Gibbs/Jordan/Tiberi Statement on Air Force Announcement

Release:

Congressmen Bob Gibbs (R-Lakeville), Jim Jordan (R-Urbana), and Patrick J. Tiberi (R-Galena) issued the following statement on Tuesday’s force structure announcement by the Air Force calling for a reduction of more than 800 positions at the Ohio Air National Guard’s 179th Airlift Wing in Mansfield:

We continue to oppose the short-sighted plan of the Obama Administration to cancel the C-27J program and leave the 179th without a flying mission. The outstanding men and women of the 179th have been key to our security efforts for more than 60 years. They always stand ready to accept whatever mission is assigned to them. Their superior record of achievement is the reason they were selected to receive the nation’s first C-27J mission.

The Pentagon threatened Mansfield’s mission during the 2005 base closure round, but ultimately realized that closing the 179th would result in the departure of hundreds of highly trained men and women from the National Guard. Unfortunately, this is what the Obama Administration is again risking by targeting the C-27J program.

Our nation needs a strong National Guard to assist with cost-effective overseas operations. With two of Mansfield’s C-27Js currently in Afghanistan in support of our efforts there, the 179th is right now proving the value of this plane to our national defense.

Our states need a strong Guard to provide swift disaster response in times of crisis. Last week’s devastating tornadoes in southern Ohio and the immediate response of Ohio’s Guardsmen demonstrate how critical this need is.

We will not give up. Congress will decide the future of the C-27J program through our regular authorization and appropriations processes. The program has enjoyed strong support from throughout the nation in the past. We will continue to fight on behalf of the 179th and its mission and against the President’s plan to eliminate it. We must keep Mansfield’s loyal, highly skilled Guardsmen on the job—or risk weakening our national defense and homeland response capability.

GUEST COLUMN: "Tax Day" by Rep. Pat Tiberi

BY: Congressman Pat Tiberi

By now, you’ve likely spent countless hours with your calculator filling out your tax forms.  While electronic filing, and professional tax preparers tend to make the process easier, gathering the necessary documents, filling out the appropriate forms and calculating the amount of your tax obligation is quite time consuming, complex and costly.

This year, Tax Freedom Day fell within a few days of the deadline for millions of Americans to write a check to the IRS.  Tax Freedom Day marks the day when Americans have worked enough days to pay off their federal, state, and local taxes and begin to earn money to take home.  This year Tax Freedom Day fell three days later, on April 12^th, than the previous year, meaning Americans once again had to work longer that the previous year in order to meet their tax obligation.

This week, in the Ways and Means Committee, I heard testimony from tax preparers that they are being asked how folks can minimize earnings to avoid being bumped into a higher tax bracket.  When workers and entrepreneurs ask how they can work less to avoid penalties from the government, it is a sure sign of a broken system.  As a son of legal immigrants, whose parents came here on a boat from Italy for an opportunity at a better life, not a guarantee, the fact that workers feel like they are no longer rewarded for hard work is truly disheartening.  We must make our tax code simpler and fairer.  I continue to hear from Central Ohioans about their frustration with how hard it is to complete their tax forms.    No wonder, individuals and businesses spend 6.1 billion hours a year complying with tax filing requirements.  Unfortunately, more and more people have to rely on tax preparers to accurately fill out their tax forms.

I believe we must enact comprehensive tax reform.  President Obama called for corporate tax reform in his State of the Union speech, but I believe we need to go farther and enact individual tax reform to ease the burden on families and small businesses.  Families know how to better spend their money than unelected bureaucrats in Washington – bureaucrats who sometimes don’t even know what time zone Ohio is in!  By reforming our tax code, we can not only help families, but we can encourage small businesses to grow and hire.

I’m optimistic that reform can happen; however, we have a window of opportunity.  Republicans and Democrats worked together at the end of 2010 to prevent massive tax increases on all Americans.  Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have indicated they would like to see comprehensive tax reform move forward.  In 1986, the last time major tax reform was passed, the Chambers of Congress were controlled by different parties and members still managed to enact much-needed reform.  I’m hoping that President Obama will show leadership and welcome members of both parties to the table. Creating a simpler and fairer tax system can help grow the economy, create jobs, and ensure a more prosperous future for us all.

Congressman Speaks Out on Porno-Scanners and TSA Sexual Assaults

Good to see at least one Congressman gets that this is a problem.  Rep. John Duncan (R-TN) blasted TSA's Porno-Scanners and their sexual assaults on the floor of the US House of Representatives.

Sure wish I would hear of something like this coming from Steve Driehaus, Jean Schmidt, Mike Turner, Jim Jordan, Bob Latta, Charlie Wilson, Steve Austria, John Boehner, Marcy Kaptur, Dennis Kucinich, Marcia Fudge, Pat Tiberi, Betty Sutton, Steven LaTourette, Mary Jo Kilroy, John Boccieri, Tim Ryan, or Zach Space.  But so far, all I'm hearing out of our Members of Congress is...

...

...which is a real shame since at least one sexual assault occured right here in Ohio at the Dayton Internal Airport.

Meanwhile, I can't contain my disappointment in EVERY member of the Ohio House of Representatives and all but ONE Ohio Senator (thank you Gary Cates!).  Glad to see you all are right on top of protecting Ohioans...

Speaking of that, Governor Ted Strickland and Attorney General Rich Cordray can't be found with a search warrant on this issue.  Which puts them in the same category as John Kasich and Mike DeWine. 

Unbelieveable.  You people ought to be ashamed of yourselves.

Ohio RTL Goes After Brooks

From Ohio Right to Life:

Today, the Ohio Right to Life Society called upon on Franklin County Commissioner Paula Brooks, who was recently endorsed by EMILY’s List, to address two specific questions relating to her alleged fiscal prudence.

A recent General Accounting Office report indicated that six abortion-providing or promoting organizations received more than $1 billion in federal funding between FY 2002-2009. By far the most funding, $657.1 million, went to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and its affiliates, who performed 305,310 abortions in 2007.

Planned Parenthood is far better at feeding from the public trough than convincing individuals to donate to their cause. In FY 2008, Planned Parenthood affiliates received 88% more from government grants and contracts ($349.6 million) than contributions and bequests ($186 million).

An October 14, 2009 Columbus Dispatch article indicated that Brooks voted to “squeeze” $50,000 out of the county budget for a grant to Planned Parenthood to teach sex education to Columbus kids. Brooks, at the time of the vote, indicated that Planned Parenthood had been a regular recipient of grants from the county.

Brooks’ campaign website claims that she has “a reputation for strong fiscal prudence.” However, if she thinks “squeezing” money out of a tight county budget to pay an abortion-provider to teach kids about sex is the best use of public funds while folks struggle to make ends meet, what will she do if she has a say about the huge federal budget?

The Ohio Right to Life Society and its members have two simple fiscal questions for Paula Brooks:

1) Do you support using our tax dollars to pay for abortions?
2) Would you support limiting government funding to Planned Parenthood to no more than the amount it can raise in donations from private individuals and groups?

Yeah, helping fund more sex ed classes and such really seems like a great use of taxpayer dollars in Franklin County when our children can't read or do simple math. Great work, Brooks! Not!

Paula Brooks is the socialist/statist candidate for US Congress in the 12th district. She has been endorsed by left wing kook pro-baby killing group EMILYs List.

OH-12 Update: Dems Target Tiberi

If you hear a lot of laughter in the center-right Ohiosphere today it might have something to do with the Democrats "targetting" Congressman Tiberi in OH-12.

All I can say is that it must be an awfully slow political news day if journalists are actually writing about this...

This "spreading it around" mentality is going to cost the Democrats OH-01, OH-15, OH-18 and possibly OH-16 as well.

Energy Summit in Columbus Today

Release:

Washington, DC- The American Energy Solutions Group (AESG) and its Chairman, Congressman Mike Pence, Chairman of the House Republican Conference, is pleased to announce an Energy Summit in Columbus, Ohio, [TODAY] with leading energy experts to be hosted by Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH) to discuss solutions to America’s energy challenges.

The AESG has hosted several summits across the country this year in order to develop policy initiatives to lower energy prices for American families and small businesses, and create energy independence for the American people. On June 12, House Republicans introduced H.R. 2846, The American Energy Act as an “all of the above policy.”

The Columbus Energy Summit will take place Wednesday, September 2nd at 10:00 a.m. in Columbus, OH, at the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center on the campus of The Ohio State University. A press conference will follow the summit at approximately 11:30 a.m.


Who:

House Republican Leader John Boehner (OH-8)
House Republican Conference Chairman and AESG Chairman, Mike Pence (IN-6)
Rep. Bob Latta (OH-5)
Rep. Pat Tiberi (OH-12)
Rep. Jean Schmidt (OH-2)
Rep. Steve Austria (OH-7)

Witnesses:

Mr. Harry Alford- President, National Black Chamber of Commerce
Mr. Michael Carey- President, Ohio Coal Association
Ms. Jolene Thompson- Senior VP, American Municipal Power
Mr. Chris Horner- Competitive Enterprise Institute
Mr. Tom Secor- President, Durable Corp.
When:

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009
10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (Summit)
11:30 a.m. (Press Conference)

Where:

Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center
Bob Evans Memorial Auditorium
2201 Fred Taylor Drive
Columbus, Ohio 43210

Latta to Host Energy Summit in Columbus

Release:

WASHINGTON- Congressman Bob Latta (R-Bowling Green), a member of the House Republican Conference American Energy Solutions Group (AESG), will host an Energy Summit in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday, September 2, 2009. Congressman Latta will be joined by House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-IN), Chairman of the AESG, who will chair the event. Other Members participating in the summit will be House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH), Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-OH), Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH), Rep. Steve Austria (R-OH), and a distinguished panel of witnesses.

In May, the AESG held energy summits across the country, listening to analysts, professors, business owners, manufacturers, authors, and others about their thoughts on the current energy debate. Following the completion of the tour, the group unveiled the American Energy Act (H.R. 2846), an all-of-the-above energy solution that offers energy independence, good jobs, and a cleaner environment for Americans.

This energy summit will provide an opportunity to discuss not only the American Energy Act, but also the national energy tax legislation (H.R. 2454) sponsored by Reps. Waxman and Markey, which narrowly passed the House of Representatives on June 26, 2009.


The Energy Summit will take place on the campus of Ohio State University at the Nationwide & Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center from 10:00 A.M. – 11:30 A.M. The Energy Summit will be open to the public and press.

Rep Tiberi: "The DTV Countdown is On"

Email:

The countdown’s on! In just a few days, television is making the switch to digital!

The most recent National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) survey indicated 98 percent of Americans are aware of the digital transition, when television stops broadcasting across analog airwaves to a digital signal. This amount is higher than the amount of Americans that know Tax Day is April 15th! In April, the NAB reported that a full 82 percent of households were fully prepared for the transition. That means that if they did not have cable or satellite TV, they had a digital convertor box to allow the houses to continue viewing television “over the air.”

If you are part of the remaining households that have not taken steps to prepare for the transition, the time is now! You may need to purchase a digital convertor from an electronics store. Each household is entitled to two coupons to alleviate some of the cost to buy two convertors. Make sure you request the coupons before purchasing the convertor boxes. You can request the coupons here https://www.dtv2009.gov/.

After the transition to digital, emergency services will use the old analog broadcast waves for communication. Broadcasters say the new digital signals will offer better picture and sound quality. Get prepared for the transition June 12th!

If you currently are using a digital convertor box during this transition period and are having problems with your picture, try the troubleshooting tips found here http://www.dtv.gov/fixreception.html.

Strickland’s Transportation Slush-Fund Uses Federal Dollars Meant to Create Jobs

This just in...

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Ohio’s Republican congressional delegation today sent letters to Gov. Ted Strickland and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood citing concerns about how Ohio is spending its federal stimulus dollars on studies that won’t create jobs and requesting openness and transparency for taxpayers. Full text of the letters is below and available here and here.

The Associated Press reported Monday that Ohio has refused to fund some “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects to set aside $57 million for transportation studies.

“While the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act does give governors flexibility on how they spend their state’s federal dollars, it appears that Ohio officials are violating the spirit of the law by diverting money intended for ‘shovel-ready’ projects into a planning slush-fund for proposals that have no funding stream,” the lawmakers wrote to Secretary LaHood.

Ohio’s congressional Republicans previously called on Gov. Strickland to establish an independent, bipartisan oversight board to ensure transparency in how federal dollars are being spent. Gov. Strickland has not responded to that request.

“This is not the first time that your administration has decided to spend federal stimulus in a manner inconsistent with the intentions of the bill and contradictory to the expectations of recipients,” lawmakers wrote to Gov. Strickland, citing a March 14 Cleveland Plain Dealer article detailing concerns from Cleveland schools officials about how education dollars are being allocated.

“In light of media reports indicating that these federal tax dollars are being allocated to programs that clearly violate the spirit of the law, we again ask that you immediately create an independent oversight board to give Ohioans a full and detailed accounting of how taxpayer dollars have already been spent and all planned allocations for the remainder of the year,” lawmakers wrote to Gov. Strickland.

-ee-

March 16, 2009



The Honorable Ted Strickland

Riffe Center, 30th Floor

77 South High Street

Columbus, OH 43215-6108


Governor Strickland:



As federal dollars from the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act become available, it is all the more critical that Ohioans know that their money is being spent wisely on projects that will create much-needed jobs now and provide for the economic recovery our state desperately needs. Ohio’s unemployment rate jumped to 9.4 percent in February, nearly 3 points higher than this time last year.



We are concerned about an Associated Press report Monday which stated that your administration “passed over some ready-to-go construction projects” to spend $57 million on “planning and preliminary studies.” According to the article, both Pennsylvania and Oregon put all of their highway dollars into construction while the Federal Highway Administration “has no other examples of states using stimulus money for planning.”



This is not the first time that your administration has decided to spend federal stimulus dollars in a manner inconsistent with the intentions of the bill and contradictory to the expectations of recipients.



On March 14, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that the city’s public schools might not see “the windfall they expected” due to your decision to circumvent traditional school-funding formulas in favor of models developed by your administration. We have long favored local control over education dollars believing that those involved in the day-to-day decisions of educating our children know best how to spend their resources and so we sympathize with Eric Gordon, chief academic officer of Cleveland’s public schools, who said, “It’s not [the Governor’s] to spend.”



While the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act does appear to give governors the flexibility to spend federal stimulus dollars are they see fit, diverting money through non-traditional formulas and impact studies do not uphold the stated intentions of the legislation to create much-needed jobs and put us on the path to prosperity as well as help poor children overcome unnecessary obstacles in their educational needs.



Last month, we called on you to create an independent, bipartisan oversight board to ensure a transparent and open process regarding the State of Ohio’s use of federal stimulus dollars. You have declined to do so, instead favoring a Deputy Inspector General. In light of media reports indicating that these federal tax dollars are being allocated to programs that clearly violate the spirit of the law, we again ask that you immediately create an independent oversight board to give Ohioans a full and detailed accounting of how taxpayer dollars have already been spent and all planned allocations for the remainder of the year. Furthermore, we request that http://recovery.ohio.gov be updated with a detailed accounting of each additional expenditure within 24 hours from any executive or legislative action that appropriates stimulus dollars.



As we noted in our letter of March 4, while we opposed the stimulus bill – offering instead a Republican proposal that would have created 246,000 jobs in Ohio by the end of 2010 – we continue to hope that it works to boost our economy. We want Ohioans to get back to work, we want families and small business owners to have access to the credit they need and, most of all, we want Ohioans to have a bright future.



Sincerely,



[see here for signatures]



April 16, 2009



The Honorable Ray LaHood

Secretary of Transportation

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE

Washington, DC 20590





Dear Secretary LaHood:



On Monday, President Obama announced that more than 2,000 transportation projects in states like Ohio have been funded with federal dollars provided by the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Of serious concern, however, is an Associated Press report on the state of Ohio’s plan to divert $57 million in stimulus dollars to transportation studies instead of creating much-needed jobs right now through the “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects clearly intended by the President.



You were questioned on this matter Monday during an interview on FOX News and responded, “If there is an issue with some program in Ohio, I guarantee I will be on the telephone this afternoon making sure that money is being spent correctly.” While the Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act does give governors flexibility on how they spend their state’s federal dollars, it appears that Ohio officials are violating the spirit of the law by diverting money intended for “shovel-ready” projects into a planning slush-fund for proposals that have no funding stream.



According to the Associated Press, Ohio “transportation officials passed over some ready-to-go construction projects and steered about 7 percent of their $774 million share for planning and preliminary studies.”



Mr. Secretary, the American people have a right to know that their hard-earned tax dollars are being spent wisely. Like you, we want to see our aging transportation infrastructure repaired and, where necessary, replaced. We want to see jobs created now and we want to see our economy get back on the path to prosperity. The process for allocating stimulus dollars should be open and transparent, and every taxpayer should be able to immediately see where money is being spent and why, which is why we ask you to immediately review Ohio’s list as well as ready-to-go projects that were denied funding in order to study other proposals. We thank you in advance for your response to our concerns.



Sincerely,



[see here for signatures]

House Republicans Ask President Obama to Withdraw Pledge to Sign So-Called “Freedom of Choice” Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Led by House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH), more than 80 House Republican legislators today called on President Obama to withdraw his pledge to sign the so-called “Freedom of Choice” Act (FOCA), legislation that would overturn virtually all pro-life laws nationwide. The request by House GOP legislators comes on the eve of the 36th anniversary of the tragic Roe v. Wade ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court.

A letter signed by more than 80 members of the House Republican Conference – including Boehner, Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA), Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-IN), Policy Committee Chairman Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI), Conference Vice-Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), and others – will be formally sent to the President later today.

“Americans from all walks of life have been touched by your pledge to govern from the center, and by your vow to be a president for all Americans,” the House GOP legislators said. “[We] respectfully urge you to build on this foundation by withdrawing your pledge to sign the so-named Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), which would in one tragic act overturn virtually all pro-life laws nationwide, and by refusing to support legislation that incrementally enacts the FOCA agenda by rescinding or weakening existing pro-life laws piece by piece.

“You have expressed a desire to be a president for all Americans, and to use your presidency to promote initiatives that bring Americans together, rather than drive them apart. We recognize it will not always be easy for you to do this. However, too much is at stake for this divisive and destructive legislation to move forward and life-saving laws to be rolled back. We respectfully urge you to withdraw your pledge to sign FOCA, and that you pledge not to sign legislation that incrementally enacts FOCA by rescinding existing pro-life laws and legal protections.”

Here is the full text of the letter, along with a list of signers.

January 21, 2009

Dear Mr. President,

Since the beginning of your presidential transition, Americans from all walks of life have been touched by your pledge to govern from the center, and by your vow to be a president for all Americans. We are writing to respectfully urge you to build on this foundation by withdrawing your pledge to sign the so-named Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA), which would in one tragic act overturn virtually all pro-life laws nationwide, and by refusing to support legislation that incrementally enacts the FOCA agenda by rescinding or weakening existing pro-life laws piece by piece.

On January 22, our nation will mark the 36th anniversary of the tragic Roe v. Wade decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. Since Roe v. Wade, many laws – including laws to prevent federal taxpayer funding for abortion – have been enacted to mitigate the effects of the decision on unborn babies and their mothers. We hope that you would support the continuation of these laws and would oppose initiatives such as FOCA, which is more radical than the Roe v. Wade decision.

Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, recently warned FOCA "would deprive the American people in all fifty states of the freedom they now have to enact modest restraints and regulations on the abortion industry, [and] coerce all Americans into subsidizing and promoting abortion with their tax dollars." It would "have lethal consequences for prenatal human life [and] an equally destructive effect on the freedom of conscience of doctors, nurses and health care workers whose personal convictions do not permit them to cooperate in the private killing of unborn children," threatening health care institutions and charities throughout the country, he noted. Enacting FOCA or overturning existing policies would have the same effect. We ask that you reject this divisive agenda.

During the campaign you talked about reducing abortions. The Freedom of Choice Act would do the opposite. By overturning laws that require parental notification or consent before a minor girl obtains an abortion, the abortion rate will increase. A recent study by Dr. Michael J. New showed that when a state enacts a parental involvement law, the minor abortion rate falls by 19 to 31 percent.

Also, advocates on both sides of the abortion debate agree that longstanding provisions that restrict funding for abortions reduce the number of abortions dramatically. A recent study by Heather D. Boonstra appearing in the Guttmacher Policy Review showed that 18 to 35 percent of Medicaid patients who would have had an abortion carry their babies to term when Medicaid will not pay for their abortion. Restrictions on funding for abortion save lives and protect the consciences of millions of Americans who do not want their tax dollars to be used to destroy innocent human life.

You have expressed a desire to be a president for all Americans, and to use your presidency to promote initiatives that bring Americans together, rather than drive them apart. We recognize it will not always be easy for you to do this. However, too much is at stake for this divisive and destructive legislation to move forward and life-saving laws to be rolled back. We respectfully urge you to withdraw your pledge to sign FOCA, and that you pledge not to sign legislation that incrementally enacts FOCA by rescinding existing pro-life laws and legal protections.

Sincerely,

Rep. John Boehner (R-OH)
Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA)
Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN)
Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI)
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX)
Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)
Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ)
Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA)
Rep. Roy Blunt (R-MO)
Rep. Tom Price (R-GA)
Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO)
Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH)
Rep. Donald Manzullo (R-IL)
Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT)
Rep. Charles Boustany (R-LA)
Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ)
Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R-MI)
Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA)
Rep. Thomas Rooney (R-FL)
Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC)
Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN)
Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC)
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)
Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX)
Rep. Timothy V. Johnson (R-IL)
Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN)
Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-KS)
Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL)
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL)
Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL)
Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO)
Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL)
Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX)
Rep. Bob Inglis (R-SC)
Rep. Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL)
Rep. Patrick Tiberi (R-OH)
Rep. David Roe (R-TN)
Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO)
Rep. Henry E. Brown, Jr. (R-SC)
Rep. Lee Terry (R-NE)
Rep. Tim Murphy (R-PA)
Rep. Steve Austria (R-OH)
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC)
Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-CA)
Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX)
Rep. Geoff Davis (R-KY)
Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI)
Rep. Steven LaTourette (R-OH)
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI)
Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX)
Rep. Blaine Leutkemeyer (R-MO)
Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA)
Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE)
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH)
Rep. Gregg Harper (R-MS)
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA)
Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC)
Rep. Robert Latta (R-OH)
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA)
Rep. John Campbell (R-CA)
Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ)
Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC)
Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI)
Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA)
Rep. John Kline (R-MN)
Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX)
Rep. Gary Miller (R-CA)
Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO)
Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-LA)
Rep. Todd Platts (R-PA)
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)
Rep. Adam Putnam (R-FL)
Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO)
Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-FL))
Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE)
Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX)
Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY)
Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA)
Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-MN)

The Best Damn Band In The Land to March at Inaugural

I absolutely LOVE this story by Jessica Wehrman in the Dayton Daily News about how Rep. Pat Tiberi advocated for including the Ohio State University Marching Band in the inaugural festivities. Even better was the reaction from Republican Leader, my Congressman and a Great American -- John Boehner -- upon learning that TBDBITL was selected...

He suggested that the delegation offer up U.S. Rep. Pat Tiberi, R-Columbus to dot the "i" in Script Ohio as the band marched down Pennsylvania Avenue.

As it turns out, Tiberi marched with the band and has been a vocal supporter of the arts in Congress.

My appreciation for Rep. Tiberi has just gone up a few notches...

Rep. Tiberi: "Receiving the Economic Stimulus Payment"

This came in yesterday...

U.S. Congressman Pat Tiberi (R-OH) reminds Central Ohio residents that the IRS expects to send the Economic Stimulus Payments to recipients beginning in May. Congress passed a bill at the beginning of the year to provide these payments to more than 130 million households as part of the Economic Stimulus Plan.

“This Stimulus Payment will help so many in Central Ohio during this uncertain time. It’s important that families realize this payment is not taxable and it won’t reduce your refund for tax year 2008 or increase the amount of taxes you owe when you file your 2008 tax return,” said Congressman Tiberi. “But it’s important that people understand just who is eligible to receive the Stimulus Payment and that to receive the Payment, you must file a tax return.”

Courtesy of the IRS:

Who’s eligible?
Any citizen is eligible to receive the Stimulus Payment if they show at least $3,000 in income on their federal tax return. Some people with no tax liability may also qualify. This includes Social Security and Railroad Retirement beneficiaries, recipients of certain veterans’ payments, low-income workers with earned income and/or benefits of at least $3,000 and individuals who have a combined income of at least $3,000 from any combination of these sources. Some higher-income tax-payers will not receive a payment or will receive a reduced payment.

How do I receive the Stimulus Payment?
All you need to do is file a federal income tax return for 2007. Even if you are not required to file a tax return, you must file a 2007 return to receive the Stimulus Payment. If you usually do not file a tax return, more information about what form needs to be filed is available in Fact Sheet 2008-16. If you qualify, all you need to do is fill out Form 1040A in a few places. A sample version of Form 1040A illustrates which lines to fill out.

How Much is the Stimulus Payment?
There are two parts to the stimulus payment: a basic amount based on tax liability, filing status, or other qualifying factors and an additional amount based on whether a qualifying child is reported on the return. If a taxpayer is claimed on someone else’s return as a dependent, that person will NOT receive a Stimulus Payment.

The basic payment amount is between $300 and $600 for individuals and $600 and $1200 for couples filing jointly based on income. Eligible recipients, who have a dependent child under the age of 17, will receive an additional $300 for each qualifying child.

For more information visit the frequently asked questions of the IRS website by clicking here.

Tiberi Congressional Update

This just in a little earlier today...

Making Headlines This Week:

The lack of progress on passing a terrorist surveillance bill that would reauthorize an important tool our intelligence community uses to track terrorists who want to harm Americans. This program expired about two weeks ago, forcing members of our intelligence community to “lawyer up” before being allowed to monitor phone calls between suspected terrorists in foreign countries. The Senate passed a good, bipartisan bill to reauthorize this program, but the Democratic Majority has refused to consider the Senate bill. A good summary of what has happened in the past few weeks regarding this bill is summed up in this featured video. We need to pass a new terrorist surveillance bill quickly to remove the intelligence barriers to help prevent future attacks.

We received some sobering reports this week on the state of our economy. Growth has slowed and home foreclosures continue to threaten families. All the while energy prices are on the rise again.

A bill was introduced this week to reform Medicare since for the second year in a row Medicare spending has hit certain levels. Several years ago, Republicans passed legislation requiring a mandatory response from the Administration to try and reign in excess spending if Medicare spending reached a certain level for two years in a row. This trigger could open the door to crucial conversations about how to make sure our children will still be able to receive benefits.

All of these issues are critical, “kitchen table” topics concerning every person’s safety and well-being. “Is my family safe?” “Will we be able to pay our bills?” “Will my parents be able to get the healthcare they need?” They are things I hear about again and again from constituents and I know they concern families across Central Ohio.

Democratic Leadership?

Given the few very important issues listed above, here’s a brief look at the weeks accomplishments in the House under Democratic Leadership.

We passed five bills naming post offices, roads, or other federal buildings.
We passed seven non-controversial bills, including measures involving the use of the Capitol for inauguration ceremonies.

We passed another “No Energy” Energy bill. The Democrats’ bill does not do anything to reduce fuel costs or increase domestic oil production. In fact this bill would likely cause massive tax hikes, in the range of $18 billion. This is the fourth time we’ve considered bills like this, and every time the bill hasn’t passed the Senate.

Coming Up Next Week

The Democrats have indicated we’ll consider legislation to improve mental health care and funding.

The Budget Committee, of which I am a member, will begin to write the fiscal year 2009 Budget. It’s my hope that we can keep spending in check, begin to address the out-of-control spending increases in entitlement programs like Medicare, and make the middle class tax cuts, like the marriage penalty repeal and the increased child tax credit, permanent. There are many topics that need to be addressed in the budget. I found this editorial in USA Today offers a different look at the budget. You may find it interesting.

Democrat Leaders did indicate that we might consider legislation to extend the terrorist surveillance program. I certainly hope that we consider the Senate-passed terrorist surveillance bill. It takes the right steps to give our intelligence community the tools they need to keep us safe. As the Director of National Intelligence Admiral Mike McConnell has said in media reports, the risk we face by not having the intelligence tools allowed by the Terrorist Surveillance bill, increases exponentially with each passing day.

Rep. Tiberi: "What Every Ohioan Needs To Know About the State Children’s Health Insurance Program Bill"

Thursday evening the U.S. House of Representatives voted on a Democratic Bill to reauthorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The program was created in 1997 by Congressman Pat Tiberi’s predecessor John Kasich as part of the 1997 Balanced Budget Act. The original intent of this program was noble, to provide health insurance coverage to uninsured children from low-income families that did not qualify for Medicaid. Congressman Tiberi supports providing healthcare for these children because every child deserves to grow up in the best health possible. But the reauthorization bill that was voted on Thursday night would expand the program far beyond its original intent to cover already insured children and children from middle class families. To pay for this increase, Democrats balloon spending for this program and slash Medicare benefits for Ohio’s seniors. While Congressman Tiberi voted against the bill, it passed the House by a vote of 225-204. Now that the bill is one step closer to becoming law, it’s time for every Ohioan to know what is included in this Democratic measure.

More than 13,000 Central Ohio seniors in Congressman Tiberi’s District could face Medicare cuts. Every representative that voted for SCHIP, voted to cut Medicare benefits to our nation’s seniors in order to pay for the SCHIP expansion. This bill pits Ohio’s seniors, against Ohio’s children and that’s not good policy. If this bill becomes law, nearly 294,000 seniors across the state could face cuts in their Medicare benefits.

Covers children whose families earn more than $80,000 dollars a year. While the SCHIP expansion would take Medicare benefits away from seniors, this bill would cover children from middle class families. Some states have expanded their programs so much, the health insurance can cover family members, and even adults who have no children. In four states, more adults are enrolled in SCHIP than children.

While our nation’s seniors rely on Medicare, often as their only health insurance coverage, the Congressional Budget Office “predicts that an additional 2.1 million children who would have had private coverage would get SCHIP instead." While cuts to Medicare may include higher co-pays, a loss in specific health care benefits, less quality and fewer choices of programs and doctors, millions of children who are already covered under another health plan would switch to government, taxpayer funded healthcare.

The SCHIP Expansion includes a stealth tax increase, hitting everyone that has health insurance coverage. Democrats included the creation of a research program in the SCHIP bill to be paid for out of raids on the Medicare Trust Fund and by a new mandatory tax on health insurance companies. The $285 million tax increase on health insurance companies will be passed along to every single person who already has health insurance.

Even though tobacco use is decreasing every year, the SCHIP Expansion is paid for by a new tax on tobacco products, which will produce less and less revenue every year. According to an analysis by the Heritage Foundation, to produce enough money to pay for the SCHIP expansion, 22.4 million new smokers are needed by 2017.

With increased negative reports about the Democratic SCHIP Expansion, Democrats brought the bill to the Floor for a vote, but did not allow any amendments to improve the bill. Republicans tried to use a procedural maneuver to block cuts to Medicare and the new stealth tax on health insurance, while continuing to fund current SCHIP programs. Their effort failed.

Rep. Tiberi Asks, "Is Your Personal Information Safe?"

Email from Rep. Pat Tiberi:

This week, the Ways and Means Committee passed an important bill to help protect all of us from the threat of identity theft. I am a proud member of this Committee and I hope when this bill is considered on the House Floor, my colleagues agree that it is necessary to help curb identity theft. The Social Security Number Privacy and Identity Theft Prevention Act would restrict the government’s use of Social Security numbers, expand enforcement of laws protecting the misuse of those numbers, and stiffen penalties for those found guilty of misusing Social Security numbers.

While the Federal Trade Commission estimates that about 9 million people are the victims of identity theft every year, many don’t realize their personal information has been stolen until a credit check is run. People across the country spend hours and hundreds of dollars of their hard earned money trying to clear their name. The threat of identity theft hit home for Ohioans when earlier this year the personal information for Ohio taxpayers stored on computer backup tapes were stolen from an intern’s car. While we don’t know if identities were stolen as a result of this theft, the tools a thief would need, information like Social Security numbers, were on those tapes. If this bill does become law, it would go a long way in helping to curb identity theft.

Identity theft is not only a problem for victims, it is a threat to the nation’s national security. If a citizen’s personal information was stolen and fell into the wrong hands, those wanting to do Americans harm could access it and mislead authorities. In the 21st Century our national security doesn’t just depend on military resources, but on technological security, as well.

While there are limits on what the government can do to protect our identities, it is necessary for individuals to take steps to help protect themselves, especially when they are online. The Federal Trade Commission has set up an online resource for quick, simple solutions to help prevent identity theft and protect your personal information online. For more information, visit [Link].

With all the antics going on with the DataGate story, all the protection we can get here in Ohio is worth a shot...