It’s important for you to know where I stand. Governing requires many difficult
decisions on complex matters. As your Representative, it is my solemn duty to
analyze issues, weigh evidence and opinion, and ultimately make a judgment. I
take this responsibility with the utmost seriousness in determining the future
direction of our country.
Today we face many challenges as a nation – declining social institutions,
reckless economic behavior, and a lack of federal spending discipline
accompanied by an unprecedented expectation that Washington can solve all
problems. I believe Nebraska, with our unique cultural heritage of personal
responsibility, hard work, and commitment to family and community, has much to
give to our county by way of example. My core political philosophy is simple:
The strength of our nation depends upon the strength of our nation’s families
and communities.
In Congress, I have worked to address the most pressing matters before our
nation. My priorities are to promote economic opportunity and agricultural
entrepreneurship, strengthen our national security, build a new energy vision,
improve America’s healthcare system the right way, and uphold strong family life
and culture. At home, our work centers on assisting Nebraskans in their
dealings with the federal government, particularly on veterans affairs, social
security issues, and health care concerns.
Below you will find an overview of my policy positions and a review of my
priorities:
Economic Opportunity and Financial Stability
In Nebraska, our economy has remained relatively strong during the national
economic downturn. Buoyed by a stable agricultural economy, small business and
manufacturing innovation, economic diversification, and the strength of
character of Nebraskans in making fiscal decisions, our state maintains one
of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and is at or near the top of many
national fiscal health surveys. Though not immune to the ill effects
of recession, our state economy is a model of resiliency in the midst of
financial instability.
Many in Washington have pushed corporate bailouts and massive spending packages
in the name of national economic recovery. While the federal government has an
essential role in preserving the stability of our economic system, this approach has further entangled big government and big business, subsidized poor governance choices, and left everyday Americans holding the bill. Prudent economic policies should be grounded in the reality that the Main Street entrepreneur – not the Washington or Wall Street insider – will best bring about lasting economic recovery.
We should promote economic opportunity and stability by encouraging small
business entrepreneurship within strong local economies, providing critical
oversight of Wall Street and institutions considered “too big to fail,” and,
most importantly, controlling government spending. As a member of the
Agriculture and Oversight and Government Reform Committees, I have specifically
promoted agricultural entrepreneurship in new food markets and renewable energy
opportunities, as well as advocated increased scrutiny of speculation in
commodity markets to reduce market volatility.
I have also long promoted structural budgetary reforms, including a balanced
budget requirement, the presidential line-item veto, and a biennium budgeting
plan, to stop government over spending and bring discipline to the federal
budgeting process.
The federal budget has nearly doubled in ten years, and blame spans the
political spectrum. Nearly one-third of each federal dollar is borrowed. This
pattern threatens long-term economic security. Decisions about slowing
governmental spending and prudential tax policy are not easy. All must be
willing to bear this burden. The vitality of our country is at stake.
Patient-Centered Health Care Reform
Over the last year our nation was engaged in a very important debate about the
direction of our health care system. Throughout the debate, I stated that
health care must be strengthened in America with the right kind of reform to
lower costs, improve health outcomes, and protect vulnerable persons.
Unfortunately, the White House and leaders in Congress chose to push through a
very large, very complex, and very costly health care bill, despite the serious
concerns of many Americans. With a bi-partisan group of House members, I voted
against the House bill last October, and against the Senate version, which has
since become law. Instead of squarely addressing the underlying cost drivers of
health care, this plan substantially shifts costs to more unsustainable
government spending, erodes health care liberties, and increases health care
expenses for many Americans. Approximately half of the new coverage in the law
is an expansion of the Medicaid program, which is already on an unsustainable
spending path.
If Congress had taken a more pragmatic and collaborative approach, we could have
reached bipartisan agreement on such critical issues as prevention; health and
wellness; pre-existing conditions; expansion of community health centers; and
more affordable insurance options for small businesses, farmers, families, and
vulnerable persons. Other commonsense reform proposals included buying
insurance across state lines, portability, and enhancing Health Savings Accounts.
While a few aspects of these reforms are included in the bill, the health care
and government spending problem is masked.
Even though this version of health care reform has become law, I will continue
to advocate more commonsense and patient-centered measures that address the
rising costs of care without shifting the burdens in the system.
National Security and Diplomacy
Providing national security is a fundamental duty of the federal government.
Secure borders and a well equipped U.S. military are the foundations of our
national security. Our country is strengthened as well by maintaining
good relationships with other nations, promoting fundamental human rights,
and increasing international stability. As a member of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee with special responsibilities for the Middle East and Africa and
co-founder of the House Nuclear Security Caucus, these complex challenges have
been among my top priorities.
We owe an enormous debt of thanks to our brave soldiers and their families for
the steady security improvements in Iraq, and must now focus more urgently on the
situation in Afghanistan. Over the last year and a half, Afghanistan has faced a
deteriorating security situation and complex governance challenges.
To fully assess the situation, I asked the President to direct General Stanley
McChrystal, commander of Afghan operations, to testify before Congress and
present his forthright assessment of what we and other nations must do to help stabilize
Afghanistan and address global security threats emanating from the
ungoverned tribal regions bordering Pakistan. The American people deserve to
know the unvarnished truth about the situation in Afghanistan and the plan for
success that minimizes casualties, stabilizes the country, and brings the main
contingent of our troops home quickly. I believe that now the right framework
has been set in place to increase the probability of success in Afghanistan.
I am also a member of the House Democracy Partnership Commission which seeks
to provide technical assistance to other legislatures around the world which
are trying to develop strong governing institutions based upon the principles of
self-determination. Many people around the world are developing more stable
governance capacities for the stability of their societies and the good of their
people. They understand America's example.
Smart Energy Policy
It is important to remember that a run up in oil prices preceded our current
recession. America remains vulnerable. One of our top challenges is creating
smart energy policy. America needs a bold new energy vision. Since coming to
Congress I have supported several key measures to diversify our energy portfolio
such as increasing the use of biofuels to better balance our energy portfolio.
More must be done. Increased use of domestic resources in an environmentally
responsible way can help promote our energy independence while building a bridge
to a more sustainable energy future. We must also fully integrate conservation,
innovative technologies, and a variety of renewable sources such as wind, solar,
geothermal--along with new transportation models--into our energy strategy.
In the Farm Bill, I introduced a new initiative that provides assistance for
rural towns to establish community based renewable energy systems and become
energy self-sufficient. Rural America can lead the way to energy sustainability,
and Nebraska can be a national model for clean, green energy use and production.
Transitioning to sustainable energy will increase our energy independence and
decrease the economic vulnerabilities caused by reliance on foreign oil, create
new income opportunities for farmers, and conserve our natural resources.
Family Life and Culture
The strength of our nation depends on the strength of our families and
communities. Families and communities that protect the innocence of children,
respect life, teach personal responsibility, and encourage decency help build a
culture that honors the inherent dignity of every person, including the poor and
the defenseless. Since coming to Congress, more and more is expected of
government which can never adequately substitute for the smallest form of
community, the family.
The Right to Life: I am pro-life. I believe women deserve better than abortion, especially women
who may feel coerced or believe they have no other choice. Life should be
protected and respected from conception to natural death. Certainly we are big
enough as a country, have resources enough, and we should care enough for those
facing difficult situations. Our laws should reflect this fundamental
principle of justice. I have sought to challenge this Administration on its use
of taxpayer dollars to fund abortion in health care and its export of abortion
overseas.
Human Rights: In our Declaration of Independence, these words are enshired:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and are
endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, among these are life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." We may not think of them often, but this most
profound statement provides the operational principle for our country's success.
Many persons throughout the world are seeking to reorder their societies around this
ideal that a just nation must ground itself in the dignity of each person, that power flows
forth from that dignity, and government must be an instrument to preserve that dignity.
The assaults on the human person throughout the world that flow into my office
are almost exhaustive: to the repression in China should one deviate from the
collective notion, to the tribal land degradation in West Africa due to resource
exploitation, to the misappropriation of freedom in our own country that won't
allow a child to escape an impoverished school. America's operative
principle--respect for the individual person—still calls upon our conscience as
a people and sets a magnetic example for those in the world who seek their own
good.
