We have so many vulnerabilities and no structure to address them as they relate to chemical security.  This tiered system is a good approach.

The Senate and House are playing politics with the war on Lebanon and I won’t be silent.

First came the shameful bi-partisan, one-sided resolutions passed by both Houses of Congress, which gave total support to Israel’s onslaught against Lebanon with barely a concern for the hundreds of innocent Lebanese civilians killed or the devastation to that country’s infrastructure.

Piling insult on his injury, Senate and House Democrats have insisted that the Prime Minister of Iraq, Nouri al-Maliki embrace the Congress’ pro-Israel stance. Should he fail to do so, they threatened pressure on Speaker Hastert to withdraw his invitation to have al-Maliki address Congress, or force a boycott of his speech.

What they objected to were al Maliki’s statements made last week in Iraq in which he urged the international community “to take a quick and firm stance to stop this [Israeli] aggression against Lebanon, to stop the killing of innocent people and to stop the destruction of infrastructure.â€? Al-Maliki said, “[w]hat is happening is an operation of mass destruction and mass punishment and an operation using great force that Israel has– and Lebanon does not.â€?
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We had all the right people in the room.  We got to the root of the problem, which is that prosections for illegally employing illegal aliens dropped from 192 in 1999 to 4 in 2004.  That’s the problem.

Although there’s much talk about fixing the immigration problem, there’s no evidence that they’ve followed-up their words with action.

What’s going on in Iraq is a Civil War.  Victory over Saddam Hussein is completed.  The soldiers’ work is completed.  Since the President relies on the War Powers Resolution of 2002, it is imperative to repeal those powers, bring the soldiers home, and cease involvement in this Civil War.

There is one goal that I would like to think all of my colleagues can agree upon: ensuring that Federal agencies are held accountable to taxpayers. Periodically reviewing government agencies will result in more effective and efficient operations. Greater fiscal restraint is needed, and it would be beneficial for Congress to ensure the effectiveness of government agencies and programs. The Government Efficiency Act will provide greater accountability to the American Taxpayer and I urge its passage.

Ronald Reagan once said, “A government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth.”  Regrettably, that longevity has nothing to do with the program or agency’s effectiveness or usefulness to the American people.  As a result, the Federal bureaucracy is bloated with programs that duplicate one another, that fail to accomplish anything other than prolong their own perpetuity, and that outlive the problems and constituencies they were meant to serve.  The indpendent commission established by the Government Efficiency Act will review Federal programs and agencies and make sure they still have relevance to the people’s government.  I am proud to be a cosponsor of this legislation and pleased that language I authored is included in the bill.  Under my language, the established review process will include a check on the Constitutionality of those programs and agencies.  If the Constitution doesn’t sustain existence of the program, the taxpayers shouldn’t have to either.

This legislation will help ensure that we spend taxpayers’ money more efficiently. The GEA will provide for greater review of how programs are working and hold Washington more accountable for the money it spends. The Commission the GEA creates will review spending, but it will not have the power to automatically eliminate any program. This legislation is a good step forward in eliminating waste and making certain that taxpayers’ money is spent wisely.

Federal agencies impose thousands of new regulations every year without any legislative authority or oversight. Inefficient and burdensome regulations cost American business millions of dollars each year, stifling job growth and expansion. Congress must put unelected bureaucracies on notice that over-reaching and un-justified rulemakings can bring irreparable harm to the American economy and will not be tolerated in the future.

Ronald Reagan understood the importance of regulatory reform. In his first inaugural speech on January 20, 1981, he eloquently stated, “Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem.” Increased accountability will lead to more efficient practices in government agencies and fewer wasted resources for the American family.

I’m a co-sponsor of the Government Efficiency Act (GEA) because I believe we need to cut government spending. Rep. Todd Tiahrt’s GEA will create a commission that will review government agencies and programs, and weed out government waste, fraud, and abuse. It is clear that we don’t have the tools or resources to look at every program and find where we are wasting money. Rep Tiahrt’s idea would change that. His GEA would be a big solution to controlling government spending, and I fully support his effort.

Later this week, the House will vote on the Government Efficiency Act (GEA). Contrary to media reports, this is not a sunset bill. The GEA simply establishes the framework for a bipartisan federal government review commission that would be given the task of recommending ways to make the federal government more efficient. It neither automatically eliminates programs nor automatically closes federal agencies.

A Commission recommendation on government efficiency would go through the regular committee process on an expedited schedule. Committees could amend the recommendation before it goes to the full body for a mandatory vote. The Commission would be a helpful tool for Congress to provide better oversight over the federal government, and I am hopeful it will receive bipartisan support.