Newsletter - August 4, 2013
Statement
Stop Government Abuse Act Passes House
This week, my colleagues and I passed a number of bills to restrain our runaway federal government. I'm proud that the House voted to pass the Stop Government Abuse Act, which addresses a number of problems within federal agencies -- from outrageous bonus pay to the lack of strong statutes for disciplinary leave.
The Common Sense in Compensation Act, which I introduced in March, became part of this legislative package. It places limits on both the size of federal employee bonuses and the number of senior executive service employees who may receive performance bonuses in any given year.
In fiscal year 2011, 75 percent of Senior Executive Service employees throughout the federal government received bonuses at an average of nearly $11,000 per person. When that many bureaucrats receive bonuses, those payouts become entitlements rather than performance awards. This exemplifies Washington's spending problem.
It is time for the government to stop furloughing workers who depend on a paycheck from week-to-week while awarding hundreds of thousands of dollars in bonuses to senior employees. The Stop Government Abuse Act passed the House in a bipartisan vote of 239-176.
Student Loan Solution Goes to President Obama's Desk
The House sent a market-based student loan solution to President Obama's desk on Wednesday. As the father of two children in college, I was pleased to join my colleagues in voting for this legislation because I know how expensive higher education has become for students and their families. I am encouraged that the Senate finally joined with the House in this bipartisan effort to keep loans from skyrocketing, giving students the certainty they need when investing in their education. Now, the legislation awaits President Obama's signature.
Defund Obamacare Letter Update
As I mentioned last week, I am leading a letter encouraging House leadership to defund Obamacare through the appropriations process. It is not fair that President Obama is choosing to protect big businesses from Obamacare, but not hardworking individuals and families. As of Friday, 77 Members had signed on to the letter, and signatures are still coming in.
Source