-- Randy’s Roundup --

A Weekly Newsletter from Congressman Randy Neugebauer

June 27, 2009

Health Care Bill: Prescription for Disaster

The people of West Texas and the Big Country understand that government-run health care is not the best solution for our country. Unfortunately, Democrat leaders and the President continue to insist Congress quickly pass this massive, complicated piece of legislation, that will lead to a government takeover of health care and force millions of Americans to give up the coverage they have, increase health care costs, and impose a crippling tax on small business job creators to pay for it, all in very short period of time.

Health care reform is far too complex an issue to rush through Congress. We must have time to thoroughly examine the final bill, which is why I am a cosponsor of H.Res. 554. This bipartisan legislation requires that all bills be made available to Members of Congress and the general public for 72 hours online before they can be brought to the House floor for a vote.  As negotiations continue behind closed doors and with many changes still expected to this legislation, it’s hard to say what the final product will look like.   Before we vote on any bill, everyone needs time to review it.

PAYGO Farce

Last week, Speaker Pelosi and the Democrat Majority pushed through a deceptive “pay-as-you-go” bill full of loopholes that will make controlling the federal budget impossible.  The Democrats’ plan for ‘fiscal responsibility’ excludes almost 40 percent of the federal budget – a budget that continues to expand at unprecedented levels.

During debate on this PAYGO scam, I proudly supported a Republican alternative that would do more to restore spending discipline in Washington by putting caps on federal deficits and spending and requiring across-the-board spending cuts when the federal budget grows faster than our economy.  Commitments to national security, veterans, and national emergencies could still be met under this plan for better budget control.

I understand that the path to economic recovery begins with fiscal discipline in Washington.  If Congress can’t be fiscally responsible on our own, we need to change the rules to force more responsibility.  Unfortunately, Democrats once again voted against a Republican plan to do just that.  The people of the 19th Congressional District deserve better.  I will continue to join my Republican colleagues in support of common-sense solutions that stop the out of control borrowing and spending.

Comprehensive Regulatory Reform

As Deputy Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee, I joined with my colleagues to introduce comprehensive legislation that will aid in modernizing the regulatory structure of the financial services industry.

The Republican plan confronts the ‘too big to fail’ mentality head on by putting a stop to taxpayer-funded bailouts. Taxpayers will no longer be asked to pick up the tab for bad bets on Wall Street. Our plan modernizes financial regulation to hold regulators accountable to consumers and allows for market discipline to work, rather than relying on the government to pick winners and losers.

While the Obama Administration has proposed more regulation and an agency with the authority to limit consumer choices in financial products, our plan supports the idea that you should be allowed to choose the products and services that best fit your needs.

It’s time we begin laying the groundwork for reform that will tighten up the regulatory structure and protect the taxpayer.  I believe the Republican plan is a step in the right direction and will offer taxpayer protection through smarter regulation, not simply more regulation and more bailouts.

YouTube Update

Where are the jobs?

Neugebauer Amendment