This week, the House marked Stop Government Abuse Week by approving a number of important bills designed to stop the government overreach that is infringing on the rights of citizens.
First and foremost, the House is moving to stop the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from implementing proposed regulations on tax-exempt 501(c)(4) organizations. The Stop Targeting of Political Beliefs by the IRS Act, H.R. 3865, would stop IRS’ latest efforts to muzzle conservative groups by maintaining the current IRS standards and policies that have been in effect since 2010.
If the IRS puts its proposed rule into effect, it could have a chilling effect on groups that have been formed for the purpose of educating citizens. The current rules and regulations permit these groups to conduct get-out-the-vote drives, hold candidate forums, and to distribute voter guides. The proposed changes would effectively restrict the right of these groups to engage in public discourse, even when it is conducted in a non-partisan manner. The Stop Targeting of Political Beliefs by the IRS Act is designed to protect the Constitutional Rights of American citizens. I urge the Senate to quickly take up this bill and pass it.
The House also passed bills to increase transparency in your federal government. The Taxpayer Transparency Act, H.R. 3308, requires that all government advertisements include a statement indicating that the ad was paid for with taxpayer dollars. Congress already abides by this rule; the White House should abide by it, too.
The Taxpayers Right-to-Know Act, H.R. 1423, was approved, as well. It would provide taxpayers with an annual report outlining whether taxpayers are getting their money’s worth out of government programs. This report would include data on wasteful and duplicative programs, such as the USDA catfish inspection scheme that I have fought against. This duplicative scheme has already spent $30 million of your hard-earned dollars without inspecting a single fish. Your federal government, at all levels, must be accountable to the people for the money it spends. These bills are steps in the right direction.
The Department of Defense released its budget proposal that outlines the devastating reality of passage of the Budget Control Act of 2011 that established sequestration and massive cuts to our national defense. While this budget proposal will be studied and modified over the coming months, I want to make clear that I am fighting back against a number of DoD proposals. I am the sponsor of legislation to prevent the premature divestment of the A-10. Premature divestment of the A-10 by the Air Force would create a dangerous close air support capability gap that could unnecessarily endanger American service members in future conflicts. Hundreds of brave Americans are alive today because of the performance of the A-10 in Iraq and Afghanistan and the Air Force should not create a close air support gap that will put our ground troops at increased risk. Additionally, I am a co-sponsor of legislation, H.R.3930, to prevent the transfer of the Apache helicopter from the National Guard to the active-duty force. This bill will support and maintain the size of the National Guard as a strong and viable force for America’s defense and homeland security. It would freeze the transfer and divestiture of National Guard aircraft while forming a commission to examine and make recommendations on the force structure of the Army as a whole.
As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I believe our Armed Services have already been cut disproportionately in an effort to help address this country’s fiscal situation and oppose asking the military to do more. Providing for the common defense is one of the few specific Constitutional requirements of the federal government and I will continue to fight to preserve the greatness of our military.
On a related matter, I promised I would be working to reverse the military retiree pensions reforms that were part of the Bipartisan Budget Act passed in December. I am pleased to report this goal has been accomplished and was done without raising taxes. I believe in the principle of “Promises Made; Promises Kept” and I am glad that this provision of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013 was corrected before the reduction went into effect. Providing our veterans with the benefits they were promised is the least we can do to demonstrate support for our troops, retirees, and veterans.
Finally, I want to share that I met this week with several educators from the Missouri Association of Elementary School Principals who were in Washington to meet with education officials from throughout the country to discuss a number of important topics. Those issues included reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, pre-school education, and professional development. As a former school teacher, I take great interest in efforts to better educate our children and to ensure they are experiencing the best possible learning environment.
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