Jack Kingston

Jack, along with Congressmen Elton Gallegly, Ken Calvert, and Brian Bilbray sent a letter today to President Obama calling on him to immediately implement Executive Order 12989 which President Bush issued in June 2008.  The order, which was set to take effect on January 15, would require all federal contractors to participate in E-Verify, a program that would allow them to easily ensure that all their employers are legal workers.  The Department of Homeland Security, in the face of a lawsuit brought forth by five industry associations, has halted implementation.

As Congress debates a near-trillion dollar make-work “stimulus” package and millions of Americans are unemployed, we cannot allow the taxpayers to employ illegal workers.  Companies that wish to do business with this government must abide by the regulations put forth by this government.

To read the full text of the letter, click here.

Free market labor reform group presents Congressman with worker-friendly award based

Congressman Jack Kingston (R/GA-1) today was honored by the Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF) in being named a “Guardian of Worker Freedom.”  The free-market, worker-rights presented the award for Congressman Kingston’s work in favor of worker’s rights and free and open labor markets.

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In today’s The Hill, it is revealed that conservative Democrats continued defiance of House leadership includes their desire to block illegal immigrants from getting tax breaks.  According to the article:

“Twenty-one Democrats voted for the measure that would have changed the tax bill to prevent illegal immigrants from getting tax breaks.” (click here for full article)

The article goes on:

“The Republican motion would have tried to stop illegal immigrants from claiming the Earned Income Tax Credit and sought to block subsidies from going to so-called ’sanctuary cities’ that don’t enforce immigration laws.”

Not only did Democrat leaders block Republican efforts to cut off those who are in our country illegally from benefitting from the hard earned tax dollars of the American people, they had to break their own rules to do it!

“The tie vote came with some procedural wrangling. The vote was held open with the clock at 0:00 as the narrow margin fluctuated by a vote or two…The vote was gaveled closed by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) in the Speaker’s chair after someone on the Democratic side shouted, ‘Shut it down, Sheila.’”

For a list of members who voted in favor of allowing illegal immigrants to recieve tax benefits, check out the “Nays” on this page.

According to CongressDaily, the House Administration Committee proposed that Federal Express be used to deliver ballots from military and overseas voters.  This comes on the heels of an Election Assistance Commission report that many of their votes are not counted because they arrive too late.

Dan Lungren (R/CA) got it right by saying, “it isn’t rocket science.”  Everyone’s vote should be counted, especially those serving our Nation overseas.  While our home state loyalties may go to UPS, nothing should stand in the way of these people’s voices being heard.

John Fund’s piece in the Wall Street Journal today show’s just what the Colombia Free Trade agreement means to our future:

“If Congress rejects it, the loss wouldn’t be just measured in dollors or pesos. It could have profound geopolitical effects that would hurt the U.S.

“Colombia is a democratic ally of the U.S. in a tough neighborhood. Alvaro Uribe, its president, has been battling a left-wing insurgency that has used kidnapping, murder and drug trafficking in an attempt to overthrow his government. An impressive body of evidence shows the insurgents, known as the FARC, have been encouraged and financed by Venezuela’s strongman, Hugo Chavez. Mr. Chavez, who already has allies in charge of Bolivia, Ecuador, and Nicaragua, would love to extend his influence in Latin America.”

He also does a good job of countering the tired Democrat attacks on the agreement.

“…the Uribe government has made great strides in reducing violence in Colombia. Since 2001, the number of kidnappings has dropped by over 80%, acts of terror are down over 75%, and the murder rate associated with trade unionists is down almost 80%.”

“The simple truth is that the opposition to the trade agreement–from the Democratic presidential contenders to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi–has nothing to do with reality. Rep. Charles Rangel, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, admitted as much recently: ‘It’s not the substance on the ground–it’s the politics in the air.’”

To read the full article, click here.

President Bush has sent the Colombia Free Trade Agreement to Congress.  As we have seen over and over again, free trade agreements are highly beneficial to the health of our Nation’s economy.  According to statistics provided by the Department of Commerce, more than 90% of Colombia’s exports enter the U.S. duty free while less than 10% of U.S. exports are given the same treatment in Colombia. For information on how the agreement would impact Georgia, check out these fact sheets:

• From the International Trade Administration: How the Colombia FTA helps Georgia workers and businesses
• From the Foreign Agriculture Service: How the Colombia FTA helps Georgia farmers

Also here’s a fact sheet from the White House on how the agreement is essential to our national security. 

From the AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush on Monday signed a letter sending Congress a controversial free trade agreement with Colombia — a move that will force lawmakers to vote within 90 days.

The agreement, which would tear down trade barriers between the two nations, is heavily opposed by Democrats in Congress.

Democrats contend that Colombia has not done enough to halt violence, protect labor activists and demobilize paramilitary organizations. The president disagrees, saying Colombia has addressed the issues.

“The need for this agreement is too urgent, the stakes for our national security are too high to allow this year to end without a vote,” Bush said.

Bush signed a document to transmit the trade agreement to Congress, but Congress won’t formally receive it until lawmakers return on Tuesday. Bush’s action will force Congress to take up the proposal under a fast-track process that requires votes within 90 days. Officials said Bush is acting now in order to force a vote before Congress leaves in the fall for the campaign season.

“If Congress fails to approve this agreement, it would not only abandon a brave ally, it would send a signal throughout the region that America cannot be counted on to support its friends,” Bush said.

Bush, who has staked out free trade as one of his top legacies, is also hoping to win congressional approval before he leaves office on pending free trade agreements with Panama and South Korea.

Bush’s action was coming one day after Mark Penn quit as Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s chief campaign strategist after it was reported that he had met with Colombia’s ambassador to the United States to discuss the free trade agreement, which Clinton opposes.

CQ Today reports that there’s a growing consensus that it’s time to reform entitlement spending.  According to the article:

A “16-member group, brought together by the liberal-leaning Brookings Institution and the conservative-leaning Heritage Foundation, suggested that lawmakers enact specific long-term budgets for Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security that would have to be reviewed every five years.”

“The group also suggested instituting a ‘trigger’ that would force changes to the programs, such as tax increases or benefit cuts, if the costs grow beyond levels set in the long-term plans. The changes could be averted if Congress explicitly voted to prevent them or to adopt alternative changes.”

Despite this, congressional Democrats have refused to act.  Earlier this year, a trigger put in place by House Republicans brought no action from Democrat leadership and no indication that they plan to do anything to address the issue.

Last week, the Social Security and Medicare Trustees reported:

The financial condition of the Social Security and Medicare programs remains problematic. Projected long run program costs are not sustainable under current financing arrangements. Social Security’s current annual surpluses of tax income over expenditures will begin to decline in 2011 and then turn into rapidly growing deficits as the baby boom generation retires. Medicare’s financial status is even worse. This year Medicare’s Hospital Insurance (HI) Trust Fund is expected to pay out more in hospital benefits and other expenditures than it receives in taxes and other dedicated revenues. The difference will be made up from general revenues which pay for interest credits to the Trust Fund. Growing annual deficits are projected to exhaust HI reserves in 2019 and Social Security reserves in 2041. In addition, the Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance (SMI) Trust Fund that pays for physician services and the prescription drug benefit will continue to require general revenue financing and charges on beneficiaries that grow substantially faster than the economy and beneficiary incomes over time.

Democrat response?  Silence.

It’s time to act.

Late last night, Jack issued the following statement after the House Republican Conference adopted his bill as its standard for reforming the earmark process.

“We lost the majority because spending got out of hand.  Today’s action shows that we are ready to impose new discipline on the budget process.  We need the Democrats to join us in the effort and earn some integrity back in Washington.”

 To Read the full release, click here.

For a copy of the letter sent by the Republican Conference to Speaker Pelosi, click here.

For a ‘one pager’ with a summary of Jack’s earmark reform proposal, click here.

The proposal has already garnered a lot of support and is creating a lot of energy.  Here are what folks are saying about the Kingston-Wolf-Wamp proposal:

CNN: “GOP challenges House Dems to join earmark reform effort. House Republicans challenged Democrats in a letter sent Friday night to Speaker Nancy Pelosi to join a bi-partisan effort to change the way members of congress ‘earmark’ taxpayer money for special projects that benefit their districts or campaign contributors. The GOP’s House caucus approved the initiative — which calls for an immediate moratorium on earmarks while reforms are considered — during their annual retreat at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia. They called Democrats to consider earmark reforms when they hold their own annual retreat next week and for Pelosi to respond to their proposal by the first of February. The Republicans also vowed to immediately and unilaterally adopt rules for its own members that bar them from certain earmarking practices, including ‘airdropping’ spending items into budget bills at the last minute.” (1/26/08)

The Weekly Standard’s “Worldwide Standard” Blog: “House Republicans Call for Earmark Moratorium. … This move is bound to cheer fiscal conservatives, and it will help improve the image of Republicans as the party of fiscal responsibility. This move evinces a strong interest among Congressional Republicans in changing their image, and being taken seriously as agents of reform.” (1/25/08)

Red State Blog: “House Republicans Know How to Play The Game. … The House GOP is indeed challenging the Democrats to put their money where their collective mouth is. … Well done, Congressmen!” (1/25/08)

The New York Times: “House Republicans Urge Earmark Moratorium. House Republicans called on Friday for ‘an immediate moratorium’ on earmarking money for pet projects. They urged Democrats to join them in establishing a bipartisan panel to set strict new standards for such spending. As an interim step, House Republican leaders said, they will insist that all House Republicans follow standards to eliminate ‘wasteful pork-barrel spending.’” (1/26/08)

Associated Press: “House GOP Proposes Earmarks Moratorium. House Republicans say they are willing to stop funding … pet projects for their home districts if Democrats are willing to go along. … The proposed moratorium would give time for reforms to be devised to supplement recent rules requiring lawmakers who obtain earmarks and the entities receiving the money to be identified. ‘House Republicans believe that the earmark system should be brought to an immediate halt, and a bipartisan select committee should immediately be established for the purpose of identifying ways to bring fundamental change to the way in which Washington spends taxpayers’ money,’ House GOP leaders said in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. … If Democrats don’t accept the moratorium offer, GOP leaders will still impose a new set of modest reforms on fellow Republicans seeking earmarks.” (1/25/08)

The Politico: “House Republicans Call For Moratorium On Earmarks. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and other GOP leaders, are calling for a moratorium on ‘earmarks’ inserted into annual spending bills, and they want both parties to create a bipartisan select committee to study the issue.” (1/26/08)

Mark Tapscott, editorial page editor of The Washington Examiner: “House GOP leaders challenge Pelosi to declare one-year earmark moratorium. …House Minority Leader John Boehner is leading the GOP caucus with some concrete actions that challenge politicians on both sides of the aisle to put up or shut up on earmarks.” (1/25/08)

Americans for Prosperity Blog: “House GOP to Pelosi: Put Up or Shut Up on Stronger Earmark Reform. House Republicans who are huddling at their retreat in West Virginia this evening sent the letter below to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi challenging House Democrats to agree to an immediate moratorium on all pork-barrel earmarks while a bipartisan committee can recommend further reforms of the broken system.  In the meantime, House Republicans lay out a few reforms they are going to impose on themselves. This is obviously a significant step in a right direction … yet another sign that House Republicans are starting to truly understand they need to change the way they’ve been spending taxpayer money the last several years.” (1/25/08)

The Republican Conference tonight adopted a proposal originally drafted by Jack along with Reps. Wolf and Wamp to establish a Joint Select Committee on Earmark Reform.  The bill, H Con Res 263, would establish a committee comprised of 16 members equally appointed by the majority and minority parties in both houses of Congress to study earmarks in all their forms - appropriations, authorizing, tax and tariff, as well as those contained in the administration’s budget request.  To read the release that accompanied the bill’s introduction, click here.

Stay tuned for more updates.

The new jobs numbers were released today and I think we’ve finally run out superlatives to describe how great this economy is doing.  Of course listening to the doom-and-gloom Democrats you wouldn’t know that:  51,000 jobs were created in September, the unemployment rate has dropped to 4.6%, more than 6.6 million jobs have been created since August 2003 and the economy has added jobs for 37 straight months.

Apparently Nancy Pelosi, Charlie Rangel and Democrats look at these numbers and their instint is to immediately call for the repeal of all the President’s tax cuts.  And this includes such tax cuts as child tax credit and marriage penalty relief. 

These aren’t tax cuts that are for “the rich” these are tax cuts that help out working families across this country. And the Democrat plan?  Taking those away.  I wonder what the economic numbers will be once that happens?  Certainly not as good as the ones we’ve been seeing.�

Here are a few numbers the Mainstream Media may not want you to hear: 

• Corporate Tax Receipts hit a record high in the third quarter - $71.8 billion
• Gross federal tax receipts hit an all time high of $85.8 billion - a nearly 20% increase over the same quarter last year

Missing MSM headline:  “Bush Tax Cuts Working As Revenues Hit All Time High”

President Bush’s overall job approval rating is on the rise.

• The latest USA Today/Gallup poll shows Bush approval ratings steadily climbing from 31% back in May to a year long high of 44% today.  The survey shows steady improvement for 5 monthly surveys in a row.  Similar gains are seen in every major poll.
• NBC/Wall Street Journal poll finds 42% approve of the President today, up from 37% in June.
• FOX/Opinion Dynamics stands at 40% approval today up from 35% in May.
• The AP finds overall approval up to 39%today from 33% back in May. 

We heard these numbers ad nauseum everyday on the way down, but today we have another missing MSM headline:  “Bush Approval On The Rise”

Today’s USA Today/Gallup poll also showed likely voters evenly divided between Democrat and Republican candidates for Congress, 48%-48%.  Missing MSM headline - “Republicans Drase Dem Advantage In Mid-Term Elections”?

Two more numbers you may not have seen:

• CBS poll finds that 51% of Americans agree that President Bush’s policies have made us safer, with only 29% saying they made us less safe.

Missing MSM headline: “2:1Americans Believe Bush Has Made Us Safer”

And last, we have Nancy Pelosi’s worst nightmare - the most recent Pew Poll finds that by 57% to 40%, Americans are concerned that if Democrats take control of Congress they would weaken the country’s efforts to combat terrorism. 

Missing MSM headline:  “Americans Fear Democrats Would Weaken Country”

For me, the lessons in these numbers are clear.  Lower taxes spur economic growth and increase tax revenues.  Pro-energy policies for the development of American energy helps keep gas prices in check.  The American people respect principle and conviction and they expect their government to keep them safe by aggressively fighting the forces of terror and Islamic radicalism while protecting the homeland.

Or maybe you didn’t hear?

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Yesterday at Theme Team, Congressman Tom DeLay gave his parting words of advice to a packed room of GOP colleagues and staff. You can view, download, and share pics of the event from Jack’s flickr page.

If you haven’t already, you should read Rep. DeLay’s farewell floor address from last night. Powerful.

UPDATE (4:14 PM): You can watch Congressman DeLay’s farewell address here.

More after the jump.

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Click on the picture above to watch Congressman Kingston’s speech on the floor of the House regarding the budget.

Former Majority Leader Dick Armey was the featured guest at this morning’s Theme Team breakfast.