♦Congressman Richard Hudson, 8th District, N.C.
Mr. Johnson:
First and foremost, I want to extend my utmost gratitude to you for your service in the United States Air Force and your continued sacrifice to our country. I also appreciate you taking the time to express your concerns in the Rowan Free Press regarding the national debt and the changes to the cost-of-living-adjustments (COLA) in the military pension system included in the recent budget agreement. It is critical for leaders like you to discuss these important issues in the community as well as communicate with your elected officials on a regular basis.
Like you, I am so frustrated with the way Washington frivolously spends our tax dollars. I ran for Congress because I was fed up with politicians who were unwilling to make the tough decisions, especially at a time when our country is running record deficits and borrowing 40 cents for every dollar we spend.
I completely agree that the size of government has gotten out of control and there is far too much waste, fraud, and abuse in federal spending. I believe we have a moral responsibility to take every opportunity to right this wrong so that our children and future generations do not suffer.
I also agree with you that our nation’s veterans and disabled service members are two of the last places that Congress should look to shoulder the burden of our own fiscal irresponsibility, especially when there are many other worthy opportunities for savings as you have suggested. The Eighth District is home to so many patriots who have served our country. I am privileged to represent them and to support our service members at Fort Bragg.
To that end, I have cosponsored a bill authored by my colleague, Congressman Fitzpatrick, H.R. 3788, which removes the COLA changes by replacing them with savings achieved by closing a loophole that allows illegal immigrants to qualify for childcare tax credits. I believe it is completely unfair allow illegal immigrants to receive government compensation at the expense of the American taxpayer. I promise you I will continue working hard to gather support for this commonsense measure.
While the budget deal was not perfect, I supported the Ryan-Murray agreement because it eliminates waste, provides real cuts to numerous agencies across the federal government, and protects our defense community by replacing sequestration’s indiscriminate across-the-board cuts with responsible cuts in mandatory spending programs. Replacing the sequester cuts is an issue I hear not only in Washington from our defense leaders, but also when I visit our warriors at Fort Bragg. From senior commanders to our troops on the ground, I have repeatedly heard how sequester has damaged their ability to train at home and combat the enemy abroad. When looking at the relief afforded by this budget deal ensuring our brave men and women are provided the resources they need to fight and win was my “top priority.”
I look forward to continuing our conservative efforts in the New Year. We will have another opportunity to lock in savings when we consider the upcoming appropriations omnibus package and when we consider the final version of the Farm Bill. I appreciate you mentioning food stamps specifically in your letter as this is an issue I have taken on early in my first term. We must stop the waste, fraud, and abuse within our welfare programs. This is not just about savings precious resources for future generations and paying down our debt and deficit; it is about helping people help themselves.
Please know that I take very seriously the responsibilities of my office and few things motivate my efforts more than the example of the heroic men and women of the United States military who have put themselves in harm’s way and displayed unparalleled dedication to our freedom.
And, as you have said, the freedom of future generations remains under constant threat not only by foreign and domestic enemies, but also by the reckless spending of the federal government.
I will work tirelessly to restore some fiscal sanity to Washington and will always fight for our American patriots who dedicate their lives to defend our freedom, secure our homeland, and protect our democracy.
Again, thank you for taking the time to share your views. Your opinions are important, so please continue to write, call, or email me with any concerns you may have in the future. For more information on issues impacting North Carolinians, please visit our website at: http://hudson.house.gov and sign up for our weekly newsletter.
Sincerely,
RICHARD HUDSON
Member of Congress
Rick Johnson’s Letter-to-the Editor:
http://rowanfreepress.com/2014/01/03/a-letter-to-rep-richard-hudson/
