U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman
As you’ve seen in the news, the past couple of weeks in Washington, D.C. have been a whirlwind of excitement. After a long first week back in the Chamber, we elected Rep. Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, and now the real work has begun.
The 118th Congress is in full swing, and I’m optimistic about what the next two years have in store for us. House Republicans are fired up, and we came into the new year ready to get to work. We hit the ground running. This week alone, my colleagues and I have delivered on three main promises in our Commitment to America from last year.
On Monday night, we voted to rescind funding for 87,000 new IRS agents who were authorized by the Biden Administration’s incorrectly named Inflation Reduction Act. Americans, especially our small business owners, deserve a government that works FOR them, not AGAINST them. Sadly, the Biden Administration wants to spend over $80 billion hiring new IRS agents to audit taxpayers, yet it only plans on spending $3 billion on fixing the IRS’s antiquated computer systems, answering citizens’ tax questions, and providing casework services. That’s backward and utterly ridiculous. We should be investing in ways to make the income tax code and the IRS experience easier. For the 2022 filing season, the IRS only answered about 10 percent of its phone calls. That’s a complete failure! An ounce of prevention in the form of better systems and better services can eliminate the need for the pound of cure in the form of additional audits. The government belongs to you, and it should serve you every day. This legislation would start fixing that problem. I’m glad we were able to fulfill this promise to rein in Government overreach and reduce unnecessary spending.
Next, we established a bipartisan Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). House Republicans promised the American people that we would defend our nation’s national security and intellectual property rights, and we delivered on Tuesday. The Select Committee on China will make significant strides in protecting Americans from the CCP and will hold the Chinese government accountable for its malign actions. Make no mistake, China is laserfocused on competing with the United States and overtaking us as the world’s foremost economic and military power. And as we have seen, the CCP doesn’t play by the rules. China uses forced labor, it supports stealing intellectual property, and it regularly cracks down on any government dissent. China is an adversary, and I’m proud to say that the bill passed with a huge bipartisan vote. Standing up for America’s security is in everyone’s best interest.
Last, but certainly not least, we voted to pass the Born-Alive Abortion Services Act. Every life is precious, no matter the age or circumstance. This key legislation ensures that infants born-alive after an attempted abortion will receive the same level of high-quality health care and protection under the law as any newborn child. The bill will require healthcare professionals who are present at the time of birth to practice the same level of skill and diligence to care for the health and life of the child that they would provide to any other child born prematurely or at the same gestational stage. Additionally, this bill penalizes the intentional murder of a born-alive child through fines or prison time – ensuring that individuals who choose to neglect the life of a newborn child pay for their crimes. Unfortunately, there are still regions in our country where late-term abortions are available, and legal, for some women – increasing the chances of a born-alive child from an attempted abortion. This bill will protect the life of the child and ensure that his or her right to a prosperous life is preserved.
This is only the beginning. As we work through the next few months, you will see House Republicans bring myriad bills to the floor that will unleash America’s economic might and put our nation back on a path to success. I am optimistic about the future of the 118th Congress, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to develop common-sense, forward-thinking solutions to help every resident of the 4th Congressional District for all of you back home.
