Agriculture

I have the honor of representing some of our nation’s top agricultural producers, particularly in the areas of cotton, peanuts, dairy and cattle. Right now, the farmers of our nation and the 19th District are facing two crucial issues: the expiration of the current Farm Bill in 2007 and our struggle to reform trade within the World Trade Organization. Because farmers rely upon consistent policies, it is important that we create a new Farm Bill that will keep the payment limitations outlined in the current one. The important thing to remember with the upcoming reauthorization of the Farm Bill is that we do not have to start from scratch—we already have a blueprint of a successful policy.

I also believe that it is necessary to reform America’s economic trade policies. Our goal is to get other countries to open up to US trade, to get them to remove trade barriers and to lower tariffs—essentially, to level the playing field.

The outlook for agriculture in the 110th Congress emphasizes these issues: the 2007 Farm Bill and improved global trade. We need to move both outward, looking for opportunities for US agriculture and pursuing bilateral trade agreements, and forward, creating a consistent American agricultural policy for the next six years.

Border Security

Legal immigration and border security are two separate issues. There are two different ways for immigrants to enter the United States—the right and legal way or the wrong way. I support those who enter our nation the right way. We cannot reward people who break the law as their first action in the United States and I will oppose any legislation that does so. A bold line exists between legal and illegal workers and immigrants, and I believe we need to protect the rights of those people who are here legally.

Our porous border is a risk to national security. The fact is, we don’t know who is coming across our border, why they are coming, and what they are doing when they get here. I co-sponsored the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act (H.R. 4437). This bill expands border surveillance, makes military support available to the Border Patrol, and increases the number of full-time port inspectors and K-9 units to secure our borders. I also co-sponsored the Real ID Act (H.R. 418), which created national standards for driver’s licenses and identification cards and improved deportation laws for aliens.

While I support legal immigration, illegal immigration is a national security risk. To keep Americans safe, we need to take swift, decisive action and implement strong measures that will effectively secure our borders.

Education

A strong educational foundation is vitally important to future success. For this reason, I voted for the School Readiness Act of 2003 (HR 2210) with the intention of reauthorizing a program called Head Start to provide financial assistance in early education to low-income families. I also voted to have a bill passed to improve the quality of education in the classroom by giving funding for the training and recruitment of quality teachers. In an effort to provide equal education for students at low-income schools, I voted to create a bill that would more than triple the loan forgiveness amounts for special education teachers and elementary and high school teachers of reading, math, and science.

Because I believe that colleges should be made more accessible to all students, particularly to those coming from low- and middle-income families, I cosponsored the Expanding Opportunities in Higher Education Act of 2003 (H.R. 3039). Essentially, H.R. 3039 is the key to unlocking other doors that have, until now, prevented many students from continuing their education past high school. As long as I represent West Texas and the Big Country, I intend to continue working hard to preserve and improve the quality of our children’s education.

Energy

High energy prices and our reliance upon foreign sources of oil and natural gas are both extremely urgent economic issues and ones that are quickly becoming matters of national security. Leaning heavily on foreign energy sources makes us susceptible to price increases and instability beyond our control. As long as we are unable to meet our own energy needs, we will be unable either to maintain a stable energy supply or to regulate prices.

There are clear steps that we can take to increase our energy independence, but the first step is convincing the Senate that we can no longer afford to stall regarding this issue. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 [H.R. 6] has been offered and passed by the House four times, and four times it has failed to make it past the Senate. This Act emphasizes the steps we need to take to increase energy conservation in the U.S. and creates an improved national energy policy. It allows us to explore previously inaccessible regions in search of domestic sources of energy and to develop existing locations of natural gas and oil production.

Creating a better energy policy will encourage investment in domestic sources like our Permian Basin region, which supplies a large percentage of the 19th District’s energy resources.

Family Values

Our nation was founded upon conservative, Christian values. Among these values are the traditional definition of marriage and the sanctity of human life.

In 2004, Congress introduced the Marriage Protection Amendment to preserve the traditional definition of marriage. Twice, I have voted for the amendment in order to protect marriage as it has been defined since the origins of our country—as the legal and social union between a man and a woman—a definition which has proven to be one of the cornerstones of our nation’s success.

I believe that unborn fetuses are human beings and because I value human life, I have voted to ban partial-birth abortion, to make it a crime to harm a fetus during another crime, and to restrict the transportation of minors across state lines for the purpose of getting an abortion. My concern for the value of human life also led me to vote against allowing stem cell research on human embryos.

It is crucial that we preserve the family values on which America was founded. They are the basis for who we are as Americans.

Health Care

Health care remains an ongoing concern for Americans, which is why Congress is constantly attempting to improve the current health care system. All Americans need to have access to dependable, affordable health care, and we need to develop such a system without doing so at the expense of those purchasing private health insurance.

In order to improve the current system, I voted both for the Medicare Prescription Drug Bill (H.R. 1), which established an optional program of prescription drug coverage under the already existent Medicare system, and for the Medical Malpractice Liability Limitation Bill (H.R. 4280) to improve the availability of health care to patients and improve the medical care that is offered.

We need to make health care more competitive, more accountable, and more transparent.

National Security

America is engaged in a global war on terrorism and I stand behind President Bush’s efforts to keep America safe. That is why I have worked for and supported initiatves I support the Patriot Act and increased funding for efforts to take the war to terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan. Like the President, I believe that it is better to fight the terrorists where they plan their evil rather than on our home soil.

We must find a domestic source of oil that is both stable and cost-efficient. The United States is much too dependent upon foreign oil and gasoline, and this dependence upon foreign suppliers places us in a dangerous position. We need to explore, to open up new areas that have, until now, been protected by environmentalists. We also need to look for alternative sources of energy. It is no longer just you and I competing—we are now contending with other nations on a global scale. Our national security hinges on our ability to be successful.

Social Security

Congress must act now to solve the problems that are looming on the horizon for social security. Hesitating will only make the problem more challenging and more costly to solve. Rather than keeping the system as it is presently, I encourage the development of personal accounts to prepare for retirement.

It is important to consider the needs of those who currently rely on the Social Security system while simultaneously considering the requirements of those who will retire in the future. I believe that an individual’s chance to place part of their earnings in a 401(k) or Individual Retirement Account (IRA) will be more beneficial and more profitable than reliance upon Social Security.

In order to raise awareness of Social Security’s problems, I co-sponsored the resolution entitled “Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Social Security is a vital program facing bankruptcy, which must be reformed” (H. Res. 168).

Taxes

My stance on the issue is clear—I believe we should leave the money in the hands of the taxpayers in order to create more jobs and opportunities at the local level.

I am a member of the Financial Services Committee, where I serve on three subcommittees: the Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology, the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit, and the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity. With my experience of serving on this committee and of being a former small businessman, I understand the worries and needs of business owners in the 19th District. I also understand that financial burdens can be a serious challenge for small businesses to overcome.

In order to improve our current system of taxation, it is necessary to take small, but decisive steps. For instance, I promote the complete elimination of the Estate Tax and I urge the acceptance of the Fair Tax. Because of my efforts to lower taxes and protect the rights of small business owners, I was named “Hero of the American Taxpayer” by Americans for Tax Reform, and I plan to continue representing my constituents from the 19th District as I push for further tax reforms.

Veterans’ Affairs

Over the last ten years, Congress has doubled the amount of money given to war veterans, and, each year, Congress allocates more funding to increase veterans’ benefits than to any other program. I am very pleased by the House’s recent decision to give $2.5 billion to improve medical services for veterans. My record shows my firm belief that it is our responsibility and duty to take care of those who have committed their lives to protect our nation.

Recently, after the VA Medical Center in Big Spring was threatened with closure, I cosponsored the CARES Act (H.R. 2808) to allow time to prove its importance in Washington. Thankfully, government officials recognized the value of the Big Spring Veterans’ Hospital, and, through the combined efforts of the citizens and politicians, we were able to maintain such an important institution. In addition to the CARES Act, I support the 2007 Military Quality of Life Appropriations bill (H.R. 5385). This bill secures additional funding for housing projects at Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene and increases financial support given to veterans, especially for medical services.