On the House Floor
This week, the House passed H.R. 2761, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Revision and Extension Act, which extends the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program created to provide stability in the insurance market in the aftermath of September 11th. The House also passed H.R. 1852, the Expanding Homeownership Act, which makes needed reforms to the Federal Housing Administration in order to provide greater access to home loans to compensate for the rising costs of real estate. Finally, the House passed the FAA Reauthorization Act, which seeks to update and improve our nation’s air transportation system.
A Disturbing Trend
This week, Democrats once again refused to protect taxpayers from the burdens illegal immigrants place on our society and our wallets. During consideration of H.R. 1852, Representative Tom Price (R-GA) offered an amendment to prohibit any funds distributed from the Affordable Housing Fund created in the bill from benefiting individuals or families who could not verify their legal status in the U.S. This amendment was similar to an amendment I authored, which passed the House in May, to prohibit government-sponsored entities from purchasing mortgages in the secondary market for people who do not have a valid social security number. The effort to prevent illegal immigrants from receiving taxpayer dollars also mirrored the proposal offered by Republicans in August, which received a majority of votes but was defeated when Democrat leaders manipulated the outcome after the vote was ended. While the House agreed to the amendment I offered in May by a vote of 217-205, and voted 215-213 to approve the similar amendment in August (before the result was overturned by Democrat leaders), the amendment offered by Rep. Price this week was defeated by a vote of 216-209. This indicates that Democrats are strengthening their resolve when it comes to preserving taxpayer dollars for illegal immigrants. Despite this, House Republicans will continue to offer legislation that prohibits taxpayer funds from benefiting those who willingly violate our laws, and we will continue to encourage Democrats to reverse their trend toward protecting benefits for illegal immigrants at the expense of law-abiding American citizens.
Across the Board Earmark Reform
This week, I joined my Republican colleagues in signing a discharge petition which would force Democrats to bring H.Res. 479 to the floor, legislation to provide greater transparency in the earmarking process. Under current rules, earmarks are only subject to challenge when they appear in appropriations bills. However, the largest earmarks are often found in tax or authorization bills. In fact, the infamous “Bridge to Nowhere” was written into an authorization bill, and therefore would not be subject to challenge if it came to the floor today without the rule change Republicans are advocating. H.Res. 479 would fully restore the reforms implemented by the Republican-controlled House in 2006 and allow earmarks to be challenged in all bills. While this legislation was introduced in June, Democrats have failed to bring it to the floor for a vote. By signing this discharge petition, my Republican colleagues and I are sending a message to Democrats that we are determined to crack down on wasteful spending, and that we will not allow them to reject the policies of fiscal responsibility that we promote.
Quote of the Week
“When you tax something, you get less of it. If only politicians kept that in mind when they were taxing work, investment and saving…” – Wall Street Journal Editorial 9/7/2007.
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