Letter from Lungren - Mission: Never forget the fallen

Several months ago a member of my staff was picking someone up at Sacramento International Airport and noticed a flag-bearing group of veterans aligned at the base of an escalator at Terminal A.
It was February in the middle of a dreary patch of weather but the flag line brought smiles and even a few tears of pride to those invited and those who had just happened by.
The vets were poised and at attention awaiting an order from their leader.  A family – spouse, children and in-laws – was gathered nearby with easily-read looks of anticipation, beaming with Category 5 smiles.

Lungren Statement On National Debt Reaching $16 Trillion

Congressman Dan Lungren (R-Gold River) issued the following statement in response to the U.S. national debt surpassing $16 trillion for the first time in American history.

“The debt of the United States is now $16 trillion. We have reached a milestone that everyone should take very seriously because of its lasting effect on the future of our country. There is really no way to sugar coat the problem we face.  This level of debt is a burden to our economy, is a threat to our national security, and will seriously alter the livelihood of future generations of Americans. We are currently borrowing nearly 40 cents on the dollar and sending the bill to our children and grandchildren- everyone’s share of the national debt is $50,908.   We have borrowed and spent money we do not have and the level of debt will continue to rise unless we chart a new fiscal course.  Enacting  commonsense reforms that address the drivers of this colossal debt needs to be our main priority if we are to strengthen our economy today and save the American dream for the next generation.”

Letter from Lungren re: District Recap

Last week in Carmichael was No. 65.
That is how many times I have scheduled and completed live Town Halls since I returned to Congress in 2005.

Lungren letter re:medi-care

I have good news and better news and I enjoy sharing it at my Town Halls and during my visits with businesses and community groups.
We do not have to sit idly by in some budget-less vacuum and watch our economy and future drive off a fiscal cliff.  We do not have to put on blinders so we can avoid witnessing Medicare’s slow and needless death on the installment plan.

Letter from Lungren re:District Work Period

I am always delighted to come back home in August for the most extended District Work Period on the Congressional Calendar.  Well, yes, some in the Media like to cast this 4 to 5-week period as a “vacation” or “recess.”  But my staff will be among the first to tell you that August is one of the busiest months of the year for us.

Letter from Lungren re:fiscal cliff update

A couple weeks ago we talked about the “fiscal cliff” our country faces on January 1, 2013 when the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts expire.  The Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) estimates that the cliff will cost taxpayers $384 billion in 2013 alone and more than $4 trillion over the next decade.  In addition to the tax rate for each income bracket increasing, the marriage penalty would be reinstated, the child credit cut in half, the death tax would balloon to 55 percent, and your savings and investments would face as much as double the current tax rate.  Read more about the breakdown of the tax increases looming ahead here on the House Ways and Means Committee website. 

Letter from Lungren re:Energy Solution to Nation's Needs

California consistently sees the highest gas prices in the nation and gas prices nationwide continue to trend upward.  In January 2009, the average gallon of gasoline cost $1.67.  Today the same gallon will cost the average American more than double its value less than four years ago: $3.44.  And that is still a deal compared to the $3.81 we are paying in California!  In case you’ve forgotten the days when we paid $1 for a gallon – this dramatic increase is not a pattern the United States has experienced.  Eight years ago in January, a gallon of gasoline was $1.75, 12 years ago it was $1.38, and 16 years ago it was $1.22. 

Letter from Lungren re;Fiscal Cliff Ahead

There are just six weeks of session scheduled for the House before the lame duck session begins.  And while the House has passed a number of jobs bills (which you can follow online at http://majorityleader.gov/JobsTracker/), a responsible budget, and reauthorizations otherwise scheduled to expire, a lot of work remains to be done.  First among them will be tackling what has been dubbed the “fiscal cliff” of January 1, 2013.

Repealing the President's Health Care Law from Dan Lungren

Our nation’s health care system is broken in many ways.  The status quo on access to health care in this country is unacceptable.  Unfortunately, the President’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) only worsens our nation’s health care system.
First, the PPACA employer mandate likely will cause millions of Americans to lose their private insurance plans because many employers are making the calculation that it will be cheaper to dump their employees into the new health care exchanges.  This is not the patient choice promised under the President’s health care plan.

Dan Lungren statement on health care decision by Supreme Court

While the U.S. Supreme Court today found the individual mandate of the President’s health care plan unconstitutional under the commerce clause and the necessary and proper clause, the court has upheld the individual mandate and the rest of the health care law under Congress’ taxing power.
This is very disappointing.  Ironically, Congressional Democrats told the American people that the individual mandate was not a tax.  In September 2009, when George Stephanopoulos asked President Obama himself on ABC News whether the President rejects the notion that the individual mandate is a tax increase, the President responded: “I absolutely reject that notion.” 

Letter from Lungren re: job creation

Last week literally hundreds of you paid me a visit in Washington D.C. during our annual “Cap to Cap” get-together. High on the list of needs expressed by the Sacramento business and government delegations was getting help in the areas of job creation and boosting our economy.
Those requests define what have been my priorities for the past several years – and what remain my main goals for the future. 

Letter from Lungren - Job creation from 'Cap to Cap'

Job creation for our region has been my highest priority since day one.  Keeping in touch with the struggles and progress the entrepreneurs, small business owners and job seekers in the Sacramento area face and make is a crucial aspect of focusing Congress’ attention on encouraging a sustainable economic recovery.
 
I visit with these individuals every chance I get when home in California, but each year I look forward to April when 300 leaders from Sacramento’s business, labor and government sectors come to Washington, D.C. to meet with the capital region delegation about local needs.  This “Cap to Cap” trip gives regional stakeholders a chance to bring our community’s needs directly to Washington where they can see the federal landscape.

Letter from Lungren re: Protecting Americans from ID Theft

Those spam e-mails about “cheap Rolex watches” and more sophisticated phishing attempts by cybercriminals make up a $50 billion identity theft business.  Buyers, sellers, intermediaries and service providers offering to change billing addresses for stolen identities trade online in a highly structured cybercrime.  Additionally, cyberthieves rob Americans of their intellectual property, costing U.S. jobs and jeopardizing our economic future.
We are also seeing growth of cyberwarfare.  With the 2004 terrorist attacks in Madrid and the rise of improvised explosive devices (IED) in Iraq and Afghanistan, we have seen terrorists use cell phones, garage door openers and other remotely controlled electronic devices to detonate bombs.  Our enemies are using new weapons against us and we need to be prepared against more sophisticated cyberattacks.  

Letter from Lungren re:jobs, healthcare, budget and more

After unveiling of the House Budget Committee’s proposal for 2013, this week the House finished consideration of the budget.  However, that’s not the only thing going on in Congress.  Here’s a quick update on some of the major business before the House.
Transportation
The transportation reauthorization, which uses funds collected by the gasoline tax, authorized federal transportation programs through March 31, 2012.  Due to delays, the long-term reauthorization has not been completed.  Therefore, this week we voted on a short-term extension which would keep these transit projects funded until a full authorization can be made.  Although this extension would allow Congress time to implement full authorization, it may complicate the budgets of transportation programs which will not be able to expect funds more than a few months at a time.  However the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure proceeds, Congress must not let the authorization lapse or jeopardize these transportation programs.

Your Country, Your Future, Your Choice - Letter from Dan Lungren

When the Administration released its budget proposal for 2013, it unfortunately repeated a story that has grown old – one of increasing deficits, growing debt, and rising doubt.  In contrast, this week the House Budget Committee released its own proposal which presents the American people with a clear choice between two futures: a future of greater opportunity and prosperity or of more debt, doubt and decline.

Letter from Lungren re: town halls meetings

Just as the welcome rains fell over the Sacramento Region this week, I welcomed fresh input from you all during my travels around The District as I prepared to head back to Congress and represent you.

It is good we are able to have honest conversations about the issues that we agree or even disagree about.

At the beautiful Citrus Heights Community Center Tuesday during our recent Town Hall, nearly two dozen of you made your way to the microphone to make a statement, offer a suggestion or simply ask a question. It is obvious all of you wish to make our country and community better.

Lungren Town Hall meeting 3-17-12

Angels Camp

March 17, 2012, 10:30am to 12:00pm

Calaveras County Fair Grounds

Frogeteria Room

101 Frogtown Rd.

Angels Camp, CA 95222

Lungren votes for a pro-growth jobs bill

Today Congressman Dan Lungren (R-Gold River, CA) voted to increase the growth of startups and small businesses, increase capital formation,  and pave the way for more small-scale businesses to go public and create new jobs.
The bi-partisan JOBS (Jumpstart Our Business Startups) Act – H.R 3606, passed the house by a vote of 390 - 23.
Congressman Lungren released the following statement after the vote:
“Americans need jobs and today’s passage of the JOBS Act will help accomplish this goal. Small businesses are the risk takers that drive job creation across America and I voted to give them the tools they need to succeed.
 “I was pleased to hear the President himself supported this legislation along with  the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Bankers Association, the Financial Services Forum, the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, Independent Community Bankers of America, SecondMarket and SIFMA.
“This common sense legislation will remove Washington red tape and help small business prosper - not stand in their way. The JOBS Act specifically addresses the following;

Letter from Lungren re:the Jobs Act

Here it is: the jobs bill that the President asked for in his recent State of the Union address.  Promising to sign such a bill, the President asked that Congress send him a jobs bill that helps small businesses and entrepreneurs succeed.  Our bipartisan JOBS Act - Jumpstart our Business Startups Act - does exactly that.
Small businesses account for 66 percent of new jobs.¹  And in our own area, 87.6 percent of businesses employ fewer than 20 people.²  In recognition of the fact that any sustainable and robust economic recovery will mean a reinvigoration of our small businesses and entrepreneurs, our JOBS Act is targeted to increase capital formation, spur the growth of startups and small businesses, and pave the way for more small scale businesses to go public and create more jobs.

Lungren to hold Town Hall meeting in Angels Camp

Angels Camp

March 17, 2012, 10:30am to 12:00pm

Calaveras County Fair Grounds

Frogeteria Room

101 Frogtown Rd.

Angels Camp, CA 95222