John McCain offered an amendment to a troop funding bill that would have called on the President to send 6,000 National Guard troops to the border. Unfortunately, the Senate rejected it 51-46; 60 votes were needed for it to pass. The House will likely consider the troop funding legislation in June, however, and I will strongly support efforts to urge the President to increase the amount of National Guard troops assigned to the border and other efforts to secure our nation’s borders.
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| Congress, President, and Debt Commission Should Reject Value Added Tax |
I want to share an opinion editorial I authored along with anti-tax leader Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, voicing opposition to the value-added tax. It appeared in a recent edition of Investor’s Business Daily. I believe imposing this hidden tax to fund a massive government expansion would be devastating to U.S. families and our economy, and should be resoundingly rejected. As we write in the piece, imposing a VAT would only fuel more government spending, creating a “double assault on our future economic prosperity.”
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| Fiscal Responsibility Should Be a Bipartisan Issue |
With spending in Washington out-of-control, I want to share a new initiative House Republicans have launched. “You Cut” is a website designed to get input from Americans across the nation on where they want to see spending cuts. Each week individuals can vote to cut spending on five different programs. House Republicans have committed to bringing the top vote-getter to a vote in the House the following week. Thus far, a few different inititiatives have been brought before the House, including legislation to eliminate a recently created $2.5 billion annual welfare emergency fund. However, House Democrats voted down the proposals on a party line vote.
Nonetheless, this is an excellent initiative and exactly what Washington needs. The American people are tired of Washington ignoring their concerns about runaway spending and fiscal insanity. Although the first "You Cut" program was rejected by House Democrats, I believe it is only a matter of time before we break through. I encourage you to go online and vote on "YouCut." With each measure we offer, we hope to force the Democrat-controlled Congress to confront the realities of our fiscal situation and make the tough choices we need to live within our means.
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| Small Businesses’ Concerns with Taxes in Health Care Bill Confirmed |
Given the complexities and increased bureaucracy in Obamacare, I want to share a flow chart that shows America’s small businesses and their employees how to calculate the so-called small business health care tax credit the Democrats included in their massive health overhaul earlier this year. As the navigation tool shows, employers face a dizzying array of questions and formulas before determining if they are eligible for some, all or none of this credit. The lack of assistance to small businesses and their workers should come as no surprise. During the health care debate, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that 88 percent of those who get health insurance from a small employer work for a business that will not receive tax credits under the Democrats’ legislation.
Ronald Reagan once said that the most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’ It’s no surprise that the Democrats’ big-government health care law offers no real help for small businesses struggling with high health care costs. In fact, at a time when our top priority should be to create jobs and get our economy back on track, this new law instead kills jobs and tells small business owners that it isn’t in their best interest to grow and prosper. It’s time for Congress to get to work on repealing this destructive health overhaul and providing real tax relief and health care savings for America’s small businesses.
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| Cap and Tax Back Again and Damaging as Ever |
In keeping with what seems to be an all-too-familiar occurrence in Washington these days, Senators John Kerry and Joe Lieberman defied public opinion by unveiling legislation to impose a damaging “cap and trade” scheme to limit greenhouse gas emissions. The so-called “American Power Act” is yet another 1,000-page piece of legislation that would dramatically raise energy prices, kill jobs, and stifle our economic growth with a damaging new tax on the American people. While slightly different from the House-passed cap and trade legislation that I opposed last year, this new bill still seeks an 80% reduction in emissions from today’s levels by placing binding limits on the amount of emissions from our powerplants, factories, and businesses. To put this in perspective, under this legislation, the American population in 2050 (projected to be over 400 million) would be limited to the same amount of emissions as our country had in 1875.
While I believe that we should take practical measures to achieve improvements in air quality and the environment, intentionally limiting ourselves to a 19th century standard of living is not the answer. I will continue to do all I can to oppose this and any other crippling policy that will restrict economic growth and sacrifice our way of life in the name of appeasing fringe groups that rely on highly disputed and unsubstantiated claims to drive their alarmist agenda.
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I had the privilege of joining with hundreds of northern Californians who came to the State Veterans Cemetery in Shasta County to honor the memory of those who died in the service of our nation. It was a beautiful Memorial Day observance. I had the chance to catch up with several friends, including Bill Philen, the Commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Redding Chapter. Earlier in the day, I was given the privilege of speaking at the Sutter County Memorial Day Observance. You can read the text of my remarks here.
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| Ground Breaking at Redding Vets Home |
Recently, I participated in the ground breaking of the Veterans Home of California in Redding. It will be a state run facility that provides aged or disabled veterans with rehabilitative, residential, and medical care services in a home-like environment with a capacity of 150 beds. Operational funding will come from both California and the federal government. I applaud all of the state and local leaders and, most important, the veterans groups in our region, for their tireless work to demonstrate the need for this Redding home and their perseverance throughout the planning process. This home will usher in a new era of veterans’ services in the North State and will meet real needs of our large veteran population. I will continue to monitor the construction and look forward to attending the grand opening.
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| Financial Education for our Children |
I was happy to speak to a pair of Sutter County elementary schools over the Memorial Day Recess about the importance of sound budgeting and responsible financial planning. Along with the Bank of Feather River, I visited April Lane School and Park Avenue School and spoke to students about the importance and benefits of saving money. This program is designed to increase children’s financial awareness. I was very encouraged by the comments and questions that the students had for me. In particular, several students asked insightful questions about the benefits of savings accounts, and were able to classify everyday items as either “needs” or “wants.”
As the next generation of community leaders, I believe it is incredibly important to ensure that our young people understand the importance of saving money and the impacts that it will have on their futures. Teaching our young people about financial responsibility will not only benefit them as individuals, but it will benefit our communities as they mature into our leaders of tomorrow. Just as the federal government should be tightening its belt and spending less, I commend all teachers, parents, and guardians who are teaching children about saving money in these challenging times.Share your thoughts |
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