Today marks the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s State of the Union address which launched the War on Poverty. Today, roughly 50 million Americans live below the poverty line. Forty-seven million Americans receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits (food stamps), 13 million more than when President Obama took office. Unemployment is still at 7 percent, and jobs that were lost several years ago aren’t returning quickly, but this isn’t new. Unemployment rates each ... Read more

Each year, Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) releases a Wastebook. This document lists 100 projects that are questionable uses of taxpayer dollars. Now that the House and Senate have agreed on a plan to avoid future government shutdowns and reduce the deficit by $23 billion, it’s time we go a step further and look at each line item in the federal budget to identify waste, fraud and abuse. Senator Coburn’s report identifies nearly $30 billion in savings—a useful first step toward lowering our $17 trillio... Read more

This week, House and Senate Budget Committee Chairmen Paul Ryan and Patty Murray announced that budget conferees had reached a bipartisan agreement to prevent another government shutdown. According to the Congressional Research Service, it has been more than 14 years since the House, Senate and president have agreed on a budget to fund the government for a full fiscal year. Under regular order, the House and Senate agree on a budget and then write 12 spending bills based on the levels agreed to ... Read more

This week, after his administration announced that Healthcare.gov was finally working, President Obama launched his campaign to promote his health law. Over the next few weeks, the president plans to tout the law’s successes, but the list of Obamacare’s failures is much longer, and stretches far beyond a broken website. During his speech on Tuesday, the president told stories of people that have been helped by Obamacare, but what about those hurting because of it? Kelly is a single mother from E... Read more

Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for the harvest and express gratitude for the blessings in your life. It’s about spending time with your family and loved ones. It’s about giving back and giving thanks. As Americans, we have much to be thankful for. Each day we wake up in the greatest country in the world – truly the land of opportunity. We’re blessed with a peaceful governing process where citizens are given the privilege of electing their leaders to serve them. This Thanksgiving, I am tha... Read more

This week marks the anniversary of two events that forever changed our country: the Gettysburg address and President Kennedy’s assassination. Both Presidents Lincoln and Kennedy were visionaries, and both were taken from us too soon. It has been 150 years since President Lincoln’s speech and 50 years since President Kennedy’s assassination, and I wonder how they would view our country today. I remember exactly where I was when I got the news that President Kennedy had been shot. I was a freshman... Read more

Over the past four years, we have talked a great deal about what I thought the problems with ObamaCare would be. Because of our state’s experience with TennCare, I anticipated that insurance would become increasingly unaffordable and that many Americans would lose access to their existing policies. Despite warnings from myself and others, the president pushed ahead and promised that Americans who liked the health insurance they had could keep their plan. Unfortunately, my worst fears have become... Read more

I know there is no commitment more important to our country than the solemn vow we have made to the men and women in our Armed Forces. They deserve our utmost respect and appreciation for the sacrifice they have made. I’ve made it my mission in Congress to ensure veterans have access to the best health care available, a cost-of-living adjustment and the support systems they need to successfully transition back into civilian life. As an Army Medical Corps veteran and member of the House Committee... Read more

Wednesday morning, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee regarding the rollout of the president’s health care law. Unfortunately, the hearing resulted in more questions than answers. We still do not know exactly when the website to purchase insurance will be functional, how many people have signed up for coverage and most disturbingly, why President Obama knowingly misled the American people when he guaranteed that American... Read more

The last few weeks have been difficult for everyone. Now that the government has reopened and the House and Senate are meeting to work out their differences on a budget, I think it’s time we look at ways we can avoid this kind of government dysfunction in the future. As I’ve said before, East Tennesseans didn’t send me to Washington to shut down the government. They elected me to cut spending, reduce the tax burden on American families and shrink our bloated government. I’ve also heard from many... Read more