Tuesday, March 15, 2011

AZ REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL UPDATE for Tuesday March 15, 2011



Congressman Flake to Vote Against Three-Week Continuing Resolution




Short-Term CR a Distraction from Looming Fiscal Crises




Mesa, Arizona - Republican Congressman Jeff Flake, who represents Arizona’s Sixth District, today announced he will vote against H.J. Res. 48, a continuing resolution to fund the federal government for three weeks. House Republicans and Senate Democrats have for weeks been in negotiations over spending cuts to be made in a long-term CR.





"How are we ever supposed to tackle the grave fiscal challenges before us like the debt ceiling, the debt, and the FY2012 budget when we just keep punting on FY2011 spending?” said Flake.






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The budget fight is beginning to boil in Washington over the cuts we need to make.






Senate Democrats refused to budge on $6 billion in cuts for the year. And that is why we are forcing their hand on $6 billion in cuts for just 3 weeks.




When we continue to cut government, we win.




Arizonans need to know that we are listening to them. Their voices are being heard, loud and clear!




America has always been the land of opportunity, and we can have the kind of economic growth we deserve. And that means a government that lives within its means.




Just how important to you is the economic freedom of our country and future generations?




$100 is a key investment in the stakes we face. Since last week, the momentum is building for a very strong March support for our campaign, as we cut wasteful Washington spending!


This weekend, we met with so many in the community who know that we can stop the liberal, big-spending agenda. You are frustrated, and so am I.




Quite frankly, the cuts aren’t coming fast enough, but we are keeping up the pressure!




We can keep that fight going, we are driving the agenda and listening to you. Making calls, writing letters, sending emails, and asking for your support! And we’ve got good policy to make the difference.




Investing in honesty - - a Washington that is finally accountable to you again, is as critical as our founding creed.




There is no stop to what we can accomplish together, and that is why supporting candidates that share our vision of free enterprise and limited government is so important.




There will always be detractors, folks that say it can’t be done. Others won’t finish the play and they’ll run out on the game. Not us. We are Americans who know that we can return government to the people.




The fight for economic freedom cannot be won without your support.




Government is too big, too costly, and we need to cut.




Democrats and liberals are in melt down mode over the truth. Breaking at the fringes. We can keep them on offense and win this fight.




Showing support for David early means that we can save precious resources down the road. Stand with David in the fight to show Washington some backbone.


The fight for economic freedom continues today with your support in March, today!






Congressman Gosar Grills the Administration on Misleading Accounting Methods that Understate Financial Crisis






WASHINGTON, DC –U.S. Congressman Paul Gosar, DDS (AZ-01), as a member of the OGR Subcommittee on Government Organization, Efficiency, and Financial Management, grilled Mr. Daniel Werfel, the controller of the Administration’s Office of Management and Budget, regarding serious discrepancies in the methodology of accounting for Medicaid fraud. Congressman Gosar has been focusing his efforts in rooting out abuse and fraud in government programs in order to reduce spending and reduce the national deficit. Click here to watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEf0D1RDGiA









Dear Friends:






Spending cuts continued to dominate the discussion this week in Washington. At the root of the debate between Democrats and Republicans is how much to cut. We were disappointed when Senate Democrats led by Harry Reid voted down a House Republican proposal to cut $61 billion from the federal budget for the remainder of this fiscal year. Even more disappointing was the counter offer proposed by Senate Democrats: a measly $10.5 billion in cuts which also failed in the Senate. The gargantuan nature of our national debt and the toxic burden it imposes on job creators must be met with bold and decisive action, not unserious half-measures. American businesses— small and large— are depending on leaders in Washington to work together to once again be responsible stewards of our economy.




WASHINGTON, March 11, 2011 – Legislators in the House and Senate introduced companion bills that would prohibit states from levying new taxes specific to wireless services in an effort to keep barriers to access for mobile internet services low.



The Wireless Tax Fairness Act would impose a five-year moratorium on new discriminatory taxes on wireless services. The bills garnered bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) introduced the Senate version, while Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) introduced the bill to the House.


In a statement Thursday, the legislators expressed concern that with the growth in wireless services, the majority of states have imposed taxes on those services that exceed local sales tax rates. Some cash-strapped states have even imposed wireless taxes at rates that exceed those on luxury and vice goods and services. Those higher taxes -which on average more than double those of other goods and services – will raise the cost to consumers and create disincentives for companies to invest in wireless technologies, say the lawmakers.

After all, there are many cuts that we should be able to agree on right out of the gate. For instance, I just voted for a bill—H.R. 836—that would eliminate HUD’s Emergency Homeowners Relief Program and prevent one billion in taxpayer dollars from being spent on a program that puts struggling homeowners even further into debt. According to President Obama’s FY 2012 budget, the program has a 98 percent subsidy rate, which means for every dollar spent on the program, the American taxpayer is on the hook for 98 cents.

Unfortunately, there are many programs like the one I just described riddled throughout the federal government. According to a much-discussed GAO report released this month, our government wastes billions of dollars a year on duplicative and overlapping government programs. Surely then we can all come together on a substantial long-term spending-cut package that will send a clear signal to job creators.


Without question, these are challenging times featuring complex issues. As always, it’s important to me that I have your input along the way. In less than two weeks, I will be having my first of many town hall meetings back in the district. I hope you will join us on Tuesday, March 22 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. to discuss the issues most important to you. The town hall will be held at Thunderbird High School, located at 1750 West Thunderbird Road, Phoenix, Arizona. 85023. Please invite your family and friends to join us as well.


I hope everyone had a good week.



Sincerely,
Ben Quayle

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