Weekly Columns

During the past two weeks I hosted a series of town halls throughout the Fourth District. These meetings were an important opportunity for me to listen, take questions and provide answers directly to my constituents. While the questions were diverse, a sizable number of them revolved around policies that the President has proposed or implemented since taking office.

The nation's capitol has recently been caught up in controversy surrounding Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and American International Group (AIG). In what many are calling "bonus-gate," it was revealed that after receiving an additional thirty billion dollars in government bail out funds, AIG awarded 169 million dollars in bonuses to their top executives.

Democrats in Congress recently introduced the so-called Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), a bill more accurately described as "card check" legislation. The bill is a payback for years of big labor lobbying from unions and labor activists' groups.

Coming on the heels of a $789 billion stimulus package, and a $410 billion Omnibus spending bill, President Obama has now presented the nation with the largest federal budget in our nation's history. The staggering $3.5 trillion budget proposal will raise taxes, grow the size of government and increase our deficits over the next ten years.

In late January, the Democrat Members of the House of Representatives brought forth a so-called stimulus bill with a price tag of nearly $820 billion dollars. I voted against this legislation, as did each and every other Republican Member of Congress.

The last several weeks have seen a whirlwind of Presidential appointments and Senate confirmations to many of the federal government's top posts. While most of the President's nominations have survived the scrutiny, several others have turned belly-up during the process.

We are facing a global recession and a federal response is needed. But the so-called stimulus package that was recently passed busts the federal budget while doing next-to-nothing to truly stimulate our economy. Congress just spent 300 percent more on this legislation than was spent in all of World War II, and a staggering 1200 percent more than was spent during the New Deal.

Recently I returned from an official trip to Iraq and Afghanistan. I was honored to spend time with men and women from our Armed Forces and listen to their experiences serving overseas during wartime. And after having those conversations, meeting with foreign leaders and visiting our military bases, it is clear to me that sustainable progress has been made in Iraq.