Working on the Concerns That Affects the Nation
Debt Crisis and the Economy
For the past four years, President Obama has led our nation into trillion-dollar-plus deficits. In his most recently released budget plan, he called for $1.9 trillion in new taxes.
Obamacare and Healthcare Reform
I opposed the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. This law cuts $500 billion from Medicare and creates $500 billion new taxes. It is possibly the single largest tax increase in American history.
Jobs
I have supported over 22 bills that will create jobs, all of which have stalled in the Democrat-controlled Senate. As Chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, I have spent the past year looking into and seeking to alleviate the tremendous regulatory burdens imposed on job creators by the Obama Administration.
Solyndra Investigation
As Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, I have led the investigation into the Obama Administration’s rushed decision to loan Solyndra, a California-based solar panel manufacture, $535 million in taxpayer money that was ultimately lost.
Abortion and Planned Parenthood
I have consistently voted to prohibit federal taxpayer funding of abortion, prevent human cloning or embryonic stem cell research, de-fund the abortion industry, amend the Affordable Care Act to protect life, defend the freedom of conscience…
Second Amendment
I took an oath to “support and defend” the Constitution, and this includes the Second Amendment.
Social Security
Social Security is our government’s most popular domestic program, for over seven decades, Social Security has provided retirement security for tens of millions of Americans.
Medicare
The Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula on which Medicare reimbursement rates are based is broken and has been forecasting negative updates into the future.
Fair Tax
The Fair Tax would repeal the individual income tax, the corporate income tax, all payroll taxes, the self-employment tax, and the estate and gift taxes and levy a 23% national retail sales tax as a replacement.
Agriculture
I believe ensuring the health and prosperity of our nation’s food suppliers is vital to our national security. That is why I have worked closely with the Florida Farm Bureau and other agriculture groups to prevent the Obama administration’s regulatory overreach that poses new challenges to our farmers.
FDA and Rare Diseases
I authored the Unlocking Lifesaving Treatments for Rare-Disease Act (ULTRA, HR 3737) and the Fast Access to Specialized Treatments (FAST, HR 4132).
Illegal immigration
I am extremely concerned about illegal immigration. The thousands of immigrants that pour into our country illegally each year drain precious resources from both federal and state governments.
Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans PTSD
The number of veterans involved in these conflicts represents a 9.6% increase from the 2012 level, which is an increase of over 53,000 patients.
Lower gas prices and energy independence
America has the ability to increase domestic energy production, and I am working with my colleagues in Congress to reduce our dependence on imported oil.
VA Benefits Backlog
Our veterans need the ability to access their benefits in a timely effective manner. According to the testimony by Secretary Shinseki, the VA will work to ensure no more than 40% of claims are no more than 125 days old.
Veteran Employment
Veteran unemployment is currently 7.7% for all generations of veterans, and higher among Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Young veterans between the ages of 20-24 have a 17.8% unemployment rate.
Veteran Homelessness
The VA’s Homeless Veterans Registry contains over 400,000 names of current and formerly homeless Veterans. We must first identify the scope of this issue then we can address homeless veterans more effectively.
Veteran’s Issues
As an Air Force veteran, I have an appreciation for our veterans and an understanding of the sacrifices they have made to ensure the freedoms we enjoy.