Columns

Promoting economic development in our local communities is a crucial part of ensuring the benefits of tax reform and reduced regulation work for the benefit of all Americans. In the Third District, countless Nebraskans focus their efforts every day on creating opportunity and attracting greater investment to our state.

This week, the House of Representatives passed a number of bills aimed at reforming the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and updating its antiquated systems and policies. These nine bills are the result of dozens of hearings, roundtables, briefings, and meetings conducted by the Ways and Means Committee, of which I am a member. For too long, the IRS has been plagued by inefficiency, poor customer service, and an utter lack of transparency.

This week, the House of Representatives considered H.J.Res. 2 to amend the U.S. Constitution to require a balanced federal budget. This would be an important first step toward rectifying our financial situation because we have a long road ahead if we intend to pay back the more than $21 trillion in debt we currently owe.

The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution reads, “a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” For me, what the Founders provided in these words is clear: the American people have the right to arm themselves and no law or government shall ever deprive us of this right.

Everyone agrees agriculture is important to Nebraska and vital to the U.S. economy. This is why the tax code – and any efforts to reform it – should treat businesses and individuals engaged in farming and ranching to the same benefits as other business sectors across the country. For this reason, when we were working to draft tax reform in the Ways and Means Committee I fought for provisions important to agriculture such as keeping full property tax deductibility for agricultural land as a business expense.