Weekly Columns

Without question, the recent release of several undercover videos showing the cold-hearted, profit-driven and suspicious back-room realities at Planned Parenthood have shocked and horrified the vast majority of Americans. For those who have watched the videos or opted only to read about the horrors contained therein, the stomach-churning conversations and horrific images reveal a dark industry that not only claims the precious lives of unborn children but shamelessly sells their aborted remains.

In Congress, the majority of the last several months have been dedicated to legislative work in our nation’s capital. Since the swearing-in of the 114th Congress at the beginning of this year, I am pleased to report that there have been numerous legislative accomplishments that reflect the views and values of the American people and those I was elected to represent.

Following two years of negotiations that have included missed and extended deadlines, the P5+1 announced this month that a deal with Iran has been reached regarding its nuclear program. This deal comes at the insistence of the legacy-starved Obama Administration that has already taken dangerous missteps in its foreign policy. I remain very concerned about the concessions made to Iran in the deal and the implications for the safety and security of America and our allies, including our greatest friend in the region: Israel.

Five years ago this month, President Barack Obama signed into law a bill that vastly restructured the American financial system. Brought about in response to the financial crisis and resulting recession in the last decade, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was presented as the means to protect consumers, encourage recovery and ensure financial stability in the future. Instead, the reality of Dodd-Frank has meant more rules and government regulators, fewer jobs created, slowed recovery and less American opportunity.

Before Republicans took control of the U.S. House of Representatives more than four and a half years ago, lawmakers already knew that Americans desired change. But unlike the “change” that President Obama promised throughout his campaign and then strong-armed through a closed-door, Democrat-led Congress, Americans wanted to see a government that reined in regulatory excess, controlled government spending and demanded greater transparency and accountability. The Republican members of the House understood that then, and we still understand and fight for that now.

This Independence Day, like all others, we are reminded that America’s story is still unlike any other. Each chapter written thus far in our history has revealed a common spirit of patriotism, ingenuity, perseverance and hope. That distinct American spirit is alive and well because of the countless men and women who dreamed of liberty, fought hard to secure it and resolved to preserve it.

Often when faced with heartbreaking circumstances or when tested by crisis, Americans come together to lend support and offer sympathy to their fellow Americans. That spirit of unity was recently demonstrated nationwide in the wake and aftermath of the deadly, racially-charged attack on church members at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.

Among the most heartbreaking circumstances in life are those in which we see our family, friends or loved ones suffering from illness. My own family knows firsthand the toll that Alzheimer’s disease takes on those living with it and on those caring for them. What starts out as slight memory loss eventually leads to disappearing personalities and then no recollection of the people and memories that filled an individual’s life. I remember how painful it was to see that happen to my own father during the last several years of his life.