Congressman MIKE ROGERS | Representing Michigan’s 8th Congressional District

The Oakland Press

Washington, Jan 24 -

When I made the decision to run for Congress, I did it because I wanted to serve the residents in Michigan’s Eighth District. On Jan. 1, that is exactly what I did when I supported the American Tax Payer Relief Act and fought for the 700,000 individuals and small businesses I represent that would have seen smaller paychecks and massive tax hikes if Congress did not act.

On average, a family of four in Michigan would see $2,200 less take home pay if Congress had not acted.  While I do not agree with every aspect of this legislation, it will prevent a devastating recession that would destroy thousands of jobs in Michigan. I cannot and will not allow Michigan to fall back in to an economic decline that we have worked so hard to reverse.

Voting "no" was not a responsible option for Michigan families. I know some may not agree with my vote, but I am not willing to play politics with people’s paychecks.

To serve your constituents in Congress, you cannot get everything you want; it’s a give and take negotiation. By acting on a solution, however imperfect, we were able to protect as many Americans as possible from a tax increase and a plummeting stock market. The bill provided desperately needed certainty by making the lower tax rates permanent, a victory for fiscal responsibility and economic growth.

In addition, with winter surrounding our state, we cannot afford even higher prices for energy, gas or groceries. Legislation I supported allowed for a one-year extension of the 2008 farm bill at no additional cost to the taxpayer. This prevented milk prices from doubling at grocery stores across Michigan.  Can you imagine less take-home pay on top of staggering food prices?

It is important to note there was not a penny of tax increases in the bill. This was the largest tax cut in American history, making permanent cuts for 99 percent of Americans.

Now that we have solved this immediate tax crisis, I am confident House Republicans will once again focus on cutting spending and addressing our skyrocketing debt.  I can only hope President Obama will take these priorities as seriously as we do.

I know how to cut spending, because I have actually done it.  As Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, I recently passed a bipartisan budget for our nation’s 17 intelligence agencies that reduced spending from last year without impacting national security. Working with both Republicans and Democrats, I passed a fiscally responsible budget three years in a row, something the president needs to learn how to do.  The only responsible course of action is to review every single taxpayer dollar the federal government spends no matter how important the program.

Nothing erodes the middle class faster than our skyrocketing debt, which is why I have continually supported policies to get Washington’s spending addiction under control. I opposed each and every Wall Street bailout and voted for a responsible budget that would eliminate the deficit and put us on a path to finally pay off the debt.  I voted in support of the Cut, Cap and Balance plan and a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution, all of which represented responsible approaches to restoring fiscal sanity to Washington.

People sent me to Congress to take action and make difficult decisions. This is what I have always done and what I will continue to do in my service to the Eighth District.

The opposite the editorial page ran in The Oakland Press on January 24, 2013. Link to article found here.