On the House Floor
This week, the House approved two spending bills for Fiscal Year 2008, the Energy and Water Appropriations bill and the Labor, Health and Human Services bill.
Playing Defense on Human Life
During consideration of H.R. 3043, the Fiscal Year 2008 Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations bill, several important policy issues were considered. For the first time in 13 years, conservatives were forced to play defense to protect the sanctity of human life. First, the budget produced by the Democrat majority cut funding for the National Cord Blood Inventory program in half.This important program conducts ethical research using stem cells obtained from alternative sources such as umbilical cord blood without the objectionable practice of destroying human embryos. Fortunately, an amendment offered to increase the funding level for the next fiscal year to the fully authorized $15 million was adopted, allowing this crucial research to continue.
Unfortunately, Democrats were able to use their majority to advance other unethical activities. H.R. 3043 contains $311 million for the Title X Family Planning program, a program which is a key funding source for Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood is believed to be the biggest abortion provider in the United States; according to their most recent annual report, they provided nearly 265,000 abortions last year. Additionally, recent reports have demonstrated that Planned Parenthood clinics have failed to comply with state rape and abuse laws. In one case, a Planned Parenthood employee told a girl who she believed to be 15 to lie on her paperwork so she would not have to be reported as a victim of statutory rape. To prevent Planned Parenthood from continuing their egregious activities, I supported Representative Mike Pence’s (R-IN) amendment to withhold Title X funds from Planned Parenthood. However, Democrats used their majority to defeat this amendment, which will allow Planned Parenthood to continue its unethical actions. While we may be outnumbered in the current Congress, as conservatives, we will continue to identify these offensive actions to hold the new majority accountable for the decisions they make.
Why Collect When We Can Tax More?
This week, the Ways & Means Committee Democrats approved H.R. 3056, legislation, , that would terminate a successful initiative that allows the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to use private contractors to collect unpaid taxes the IRS bureaucracy is unable or unwilling to pursue from individuals who have broken our laws. This successful program has helped close the “tax gap” – the difference between what taxpayers owe and what they pay. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the private collection plan has resulted in $1 billion in additional revenue for the government. Democrats plan to compensate for the elimination of this initiative by placing all tax-collection duties with the IRS, claiming this can bring in the same tax revenue, but the IRS has been clear that it does not have the capability to set up the sort of operation run by the private debt collectors. In addition, the IRS has told the Government Accountability Office that even if it did, IRS agents could not do the job as efficiently as the private sector. By eliminating this program, the Democrats are conceding defeat and admitting it will leave tax revenue that is owed to the government on the table – increasing the tax burden for honest, hard-working Americans. Perhaps if we did not quit this effort, Democrats would not feel compelled to impose the largest tax increase in history upon us. At this point, it would be inaccurate to say Democrats only want to “tax and spend.” We now know they want to tax, spend, not collect the taxes the government is owed, and then tax some more. Ironically, that type of inefficiency is precisely what we are moving toward by allowing the government to take over areas where the private sector has succeeded.
Quote of the Week
“I've learned in Washington, that that’s the only place where sound travels faster than light.” - President Ronald Reagan, December 12, 1983
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