Congressman Gibbs sits on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. Gibbs was chosen to chair the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, a subcommittee of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that conducts oversight of the federal regulation of clean water, from 2011 until 2017. He is currently Ranking Member of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee.
America is the breadbasket of the world. 2021 was a record year for American agriculture exports. Ohio has consistently been in the top ten states for exporting soybeans and corn and that is only possible thanks to the hard work of our state’s agriculture community.
I spent decades farming, which provided me the perspective of how federal policies affect farmers at the local level. Beginning as a farmer then as a president of Ohio Farm Bureau, I have been fighting for agriculture, private property rights, and responsible regulations for decades.
I have been at the forefront of the regulatory battle known as Waters of the United States and supported the trade deal between the United States, Mexico, and Canada which increased access to Canadian and Mexican markets for American dairy and poultry producers.
In the 117th Congress, I support legislation that prevents state and local government from interfering with interstate agriculture commerce by imposing non-tariff barriers. I also opposed efforts by the Biden administration to reverse the Navigable Waters Rule, which provided clarity and certainty to the agriculture community on water rights after years of ambiguity under the Obama administration. I also successfully fought to remove a tax proposal from President Biden’s socialist spending bill that would have hurt the ability of family farms to pass their operation down to the next generation of farmers.
One of Congress’ primary responsibilities as an equal branch of government is oversight of the executive branch. As a member of the Committee on Oversight and Reform, I believe we should be examining everything from waste, fraud, and abuse to the ethical challenges of members of the executive branch, including members of the President’s family. Outrageously, the current Democratic majority has turned a blind eye to Hunter Biden’s corruption, the administration’s inability to secure the border, the policies and decisions that led to the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, the classification of parents concerned about their children’s education as terrorists, and many more serious breaches of American trust perpetrated by the Biden administration. Instead, they are more concerned with relitigating the past and settling political scores and vendettas against the previous administration.
I have worked with my Republican colleagues on Oversight to shine a light on the current administration’s malfeasance and incompetence. My colleagues and I will continue to ask the tough questions, demand answers, and uncover any wrongdoing by officials in the Biden administration.
Protecting our nation and securing the safety of its citizens is the primary function of the federal government. As a stabilizing force for the globe, the United States military needs the best equipment, training, and troop pay in the world. China is a rising threat in the Pacific, and Russia looms large over Ukraine and Eastern Europe. Our adversaries’ threats are not limited to actions on Earth.
I supported the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2022 that authorizes a 2.7% pay raise for servicemembers, reverses reckless cuts to defense spending, and prohibits the Defense Department from dishonorably discharging servicemembers who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine.
I pressed my concerns over Russian anti-satellite tests that threatened the International Space Station. The test is a harbinger of space-based military conflicts, and I am working to ensure the Defense Department is ready to protect American space-based assets. Too much of our national and economic security depends on those assets and the military must be prepared to protect them.
After the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, our economy was booming. Millions of Americans were seeing pay increases and finding new opportunities. Unemployment was at record lows for women, African Americans, and Hispanics. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act lowered rates, increased the Child Tax Credit to help families with the costs of raising children, doubled the standard deduction so middle-class Americans can keep more of their paycheck, and reduced the tax burden on small businesses to help spur job growth.
The typical family of 4 earning $73,000 were estimated to see a 58% tax cut, paying $2,059 LESS in taxes for 2018. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act also repealed Obamacare’s unpopular and harmful individual mandate, which taxed you for not having health insurance.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I supported the CARES Act which created the Paycheck Protection Program that helped small businesses stay in business when government edicts forced them to close their doors.
Now that the pandemic is subsiding, it’s time for Americans to get back to work. I cosponsored legislation that expands Pell Grant eligibility for in-demand certificate programs so that we have enough skilled workers for jobs that don’t require a four-year degree. I also fought back against government overreach that would treat franchised small business as large employers.
I also cosponsored legislation that requires states to restore work search requirements to continue receiving federal unemployment benefits and has introduced legislation to stop President Biden’s unconstitutional vaccine mandate on American employers.
Concerned parents are not domestic terrorists. Parents should be the decision-makers in their children’s curriculum, not federal bureaucrats. I support legislation to keep divisive programs like Critical Race Theory out of our public classrooms and military academies. I cosponsored the CRT Transparency Act, which requires school districts to publicly post their curriculum online so parents can see what their children are being taught. Additionally, I supported parents’ rights by cosponsoring a bill that allows parents to seek alternative educational options if their school district is enforcing a mask mandate for students. I have worked with my Republican colleagues on the Oversight Committee to investigate the Department of Justice’s reprehensible decision to consider parents concerned about their children’s education domestic terrorists.
Our nation’s universities have helped form the greatest minds and fostered incredible innovations and inventions. That is why I cosponsored legislation to limit the influence the Communist Chinese government has on college campuses through their Confucius Institutes. We cannot allow any undue foreign influence in one of our most important institutions.
I oppose Congressional Democrats’ efforts to impose a blanket forgiveness on federal student loans.
America is blessed with an abundant supply of natural resources that can help reduce our reliance on OPEC and other nations we would not consider allies. Under the Trump administration and with a Republican Congress, we made great strides in securing North American energy independence. Our energy renaissance was so great, we began exporting oil and natural gas.
Unfortunately, under the Biden administration, that renaissance has come to a screeching halt. I support legislation to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline, which President Biden canceled. I cosponsored a bill that prohibits the President from stopping hydraulic fracturing on public lands without Congress’ approval and wrote to President Biden urging for an “all-of-the-above” national energy policy that does not ignore America’s abundance of resources.
In 2021, I opposed legislation that gave more handouts and provided subsidies for wind and solar energy projects and forced the private sector to compete with government by funding billions in tax dollars to build electric vehicle charging stations.
President Reagan once said, “America is a shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere.” We owe it to future generations of Americans and those who wish to come here (legally) to promote democracy and defend ourselves and our allies from aggressors.
I have opposed the Obama-Biden Iran Nuclear Deal since day one, and believes a nuclear Iran is the greatest threat to our allies in the Middle East. Israel has every right to defend itself, yet the Obama and Biden administrations have turned their backs on the lone democracy in the region.
I was appalled by the Biden administration’s disastrous Afghanistan policy and the humanitarian crisis it created. I supported several resolutions condemning the manner with which the Biden administration withdrew from the country, and I introduced articles of impeachment against President Biden for the same reason.
For decades, Washington has had a spending problem. No matter how much tax revenue the IRS collects, the bureaucrats spend more. This year, President Biden and Congressional Democrats have spent trillions in extra spending, which has done nothing but fan the flames of inflation, which effectively gave every American a $3,500 pay cut.
Though the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic was an extraordinary and unprecedented situation, it is long past time to wind down the massive spending, return government operations to normal and turn off the spigot of “free” money.
I have consistently advocated for a balanced budget that ensures Washington does not spend more than it brings in.
After the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, our economy was booming. Millions of Americans were seeing pay increases and finding new opportunities. Unemployment was at record lows for women, African Americans, and Hispanics. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act lowered rates, increased the Child Tax Credit to help families with the costs of raising children, doubled the standard deduction so middle-class Americans can keep more of their paycheck, and reduced the tax burden on small businesses to help spur job growth.
The typical family of 4 earning $73,000 were estimated to see a 58% tax cut, paying $2,059 LESS in taxes for 2018. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act also repealed Obamacare’s unpopular and harmful individual mandate, which taxed you for not having health insurance.
President Biden’s agenda will raise taxes on middle- and working-class families, which is one of the many reasons I staunchly oppose it.
I have always said if you want more of something, tax it less and if you want less of something, tax it more. President Biden and Congressional Democrats either don’t understand or don’t care that raising corporate taxes costs consumers money, not the business. Our economy depends on a stable, fair, and simple tax code that encourages growth and innovation, and works for American families.
COVID-19 was a shock to our system and in the first weeks and few months of the pandemic, there was much uncertainty. But there was one thing we knew we had to do: Get started on vaccine research immediately.
Part of the bipartisan response to the COVID-19 pandemic provided federal funding for Operation Warp Speed, which partnered with the private sector to speed up vaccine research and trials so we can put this pandemic behind us. The unprecedented success of Operation Warp Speed created several highly effective COVID-19 vaccines in record time. As a result of the Trump administration’s efforts to create a vaccine, countless lives have been saved as the worst effects of COVID-19 are lessened in those who are vaccinated.
As important as these vaccines are in helping us move beyond the pandemic, I don’t believe the federal government has a right to mandate anyone get the COVID-19 vaccine. I have supported countless efforts opposing federal vaccine mandates for businesses, for healthcare facilities receiving Medicare or Medicaid funding, and for federal workers. I introduced a resolution opposing the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s proposed vaccine mandate on businesses.
The only people who should be making your healthcare decisions are you and your doctor. Washington bureaucrats have no business getting between you and the care you need. More government intrusion into healthcare will only increase costs, as we have seen since the implementation of the disastrous Obamacare legislation. I helped repeal Obamacare’s medical device tax that would have ended America’s status as the global leader in medical innovation.
I also believe in the sanctity of life, that we have a moral obligation to protect the most vulnerable: the unborn. I firmly believe not one penny of federal dollars should be used for abortion services, either here in the United States or abroad. I support the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act which would prevent the abortion of an unborn child at 20 weeks, when modern medicine says is when they are capable of feeling pain.
I believe a secure and prosperous nation requires a secure border. I support efforts to finish construction of the border wall started by the Trump administration. In a visit to the border in January 2021, I saw the situation on the border for what it is: a national security, humanitarian, and economic crisis that is making America less safe and threatening the lives of children shuttled across the border by Mexican cartels.
President Biden has failed his duties to protect the nation and secure the border. I introduced articles of impeachment against the President for his dereliction of duty. We must keep our nation and its borders strong and secure.
I vehemently oppose efforts by the radical left to dismantle Immigration and Customs Enforcement. I cosponsored a resolution voicing support for our nation’s Border Patrol agents, who were smeared by the press and even the President himself during the summer of 2021.
While every American is subject to the Biden administration’s COVID-19 restrictions, people apprehended crossing the border illegally are let go in the country without a COVID test or vaccine. It is an injustice that illegal immigrants are treated better than American citizens by their own government.
Our nation’s transportation network of roads, bridges, rail, and airports serve as the backbone of our economy. Taking a broad view of our national infrastructure is incredibly important. It highlights the reality that Americans don’t just rely on safe roads. Twenty-first century infrastructure is comprised of a network of surface transportation, water utilities, the nation’s energy grid and internet connectivity, among other systems.
Too often, “infrastructure plans” are a pile of federal dollars funneled into projects erroneously deemed “shovel ready” with the average taxpayer rarely seeing benefits. For example, corrupt companies like Solyndra received huge federal loans from the Obama stimulus, then defaulted on the loans and folded, leaving taxpayers on the hook.
If we are to focus our efforts on rebuilding American infrastructure, simply spending taxpayer dollars is not the answer. We have to encourage private sector investment and eliminate the unnecessary regulatory barriers that give the private sector pause when considering large projects that require permits.
I worked with the Trump administration to reduce regulatory burdens and make it easier for state and local governments to start and finish important projects without federal bureaucrats making it more difficult or more costly than it needs to be.
Unfortunately, the Biden administration is attempting to undo many of these regulatory relief efforts. I cosponsored legislation to stop the Biden administration’s efforts.
One of the greatest responsibilities this country has is to ensure our members of the military are cared for while on active duty but also during their retirement. Our military retirees gave a career of service to their country, risked their lives in combat and separation from their families. Because of their great sacrifice for our country, we should not go back on our promises for their honorable service. As your Member of Congress, I will always work to make certain our veterans receive the greatest possible care.
I introduced legislation that provides veterans more time to notify the Department of Veterans Affairs if they are admitted to and are receiving emergency care at a non-VA facility, and cosponsored legislation to ensure no current service member loses their VA benefits if they choose not to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Serving in the military creates a special bond, even among those who never served together. There is no one who understands the struggles veterans can go through more than a fellow veteran. That is why I cosponsored the Supporting Every at-Risk Veteran In Critical Emergencies Act which would provide grants for local law enforcement to create veteran response teams for veterans with mental health and drug addiction emergencies.
America is built on the backs of our small businesses. We need common-sense regulations that ensure the viability of our private sector while also maintaining necessary consumer protections. As your Congressman I will work to repeal over-burdensome laws and implements rules that will provide stability and confidence to our business sector.
Washington has a serious spending problem. For too long, Americans have been overtaxed and the government has overspent, resulting in a massive national debt of more than $16 trillion. The problem is not a lack of taxation. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), since 1962, per-capita taxation has increased by 87% when accounting for inflation and population growth. As for spending, over the same time period, per-capita spending out of Washington has increased by nearly three-fold. In other words, even though the federal government has 87% more revenue, under President Obama, Washington has spent $1.56 for every $1.00 available. This massive growth of government is unsustainable, and frankly, irresponsible. For the future of our children and grandchildren, the spending must be reduced and the debt must be paid off. That is why I have consistently voted to reduce wasteful and unnecessary government spending, as well as supported common sense legislation like the Balanced Budget Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
Americans agree: the federal tax code is broken. Filing your taxes is too complicated, too time-consuming, and too costly. Our nation is in desperate need for fundamental tax reform to broaden the base of taxpayers, eliminate special interest tax credits, and lower the tax rate for individuals and businesses alike. Tax reform can immediately boost job creation and competitiveness, since our current system penalizes companies who want to invest in America through double-taxation. Furthermore, businesses are faced with one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world, resulting in fewer jobs for American workers.