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AFTER TEN YEARS, OVER 1 MILLION AMERICANS HAVE SERVED IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN. There have been more than 900 Silver Star and Distinguished Cross awards and 10 Medals of Honor—with only three going to living recipients. There’s growing criticism with new standards for the Medal of Honor, as evidenced by the case involving Marine Corps Sergeant Rafael Peralta. Read my letter to the Secretary of Defense, recommending a review of citations for upgrades.
COMPARED WITH PAST CONFLICTS, IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN VETS ARE NOT RIGHTLY REPRESENTED. Reported by Politico, there have been 3,458 recipients of the Medal of Honor since 1863. A study by the Army Times found that Medals of Honor were awarded at a rate of 2.3 per 100,000 troops serving to 2.9 per 100,000 from World War I through Vietnam. The rate is now one in a million, with only five awards at the time of the study. Watch my interview on CNN.
SUGGESTIONS HAVE BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE SUPERCOMMITTEE. A total of 180,000 recommendations have been provided to the panel as it moves to find $1.5 trillion in cuts before the end of the year. The House Armed Services Committee recommended no further reductions given that $500 billion in cuts are already set to take hold. Click here for my remarks at a recent press conference with other Armed Services Committee members.
MEXICAN TRUCKS SET TO CROSS THE BORDER. This week, the Obama Administration granted full operating authority to the first Mexican motor-carrier permitted unrestricted access to U.S. roadways under a renewed cross-border trucking program. Part of the agreement requires U.S. taxpayers to fund on-board electronic equipment for Mexican trucks. As one of many opponents of the program, I coauthored bipartisan legislation with Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR) to prohibit U.S. tax dollars from purchasing on-board electronic equipment and limit any expansion of the program beyond a three-year pilot program.
THERE’S ANOTHER SPENDING RECORD ON THE BOOKS, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The revenue and spending figures for fiscal year 2011, which ended September 30, have been finalized and, according to CBO, the federal government concluded its biggest spending year and marked its second largest budget deficit. One reason for the up-shift, despite record-level discretionary cuts, was a 4.8 percent increase in health care spending and a 16.7 percent increase in interest payments.
ANOTHER FACTOR: THE THREE LARGEST BUDGET DEFICITS OCCURRED IN THE LAST THREE YEARS. Against this backdrop, there is the ever-present need for comprehensive spending reforms—including tax and entitlement reform. For instance, reforming the tax code alone is certain to add trillions of dollars to the national economy.
CBO ANALYSIS CALLS ATTENTION TO NEAR-BALANCED BUDGET IN 2007, ending with a $161 billion deficit. While still too large, it’s nowhere near the $1.3 trillion annual deficit under the current Administration. In fact, under tax rates in 2007, the federal government raised almost $2.6 trillion and spent $2.7 trillion. The takeaway message: spending reforms and economic growth are essential to reducing deficits.
A COMPARISON ON JOBS: 103,000 vs. 1.1 MILLION. According to the Department of Labor’s September jobs report, the economy added 103,000 jobs. In September 1983, at the exact same point in the Reagan Presidency following a deep recession, 1.1 million jobs were added. The defining difference is not the economic condition, but the approach to recovery. The period of expansion under President Reagan focused on reductions in spending and tax rates, and the easement of regulatory burdens—much different from the approach at work today.
HOUSE PASSES BIPARTISAN BILL TO HELP UNEMPLOYED VETERANS. The House of Representatives recently passed the Veterans Opportunity to Work Act. More on the legislation is available here.
SAN DIEGO VETERANS JOB AND RESOURCE FAIR SCHEDULED. The State of California, in partnership with several organizations in San Diego County, is hosting the fifth annual Honor a Hero, Hire a Vet Job and Resource Fair. The event is scheduled for Thursday, November 3, 2011, from 10 AM to 2 PM at the DoubleTree Hotel--7450 Hazard Center Drive, San Diego.
OPERATION FAST & FURIOUS STILL IN THE NEWS and the investigation by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee—specifically on the ATF operation—is ongoing. Tuesday’s edition of the Washington Times featured an extensive story on the evolution of the operation—How botched operation spawned fatal results. It’s worth reading.
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY LATEST COMMENTARY IN THE NORTH COUNTY TIMES. In Friday's print edition, I have a commentary on the importance of reforming the Americans with Disabilities Act for small businesses. Read it here.
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