Rokita Report - Balanced Budget, Indiana's Teacher of the Year, & More

Statement

Dear Friend,

Thank you for the opportunity to update you on the work of the 114th Congress. I trust this finds you and your family well, as we work together to bring Hoosier common sense to Washington.

Rokita Readings

A clickable offering of books and articles that I've read recently and highly recommend, as we strive together to "Keep the Republic."

F.A. Hayek was an influential free-market economist whose ideas inspired world leaders, including President Ronald Reagan and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. For the success of his ideas, he was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics and the Presidential of Freedom by President George H. W. Bush.

Last year, on the 115th Anniversary of his May 8th birthday, the Investor's Business Daily ran a great article titled "Hayek's Ideas Still Relevant 115 Years Later" by Gerald P. O'Driscoll. As we near Hayek's 116th birthday, I wanted to share the article as this week's Rokita Reading.

O'Driscoll is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute, where Hayek served as a Distinguished Senior Fellow. The article provides a great overview of Hayek's belief in free markets. Hayek knew that free markets and free people go together as the core of liberty to create an opportunity society that provides hope for all.

For much of his life, Hayek's ideas ran counter to those practiced by governments and "experts" in economics. Big government projects and Keynesian economics were the ideas practiced throughout the world. By the 1970's it had become clear that government controlled markets did not adapt as well as free markets, where people, not bureaucrats make decisions. Countries, including the United States under Reagan, that followed Hayek's ideas saw great economic growth.

Today, we are in the midst of a slow economic recovery. Our economic growth is stunted by an administration that mistakenly believes government can lead a recovery. At the same time, it burdens our job creators with excessive regulations. I believe, like Hayek did, that people - not government - must fuel economic recovery for it to last.

A Bicameral, Balanced Budget

I was sent to Congress to fight for a balanced budget that controls the runaway federal spending that has resulted in our $18 trillion national debt. I have supported the submission of five balanced budgets passed by the House. Four of those budgets fell on deaf ears in a Senate controlled by Harry Reid -- the same Senate that chose not to produce a budget at all for three consecutive years. I am pleased to report that we are beginning to break through the dysfunction and address the challenges Americans hired us to tackle.

On Thursday, the House approved a budget conference agreement negotiated by a conference committee consisting of members of the House and Senate, who forged an agreement between our two budgets. I was honored to serve as one of the five House conferees on the conference committee. This was the first balanced budget agreement reached between the two Houses since 2001.

The budget that we wrote represents a great opportunity to change our nation's fiscal trajectory, address the drivers of our debt, and strengthen the future for our children and grandchildren. This budget is the beginning, not the end, of a larger opportunity to lead our country forward. As Vice Chair of the House Budget Committee, I look forward to continuing the work this budget started in the weeks and months ahead.

This conference agreement puts us on a path to balance in less than ten years, restores fiscal sanity to Washington, and controls our runaway federal spending by reforming auto-pilot entitlement programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

This budget agreement is the path to greater certainty for the future and will truly help all people build better lives for themselves and their families. The House passed the bill by a vote of 226 - 197. The Senate is expected to consider the measure next week.

Indiana's Teacher of the Year

This year's Indiana Teacher of the Year is Kathy Nimmer, who teaches English at William Henry Harrison High School in West Lafayette. She was one of four finalists from across the country for the 2015 National Teacher of the Year. The last time a Hoosier was a finalist was in 1996.

As Chairman of the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, I know the importance of great teachers and was on hand to cheer Ms. Nimmer at the White House on Wednesday. She is an inspiration to her students, her colleagues, and to all who hear her incredible story. Not only is she an exceptional teacher who has spent more than twenty years perfecting her craft, she has also managed to excel in the classroom despite blindness.

The National Teacher of the Year program began in 1952 and serves as one of the oldest and most prestigious programs honoring excellence in teaching. The program is administered by the Council of Chief State School Officers.

Honor Flights

Honor Flights are dedicated flights to and from a veteran's hometown to Washington DC. In our nation's capital, veterans are brought to the national memorials dedicated to their service. These flights are financed by private donations and cost our veterans nothing.

As they return home, veterans are given a hero's welcome by their local community. In April, I had the honor of attending two of these welcome home ceremonies in Indiana. On April 4th, the Indy Honor Flight took nearly two hundred veterans to Washington. I was on hand at the Plainfield High School to greet them on their return. On April 27th, the Greater Lafayette Honor Flight flew nearly ninety veterans and received a great welcome back at the Purdue University Airport.

There is strong demand to fly on Honor Flights and veterans are chosen based on the urgency of their situation. Most of the veterans I greeted served in World War II or the Korean War.

Both the Indy Honor Flight and the Greater Lafayette Honor Flight are already planning future flights to DC.

Thank you for your continued interest in Congress and for supporting my efforts to bring Hoosier common sense to Washington. Take care.

Sincerely,

Todd Rokita

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