I am deeply disappointed with the Democrat majority’s rejection of my amendment to the budget bill that would protect small businesses and working families from runaway costs created by federal mandates.  The amendment would have required a 60-vote threshold for the Senate to approve measures that impose new unfunded mandates, which are burdensome and costly dictates requiring businesses to take on additional regulatory duties and foot the bill themselves.

A prime example of the so-called ‘unfunded mandate’ can be found in a recently-introduced bill that would dictate the number of paid sick days private employers must provide their employees. Generally, unfunded mandates can be any laws requiring private business to carry out additional duties, such as record-keeping or report-filing, without providing the money to pay for those added duties. Read more...

Yesterday I joined Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to introduce an amendment to the fiscal year 2008 budget resolution that would increase funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) by $44.2 billion over five years, starting with a $10.3 billion increase in 2008.  This funding would be paid for by eliminating President Bush's tax cuts for the very wealthy - those with a taxable income above $1 million.

The federal government is supposed to pay 40 percent of a state's special education costs, with the rest subsidized by the state and local governments.  However, the federal government has not made good on its commitment!  This means local districts must make up the difference by skimping on special education, cutting from other education programs, or raising taxes.

I want to do what's best for families and schools. I don't want to force states and local school districts to forage for funds, cut back on teacher training, or delay school repairs because the federal government has failed to live up to its commitment to special education.  Read more...

Having spoken with Speaker Pelosi (D-Calif.), I believe that this is the best bill the House can successfully pass that will end the war and bring our troops home from Iraq.  This is not the bill that many of us want, it's the best bill we are likely to get, and I am going to support it.  This bill is historic in that it sets a date-certain for the withdrawal of troops.  That is certainly a step in the right direction.  I respect the Speaker's judgment, and believe that we should give her plan a chance.

Our servicemen and servicewomen have performed courageously in Iraq, and we are deeply grateful for their sacrifice and unflagging commitment. They have served our Nation admirably, despite inadequate planning by the Bush Administration. This war has cost us 3,200 American lives and over $400 billion. Our troops and our country have sacrificed enough.
Let's bring them home.

Yesterday we heard from Vice President Al Gore about his views on Global Warming.  During his testimony, he said that he believes that no new coal plants should be built in the U.S. unless they are carbon-capture ready.  A carbon capture-ready plant, without actually capturing carbon, is configured differently than non-carbon capture-ready plant, and is much more inefficient.  This amounts to increased carbon emissions until the carbon capture equipment is installed.  Yet, the recently released MIT Coal Study tells us that carbon capture is not credible until it has been commercially demonstrated -- and it hasn't been.

With all due respect to the Vice President, I hear from my constituents every day that electricity prices are too high.  ERCOT, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, has said that unless new generation capacity is built in Texas, we will not have enough electricity to ensure reliability within the next 5-10 years.  I believe that we need to keep the lights on, while continuing to invest in technology -- and demonstration.

This week Congress will consider an Iraq Supplemental appropriations bill. Unfortunately, the Majority Party’s funding bill for Iraq is essentially defeat on the installment plan. Under the guise of timetables and benchmarks, their bill includes tripwires and entanglements along with the funding our troops need. It also includes billions in pork that have nothing to do with the war in Iraq, an attempt to attract more votes for an unpopular bill.

How can Congress convey our support for the troops in Iraq and at the same time pass a bill which pulls the rug out from underneath the very people we claim to support? Plain and simple, the Supplemental, as written by the Majority, is a blueprint for defeat. I understand the American people are war weary. People want our troops out of harm’s way, as do I. However, I do not believe that the American people want defeat. I know our troops don’t. That is why I will not vote for Speaker Pelosi’s Supplemental.

I will vote for a clean bill that reinforces our U.S. military, who are fighting and dying for the mission in Iraq, with the equipment and supplies that they need – no strings attached. We owe them that much.

When the Democrats took the gavel in January they wasted no time in ushering in a new era of government expansion and fiscal irresponsibility. They promised more spending and more taxing and now they've delivered with their budget resolution.

At $2.9 trillion, the Democrats' budget is the largest in American history. And by letting the critical tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 expire, they are also imposing the largest tax hike in American history despite the fact that those tax cuts have grown our economy and created over 7.6 million new jobs for Americans.

What's more, the Democrats' proposal offers no real fix for the looming alternative minimum tax crisis, which is catching more and more middle-class Americans every year because it is not indexed for inflation.

The Democrats' reckless tax and spend budget is a one-two punch that will knock out America's economy and hard-working taxpayers everywhere.

Earlier this week, I signed on to co-sponsor the Photo Identification Security Act (H.R. 1314), legislation offered by my good friend, Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).

In my opinion, and the opinion of many, this legislation is basic, common-sense. H.R. 1314 requires both the federal government and banks to accept secure forms of identification, and would prevent the latter from issuing credit cards to undocumented, illegal immigrants.

I have no problem with banks opening accounts, providing home loans, or issuing credit cards to legal immigrants to the United States. The access to our banking system is a necessary step to documented residents and workers to realize their own American Dream. However, extending the same products to illegal immigrants sends a mixed message that I can not support. Read more...

The House Democrats showed their true colors yesterday. They proposed a budget that includes the largest tax increase in history, and have proven that they would like nothing better than to return to the tax and spend model of government.

Their plan is a reckless proposal that would spend $24 billion more than President Bush requested—all without substantially addressing the spiraling costs of Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. This massive spending spree means they can no longer hide behind rhetoric about fiscal responsibility.

The Democrat budget kills tax cuts for 936,000 North Carolina married couples who—if the Democrat budget is approved—would see their taxes go up, as well as 837,000 married couples and single parents who face a major reduction in the child tax credit under the Democratic budget plan. Read more...