February 2014 e-newsletter
You can see the online version here.
Updates and Accomplishments
This week, National Journal released its annual rankings for members of Congress, and I was ranked as the 13th most conservative representative out of 435 members.
I think this ranking accurately reflects the conservative values of our district – one of the most conservative districts in the nation. I'm honored to be recognized in the top 5% of Congress, but I'm even more honored to represent the people who sent me to Washington to stand firm against President Obama and Harry Reid's liberal agenda. I'm proud to promote the values of Texas' 25th District, and I look forward to continuing our fight in 2014.
If you would like to see the great work my staff and I were able to accomplish last year, I have published my 2013 Year End Report. Among many other things, I cast 641 votes with a 99% attendance rate, authored and introduced 3 bills, co-sponsored 71 bills, closed 222 cases with federal agencies on behalf of constituents, responded to 30,247 pieces of correspondence from constituents, and held or attended more than 166 events in the 25th District. You can view the report here.
Tax Season
Since Texas does not have a state income tax, Texans have been able to deduct state and local sales taxes for the last few years when filing their federal taxes. This puts Texas on a more level playing field with other states who can deduct state and local income taxes when filing.
While you will be able to deduct sales taxes for this year, this sales tax deduction was not renewed in Congress, meaning it could impact your taxes in the future. I'm working to fix this issue before it becomes a problem next year. I have co-sponsored H.R. 2854, a bill that would simply amend the tax code to make the sales tax deduction permanent for states that do not have local and state income taxes.
This is just one more example highlighting the need for a complete overhaul of our overly complicated tax code. While I do not see tax reform as a possibility while the Democrats hold the Senate and White House, it is one of the most important issues that needs to be addressed soon.
Obama vs. the Catholic Church
This week, the retail chain CVS announced its decision to stop selling cigarettes at its stores. President Obama praised the store for "saving lives and protecting untold numbers of families from pain and heartbreak for years to come."
Is President Obama now saying that corporations are allowed to have values and express themselves? If so, he should immediately exempt the religious organizations who say the Obamacare requirement to offer abortion drugs and contraceptive coverage violates their religious beliefs. Just weeks ago, the Obama administration asked the Supreme Court to not exempt Catholic groups from this Obamacare requirement, even though the President has already offered exemptions and wavers to thousands of businesses. It's time for this administration to end its attack on the Catholic Church.
A dreary budget outlook
This week the House Budget Committee, which I am a member of, conducted a hearing with the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director Douglas Elmendorf on the nonpartisan CBO's recently released Budget and Economic Outlook report. These are a few of the report's key findings:
1) Revenue in 2014 is on track to exceed its historic average of 17.4 percent of GDP.
2) The deficit will again top $1 trillion by 2022.
3) Interest on the national debt will quadruple over the next decade.
4) By 2021, Obamacare will cause a "reduction in full-time-equivalent employment of about 2.3 million."
5) Obamacare "will reduce the total number of hours worked, on net, by about 1.5 percent to 2.0 percent during the period from 2017 to 2024." The largest decline will occur among "lower-wage workers."
6) Obamacare "will cause a reduction of roughly 1 percent in aggregate labor compensation over the 2017–2024 period."
This doesn't sound like a rebounding economy that can support a thriving middle class. These budget woes and Obamacare mandates are taking a toll on families and businesses everywhere. A recent CNN Money report showed 75% of Americans are living from paycheck to paycheck with little to no emergency savings, while only 68% of the entire adult population is participating in the labor market. I will continue urging my colleagues in the Senate to pass the dozens of House-passed, pro-jobs bills to get our economy moving in the right direction.