As many of you recall, the situation in Iraq in early 2007 was bleak at best.  We were losing ground on all fronts, and changes needed to be made.  The new strategy adopted by President Bush and Generals Petraeus and Odierno was a 20,000 troop surge to the country.  This strategy was controversial at the time and met with some opposition in Congress.  However, the American people joined President Bush and his commanders in their confidence in the ability and drive of our American soldiers and believed this new strategy should be given an opportunity to succeed before it was assumed it would fail.  And succeed it did.  In just three-and-a-half years since the surge was implemented, our troops on the ground have performed exactly as our commanders had hoped – bringing about the progress that allows for this new drawdown and shift.

As the role of American troops begins to shift at the end of this month, it is important to remember there is still much to do in Iraq.  However, this discussion of success and the new shift in strategy in the country would never have been possible without the hard work and sacrifice of those troops on the ground and their families back home.  This new role must only strengthen our resolve and commitment to ensuring a secure Iraq, free from oppression and terrorism.

And these tax increases will not just apply to income taxes.  Taxes across the board will increase dramatically.  Taxes on capital gains – income made on sales of stocks – and dividends – profits paid to stockholders – will rise between five and twenty five percent.  These considerable increases could cause a massive sell-off of assets and stocks at the end of 2010, creating a panic in the market similar to what we saw at the end of 2008, hindering our recovery and damaging our already fragile economy.  The marriage penalty will be reinstated, punishing those Americans wishing to file joint incomes with their spouses, and the child tax credit will be cut in half. 

And just like American families, small businesses will also be forced to fork over even more of their hard earned money with these new tax hikes.  According to the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation, 94% of all US businesses in 2007 filed taxes on their owners’ individual forms – meaning they too will be affected by these dramatic tax increases in 2011.  Small businesses account for roughly 70% of all job creation in this country, and increasing their tax liability during one of the worst economic recessions in a generation will do nothing more than kill job creation and stifle economic improvements across the board.

Over the next six weeks, I will send out a weekly report addressing some of the specific tax increases that will begin on January 1st.  An issue of this magnitude needs to be fully explained with facts and numbers – and that’s what I’m hoping to be able to give to you.  If you would like to keep up with the special report, I encourage you to visit my website at www.house.gov/lucas and select “Special Report: Tax Talk.”

A “lame duck” session of Congress occurs whenever one Congress meets after its successor is elected, but before the term of the current Congress ends.  Historically, these sessions have been used to tie up loose ends.  However, the word around Washington has been that congressional Democrats could use this time to pursue an aggressive and substantive agenda during a lame duck session before they lose a large number of seats in both the House and the Senate – and possibly the majority in one or both chambers.

The problem with a lame duck session is that it occurs after many members of Congress have been voted out of office or have retired.  They are no longer held accountable for their actions by their constituents and can choose to enact legislation that they usually may not support.  Top items in the lame duck session could be the controversial cap-and-tax plan, radical overhaul of our immigration laws, and massive new spending bills aimed at funding their liberal agenda. 

Simply put, this is not the way to govern.  Lame duck sessions should only be used to wrap up necessary business Congress was unable to complete – not to pass divisive and unpopular legislation that would dramatically alter the way our country operates.

While the sudden departure of General McChrystal is regretful, I am very pleased with the selection of General Petraeus and believe he will succeed in this new position.  General Petraeus has continuously exemplified leadership and dedication to his country as Commander of the U.S. Central Command and as commanding general of U.S. forces in Iraq.  The war in Afghanistan has been challenging, but we have seen much progress of late.  I thank the Senate Armed Services Committee for their speedy confirmation of General Petraeus and strongly encourage the full Senate to quickly confirm him as well so we can continue our progress in Afghanistan.

The last three months have been filled with reports and analyses that prove many of the promises made by congressional Democrats and President Obama will be broken.  We were promised by Speaker Pelosi that the health care bill would create 400,000 jobs “immediately,” yet the unemployment rate continues to hover at almost ten percent.  We were promised repeatedly by President Obama when he was running for office that he would not raise taxes on middle-class families, yet ObamaCare includes at least a dozen tax hikes that would affect them.  We were promised Executive Order 13535 would bar taxpayer funding of abortions, yet we have had no update whatsoever on the president’s efforts to implement it.  We were promised that the new health care law would lower health care costs and reduce the deficit, yet both the Congressional Budget Office and the chief actuary at the Obama Administration’s own Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have confirmed that it will do neither.

And the most condemning broken promise of them all – earlier this month, the Obama Administration finally acknowledged that the new health care law would force some 87 million Americans to drop their current coverage.  The president’s repeated promise of “if you like it, you can keep it” was yet another one to be broken.

All of these broken promises lead to a frightening question: What’s next?  It seems each day we learn something new about this law.  When the speaker promised that the American public would “find out what was in” the health care legislation when we passed it, I don’t think that many of them expected that to be only promise about health care that hasn’t been broken.

Watching the hearings yesterday and today, one thing has become very clear.  Ms. Kagan’s lack of experience as a judge not only calls into question her qualifications to serve on the Supreme Court, but also leaves a large question mark hanging over her stance on some very controversial issues facing the court today, including gun rights, abortion rights, and the whether activist judges should be allowed to legislate from the bench.  There is much to learn about Ms. Kagan, and hopefully the Senate Judiciary Committee – including Oklahoma’s own Senator Tom Coburn – will be able to get viable and substantive answers from Ms. Kagan during this process.  I will continue to monitor these hearings as they progress.

Because of my strong belief that the United States must swiftly and effectively terminate Iran’s program to build nuclear weapons, today I will support the Conference Report for H.R. 2194, the Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act.  If signed into law, the legislation would establish strict repercussions for the nation of Iran should they choose to continue their pursuit of nuclear weapons or any other proliferation activities, and also imposes these repercussions any other country, company, or entity that chooses to support or assist them.  The dangerous activities of the government of Iran must be stopped and these sanctions are a first step towards ensuring that Americans remain safe at home and abroad.

But my support for this legislation comes with a stipulation.  The Conference Committee added at least seven separate waivers that that would effectively allow the Obama administration to waive almost every sanction and punitive measure within the bill.  I therefore strongly encourage President Obama to fully implement all sanctions within this legislation – without granting any waivers.  The United States must stand firm in their stance that the fanatical regime of Iran cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, plain and simple.  Any waver of this stance on the president’s part could threaten the security of every American.  We have seen the damage that can be done by terrorists who go unchecked – and we can never allow that to happen again.

Even more troubling, if President Obama’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2011 is followed, it would add an additional $1.3 trillion to our debt by September 30, 2011.  This would increase our total national debt to $14.3 trillion – roughly equal to the size of our nation’s entire economy.  Once we reach the point where we owe as much or more than we are able to earn in one year, the United States could fall into some of the same problems we are seeing now in Greece, Portugal, and Spain.

This leads to one very clear, very simple fact: we must learn to live within our means or else we will find ourselves drowning in red ink.

The good news is I truly believe that if we can get a grip on spending in Washington, we can maintain prosperity for future generations.  The first step is to put a stop to the ridiculous idea that spending borrowed government money will somehow grow our economy.  It’s simply not true.  If a $700 billion bailout and a $800 billion so-called stimulus package can’t pull results in even higher unemployment and a stagnant economy, then we should all be able to agree it just did not work.  Instead, we should focus on growing private sector jobs through tax cuts for small businesses and incentives to companies for new hires.  These have proven time and time again to result in real, long-term success.

Next, we need leaders in Washington to come up with real solutions for dealing with our very serious spending problem.  Covering your eyes while you write a rubber check and pretending it won’t bounce can no longer be an option.   This won’t be easy and will require a lot of willpower and willingness to rethink the way our federal government operates.  But I know that if my colleagues and I in Washington will just roll up our sleeves and get to work, we can really make a difference. 

For more information on Congressman Frank Lucas, visit his website at www.house.gov/lucas.

The Democratic leadership in Congress and President Obama’s administration have repeatedly failed to listen to the will of the American people.  Between the incredibly unpopular government run health care law, the job killing cap-and-tax legislation, or the multiple taxpayer funded bailouts, the American people have had enough and deserve to have their voices heard.  America Speaking Out will allow just that – an opportunity for every American to share their ideas, express their opinions, and actually be heard by their members of Congress.

In order to reach the largest number of people possible, House Republicans set up an America Speaking Out website.  There, you can post comments on proposed policies, interact with other people across the nation, and share new ideas – no matter your political affiliation.  These ideas and information will be incorporated with the Republican principles of smaller federal government, lower taxes, more government accountability, and family values to create a real plan to get our country back on the right path and restore the broken bonds of trust between the American people and their elected leaders – a bond that has become broken during this Congress.

In my 50 annual town hall meetings, many of you have told me that you agree with my votes against the government takeover of health care, cap-and-tax, and the countless government bailouts, but ask me what my Republican colleagues stand for – not just against.  America Speaking Out gives you a chance to let me and my colleagues know how you think we can best help you and your fellow Americans and to incorporate those ideas and opinions into a set of real solutions that will create a change that Americans actually want.

To join in the nationwide effort, you can visit www.AmericaSpeakingOut.com.  I would like to encourage every Oklahoman – no matter you political affiliation – to visit America Speaking Out and let your voices be heard.  This is your government, so we need your input to make it work for you.

Although we have heard many excuses as to why Speaker Pelosi and her more than 30 seat majority in the House would choose not to allow a vote on a budget for fiscal year 2011, it comes down to the fact that they no longer have the political will or even the necessary votes to actually pass a budget.  President Obama’s budget proposal weighed in at an estimated $3.8 trillion – the largest in American history.  If Speaker Pelosi went through a full budget process, she would have to explain to the American people why the federal government continues to spend money it doesn’t have – and even with a 37 seat majority in the House of Representatives, she knows that is a pitch she cannot successfully make. 

Instead, she has decided to bypass the budget process, limiting member of Congress’ opportunity to be heard on spending priorities in an open debate on the House floor.  With no budget in place, as the speaker of the House, Ms. Pelosi will be able to determine how the money is appropriated – getting rid of that pesky problem she had of trying to explain unprecedented spending levels to the American people. 

And I am pretty certain that, while her priorities might be in line with the people of her San Francisco congressional district, they certainly do not match the priorities of the majority of Americans.  Whether it’s a massive tax on energy, a government takeover of our health care system, or yet another billion dollar bailout, the American people have made it quite clear over the last year that Speaker Pelosi does not speak for them.

Once again, the Democratic leadership is bypassing regular order in an effort to push their unpopular agenda through Congress.  At a time when federal spending is out of control and our national debt continues to climb at an astronomical pace, it is incredibly irresponsible not to create a spending blueprint.  Budgeting and appropriating federal money is an important responsibility of Congress, and the Democratic leadership is not following through with their responsibilities. 

But you don’t just have to believe me.  Congressman John Spratt (D-SC), the chairman of the House Budget Committee, stated in 2006, “If you can’t budget, you can’t govern.”  Very aptly put Chairman Spratt.  I hope you plan to stick to those words this year and fight to ensure that a budget is drafted, voted on, and followed for the FY11 year.