Paul Broun RSS Articles

Broun Invites Students to Participate in 2010 Congressional Art Competition

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

U.S. Congressman Paul C. Broun, M.D. (GA-10) invites students in grades nine through twelve to participate in the 2010 Congressional Art Competition. Each year, members of the U.S. House of Representatives sponsor a nation-wide high school arts competition. This competition provides a wonderful opportunity to recognize the artistic talents of high school students from across the nation. The winning entry that Dr. Broun selects to represent the Tenth Congressional District of Georgia will be displayed for one year in our nation’s Capitol in Washington, D.C. The first place winner will be invited to a national reception and will also be eligible to receive an art scholarship from Savannah College of Art and Design.

“I invite all students in grades 9 through 12 to take advantage of this exciting opportunity to display their artwork in a national exhibit. The prestigious competition is all about showcasing the rich, artistic talents of our young people, and previous winners have proven that Georgia definitely does have talent. The halls of Congress need a splash of art, and I know that our local students can come up with the perfect picture,” said Broun.

For the 2010 Art Competition, all entries must be submitted to one of Congressman Broun's three district offices by Friday, March 19, 2010. If you have questions about the competition, contact Jessica Morris at (706) 447-3857.

Click HERE to view competition rules and guidelines, the student release form, and the 2009 winning artwork of Jackson County student, Aaron Edwards.

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Broun Statement on Debt Limit Increase

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

U.S. Congressman Paul C. Broun, M.D. (GA-10) released the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to increase the debt limit, for the sixth time in three years, to $14,294,000,000,000.

“After Congress’ outrageous spending spree, it comes as no big surprise that the federal government has run out of money. So you know what the natural response would be, Democrats in Congress decided to bail themselves out. Rather than following the lead of the American people and cutting back, Democrats have abused the power of the purse by increasing their spending limit,” said Broun. “If the American people cannot afford to go further into debt, neither should the federal government.”

“I have introduced a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget that ensures Washington does not spend more money than it brings in. Congress must now make tough decisions, reign in runaway deficits, and reduce our debt. The American people are demanding this and we must not let them down,” said Broun.

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Broun Introduces Balanced Budget Amendment

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

U.S. Congressman Paul C. Broun, M.D. (GA-10), the lone recipient of the Taxpayer Super Hero award, today introduced H.J. Res 75—a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget—after President Barack Obama unveiled a 2011 budget that boosts the federal deficit to a record-level of $1.6 trillion:

“As President Obama continues to tout his efforts to restore fiscal responsibility, the American people continue to struggle and wait to see whether his rhetoric will translate into reality,” said Broun. “The President began his campaign last spring when he rushed to the microphone to announce his order to his Cabinet to reduce spending by $100 million. Last week, he went to the podium to tout more fiscal restraint by announcing a spending freeze, but we quickly learned that only affects less than 20 percent of the budget. And press reports today reveal he cut $1 million in funding for an Olympic Scholarship Program and another $2 million subsidy for cotton and peanuts.

"If the President is serious about fiscal discipline, he’s going to have to remove more than a couple of peanuts from his federal budget.

“They say talk is cheap but for hardworking Americans, the President’s talk is very expensive. Instead of practicing fiscal restraint, the President has introduced a $3.8 trillion budget with a record-level $1.6 trillion deficit. Enough is enough. The American people deserve better. That is why I have introduced a balanced budget amendment to ensure his promises become policy,” said Broun.

Just over a decade ago, the House passed a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution aimed at reigning in the chronic deficits in spending. Unfortunately, the measure failed by a single vote in the Senate.

“Maintaining a balanced budget each and every year should be the rule, not the exception. By leaving dollars in the people’s pockets, we can shrink government and provide a real stimulus for businesses and the economy,” said Broun.

For more information you can visit www.broun.house.gov/balancedbudget.

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Broun Calls for Withdrawal of TSA Appointee

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 05:00:00 GMT

U.S. Congressman Paul C. Broun, M.D., member of the House Committee on Homeland Security, today requested that President Barack Obama withdraw Erroll Southers from consideration for Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) citing a multitude of problems with his nomination to such an important position.

“The problems plaguing the nomination of Mr. Southers have been growing and becoming more serious each day. His ambiguity on allowing union bosses to take over the security of our airports, his deliberate misleading of Congress, and most recently his disparaging comments comparing pro-life advocates, Christians, and those who oppose big government with white supremacists and terrorists are all independently disturbing, but taken together demonstrate a level of arrogance and ignorance that can be dangerous to our national security. I ask the President to quickly withdraw his name and find a candidate who possesses the necessary leadership that will restore Americans’ faith in airport security,” said Broun.

In an interview in 2008, even after stating that the terrorist groups Hezbollah and Hamas are active in the U.S., Southers said, “Most of the domestic groups that we have to pay attention to here are white supremacist groups, they're anti-government, in most cases anti-abortion, they are usually survivalist types in nature, and Christian identity-oriented.”

“Both the similarities between the comments of Mr. Southers and Secretary Janet Napolitano, and Mr. Southers’ submission of false testimony are unacceptable,” stated Congressman Broun. “These facts lead me to believe his appointment could leave TSA in just as grave a situation as the current one at the Department of Homeland Security.”

Members of the U.S. Senate, led by Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina, have expressed deep concerns with Erroll Southers’ refusal to be forthcoming about whether he will allow collective bargaining among TSA employees and why he submitted false testimony.

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Where Are The Jobs, Mr. President?

Sat, 09 Jan 2010 05:00:00 GMT

U.S. Congressman Paul C. Broun, M.D. (GA-10) today issued the following statement in response to reports that 85,000 jobs were lost in December, unemployment remains at 10 percent, and the Democrats’ big-spending policies are continuing to hurt the economy and slow our recovery:

“One in ten hardworking Americans is unemployed. Almost one in five are underemployed. Where are the millions of jobs that the President promised? Where are the effects of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s so-called ‘stimulus?’ The American people are still waiting for those promises to be kept.

“As long as the current Congressional leadership follows these big spending schemes, our economic recovery will be extremely slow or non-existent. After ramming through multiple budget-busting plans, it is clear that the only thing they know how to grow is more debt. Instead of spending taxpayers’ hard-earned money on bailouts and bureaucrats, we should be helping small businesses by letting them keep more of their money, freeing up more capital for investment, and letting workers’ keep more of their money.

“Along with my JOBS Act, my Republican colleagues and I have offered many fiscally responsible solutions to our economic problems. Unfortunately, they have all been ignored.”

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Socialized Medicine One Christmas Gift Americans Could Do Without

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 05:00:00 GMT

U.S. Congressman Paul C. Broun, M.D. (GA-10) today released the following statement after the United States Senate voted to pass a costly, government takeover of healthcare that is bursting with higher taxes and bigger bureaucracy:

“Senator Majority Leader Harry Reid chooses to ignore the fact that this unprecedented, unconstitutional takeover of our nation’s health care system deals a massive blow to American freedom. Not only will Americans be forced to purchase health insurance, but they will also be burdened with an overwhelming debt that will enslave our children and our children’s children. This bill includes $518 billion in new taxes. It goes against the will of the majority of Americans and allows federal dollars to fund abortions. Furthermore, it fails to do the very thing that reform should do, and that is lower costs. Higher taxes and higher costs will lead to further job losses during an already stressed economy. Socialized medicine is one Christmas gift that our citizens could do without.

“Fortunately, the debate is not yet over. As the House and Senate begin negotiations on a compromise version of the bill, I urge hardworking Americans to contact President Obama, Senator Reid, and Speaker Pelosi, and their elected leaders. Let them know that a government takeover is unacceptable and you want to them to scrap this plan that was brokered in backrooms away from the public eye.

“The Leadership should embrace common sense alternatives that lower costs and offer greater access to affordable health care within the private sector. Robbing patients and their doctors of the ability to make independent health care decisions and giving the power to Washington is a dangerous dive in the wrong direction.”

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Apparently, It Pays To Feign Moderation

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 05:00:00 GMT

U.S. Congressman Paul C. Broun, M.D. today released the following statement as the Senate moved closer to a final vote on a government takeover of health care:

“The health care debate in the Senate has shown many things. The American people now know that even though some Democrat Senators feign moderation, their values have a price; they will trade their votes for favoritism.

“In Congress, you can compromise on many things, but it’s never proper to compromise your principles.

“Senator Reid’s 2,700 page, $2.5 trillion bill still funds abortion, still raises taxes, and still places a government bureaucrat between the doctor and patient. I pray that Senate Democrats will reconsider their support for public options and publicly funded abortions, and I hope they will not leave a horrible bill under America’s Christmas tree. I also urge my House colleagues to reject this latest version of government-run health care.

“This is the season for giving, but America did not put ‘more debt’ or ‘more bureaucracy’ on their Christmas list this year.”

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As Democrats push for more and more spending, Broun asks “Haven’t You Done Enough?”

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 05:00:00 GMT

U.S. Congressman Paul C. Broun, M.D. (GA-10) today opposed the continuance of failed policies by voting against raising the national debt ceiling and yet another so-called stimulus. This second “stimulus” comes less than a year after the initial trillion-dollar bill was passed by Congress.

“The President and Democrat leaders have ignored fiscal sanity all year. Now, they are continuing that same theme by increasing the debt limit so they can spend even more,” said Broun, Ranking Member of the Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee.

On December 10th, Congressman Broun sent a letter to President Barack Obama and Speaker Nancy Pelosi offering to work with them to help small businesses get back on their feet and hire more employees. The letter also asked the Democrat leaders to incorporate Republican ideas into their economic plans.

“I have constantly called for a bipartisan approach to stimulating the economy. I have also introduced H.R. 4100, the JOBS Act, as a way to cut taxes on small businesses and rescind unspent money from the first ‘stimulus’ scheme,” said Broun. “Unfortunately, Speaker Pelosi and President Obama are dead set on selling the American people yet another ‘stimulus.’ I believe this bill will be a non-stimulus, just like the last one.”

Ranking Member Broun’s Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee has also held two hearings on murky reports from the first so-called “stimulus.” In both of those hearings, Broun called for more transparency in the Administration’s reports on “stimulus” spending.

“With several reports showing millions more Americans out of work since their last so-called ‘stimulus,’ I think the Democrat leadership has ‘helped’ too much already,” remarked Congressman Broun.

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Broun: “Even Jack Bauer couldn’t do all this in one day”

Fri, 11 Dec 2009 05:00:00 GMT

U.S. Congressman Paul C. Broun, M.D. (GA-10) today expressed disdain for this Congress’s outrageous spending and its constant drive towards bigger government and more regulation.

“Even Jack Bauer couldn’t do all of this in one day, but when it comes to big spending, the Democrat Leaders are the real pros,” said Congressman Paul Broun. “Thursday, this fiscally irresponsible leadership suggested raising the debt ceiling by $1.8 Trillion and they also passed an omnibus that increases federal spending by 24 percent over FY2008. Today, they are working to pass a bill to makes permanent the kind of Wall Street bailouts that have so angered Americans."

The TARP II bill – or H.R. 4173, the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009 – would establish a process for distributing future bailouts, while giving even broader regulatory powers to federal bureaucrats.

“I voted against the bailout last fall; I voted against releasing more bailout funds last spring; and I will vote against making these types of bailouts permanent today,” said Broun. “Instead of bailing out Wall Street with tax dollars, we should leave those dollars in the pockets of small business owners so that they can hire more employees and provide lasting economic stimulus.”

Congressman Paul Broun introduced the JOBS Act on November 18, 2009. Simply put, this bill provides tax cuts for small businesses as well as the two lowest individual income tax brackets.

Broun Calls Senate Vote to Table Pro-Life Amendment “Immoral”

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 05:00:00 GMT

U.S. Congressman Paul C. Broun, M.D. (GA-10) today released the following statement in response to the U.S. Senate’s vote to table a bi-partisan amendment that would toughen restrictions on public funding for abortions in the health care bill:

“It is absolutely immoral for the Senate to include public subsidies for abortions in its health care bill. Not only does this vote promote an absolutely deplorable practice, but it would overturn nearly three decades of current public policy prohibiting taxpayer funds from being used to subsidize the killing of an unborn child.

“Like the majority of Americans, I believe in the sanctity of human life, and I firmly oppose the practice of abortion. The federal government has a moral and constitutional obligation to protect and defend every precious soul that comes into existence. We should be ashamed that 54 Senators have rejected that principle and voted to subsidize abortions with public funds.

“As a physician, I know on the basis of medical and scientific evidence that human life begins with fertilization. However, you don’t have to be a doctor to diagnose the Senate’s vote tonight as deplorable, plain and simple. I hope Americans will stand up and speak out, not only against the use of taxpayer funds to subsidize abortion, but against the entire health care experiment Senator Harry Reid is trying to force upon this country.”

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