Paulsen Post - June 9, 2013
Statement
Dear Friend,
Thanks to everyone who joined me Monday night for another one of my Telephone Town Hall meetings. It was great to hear from so many of you on the important issues of the day. Also, on Monday, I toured and met with employees of a Minnesota transportation small business, where we discussed ways to reduce burdensome regulations that are making it difficult for them to grow, expand, and hire.
As always, please feel free to contact me if I can assist you or your family in any way. Join the conversation online by visiting my website, Facebook page, Twitter, and don't forget to watch my weekly video, Erik's Correspondence Corner.
IRS Scandal: Seeking Answers; Pressing for Action
As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, the IRS scandal has been front and center. While the IRS has acknowledged that they were indeed discriminating and targeting certain groups and individuals based on their personal beliefs for years, we still don't know: How did it start? Who gave the order? Why wasn't it stopped sooner? Why did the IRS repeatedly mislead Congress and the American people? How did private, confidential taxpayer information get leaked to the public?
There is growing evidence that this all started in Washington, D.C. and was not the work of a few "rogue agents" or "poor customer service" as the IRS suggested. Interviews with Cincinnati IRS employees indicate that the D.C. office was requesting and directing the targeting. We need to to know the facts, hold those involved accountable and ensure this never happens again. Seventy-eight percent of the 7,000 Telephone Town Hall participants on Monday believe Congress should continue to seek answers.3
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Promoting Educational Choice for Families
Minnesotans can take pride in the fact that we've led the nation in developing successful public charter school options for our students. This week, I introduced bipartisan legislation to bring these educational options to families throughout the country. The All-STAR Act creates flexibility in federal education programs to support the financing and growth of public charter schools, giving new and already established charter schools the opportunity to grow and replicate to provide our kids with the highest quality education possible. This bill takes us one step closer to ensuring a student's zip-code doesn't dictate the quality of education he or she receives. I was joined by Representatives Jared Polis (D-CO), Tom Petri (R-WI), Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX), Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Susan Davis (D-CA), John Delaney (D-MD), and Aaron Schock (R-IL) in introducing the legislation.
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Paulsen Recognized With Campaign to End Obesity Award
I recently received the Campaign to End Obesity's "Champion of Obesity" policy award. It's a shame that 50 years ago, well under 15% of Americans were obese. Now that number is closer to a third of all Americans. The consequences are staggering--from increased rates of heart disease and diabetes to decreased life expectancies. Obesity is a leading contributor to rising health care expenses in our country, costing almost $168 billion per year. As Co-Chair of the Wellness Caucus, I'm working to increase awareness of the obesity epidemic and promote healthy work environments by ensuring families and businesses have the education and tools they need to combat obesity.
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