Newsletter: 08/05/2014

Statement

Defunding the President's DACA Amnesty Program

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that was unilaterally created by the president in 2012 has dramatically weakened enforcement of our immigration laws and encouraged tens of thousands of illegal immigrants to come to our nation in pursuit of amnesty. Prior to DACA's enactment in 2012, an average of between 7,000 and 8,000 unaccompanied alien children (UAC's) were being taken into custody each year. After DACA was created, this number spiked to over 13,500 in FY 2012 and increased to nearly 25,000 in FY 2013. By the end of this fiscal year, an estimated 90,000 UAC's -- primarily from Central America -- are expected to enter our nation illegally.

This past week, I took steps to eliminate this root cause of the border crisis by voting to pass H.R. 5272. This bill completely defunds DACA and any similar amnesty program the president may try to create in the future.

A major part of fixing the border crisis is to send an unequivocal message that our nation does not reward illegal immigration. Defunding DACA -- and stopping all programs like it -- makes clear that Americans will not tolerate amnesty or any further attempts to erode our immigration laws.

Newly Uncovered Emails Show Lerner's Personal Bias Against Conservatives
The Ways and Means Committee has uncovered emails from Lois Lerner that show her deep personal bias against conservatives. In a conversation with a coworker -- whose identity has been concealed in the publicly released documents -- Lerner calls conservatives "a--holes" and "crazies," and even suggests that conservatives could bring down the federal government.

Every American has a right to express his or her own beliefs, but abusing official power to actively suppress differing political views can never be tolerated. Much like other evidence my Ways and Means colleagues and I have uncovered, these emails provide grounds for a criminal investigation into Lerner's actions. They also reinforce the need to appoint a special prosecutor that can push for answers to the many questions that remain.

Supporting Israel

In recent weeks, Israel has endured countless rocket attacks from Hamas, a terrorist organization that opposes Israel's existence and has blatantly violated recent ceasefire agreements. Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system has been critical to intercepting these rocket attacks, but diminishing resources could soon render it incapable of preventing Hamas' missiles from reaching their targets.
This past week, the House voted to assist Israel in its defensive efforts by ensuring the continued effectiveness of Iron Dome. Israel is one of America's strongest global allies and beacon of democracy in the Middle East. Offering Israel support in this difficult time will allow them to better combat new and existing terrorist threats.
Cracking Down on Tax-Related Identity Theft
Tax-related identity theft is a growing problem in the United States that impacts millions of Americans and costs our nation billions of dollars each year. To stem the tide of taxpayer identity theft and prevent future fraud, I have introduced the Taxpayer Identity Theft Prevention and Enforcement Act (H.R. 5236). My bill would add certain tax-related crimes to the definition of aggravated identity theft and strengthen enforcement tools to provide a clear and credible deterrent to tax-related identity theft.

By enhancing enforcement and imposing stricter penalties on those who victimize honest taxpayers, my bill better protects the American people and ensures that scammers will face serious consequences for committing tax-related identity theft.

Ken Starr Visits to Discuss Significance of Hobby Lobby Ruling

Ken Starr, the president and chancellor of Baylor University, was in Washington to speak about the Supreme Court's recent Hobby Lobby ruling. Ken served as U.S. solicitor general under President George H.W. Bush and has been a lifelong defender of religious liberty. I enjoyed hearing his analysis of the Hobby Lobby decision and the ways in which it reaffirms the First Amendment freedoms of all Americans.

Washington Summer Interns
Constituents Visiting the Capitol

I am very grateful to have had Elizabeth Pruitt and Nick Smith working as interns in my Washington office this summer. Each of them has consistently gone above and beyond to assist me and my office in serving the people of the 24th District. I thank Elizabeth and Nick for their hard work this summer and wish them the best of luck in the future.
It was a pleasure to meet with Kayla McLaughlin, Christopher Adesanya, and Amsla Madhani. These young constituents were in Washington to learn about our nation's government and attend a national young leadership conference.

Source