Media

To hear the media tell it, congressional Republicans have no solutions for health care reform beyond repealing Obamacare. However, House Republicans have not only proposed but have passed numerous plans to make health care more affordable and accessible -- without putting the federal government in charge of one-sixth of the national economy.

Excessive government spending has become so commonplace, it rarely makes headlines. Yet every so often a government spending scandal comes along that reminds us all just how careless and irresponsible some federal agencies are with taxpayer money. New revelations about extravagant spending at the Government Services Administration (GSA) serve as one of the most egregious examples in recent memory. A report by the GSA inspector general revealed that the agency spent $823,000 for one training conference in October 2010.

The Supreme Court is still deliberating the constitutionality of President Obama's health care law, but the court of public opinion has already returned its verdict. Surveys show that a majority of Americans believe the law's individual mandate provision, which would force every citizen to purchase health insurance or pay a fine, is unconstitutional. Public opinion polls also show the law remains just as unpopular today as it was when Democrats forced it through the Pelosi/Reid Congress two years ago over widespread protests.

Rep. Tom Cole (OK-04) hosts his monthly program "Cole on Congress" and visits with former Oklahoma First Lady Cathy Keating to provide an analysis on the issues facing our nation. (March 2012)

I rise to support the Ryan budget. I do so with a great deal of pride. It's the only serious plan either party has put forward that deals with the looming debt crisis we face. It cuts $5.3 trillion dollars over the next decade. It reforms Medicare and Medicaid -- something everybody in this House knows needs to happen. It lays out the blueprint for tax reform. It deals with the sequester in a responsible way.

It's the most predictable economic crisis in history. Driven by four consecutive years of trillion-dollar-plus deficits, the nation's publicly held debt is projected to reach 73 percent of the economy this year. Funding for Medicare, Social Security and portions of Medicaid consume 43 percent of federal spending and will rise to 54 percent in 10 years. The federal government is so enormous, it represents 24 percent of our total economy.