Brad Wenstrup was elected in 2012 to represent the people of Ohio's Second Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. He brings experience as a doctor, Army Reserve officer, Iraq War veteran, and small business owner to help Congress tackle the economic and security challenges facing the nation.
In the 117th Congress, Brad serves on the House Committee on Ways and Means and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He previously spent six years on the Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. As a member on the Ways and Means and Intelligence Committees, Brad is working to address the national health and systemic poverty issues, while strengthening our national security. He has long been a voice of support for southern Ohio's veteran community. He also serves as a Co-Chair of the GOP Doctors Caucus.
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No one knows agriculture issues better than the farmers who are working their fields every day, and I always enjoy visiting and learning from southern and southwest Ohio’s agricultural leaders. Farmers are America’s original small business owners, and their legacy of hard work remains fundamental to the strength of our nation. Our district is rich in natural resources and agriculture is an important part of Ohio’s economy. Corn, soybeans, wheat, and cattle are just a few of our agricultural assets. We need to level the playing field for agriculture so our farmers can better compete and prosper in the global marketplace. We must also get the government out of the way by keeping taxes and regulations low, allowing farmers to do what they do best without interference from Washington. |
Irresponsible spending and borrowing has been a fact of Congress for the last generation. Now, America faces a debt crisis that threatens our security and prosperity, driven by mandatory spending that is on autopilot towards steeper deficits. Because of this growing debt, we are spending hundreds of billions on interest payments every year – dollars that could and should be going toward actual functions of government rather than our creditors.
We must make spending reforms now to ensure a stronger, better America for tomorrow’s generations. Modernizing our mandatory spending programs will adapt them to better serve Americans in the 21st Century and minimize the debt burden we hand to our children. When it comes to the spending that Congress does vote on every year, we must ensure that balancing our budget is as important a priority as the programs that ask for more funding year after year.
Our district is rich in military families and veterans. Article One, Section Eight of the Constitution grants Congress the authority to declare war, raise and support armies, provide for a navy, and establish the rules for the operation of American military forces. As a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve, and a combat veteran, providing for the common defense is a responsibility I take very seriously. I was honored to have previously served on the House Armed Services Committee, the committee with jurisdiction over the U.S. military and national security.
We must ensure that our troops have the resources they need to fulfill their mission and defend the homeland. Misguided spending cuts have the real potential to reduce the readiness of our forces, lead to training deaths, and leave us unprepared to defeat future threats.
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Providing a first-rate education for America's children is one of our greatest responsibilities and is essential to creating the educated, productive, and innovative workforce that will shape our economy. Students, parents, local school boards, states, and the federal government must work together in order to ensure our children receive the best education possible. To achieve this end, I support efforts to ensure states and local school districts have greater flexibility to pursue the programs and initiatives that best suit their unique needs. |
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Our nation should be guided by an “all-of-the-above” energy policy that maximizes our resources and promises safe, secure, and affordable American energy. Our energy policy should meet the twin goals of reducing pollution and promoting a healthy environment, while also enabling our economy to thrive and keeping costs low for American consumers. These priorities are not mutually exclusive, and I believe we should strive to meet them together. I support policies that avoid artificial government restrictions and expand access to all forms of American-made energy, which will create jobs and reduce energy costs. This must be a primary goal as we work to improve our nation’s energy infrastructure. Reducing regulation and encouraging innovation will lead our nation toward a brighter energy future. Ohio has a leading role to play in this future, and I will continue working to ensure we bring down costs for consumers, create good paying jobs, and safeguard access to American energy. |
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As Ronald Reagan often cited, the United States of America is a shining city upon a hill in the world. After defeating fascism in WWII, America led the way in establishing rules and norms that have created 70 years of growth and protected against another world war. It is up to American leadership to continue to lead on the values we know are important for human flourishing like free markets and freedom of expression. As the world grows closer together through technology and trade, new threats are emerging. Countries like Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, along with non-state actors, all threaten to destabilize the post-Cold War order. We, in collaboration with our allies, must not shrink away from answering the new threats we face in the 21st Century. The alternative is to cede global leadership to causes that are antithetical to our American values, and that is unacceptable. |
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Health care is a personal issue to each and every Ohioan. When the government gets involved, it’s hard to maintain the decision-making between patients and their doctor. By handing power over health care decisions to federal bureaucrats, we stifle innovation, undermine our individual liberty, and introduce perverse incentives into the health care system. As a doctor who served patients for over 26 years, I know that America’s health care system is broken, where people are facing higher premiums and higher deductibles. We need a health care system that keeps the government out of the doctor’s office, protects the doctor-patient relationship, fosters competition and transparency, and increases health care choices. |
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The key to a strong economy is a free market system that values the contributions of every American worker. We unlock this growth with lower taxes, innovation, reduced red tape, and empowered consumers. A light regulatory structure – one where businesses and consumers have the freedom and flexibility to operate, innovate, and make real decisions – is essential to reaching this goal and moving our economy forward. We must ensure the regulations we have are necessary, efficient, and enable growth. We must also take steps to empower Ohioans to work. Addressing the “skills gap” facing our country is essential to unlocking continued economic advancements. This includes giving our states and local agencies the flexibility to address their region’s unique employment needs, and the resources to equip those currently on the sidelines for entry into the workforce. Ohioans want to work, and America needs a 21st century workforce equipped to build and grow our 21st economy. |
Families are the building block of our society, and where our next generation grows into the world. A stable and healthy home life is critical to children going on to lead successful and productive lives. That home life starts with parents, and we must empower families, the support systems provided to them, and the communities in which they live to raise their children.
I firmly believe that all human life is sacred and should be protected at every stage, and I am working to advance the cause for life in Congress. I agree with the Founding Fathers, who correctly placed life first among the list of rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence, and I will continue to serve as a strong and active advocate to protect the rights of the unborn and the most vulnerable in our society.
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As a gun owner and active member of the U.S. Army Reserve, I approach our Second Amendment rights with a deep respect for firearms. Millions of Americans safely and routinely own and use firearms for hunting, sport, and self-protection. This includes many residents of southern and southwest Ohio, and many of our friends and neighbors. Our founders enumerated firearm ownership as a right alongside the right to free speech and the right to a fair trial in the original Bill of Rights. As witness to a mass shooting, I know there are legislative steps we can take to make mass-casualty shootings even rarer, including examining how we identify, diagnose, and treat mental illness; promoting strong family structures; and addressing the root causes of violence. I believe that these efforts, especially in regard to gun ownership, will have a more positive and dramatic effect and will lead to increased safety for all Americans. I have serious concerns that broad attempts to limit the use and sale of firearms for legitimate purposes, such as hunting and self-defense, would not only limit the rights of law-abiding Americans, but would also not solve the problem of gun violence in our nation. As we explore potential policy solutions, we must not forget nor minimize the Second Amendment, which states, "...the right to bear arms shall not be infringed." |
Social Security and Medicare are known as entitlement programs because our seniors have earned the benefits after a lifetime of work and contribution.
We need to maintain a strong and viable Social Security and Medicare program for our seniors. I know that our nation’s seniors rely on the promises that were made to them for their future health care and retirement security. For far too long, politicians have failed to be honest about the fiscal state of Medicare and Social Security, and this false sense of security is putting the health and retirement of all Americans at risk. In the next two decades alone, nearly 80 million Americans will become eligible for Social Security benefits – putting the financial health of the program in jeopardy.
Rising health care costs and a growing older population that is living longer are threatening to bankrupt these vital programs. Doing nothing is not an option – it would necessarily mean reduced future benefits. In order to ensure that Medicare and Social Security remain viable for both today’s and tomorrow’s seniors, we need to preserve these programs for those in or near retirement and modernize them for younger generations by increasing competition, modernizing how benefits are calculated, encouraging additional ways to save for retirement, and empowering individuals to have more control over their care. My goal is to ensure that Social Security and Medicare meet the needs of seniors and taxpayers, now and into the future.
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Every year Americans dread the annual exercise of paying taxes, and it can be a major headache for businesses of all sizes as well. I believe our tax code should be focused on simplicity, fairness, and competitiveness. Over the last few decades, our tax code had lagged in all these areas, dragging our economy and making it harder for families to make ends meet. In 2017 I was proud to support the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act, which is the most sweeping tax reform law in the last three decades. It provided tax relief to all Americans through lower personal tax rates, a doubled standard deduction (which over two-thirds of taxpayers take), and an expanded child tax credit. It also provides needed tax relief for businesses to energize our economy and make American companies competitive in the global marketplace. Like a doctor regularly checks in on his or her patients, Congress must routinely examine our tax code for strengths to reinforce and deficiencies to correct. For something so deeply connected to the health of the economy, it is irresponsible to update our tax code only once in a generation. As a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, I will continue to push for updates to the code on a more regular and routine basis, and your feedback on the tax issues that matter most to you is crucial to that goal. |
As a veteran of the Iraq War, I have seen the heroism and sacrifice of members of our military firsthand. Our district is rich in military families and veterans, and I believe that our country owes them an enormous debt of gratitude. I will continue to work to ensure our troops and their loved ones receive the first class benefits they have earned. Ever since I came to Congress, I have worked tirelessly toward this goal. I served for more than five years on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, where I worked closely on crucial legislation to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). While I was chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health, I worked to ensure that our veterans receive the quality healthcare they have earned. I will continue to work toward that goal going forward.
These are just a few of the issues facing veterans today. Rest assured that I will continue to conduct rigorous oversight of the VA, reform the management and administration of the VA, and ensure veterans can obtain the benefits they earned through their service.
If you ever have a problem dealing with the VA, don’t hesitate to reach out to my office for assistance. Call my office at (513) 474-7777 and let my staff know what problems you are having. Veterans deserve the best, and I won’t stop working to ensure our government lives up to that standard.
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Like many of you, House Republicans are not satisfied with the way our country is headed.
Our national security has weakened, our foreign policy is misguided, our national debt has ballooned, Washington bureaucrats are more involved in Americans' day-to-day lives, and our economy is still struggling to recover from recession.
That's why we're proposing a better way forward to address some of the major issues facing America today:
Flip through the booklet below to read more about our ideas to get America back on the right track. Together, there is a better way.