Blog: Over a Billion Dollars in New Cars Every Year

Statement

This week, I introduced my ninth Shrink our Spending bill, and it's one that would save you over 360 million dollars. Did you know the government owns almost a quarter of a million vehicles? (And that number doesn't even include the military or post office.) Even more, every year they buy new cars and trucks-- over a billion dollars' worth. A massive spike in new vehicle purchases happened in 2009, coincidentally when the government had just purchased large shares of our major American auto manufacturers to keep them afloat. It's time we cut back these wasteful purchases. This week, I proposed a modest cut that we can all agree is reasonable, 20 percent, but one that would save you over $362 million.

On Wednesday, the House passed H.R. 3038, the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2015, by a vote of 312-119. H.R. 3038 extends the authority of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) through December 18, 2015. I voted against H.R. 3038 because it does nothing more than continue to kick the can down the road without addressing the structural problems present in the Highway Trust fund.

On Thursday, the House passed H.R. 2898, the Western Water and American Food Security Act of 2015, by a vote of 245-176. H.R. 2898 attempts to alleviate water supply and agricultural issues in western states that have, in part, resulted from both the mismanagement of critical water resources and severe drought. The bill revises the regulatory framework that governs the movement and storage of water, encourages the development and more efficient use of private and public water storage and delivery systems, reforms the Federal rulemaking processes relating to water storage and delivery, and includes other provisions to alleviate water shortages facing Western states.

This week the President also revealed to the United States his proposal for a deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran. I couldn't be more adamantly opposed to this plan he's outlined. Not only has Iran proven time and time again that it can't be trusted to meet its international obligations, but the fundamentals of this deal take no steps to ensure Iran will not develop a nuclear bomb in the future. This incredibly shortsighted agreement, if followed, merely precludes nuclear enrichment at high levels for 10 years and the development of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) for 8 years. Additionally, Iran is permitted to engage in active arms trading after only 5 years, and gains access to hundreds of billions of dollars in frozen assets once the agreement is signed. I believe the Administration is naïve to suggest that the money Iran will gain access to through this agreement will not be used to continue the proliferation of terrorism across the globe, as they've shown in the past their dedication to funding terroristic organizations even under the crushing burden of international sanctions. The President has struck a bad deal here, and I believe that the American people, and the world, can do better.

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