National Security Issues

National Defense

The federal government has no greater constitutional responsibility than protecting the American people.  United States Armed Forces are the most well-equipped, highly-trained professional military in the world, and we need to keep them that way.  We should prioritize defense functions in our federal budget and keep our commitments to the heroes who sacrifice so much to keep our enemies at bay.

I believe it is also important to carefully define missions and success.  For example, we originally sent troops into Afghanistan to kill terrorists and dismantle Al Qaeda’s base of operations.  We succeeded in this goal.  It is time to salute our troops for a job well done and bring them home.

Oversight

As Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Homeland Defense, and Foreign Operations, I am committed to fighting waste, fraud, and abuse within the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of State.  Exposing waste, fraud, and abuse allows our fighting forces and diplomatic personnel to perform their missions with efficiency, effectiveness, and safety, while also ensuring taxpayer dollars are spent wisely.  You can visit my Subcommittee's website to learn more about the work I am currently doing.

Second Amendment Rights

The Supreme Court recently confirmed in DC v. Heller what we already knew – that the right to bear arms is an individual right and the Second Amendment is just as much a part of the Bill of Rights as any of the other Amendments.

I support the right to own and bear arms as a personal and absolute right.  For example, it is wrong that laws restrict our rights to carry guns in National Parks.  I am a proud member of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, and will do all in my power to ensure that the rights of sportsmen and other law-abiding citizens to bear arms are not infringed.