SEEKING ANSWERS ON BENGHAZI
Congressional efforts to uncover more details about the terrorist attack on September 11, 2012 in Benghazi, Libya continue. Just a few days ago, I released a report on the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi. This report is part of an ongoing review of the events that led to the death of four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens.
Like most Americans, I was deeply disturbed by the attack in Benghazi. Also very troubling was the response to the attack by the Obama Administration. Since the Benghazi attack, the President and his Administration have not been forthright with Congress and the American people about the cause of the attack and the Administration’s prior knowledge of security concerns in Libya. Because of the conflicting information and outright stonewalling from the State Department, the House Committees on the Judiciary, Armed Services, Foreign Affairs, Intelligence, and Oversight and Government Reform took action t |
REDUCING THE TAX BURDEN
Tax season is upon us once again. As April 15th creeps closer, families and businesses are scrambling to meet the filing deadline for 2012 tax returns. For many that means a mountain of paperwork, hefty fees for tax preparation, and a headache from navigating the outdated, needlessly complex tax code. The U.S. tax code is so complicated that roughly 9 out of 10 Americans use paid professionals or commercial software to prepare their tax returns.
According to the Tax Foundation, in 2013, Americans will pay $2.76 trillion in federal taxes and $1.45 trillion in state taxes, equaling 29.4 percent of income. On April 18th, we will reach the national “Tax Freedom Day,” which is the day Americans have finally earned enough to pay the nation’s tax bill. This year, taxpayers will have to work more than three months to meet these obligations at federal, state, and local levels, pushing this milestone five days later than last year. For |
HOLDING GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ACCOUNTABLE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
Secretary of Labor nominee Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez will face a number of questions over the next several days during his confirmation hearings in the Senate. Many of those questions will revolve around recent reports of Mr. Perez’s mismanagement at the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ), as well as a secret backroom deal he made that cost American taxpayers millions of dollars. The laundry list of his questionable actions continues to grow.
On Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee held a hearing to examine a report released on March 12 by the Inspector General of DOJ regarding the politicization, polarization, and mismanagement occurring at the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice – specifically the Division’s Voting Section. The findings of this report include evidence of inappropriate conduct by political appointees, harassment of employees because of their political views, selective enforcemen |
ROOTING OUT WASTE AT THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
As the March 1 sequestration deadline approached, Attorney General Eric Holder dramatically warned that the Department of Justice (DOJ) would be forced to make cuts that threaten the safety of all Americans. Holder claimed that cuts to agencies within the Justice Department would diminish the department’s ability to investigate and prosecute crimes.
However, a line-by-line look at spending patterns at DOJ reveals many areas of wasteful spending. If the Administration would set aside the theatrics and the scare-tactic narrative, government officials could use this opportunity to root out waste and redundancy that divert resources from the department’s work.
The House Judiciary Committee, which I Chair, has examined recent spending trends at DOJ and found many examples of wasteful and duplicative spending, all of which are paid for by taxpayers. In 2010 alone, the department spent nearly $100 million on conferences. This includes $600,000 in eve |
