Armed Services
The U.S. has the finest military in the world. Since taking office in the House of Representatives in 2002, I have been a steadfast supporter of our nation’s armed services in their fight to bring stability and freedom to Iraq and Afghanistan while waging the War on Terror.
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Education
Ensuring educational opportunities for America’s children is a top priority. As the father of four children, I understand the need for a strong and well-balanced public educational system to educate our nation’s future leaders. We must ensure that every student is afforded the opportunity to achieve his or her own educational goals, that parental rights are protected, and that taxpayer dollars are used responsibly.
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Energy
As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, comprehensive national energy policy is extremely important to me. The war on terror, recent natural disasters and a global rise in crude oil demand have shown us that we must continue to address energy consumption and production. Stable energy prices and sound energy legislation are the backbones of our nation that will allow us to flourish as a people.
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Health Care
Health care is a critically important issue given the numerous problems that have added to our nation's health care crisis. As the estimated 76 million baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964 become elderly, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security will nearly double as shares of the economy by 2035 and the federal government must prepare for this ahead of time.
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Homeland Security
September 11, 2001, changed our nation forever. It changed the way we think, the way we view the world, and forever changed the way we approach terrorism on our soil. The creation of the Department of Homeland Security is the most significant reorganization of the federal government in over half-a-century. This agency is charged with protecting the American people and its borders, highways, ports, and critical infrastructure from terrorist attack.
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Life Issues
As a fundamental principle of my religious beliefs, it is my view that life begins at conception. I am an advocate for the unborn and will continue to work diligently to see that the sanctity of life is preserved.
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Second Amendment
I firmly believe the Second Amendment prohibits the federal government from denying citizens the right to bear arms. Many Oklahomans choose to own a firearm for a variety of reasons, including for sport, hunting, and protection from criminals who have access to firearms illegally. It is wrong to restrict the rights of innocent citizens in order to fight crime, and Congress should not leave law-abiding citizens unarmed given that criminals will always find ways to circumvent any gun control law.
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Social Security
Strengthening Social Security must be a bipartisan effort. We need to find common ground. If we fail, future generations will pay the price for our inaction.
I am absolutely committed to making sure that Social Security stays solvent, so current beneficiaries continue to receive their checks.
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Spending and Taxes
There is no question that spending in Washington is out of control. To combat this trend we must stop reckless spending, waste, fraud and abuse in our government programs and work to simplify our nation’s complex tax code and extend current tax cuts. Too many of the Obama Administration’s solutions are based on tax increases on the backs of American families to facilitate more wasteful government spending and a larger, less efficient bureaucracy.
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Transportation
Surface transportation funding is an important issue across Oklahoma. For far too long, Oklahoma has not received its fair share of funding compared to the money we send to Washington. Our status as a donor-state is unacceptable considering the condition of many roads and bridges across the state, which are in dire need of repair and maintenance. I will continue to fight to pull Oklahoma out of donor-state status and closer to a fair equity between the money we send to Washington and the money we receive.
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Veterans' Affairs
The welfare of veterans is a priority for me. Our veterans are national heroes; by serving our nation they have ensured our freedom for generations to come. I firmly believe that those who have fought bravely for our country should be treated with the utmost respect and that all promises should be fulfilled. |
