In a truly chilling turn of events, we have learned that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) abused its authority by targeting American citizens and organizations who were only seeking to exercise their constitutionally protected Freedom of Speech. That the IRS took punitive measures to intimidate and hinder the First Amendment rights of American citizens is deeply troubling and an affront to our democracy.

Currently, the IRS is charged with the enforcement of the president’s health care law. Due to its track record of a lack of impartiality and the American people’s justified mistrust, it is imperative that we remove the IRS from its role within the Affordable Care Act. Consequently, I authored, and the House of Representatives passed, H.R. 2009, the Keep the IRS Off Your Health Care Act of 2013. This legislation would prohibit the IRS from implementing or enforcing any provisions of the Affordable Care Act.

The status quo in health care was, and is, unacceptable.  We know that far too many Americans suffer because they are unable to access the quality care and coverage they deserve and need.  With each passing day it becomes more evident that handing control of our health care system to Washington is not the solution.  Always believing in positive solutions, I authored H.R. 2300, the Empowering Patients First Act – legislation that would ensure health care decisions are kept in the hands of patients, families and doctors, so that they, not government, may make choices rooted in compassion and common sense.

After fully repealing President Obama's Affordable Care Act, the Empowering Patients First Act would enact patient-centered solutions that adhere to health care principles we hold dear:

Affordability Accessibility Choices Innovation Quality Responsiveness

Guided by these principles, we can ensure that all Americans have the financial feasibility and incentive to purchase health coverage they want, not that the government forces them to buy; that those who like their current plans can keep them, especially when they lose their job or change jobs; that people with pre-existing conditions are not be priced out of the market but along with millions of other Americans can pool together and gain purchasing power no matter their health status; and, that positive lawsuit abuse reform be enacted to end the practice of defensive medicine and help bring down the skyrocketing cost of health care.

As a strong supporter of the 2nd Amendment, I believe it is imperative that we protect the Constitutional rights of the American people in the face of misguided attempts to deny or curtail individual liberties. Rather than consider imposing new rules and regulations that might infringe upon the rights of law-abiding citizens, the President and the Department of Justice ought to enforce the laws that are already on the books.

America’s tax code is in dire need of reform. If our nation is to maintain or improve its competitive advantage in today’s expanding global economy, we must modernize and simplify our tax code. We currently have the highest corporate tax rate in the industrialized world. Littered with loopholes and punitive provisions that harm families and small business job creators, our tax code hinders economic growth and costs America’s middle class time and money.

In each of the last three years, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed a budget that included a pro-growth tax reform component that would close special interest loopholes, lower tax rates, broaden the tax base, and simplify the code. As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, I am working with my colleagues to bring a formal tax reform package forward. Furthermore, I am a strong believer and cosponsor of the FairTax proposal, a truly innovative way to fundamentally reform our tax code.

As it stands today, our nation is $17 trillion dollars in debt.That number continues to climb by hundreds of billions of dollars each year.Despite policy failures and a dismal economic track record, the Democrat majority in Washington, led by President Obama, continues to advocate for trillions more in debt and higher taxes that will take hard earned money away from American families in order to bail out Washington. The inability of the Obama Administration and its allies in Congress to produce a responsible budget is leading to more wasteful spending, higher debt, and a less accountable government. It is the starkest example of this administration’s failure of leadership.

No nation in the history of the world has ever taxed and spent its way into prosperity, and the United States is not about to be the first. That is why in each of the last three years, the U.S. House of Representatives under Republican leadership has passed a budget designed to reduce spending, make our government more efficient, effective, and accountable and put us on a stable path to a balanced budget. As the Vice-Chairman of the House Budget Committee, I am firmly committed to ensuring that we act as responsible stewards of your hard-earned tax dollars.

The debate over how to properly and effectively reform America’s health care system continues, despite the current implementation of the president’s health care law. The status quo in health care was, and remains, unacceptable. Far too many Americans suffer because they are unable to access the quality care and coverage they so desperately deserve and need.  We know, and have already seen, that handing control over our health care to Washington is not the solution. Instead, we need to return health care decisions to patients, families and doctors, so that they, not government, can make choices rooted in compassion and common sense.

On June 6, 2013, I reintroduced H.R. 2300, the Empowering Patients First Act. This legislation would make it financially feasible for all Americans to purchase quality health coverage.Those who like their current plans would truly be able to keep them – not suffer from the deceit of the administration.Our proposal would allow them to own their health coverage, regardless of who paid for it.This means they could take their policies with them if they changed or lost their job, thus solving the portability problem without putting Washington in charge.Those with pre-existing conditions should not be priced out of the market, but should be able to pool together with millions of other Americans in order to get the purchasing power of millions.This would make it so that any one persons’ adverse health status doesn’t drive up the cost for anyone, again without putting Washington in charge!Positive and robust lawsuit abuse reform should be enacted to end the practice of defensive medicine and help bring down the skyrocketing cost of health care.

Patients and families and doctors should be making healthcare decisions, not Washington, DC.Positive, patient-centered solutions exist to resolve all of the challenges in our health care system, and none of them require putting the federal government in charge.