E-Newsletters

A few weeks ago, Congress agreed to end a 40-year ban on U.S. oil exports

Lifting the outdated policy adds jobs and increases American revenues. It also sets the stage for America to be the leader in global energy markets.

But most importantly, while all major economies in the world still rely on oil, the decision ensures energy markets can remain stable when oil producing nations in Africa and the Middle East are not.

President Obama is beginning his final year in office pushing for more gun control. It's a battle the President has fought again and again, and one that Congress has rejected each time.

The President wants to make it harder for law-abiding Americans to buy and own guns. He wants to create a federal registry for gun ownership even though his Vice President admitted the federal government cannot effectively manage such a database. And he wants to ban the sale of firearms that hundreds of thousands of Americans already own.

Last week, when the House passed reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Schools Act (ESEA), the Wall Street Journal wrote that it was the "largest devolution of federal control" in 25 years.

The bill - which the Senate should pass tomorrow - replaces No Child Left Behind, gives authority back to local school districts, and prevents the White House from forcing states to adopt Common Core standards.

It is expected to be signed into law by the President as early as this week.

This year, I was fortunate to be appointed by my colleagues to the House Armed Services Committee. Our main responsibility every year is passing a National Defense Authorization Act. Last week, we were thankful to see the President back down from his continued veto threats and sign the bill into law.

The overall bill authorizes pay and benefits for our troops; creates a new portable retirement system for uniformed military; requires President Obama to submit a concrete strategy to defeat ISIS; and ensures that no GTMO prisoners will be transferred into the United States.

On Friday, November 13, 129 innocent people were slaughtered on the streets of Paris. This tragedy left the world in shock and reminds us that terrorism is still a real threat to democratic nations across the globe.

This attack comes as millions of people are fleeing Syria in order to escape the long and violent civil war in their country. Multiple nations, including the United States, had been opening their borders to offer shelter to these refugees. But soon after the attacks in Paris, we learned that one of the terrorists had entered into France by hiding among the refugees.

By the afternoon of November 11, 1918, the cratered fields and trenches of the Western Front had fallen silent. The First World War—the war that many Americans thought would be the last—was finally over.

Over 100,000 Americans gave their lives in the Great War, and many more were wounded. In the aftermath of the Allied victory, nations around the world moved to commemorate the sacrifices made by these brave individuals.

The Keystone XL project was about more than just a pipeline. It was a commitment to creating high-paying, American jobs, at no cost to the taxpayer. It was a way to secure a safe, reliable method to transport oil across North America. And it was about ensuring that – while our economy still runs on oil – we are not dependent on unstable foreign governments to meet those needs.

Budgets are about priorities. The federal budget has to provide for our military men and women, protect Social Security and Medicare, and it must show that we are serious about getting control of the national debt.