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    • Energy & Environment

      Energy and Environment

      Our nation’s current energy policies pose economic, national security and environmental threats. Yet, as we've seen in Tennessee, new ideas can create economic opportunities and thousands of jobs.

      For too long, our nation has been dependent on foreign oil. This addiction costs us billions of dollars every year and puts our troops in harm’s way. Instead of sending money overseas to unfriendly regimes, I believe we can find new, clean solutions for the twenty-first century.

      Moreover, protecting the environment is a duty we owe our children and grandchildren. I am proud to have one of the strongest environmental records in Congress. I have consistently received 100% ratings from groups such as the League of Conservation Voters and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy. I also helped write the first “cap and trade” plan in 1990 to reduce acid rain. This plan has been so successful it served as the model for our current action on climate change.  

      Recently, I supported the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. This bill sets limits for the first time on the greenhouse gas emissions that pose such serious risks to future generations. Though not perfect, I believe this bill is an important first step away from foreign oil and towards the clean energy solutions that can create thousands of jobs in Tennessee. To learn more about the American Clean Energy and Security Act, click here: http://globalwarming.house.gov/files/WEB/ACESPacket/ACESCleanEnergyPlan.pdf

       

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    • Budget & Economy

      Ensuring that we leave future generations a growing economy and sustainable federal budget are among the most important legacies that this generation can pass along.  But these are by no means given.  The national debt took a major hit in the last eight years, doubling from 2000 to 2008.  If allowed to continue on its projected course, the United States economy could be ruined beyond repair.  We must act soon to avoid such a fiscal catastrophe.  That is why I have made reducing the deficit my priority while representing you in Congress.  In fact, my colleagues call me everything from “Mr. Fiscal Responsibility” to “Dr. Doom” because I am such a fierce advocate for balanced and honest federal budgeting. 

      I have used my seats on the Budget Committee and in the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition to advocate for making the hard choices that lead to balanced budgets: cutting spending, closing tax loopholes, and being upfront with taxpayers about how the federal government spends their money.  In Fiscal Year 2008, I introduced my own alternative Budget as a substitute amendment to the House Budget Resolution.  By outlining the difficult path from deficit to surplus, it earned praise from budget experts from both parties as the most serious effort put forward at the time.

      There are times, however, when deficit spending is necessary to revitalize a lagging economy.  That is why I ultimately supported the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to stop the steepest economic downturn in generations.  Though the Recovery Act will produce a large deficit, its long-term benefits to the economy will be justified if we are able to bring these deficits under control in the coming years.

      Controlling the federal deficit is extremely difficult.  It takes both strong leadership and strong tools.  That is why I support efforts to reestablish the statutory pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) rules that led to budget surpluses in the 1990s, and have helped lead the fight to curb our long-term budget imbalance by introducing the SAFE Commission Act. We cannot get our budget problems under control until we can fully measure them.  That is why I had the Financial Report published and put in bookstores across America and have focused much of my attention in Congress to bringing this issue to light.

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