Weekly Columns
I was honored to be appointed earlier this year to serve on the Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth, where my colleagues and I will dive deep into issues related to economic fairness, access to education, and workforce development. This committee is similar to the mission of the Temporary National Economic Committee, which was founded by President Roosevelt after the Great Depression to address the distribution of wealth that played a role in triggering the economic collapse in 1929.
The Biden administration is searching for ways to pay for their partisan $3.5 trillion social policy bill, and one of the Democrats’ proposed solutions is to spy on taxpayers’ bank accounts. This would require financial institutions and service providers to report data on accounts to the Internal Revenue Service to help ensure that Americans are paying their “fair share” in taxes. Democrats claim that this would mostly impact wealthy Americans and businesses, but in reality, this targets virtually all working-class people in our nation.
After many weeks of partisan debate, legislation to increase the debt ceiling passed the Senate last week, resulting in House members being called back to Washington to vote on this renegotiated bill. I voted against the first version of the debt ceiling increase, and I will again be voting no because I firmly oppose this administration’s reckless, virtually unlimited, spending.
The American people are witnessing the devastating effects of President Biden’s open border policy, by not only creating chaos at the US Mexico border, but in the entire country. With heightened terror threats from Afghanistan, the continuous spread of Covid-19, and the recent humanitarian crisis of Haitian migrants, securing and regulating our border is absolutely crucial in keeping our country controlled, functioning, and most importantly, safe from external threats.
As a fiscal conservative, I support low taxes, minimal government debt, and reduced government spending, which is why I am against the Democrats’ $1.2 trillion infrastructure package. This week, House Democrats are attempting to bulldoze through the largest spending and tax increase legislation in our country’s history. The infrastructure bill is directly linked with the outrageous $3.4 trillion tax and spend budget reconciliation bill, a $5.5 trillion package that will further skyrocket inflation, increase taxes, and compromise competition in American business.
Now more than ever, I am committed to supporting our troops and keeping our country safe and secure. One of the most important bills that Congress passes annually, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), will be voted on by House Members this week. As our military faces unprecedented challenges, and America is experiencing countless national security crises, this bill is crucial in protecting our nation and supporting those who risk their lives to keep us safe.
Our country will never be the same. Our lives as we knew them ended while we watched terrorists attack innocent civilians in our beloved nation on September 11, 2001. As I reflect on the past two decades, I recognize all that our country lost and sacrificed on that fateful day, and in the days that followed, how we unified to preserve our American values of strength and freedom that terrorists sought to destroy.
National security, defense, and supporting our military are top priorities of mine, which is why it is an honor to serve on the House Armed Services Committee. Each year, the committee is responsible for crafting legislation that makes changes to the policies of United States defense agencies and provides guidelines for military funding for the next fiscal year, known as the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Each year, Congress constructs a federal budget outlining spending for the next fiscal year. That budget is designed to help guide the fiscal trajectory of our nation, and provide transparency for the American people to know how Congress is spending their tax dollars.
Last week, the House passed S. Con. Res. 14 along party lines to begin the budget reconciliation process in the House. Democrats introduced a budget resolution of $3.5 trillion, which calls for the highest sustained federal spending levels in American history.
Domestic energy production drives employment and lowers the cost of fuel and electricity for families and businesses, in addition to helping American allies across the globe. Over time, the United States has achieved environmental progress without sacrificing jobs, economic growth, or energy security. If we alter our energy policies to rely on foreign countries, all of that will change. Now is the time to lay the groundwork in our energy sector for future generations to come.