July marked the 42nd consecutive month that unemployment has been at or above 8 percent on the president’s watch, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report. The labor force participation rate, which measures individuals working or looking for work, remained low in July with many Americans giving up on finding a job. If the percentage of those looking for work were as high today as at the beginning of the recession, unemployment would be a staggering 11.5 percent. These troubling numbers a... Read more

In the coming months, our country is facing crucial decisions that will determine how soon we can be put back on a path to prosperity. Unless President Obama and the Democrat-controlled Senate put politics aside, our businesses and job creators will continue to face economic uncertainty and a tax hike that threatens to eat up the capital that could be used to keep Americans employed. Because of sequestration, an automatic $98 billion across-the-board budget cut is set to take effect on January 1... Read more

In the past few years, we have seen companies that are “too big to fail” drive us near the brink of financial collapse with their bad investments. Then, we watched as the government let hardworking American taxpayers bail out these failing companies. Since coming to Congress in 2009, I have tried to reverse these policies and ensure there is accountability for institutions that make decisions that risk our future prosperity. Before the 2008 financial crisis, many Americans did not know much abou... Read more

This week, the House will pass legislation to fund our military operations for fiscal year 2013. In total, the bill provides $519.2 billion in base funding and $88.5 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) for Defense activities related to the Global War on Terror. This funding is critical to ensuring our troops around the globe remain the best-equipped fighting force in the world. As we start 2013, however, our national defense is facing large budget cuts due to a process known as seq... Read more

On January 1, 2013, a $494 billion tax increase is scheduled to take effect when the tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003 expire. According to the Heritage Foundation, if the current tax rates are not extended, the tax increase for the state of Tennessee alone will be $8.05 billion. That’s an average $2,690 tax hike for every hardworking family in Tennessee. At a time of high unemployment, this is unacceptable, and all of us in Congress should be working to ensure that we don’t increase taxes on an... Read more

Over 236 years ago, the United States of America adopted of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration portrayed the self-determination of the dwellers of this great nation, and we commemorate this great moment in history on the Fourth of July. In the battles that earned our liberty, our nation’s heroes exemplified valor. The Declaration led to dramatic action, and what emerged from the War of Independence was a nation that stood for freedom and the Constitution that would guide us to grea... Read more

Tomorrow, the Supreme Court is expected to deliver its ruling on the constitutionality of President Obama’s health care law. Whatever the court decides, it is clear to see that the president’s plan is not working. Americans who already had health insurance coverage have continued to see their premiums dramatically increase each year, and those without coverage are being forced to buy more insurance than they actually need or can afford. Justice Samuel Alito pointed out in arguments on March 27 t... Read more

More than two years ago, Democrats in Congress passed the president’s health care law on a partisan basis. Later this month, the Supreme Court is expected to announce its decision on the constitutionality of the health care law. It is my hope that the Supreme Court will rule in favor of patients over big government by striking down the law. The president’s health care law went too far because it gives the federal government unlimited power over patients’ health care decisions. The individual man... Read more

According to AAA, a gallon of gas in the U.S. today costs an average of $3.52. The day President Obama was inaugurated, a gallon averaged $1.84. It’s no coincidence that as gas prices soared, so has our national unemployment rate. It is clear to see that the road to economic recovery requires our country to enact a comprehensive national energy policy. To ease the pain at the pump, we must work towards becoming an energy independent nation; to be an energy independent nation, we must pursue a tr... Read more

Last week’s jobs report showed a concerning rise in unemployment to 8.2 percent in the month of May. There are many factors interfering with our nation’s recovery. I believe high unemployment and our inability to see a true recovery is directly related to uncertainty due to bad policies such as the health care law and Congress’ inability to gets our country’s fiscal house in order. I participated in a “Pen and Pad” event on Tuesday with fellow Representatives Price (GA-06) and Lankford (OK-05) r... Read more