Paul Broun RSS Articles

Broun: Caterpillar to Create 1,400 Jobs in 10th Congressional District

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

U.S. Congressman Paul Broun, M.D. (GA-10) today released the following statement after Caterpillar Inc. announced that the company will build a new manufacturing facility in Clarke and Oconee counties – located in Broun’s Congressional district. The facility is expected to directly employ 1,400 people once it is fully operational and the total investment for opening the new facility is estimated to be approximately $200 million.

“I am ecstatic that Caterpillar has chosen Clarke and Oconee counties as home for its newest expansion, and I’d like to congratulate the company on its tremendous success and economic growth,” Broun said. “Governor Deal also deserves a huge pat on the back for closing this deal and for continuing to convince businesses like Caterpillar to invest in our state. Caterpillar’s new facility will create the manufacturing and industry jobs that Georgians need the most right now, and it will also provide a welcomed boost to our state’s economy. This is a proud day for not only the 10^th District, but also for the entire state of Georgia. It’s a great place to do business and an even better place to live.”

In addition to the 1,400 people working in the new facility near Athens, Caterpillar estimates another 2,800 full times jobs will be created in the United States among suppliers and at other non-Caterpillar companies that will support the new facility.

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Broun Announces U.S. Military Academy Appointment for Athens Student

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Congressman Paul Broun, M.D. (GA-10) today proudly announced the Fully Qualified Appointment of William Alexander Dempsey (Alex) to the United States Military Academy at West Point. An Athens native, Alex is the son of Lawrence and Rebecca Dempsey. He is a 2010 graduate of Prince Avenue Christian School and is currently enrolled at Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania.

“I am pleased to congratulate Alex for the second year in row,” said Broun. “After he received an appointment last year, Alex deferred attending West Point due to an injury. However, he now is fully recovered and has proven himself truly deserving of this opportunity. We wish him well in this endeavor, confident that he will make a fine cadet and achieve a successful military career.”

Congressman Broun will hold a signing ceremony for Alex at 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, February 22^nd in the Athens district office. He is the second student from the 10^th Congressional District of Georgia to receive an appointment this year. In January, Broun congratulated Andrew Bartek, a senior at Jefferson High School, for his appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy. Each year, Broun has the privilege to nominate eligible students for consideration for appointment to the United States Air Force, Naval, Military, and Merchant Marine Academies.

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Support Builds for Broun’s Budget or Bust Act, RSC Chairman Cosponsors Bill

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Congressman Paul Broun, M.D. (GA-10) today issued the following after more House Republicans – including Republican Study Chairman Jim Jordan (OH-04) – pledged their support to H.R. 3883, the Budget or Bust Act. Dr. Broun’s bill would remove the President from the budgetary process and force Congress to pass a budget or go unpaid:

“Producing a budget is one of Congress’s most basic and most important responsibilities. I firmly believe that if Members of Congress fail to fulfill our duties to the American people, we shouldn’t be getting paid – and it’s clear that many of my colleagues feel the same way. My Budget or Bust Act forces the House and Senate to finally pass a budget, or else our salaries will be held as collateral until Congress can get its job done.

“Additionally, my bill returns the power of the purse to its rightful owner, which our Founding Fathers determined to be Congress, not the President. The Budget or Bust Act repeals a requirement created in 1921 for the President to submit an annual budget – an act that both Houses of Congress have used as a crutch.

“It is completely unacceptable that the last time the Senate passed a budget was more than 1,015 days ago. Perhaps if we put Member’s paychecks on the line – we could get some work done in Washington.”

Click here to view the entire bill and a list of its cosponsors.

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Broun Applauds Construction of Nuclear Units At Plant Vogtle

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

U.S. Congressman Paul Broun, M.D. (GA-10), a Member of the House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, today released the following statement after the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved construction of the nation’s first two new nuclear units in 30 years at Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle, near Waynesboro, Georgia:

“This is a historic day for the state of Georgia, Southern Company, its partners, and the nation in the revival of nuclear power in this country,” said Congressman Broun. “I commend the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for swiftly approving the operating licenses needed to move forward with these important projects. It is crucial that we continue to develop all sources of clean, safe, and affordable energy – and nuclear must play a key role. I am pleased to say that between these two new units at Plant Vogtle, more than half of a million Georgians will be provided with electricity.

“I congratulate Southern Company on this significant achievement, and thank them for all they continue to do on behalf of our state. The economic impact of these two new units will be immeasurable for the state of Georgia, representing a $14 billion investment that will create approximately 5,000 on-site jobs and 800 permanent jobs. This is exactly the type of development that our state and our country needs to resurrect a booming, prosperous, and cutting edge American economy.”

Southern Company plans to begin operating the new units in 2016 and 2017.

Broun & ACLJ File Supreme Court Brief Challenging Obamacare

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Congressman Paul Broun, M.D. (GA-10) today partnered with the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ) in filing an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court urging the high court to rule that the individual mandate violates the Commerce Clause of the Constitution and must be rejected.

Congressman Broun said, “The individual mandate portion of Obamacare is one of the biggest assaults on our freedom to date, and one of the worst perversions of the Commerce Clause that I have ever seen. Requiring all Americans to purchase health insurance under the penalty of law is not only fundamentally wrong, but it is also contradictory to the basis of the free market system that our Founding Fathers envisioned when they wrote the Constitution. I urge the Supreme Court to strike down first the individual mandate, and then Obamacare in its entirety, because it is both unconstitutional and the wrong remedy for healthcare reform.”

"I want to express my gratitude to Dr. Broun for his leadership and for assisting us in representing 119 members of the House in this critically important challenge,” said Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the ACLJ. “As a physician, Dr. Broun knows firsthand the dangers of ObamaCare. And he understands that this individual mandate is not only wrong, but represents an unconstitutional overreach by Congress. I appreciate the leadership Dr. Broun has shown on this vital issue."

Click here to view a copy of the amicus brief coined by Congressman Broun and the ACLJ, which was signed by 118 additional Members of Congress.

Broun Statement on January Jobs Report

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Congressman Paul Broun, M.D. (GA-10) today issued the following statement after the Department of Labor released their January jobs report showing the national unemployment rate to be 8.3%:

“I am glad to see more Americans are finally able to get back to work in spite of the anti-jobs measures of this Administration. The unfortunate fact of the matter is that even with a trillion dollar stimulus bill, the Obama economy has left 12 million Americans out of work for three straight years. Even now, the President and liberals in Congress are choosing to put politics ahead of creating American jobs. The Keystone XL Pipeline would have created 20,000 new jobs immediately, and Majority Leader Harry Reid is simultaneously letting dozens of House jobs bills die in the Senate. Democrats need to stop focusing on the 2012 election and start working with House Republicans on what’s best for our economy.”

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Broun Supports Repeal of CLASS Act

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Congressman Paul Broun, M.D. (GA-10) today issued the following statement in support of repealing the CLASS Act – a portion of President Obama’s health care law:

“Every day, more and more taxpayers are deciding that they want a refund on Obamacare,” said Rep. Paul Broun. “Between the repeal of the 1099 provision, the upcoming Supreme Court case on the individual mandate, and the Administration admitting that they cannot implement the CLASS Act – we are truly starting to see the wheels fall off of the President Obama’s pride and joy. It’s time that we put a full stop to the implementation of Obamacare by repealing it in its entirety and replacing it with a market-based solution that Americans can actually afford.”

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Broun Puts Paycheck on the Line to Pass a Budget

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Congressman Paul Broun, M.D. (GA-10) issued the following statement urging his colleagues to support his Budget or Bust legislation, H.R. 3883, which would remove the President from the budgetary process and force Congress to pass a budget or go unpaid:

“Producing a budget is one of Congress’s most basic and most important responsibilities. I firmly believe that if Members of Congress fail to fulfill our duties to the American people, we shouldn’t be getting paid. My Budget or Bust Act forces the House and Senate to finally pass a budget, or else our salaries will be held as collateral until Congress can get its job done.

“It is completely unacceptable that the last time the Senate passed a budget was more than 1,000 days ago. Perhaps if we put Member’s paychecks on the line – we could get some work done in Washington.”

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Keystone Pipeline Would Fuel the Economy

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

The American people deserve more. You deserve real solutions. You deserve a stable and secure business environment. You deserve an economy where everyone benefits and where hard work is still rewarded. And you deserve results instead of rhetoric.

Unfortunately, President Obama’s words all too often fail to match reality. In his State of the Union Address, he said, “This country needs an all-out, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy – a strategy that’s cleaner, cheaper, and full of new jobs.” Yet, six days prior, he rejected TransCanada’s application to build the Keystone XL pipeline and the opportunity to create 20,000 new American jobs.

If the President were truly serious about jumpstarting the economy, he would heed the advice of his own Council on Jobs and Competitiveness who earlier this month issued its Road Map to Renewal. According to the Council, “regulatory and permitting obstacles that could threaten the development of some energy projects” also threaten jobs and weaken our energy infrastructure. They advise an “all in” approach that includes the construction of more fuel pipelines to accelerate economic recovery.

But despite these recommendations from the Administration’s Jobs Council, support from both sides of the aisle and more importantly, the American people, the President continues to embrace the same failed policies of more spending, more taxes, and more regulations.

Thankfully, there are solutions that would fuel real jobs and real growth. My colleagues in the House and I have approved legislation that would allow us to harness our abundant supply of natural resources, develop new sources of energy, and create jobs right here at home. The sad reality is that most of these bills are stuck in the Senate, and the President has not encouraged the Senate to act.

The President has, however, done one thing. Upon entering office, he issued a challenge regarding his work to revive the economy, saying if he did not have it “done in three years, then there's gonna be a one-term proposition.” I urge the President to reconsider all of the benefits of building the pipeline, and to make the rational decision that will expand our energy resources, protect our national security interests, and put people back to work. If he does not, it’s time to hold Mr. Obama accountable for his broken promises and ensure that his first term is indeed his last.

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Broun Accepts Entries for 2012 Congressional Art Competition

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

U.S. Congressman Paul Broun, M.D. (GA-10) invites high school students to participate in the 2012 Congressional Art Competition. In partnership with Augusta Mall, Congressman Broun will host a district ceremony for participating students on Saturday, April 28th. During the event, select entries will be on display, and Broun will announce the district winner. This winning artist will be invited to a national reception in Washington D.C. where his or her artwork will be on display for one year in the U.S. Capitol. In addition, the student will be eligible to receive the Artistic Honors Scholarship from Savannah College of Art and Design.

“I encourage all students in grades 9 through 12 to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to showcase their talents in a national exhibit,” said Broun. “Georgia’s youth are some of the most skilled in the nation, and I am honored that the Augusta Mall will help me celebrate their creativity.”

The 2012 Congressional Art Competition is open to students who attend school or reside in Georgia’s 10th Congressional District. To download a Student Release Form and Competition Guidelines, please visit www.broun.house.gov/Kids/Art.htm. Entries must be delivered to a district office by Monday, March 26th. Call 706-447-3857 for more information.