The Lonestar Weekly: December 7, 2010

Statement

Lame Duck Congress

Congress recently reconvened following the midterm elections for a short-term work period, commonly known as the "Lame Duck' session. During this Lame Duck, there are really only two priorities this Congress should be focused on achieving: making sure working families and small businesses do not pay higher taxes, and funding the government. However, it seems the Majority Leader intends to focus instead on pet issues favored by progressives in his party, like a repeal of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy and an effort to push through another version of the Dream Act. Last week I joined all Republican Senators in writing to Majority Leader Harry Reid indicating our priorities for this Lame Duck session. Focusing on extraneous issues to score political points will only waste more taxpayer money and time in what has been one of the costliest and most partisan sessions of Congress in recent history.

Restoring Fiscal Discipline

The message from voters in November could not have been clearer: they want Democrats and Republicans to work together to stop out-of-control federal spending. Recently the Senate Republican Conference met and adopted a number of resolutions, including one I cosponsored calling for a moratorium on earmarks. When a similar measure was brought to the floor as an amendment and voted on by the Senate, however, it was defeated. President Obama has joined the majority of Congressional Republicans in calling for a moratorium on earmarks. Therefore it's disappointing that only seven Senate Democrats joined us on this moratorium, which would show the American people we are sincere about reining in reckless spending and debt.

Senate Republicans also unanimously adopted a resolution I proposed calling for an amendment to the Constitution that would require a balanced budget every year. I intend to introduce a version of this for consideration by the full Senate next Congress, and my hope is that in conjunction with other legislative proposals to control government spending we can begin to get serious when it comes to fiscal responsibility. In my view a balanced budget amendment is an essential element to an aggressive, comprehensive effort at drawing down unsustainable debt that has gone unchecked for far too long.

Texas Travel

This most recent break from session allowed me to travel around the state, and I had the honor of presenting the Purple Heart to PFC Kyle Perry, who was wounded by enemy fire in Iraq and is currently recovering at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. While I was there, I also had the opportunity to help serve a Thanksgiving meal to our wounded warriors and their families and thank them for their service and sacrifice. Earlier in the month, I spent Veterans Day with some Central Texas veterans from our Greatest Generation at the National Museum of the Pacific War's annual ceremony in Fredericksburg. As the veterans in attendance were recognized and asked to be seated by birth year, I was amazed to see that the last man standing was U.S. Navy veteran Sam Sorenson--born in 1916! I was humbled to be in the presence of these American heroes.

I also recently met with local officials from border cities in south Texas, where we discussed our shared commitment to fighting the ongoing cartel-related violence along the Mexican border. I assured them that I will continue to press the Administration to ensure law enforcement has the resources they need to fight drug-related activity along our southern border. Finally, I toured the Pantex plant outside of Amarillo, where workers preserve the reliability and safety of the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile for the U.S. Department of Energy. This facility plays a critical role in our national security, and Pantex officials reiterated to me the need for a robust weapons modernization effort to better meet our long-term defense needs.

Source