March 18, 2013

The sequester begins to sink in

WASHINGTON, D.C. —  Many folks across East Alabama have contacted me with their concerns about sequestration and its potentially far-reaching effects.

The president's sequestration plan was originally put into place to be a last resort with such crippling budget cuts across the board that Congress and the president would be forced to reach an agreement.

As you know, that didn't happen. No agreement was reached and, on March 1, the sequester began.

It is still too early to know all of sequestration's consequences. But one big part of our nation already feeling the pain of the sequester is our military, its supporting workforce, and our overall defense industrial base.

Earlier this month I voted for a bill, known as the Continuing Resolution, to help provide more flexibility for the Pentagon while keeping overall spending at the lower level. I am hopeful the Senate will act on this bill.

The sequester debate is driven by excessive federal spending. Right now our nation owes over $16.6 trillion. Washington cannot spend at this rate forever, but it also must not harm our national security as spending gets cut.

Having the massive federal bureaucracy, which is far too large in the first place, implement the sequester cuts is a challenging task. But in some cases I am concerned the Obama administration using it to drive a political agenda.

Some of you may have heard that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director John Morton approved the release of thousands of illegal immigrants from detention centers across the country in anticipation of the cuts.

This disregard for our nation's safety and security baffles me. These immigrants have already broken the law by entering our country illegally, and they should not be on our streets. This is the latest in a series of poor decisions by Morton and I have called on him to resign.

We face tough times ahead as a nation, but we must face these problems head on. President Obama and Congress must continue to work together to find long-term spending reforms that don't jeopardize our safety or defense.

I want to hear from you. Feel free to contact me on this or any issue and sign up for my e-newsletter at www.mike-rogers.house.gov. You can also become a fan on Facebook at Congressman Mike D. Rogers, follow me on Twitter at RepMikeRogersAL and subscribe to my YouTube page at MikeRogersAL03.

Feb. 28, 2013

Response to President Obama's SOTU address

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Earlier this month President Obama delivered his State of the Union address. In it he shared with Americans his view of the current state of our country and his vision for the direction we should be headed.

On the whole, I was disappointed to hear many of the president's proposals, which I believe come down to raising additional taxes, increasing spending, and continuing to rely on the federal government as the driver of our nation's economic growth, rather than the private sector. If we asked folks across East Alabama what was on their minds after the president’s speech, I think they might say some of the following.

First, our nation needs a balanced budget to help deal with our debt. After all, Washington is still spending far beyond its means. I'm proud to say that, time and time again, House Republicans have passed legislation to reduce our debt and bring our budget into balance over the long term. Unfortunately, the Senate has not passed a budget in close to four years.

Folks would agree we need jobs. The tough reality is that, unemployment has been persistently high. Between 2009 and 2013, almost 8.5 million Americans have lost their jobs. Our economy has been stagnant and slow to grow.

The private sector must be set free to lead our economic recovery. Washington can help do that by getting rid of unnecessary red tape and reducing regulations that hurt job creation.

Folks would also talk about gas prices. They're still too high and too volatile. That's why we need to use more of America's energy resources, a trend I'm delighted to say our nation is now doing mostly because of private sector innovation. One of the keys will be to ensure Congress passes laws that help increase the safe exploration of American energy sources.

Finally, East Alabamians would say–loudly–don't restrict our Second Amendment rights. Further gun control measures just aren't the answer.

We live in the greatest country in the world. Our economy may be struggling but our union is strong. At this important time, I hope Congress will make the tough decisions and help create a brighter future for our children and grandchildren.