The recent tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School is heartbreaking and beyond words.  However, the gun control plans brought forward by President Obama fail to address the real issues and I’m confident there will be bipartisan opposition to his proposal.

One bullet in the hands of a homicidal maniac is one too many.  But in the case of a young mother defending her children against a home invader -- a real-life event which recently occurred near Atlanta -- six bullets may not be enough.  Criminals aren’t going to follow legislation limiting magazine capacity.  However, a limit could put law-abiding citizens at a distinct disadvantage when confronting a criminal.

As for reinstating the assault weapons ban, it has already been tried and failed.

I have not forgotten about the Benghazi debacle and still have many questions about what transpired before, during and after the attack on our consulate.

In that regard, I do not believe we should confirm anyone as Director of the CIA until our questions are answered - like who changed Ambassador Susan Rice’s talking points and deleted the references to Al-Qaeda?  My support for a delay in confirmation is not directed at Mr. Brennan, but is an unfortunate, yet necessary action to get information from this Administration.

I have tried – repeatedly – to get information on Benghazi but my requests have been repeatedly ignored.

We were first told the Director of National Intelligence deleted the Al-Qaeda reference in the talking points because they did not want to let al Qaeda know we were monitoring them.  We were then told the FBI changed the talking points so as not to compromise an ongoing criminal investigation.  Finally, during a meeting with Ambassador Rice and acting-CIA Director Morrell, I was told it was the FBI who changed the talking points.  However, later in the day the clarified it was the CIA who had changed the talking points.

Last night, the Senate passed legislation, which prevents the expiration of the Bush-era tax cuts for 99 percent of Americans. Without this legislation, there will be a dramatic increase in every American’s taxes. Additionally, without this legislation, draconian cuts to our national defense will take place. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has said these cuts would be like “shooting ourselves in the head.

Finally, this legislation reverses the President’s decision to give Congress a pay raise.

While it is unfortunate the President refused to discuss spending cuts in this legislation, he will not have that luxury in the upcoming debt limit debate. The debt limit debate will be our best opportunity to get a handle on the out of control spending, which will bankrupt our nation if left unaddressed.

I respect Ambassador Rice’s decision.  President Obama has many talented people to choose from to serve as our next Secretary of State.

When it comes to Benghazi I am determined to find out what happened – before, during, and after the attack.  Unfortunately, the White House and other agencies are stonewalling when it comes to providing the relevant information.  I find this unacceptable.

Mr. President, I will not support increasing the debt limit until we address why we’re in debt.

I will never vote to raise the debt ceiling unless we produce real structural reforms to save Medicare and Social Security from bankruptcy and prevent our country from becoming Greece.  It is now time for you to demonstrate leadership and embrace big ideas in a bipartisan way.

America is on an unsustainable path. To continue borrowing money without addressing our entitlement problems is irresponsible