The Death of
Osama bin Laden
America
saw justice prevail with the death of the mass murderer that led one of the
world’s most infamous terrorist attacks. While the events of September 11, 2001
can never be rectified, the death of Osama bin Laden brings some relief to the
United States and her allies in the war on terror.
I
commend the brave men and women of our armed forces who carried out their
mission. They have sent a strong message to al-Qaeda, its affiliates, and
the many others who carry out such cowardly attacks, that justice, no matter
how long and difficult the pursuit, will prevail.
Our
thoughts and prayers continue for the victims of 9-11 and their families, as
well as with those soldiers who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the years after
the attacks to hunt down the world’s most wanted terrorist.
Pass a BBA before Raising the Debt
Ceiling
The vote on whether to raise the debt ceiling is approaching and I continue
to stand firmly behind a proposal that—in return for allowing a vote on the
debt ceiling—will begin to fundamentally change the way Washington spends
money.
I sent a letter to my Republican colleagues last week asking them to join me
in opposing any increase in the debt ceiling unless or until both houses of
Congress have passed the Hatch-Lee Balanced Budget Amendment. The
amendment would cap future spending at 18% of GDP and require a supermajority
in both houses to run an annual deficit for a specific purpose, raise the debt
ceiling, and increase taxes.
Many insist that raising the debt ceiling is unavoidable and that failing to
raise it would be dangerous. Yet they fail to acknowledge the critical dangers
that accompany continual increases in our nation’s debt limit. Gross federal
debt has grown from 64 percent to 93 percent of GDP in the last few years alone.
Debt accumulation of this rate and of this magnitude sends alarming signals to
financial markets that our country lacks serious economic leadership. This
results in an impaired national credit outlook, crowding out of much needed
private investment, and persistent unemployment.
The time to address our nation’s financial adversity is now. I plan to use
every tool at my disposal to ensure that the debt ceiling not be raised without
binding, structural reform in place to begin the mending process needed to get
our fiscal house in order. For anyone serious about preserving the long-term
prosperity of our country, the Hatch-Lee Balanced Budget Amendment (S.J. Res
10) should be an easy stand to take.
Mounting
Gas Prices
As
gas prices continue to rise, the need for energy independence is once again in
the forefront of Americans’ minds. Paying four dollars per gallon of gas has a
significant effect on family budgets and can crowd out other important expenses
for businesses.
Unfortunately,
there is very little we can do immediately to lower the price at the
pump. The fact that we have so few options is the product of a chronic
failure of vision and leadership. President Obama has failed to offer a
comprehensive energy policy that addresses increasing domestic supply. He
has instead pursued an agenda that obstructs, or simply prevents, domestic
production – both on- and offshore.
The Obama administration and Congressional democrats have
put a chokehold on 67 percent of Utah’s land, denying the state access to some
of the most energy-rich soil in the world. Such restriction has a negative
impact on the residents of Utah, and a rippling effect on the nation as a whole
as it prohibits domestic energy production and kills potential jobs that
accompany such business.
It
is irresponsible to wait for further price spikes, supply disruptions, and
crises to occur before we get serious about oil shale. Methodically
growing a commercial oil shale industry over the next couple of decades is the
responsible thing to do.
I
am committed to seeing that we develop our oil shale resources in order to
contribute to national, state, and local prosperity though job creation,
generation of tax revenues, and other royalty and excise payments.