Published: 12-23-08
As 2008 and the 110th Session of Congress draw to an end I’d like to take a moment to reflect and share some important accomplishments as well as missed opportunities that I would like to tackle in 2009.
As the son of a World War II veteran one of my proudest accomplishments was sponsoring and passing legislation to significantly improve housing benefits for America’s veterans. Many provisions in my bill the Veterans’ Housing Benefits Enhancement Act of 2007 were signed into law in July and corrected an existing disparity in the treatment of veterans.
The new law ensures wounded troops and veterans who have suffered severe burns and other traumatic injuries will receive the same housing benefits as other disabled veterans. I also worked hard to improve care for an increasing number of veterans who are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and other “invisible wounds of war.” It’s essential that we support research so we can better understand and treat these mental health conditions and I will continue to work on this priority in the new Congress.
For many Texans 2008 will unfortunately be remembered by the storms that devastated many areas of the state. While many are still waiting for housing employment and other types of assistance I am proud to have worked with the federal government and members of the Texas delegation to secure billions of dollars in federal assistance to help Texans begin to rebuild.
I was also able to help several community health clinics in Texas obtain critical federal funds so they can continue to serve Texas’ uninsured and underinsured populations. However more work remains and I will continue to be Texas hurricane victims’ strongest advocate on the federal level ensuring we receive our fair share of federal assistance where it is needed.
As the national economy began its descent this year I was thankful Congress could agree on and pass a new Farm Bill to support the Texas agriculture industry which is the engine that drives much of our state’s rural economy and is responsible for one out of every seven Texas jobs. The new Farm Bill will protect Texas agriculture including family farms strengthen key nutrition programs and fight childhood obesity.
While these are accomplishments that Congress can be proud of unfortunately there were many areas where partisanship stood in the way of passing important legislation. From energy prices and military voting to earmark reform and how to stabilize the economy there were a number of times when party-line politics and special interests took importance over the goodwill of the American people.
As energy prices steadily began to rise in the early months of 2008 and into the summer Congress remained gridlocked over how to move forward and provide relief to the pain being felt at the pump. An overwhelming number of Texans and Americans expressed their support of increased domestic energy production and I echoed their call in the halls of Congress—pushing for less regulation and more drilling here at home.
But Democrat leaders refused to listen to these calls and our repeated efforts to pass comprehensive energy legislation were blocked. While we may be experiencing a reprieve from high gas prices at the moment Congress has an obligation to address our nation’s energy challenges and pass broad meaningful energy legislation to ensure our future security. I pledge to do all I can to keep energy reform at the forefront of the debate in Congress until a real solution is reached.
Another issue that resulted in more division than resolution this year was the national economy. While some immediate and sweeping steps were required to protect families and businesses on Main Street USA there was heated disagreement about where the buck should stop. For my part I believe we must start with boosting transparency and accountability rather than continuing to write billion-dollar checks to every industry that comes knocking. We also need to keep taxes low and implement pro-growth policies that will create more jobs right here at home.
Also at the top of my list: comprehensive immigration reform. The consequences of continued inaction are too great. Other issues on the horizon include health care and education reform taking care of our troops and veterans protecting our nation and allies from terrorism and ensuring Texans fully recover from the storms this season including Hurricanes Ike and Dolly.
While there have been many changes in Washington over the past year and many more yet to come in the early days of 2009 my priorities remain the same. I am here to represent the great state of Texas and its people to the best of my ability. I look forward to continuing to do just that in 2009.
I wish you and your family a joyous holiday season and all the best for the coming year.
For more information on these and other topics go directly to my Web site. To receive additional updates please select the issues that interest you listed on the right. It’s an honor to serve you in the United States Senate.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
