Tom Graves RSS Articles

Rep. Graves: Let States Keep Highway Funds

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

**This Op-Ed ran in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Tuesday, February 21st

Let’s take a moment and go back in time. The year: 1956. The location: the storied halls of Congress. The House Ways and Means Committee was debating what was considered to be a new and innovative project — the construction of a nationwide interstate system. The plan before Congress was simple: Build six interstate highways. Three highways would run north to south. Three highways would run east to west.

Back then, the plan was to collect a federal gas tax of 3 cents per gallon for 16 years to pay for the whole project. In 1972, the tax was supposed to drop to 1.5 cents a gallon. Congressmen Hale Boggs and George Fallon even noted at the time that once the interstate system was built, there was no obligation to keep imposing the tax on Americans.

The tax never went away. It never dropped to 1.5 cents a gallon. Instead, it went up — way up. The federal government currently collects 18.4 cents a gallon. And each year, hundreds of millions of dollars of that money go toward paying for the bureaucracy that manages the highway system.

Millions more go to projects that have absolutely nothing to do with the maintenance of America’s interstates — things such as bike paths and walking trails.

What’s worse, Uncle Sam is playing “Robin Hood” with 28 states, including Georgia. These states are called “donor states” because they put in more money to the Highway Trust Fund than they receive from the federal government.

During fiscal years 2005-09, Georgians lost $839 million dollars in gas revenue, receiving back just 89 percent of what we put into the fund; $15 billion from the “donors” went to other states to fund their projects. If you ask me, this gives new meaning to the expression highway robbery.

The federal government has mishandled our gas tax revenue and mistreated states such as Georgia. And it is easy to see why. A big hoard of cash is like catnip for political agendas, earmarkers, lobbyists and the like.

Congress regularly debates how each state should spend the money, mandating dozens of various projects and bogging down progress with more red tape.

It’s about as efficient as pulling out a typewriter to send an email.

Here is what I propose: Let’s cut out the federal government as the middle man. Instead, let the states keep the highway money they collect so they can spend the money on highway projects as they see fit.

I’ve offered an amendment which does just that. It empowers states to control their own highway programs and strictly limit federal involvement to projects that have a national purpose.

Over a five-year transition period, the federal gas tax would drop to 3.7 cents per gallon, which would let the states adjust their own gas tax rates and keep all of the subsequent revenue. It’s an opportunity for Washington to take a back seat to the states and take their hand off the wheel.

It’s a 21st-century solution to a 20th-century problem — the road less traveled in Washington, D.C.

U.S. Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ga., represents the 9th District.

Rep. Graves Votes Against Adding to the National Debt

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA-09) issued the following statement after voting against HR 3630, the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011, which continues the current payroll tax rates through 2012 -- but adds roughly $100 billion to the national debt.

“No matter how you spin it, this bill only accelerates our nation’s walk down the path of financial ruin. While the legislation has some good components and reforms, the bottom line is that it adds tens of billions of dollars to the debt and deficit, while funding Social Security with more borrowed money.”

“For far too long, Washington has not been forthright with the American people. As we begin to write the next chapter of this great story of America, the first entry shouldn’t be more deficit spending. Instead, we should be empowering the American people and starting a chapter of opportunity and prosperity.”

Billions of Dollars Down the Drain

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

U.S. Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA-09) issued the following statement ahead of the third anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as Obama’s stimulus bill. The nearly $800 billion bill was signed into law by President Obama on February 17, 2009.

“President Obama’s failed stimulus reaffirmed two basic conservative principles: 1) A government can’t spend its way out of a recession 2) The private sector must be the engine that drives sustainable job growth.”

“The federal government has a poor track record when it comes to spending taxpayers’ money wisely. And, the stimulus package is proof of that. Millions of dollars have been wasted on projects like tattoo removal for gang members, searching for fossils in Argentina, and sending researchers overseas to photograph ants. And, billions more remain unspent. Let’s end this pointless exercise and return this money to the American people.”

“Even with the billions spent by the stimulus, this is the worst jobs recovery since the Great Depression. In trying to rally Americans to support the stimulus bill, President Obama promised that it would keep unemployment below 8%. The President has not kept that promise. Unemployment has been above 8% for three straight years. And, 6.3 million Americans have fallen into poverty since Mr. Obama took office. Empowering the American people, not government, is the solution to getting the American people back to work.”

Senseless "Stimulus" Spending

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

February 17, 2012 marks the three year anniversary of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, better known as the "stimulus" package, being signed into law. This makes it a fitting time to reflect on all of the projects the stimulus funded. It took little to no time to find a list of ridiculous, wasteful projects, some of which are listed below. Even worse, the American people are responsible for paying for all of these outrageous projects.

• $186, 192 for 8 new Dodge Grand Caravans were purchased Jan 2011, and by October 2011, all 8 vans were sitting unused in a storage at a county park
• $424,000 to install electric battery charges at TR Auto Truck Plaza (truck stop), which is now bankrupt. A review of public records shows evidence that the owner’s past and present finances were rocky.
• $230 million given to communities to “combat obesity,” some of which was then used on advertising against American-made products like Coke and Pepsi.
• Federal government’s site to track stimulus money, Recovery.gov, listed more than 400 fake districts across America where jobs were saved because of the stimulus.
• $10 million went to Operation Gunrunner, also known as Fast and Furious, which led to the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. Attorney General Eric Holder has since been questioned in the House and Senate, where his testimony indicated that he may have lied to Congress.
• $2,096,000 to Greenbrier Valley Airport, where only 2 commercial flights come in daily with an average of 6 passengers and the local hotel costs $500 a night, to spruce up the terminal building.
• $9.38 million to renovate a century-old train depot that hasn’t been used in 30 yrs
• $100,000 for socially conscious puppet shows in Minnesota
• $2 million to build a replica railroad tourist attraction in Carson City, Nevada
• $462,000 to purchase 22 concrete toilets ($21,000 each) to be used in a forest
• $3.1 million to transform a canal barge into a floating museum in Erie Canal
• $3.4 million to create an underground turtle tunnel, aka “eco-passage,” so they won’t get hit by traffic
• $983,952 for street lighting, trees, benches and bike paths in Ann Arbor Michigan
• $1 million to replace 100 bike lockers and a bike garage
• $700,000 to Oregon crab fisherman to help recover lost crab post
• $300,00 for GPS equipped helicopter to hunt for radioactive rabbit droppings in Washington state
• $389,357 to study young adults who drink malt liquor and smoke marijuana
• $148,438 to Washington State University to analyze the use of marijuana in conjunction with medicines like morphine.
• $15.8 million for 37 rural bridges in Wisconsin that average 568 cars daily, some less than 10
• $2.2 million to Montana to install skylights in their state-run liquor warehouse
• $800,000 to John Murtha Airport to repave runway – the airport serves 20 passengers daily
• $943,190 to a Chicago dinner cruise company to “combat terrorism”
• $30 million for a spring training baseball complex for the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies
• $11 million for Microsoft to build a bridge connecting its two headquarter campuses in Washington state
• $1.15 million for a guardrail around a persistently dry lake bed
• $18 million in stimulus checks to dead people
• $6 million for a snow-making facility in Duluth, MN
• $554,763 to replace windows in a Washington state forest visitors center that isn’t used and has no plans to be used
• $762,372 to develop “Dance Tube,” an interactive dance software
• $1.9 million to send researchers to Southwest Indian Ocean Islands and east Africa to capture, photograph and analyze thousands of ants.
• $89,298 to replace a quarter-mile stretch of sidewalk that was replaced 5 yrs ago
• $712,883 to develop a joke machine
• $762,372 for a music professor to study improv-music, which will involve him jamming with musicians to “hopefully also create satisfying works of art.”
• $420,000 to Buffalo, NY to hire “experts” to help people hook up digital converter boxes, which the federal government made necessary. All short term jobs.
• $253,123 for the North Carolina State University Insect Museum, which averages 44 visitors a year, to purchase new cabinets, drawers, specimen units, and to start an “Insect of the Week” series on its website
• $147,694 to study whether integral yoga can reduce the frequency/severity of hot flashes
• $296,385 for professors to find the exact place of origin of all dog species
• $187,632 to protect a Michigan insect collection from other insects
• $219,000 to study the "hook-up" behavior of female college students
• $8,408 to study whether mice become disoriented after consuming alcohol
• $325,394 to study mating behavior of cactus bugs
• $1,600,000 for a new housing dock for 6 water taxis
• $498,000 to study social networks like facebook
• $800,000 to retrofit light switches w/motion sensors for one company
• $1,288,883 to remove graffiti and replace a railing along 100 miles of flood ditches in California
• $75,000 for a private steak house to renovate its building
• $54 million to elevate and relocate 3,000 ft of track for the Napa Valley Wine Train
• $20,000 to replace a basketball court lighting with more energy efficient lighting
• $3.5 million to repaint and add a security camera to one bridge
• $5 million to a Missouri bridge project that was already fully funded
• $541,000 to a professor in Pennsylvania who was named in the climate-gate scandal
• $7,470,191 for a bridge over train tracks in Nebraska so 168 residents didn’t have to wait for the train to pass
• $787,250 to test how to control private home appliances off-site in Martha’s Vineyards
• $1,776,000 for 4 new buses in New Hampshire
• $88,000 to repave a 2-block stretch of road that was last repaved in 2007
• $2.3 million for Florida beauty school tuition
• $1.1 million to beautify Sunset Boulevard
• $212 million to demolish 35 old laboratories
• $13.8 million to put in free WiFi, Internet kiosks and interactive history lesions in 2 rest stops
• $80,000 for pedestrian "bridge to nowhere" in West Virginia that was meant to serve students. However, the school board president, Carol Smith, said, "It doesn't get any students out of the road."
• $4.4 million to replace all signs on 5 miles of road in Rhode Island
• $14.7 million to rebuild an airstrip in Ouzinkie, which has an estimated year-round population of 200 and is unknown to most Alaskans
• $23 million for bike and pedestrian paths connecting Camden, NJ and Philadelphia, PA even though the cities are already connected by a bridge
• $850,000 to research how paying attention improves performance of difficult tasks
• $2 million for a fire station in Nevada that doesn’t have any firefighters
• $25,000 for a “clown” theatrical production in Pennsylvania
• $50,000 to restructure tennis courts in Montana
• $221,355 to study why young men don’t like to wear condoms
• $15,000 for a storytelling festival in Utah
• $14,675 for door mats at the Department of the Army in Texas
• $159,170 towards services for individuals on probation in Southern California, like tattoo removal
• $1.57 to research fossils in Argentina
• $356,000 to Indiana University to study how kids perceive foreign accents
• $1.7 million to grow oysters
• $340,000 for a rural bridge in Virginia that only serves about 20 cars a day
• $2.5 million for a "train-horn-free" zone in Oregon
• $250,000 to rehabilitate a dilapidated, private laundromat in Memphis, Tennessee
• $4.7 million for a trail connecting downtown Lexington, Kentucky with a horse farm
• $150,000 for road signs to be placed at construction sites in Illinois to inform motorists that the project was funded by the stimulus
• $21,116 to buy Bobber the Safety Dog costumes to teach kids about life vests
• $225,000 for a Shakespeare festival, which guaranteed only one extra show in 2010
• $233,825 for exit polling in Africa
• $578,661 to Union, New York to prevent homelessness when the city never requested funding. In fact, the town supervisor, John Bernando, said he wasn't aware of any homeless issue in the largely suburban town
• $5.6 million to resurface 6.4 miles of roads and bike paths in Nantucket, Massachusetts, which equates to about $875,00 per mile
• $25,000 to a renovate a private martini bar
• $31.3 million to Corinthian Colleges, a for-profit school under scrutiny for allegedly illegal recruitment strategies and hiring staff that were either unqualified to teach in their fields, or uninterested in teaching entirely.

###

President Obama's Latest Budget: More Taxes, More Spending, and More Debt

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA-09) issued the following statement in response to the release of President Obama’s FY 2013 Budget:

“The President’s latest budget sounds like the same old tune, stuck on repeat. More taxes, more spending, more debt. This budget proves yet again that Washington isn’t listening to the American people’s call for the government to fit back into the box it was intended.”

“If President Obama was serious about getting our fiscal house in order, this budget would be light on taxes and would make a serious effort to rein in the wasteful Washington spending that now threatens the long-term health of our nation. Cutting spending today, capping spending in the future, passing a balanced budget amendment, and reducing regulations on our nation’s job creators are the only ways to reignite the economy and get Americans back to work.”

Key Facts from President Obama’s FY 2013 Budget:

• Obama’s proposed budget includes $1.5 trillion in new tax increases

• The proposal projects a budget deficit of $1.33 trillion this year

• The plan counts savings from the drawdown of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as cost-cutting

• It calls for $350 billion in short-term, stimulus-style spending for job creation

• Increases TSA tax on airline tickets over time, so it tops out at $7.50 per flight in 2018. About 70% of that money would go toward deficit reduction. The current fee is $2.50 per flight.

Rep. Graves Announces Outreach Event for 9th District Veterans

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA-09) announced Monday his Dalton district office will hold an outreach event on Thursday, February 23, 2012 for veterans of the U.S. military. The event will be held from 10:00am until 3:00pm at Dalton City Hall, 300 W. Waugh Street, Dalton, GA 30720.

Veterans will be able to seek guidance on the following topics: Education, VA loans, compensation and pension, vocational rehabilitation, and help for homeless veterans. Officials from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will be at this event to answer questions and listen to veterans’ concerns.

WHAT: Veterans Outreach Event

WHEN: 10:00am-3:00pm
Thursday, February 23, 2012

WHERE:       Dalton City Hall
                   300 W. Waugh Street
                      Dalton, GA 30720

WHO: Officials from U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Staff from Rep. Tom Graves’ Dalton District Office

**This event is open press for members of the media.

Rep. Graves' Office Extends Deadline for Submissions to 9th District Congressional Art Competition

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

U.S. Rep. Tom Graves' (R-GA-9) office has extended the deadline for submissions to the annual 9th District Congressional Art Competition. Works of art now may be submitted to the competition until Wednesday, February 8th. The competition showcases the artistic talent of high school students in the district. Work submitted to the competition will be on display from February 13th through March 14th.

This year’s competition, “An Artistic Discovery: The Congressional Art Competition,” is open to all high school students in Georgia’s 9th District and will be held at the Roberts Library at Dalton State College. A panel of judges from the Creative Arts Guild and the Dalton State faculty will select three award-winning works of art. The first-place winner will have the honor of having his or her submission displayed in the United States Capitol for one year.

Artwork entered in the contest may be as large as 32 inches by 32 inches (including the frame) and may be up to four inches in depth. The art work may be:

• Paintings, including oil, acrylics and watercolor
• Drawings, including pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink and markers
• Collages
• Prints, including lithographs, silkscreen and block prints
• Mixed media
• Computer generated art
• Photography

All entries must be original in concept, design and execution.

Students may drop off their art work by Wednesday February 1, 2012 to one of the following locations:

Roberts Library of Dalton State College, Dalton, Georgia                      Monday – Friday, 8am - 5pm
Gilmer County Center of Dalton State College, Ellijay, Georgia             Monday – Friday, 8am - 3pm
Rep. Graves’ district office, Gainesville, Georgia                                  Monday – Friday, 9am - 5pm

High school art teachers and students interested in participating can contact Melissa Whitesell at (706) 272-2503, or at mwhitesell@daltonstate.edu for more information. A reception and awards ceremony will be held on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 from 7:00-8:00pm.

The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 to provide an opportunity for members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents. Since then, more than 650,000 high school students have been involved with this nationwide competition.

If you would like general information on the competition, please call Graves’ Dalton office at (706)226-5320.

Rep. Tom Graves Joins National Conservative Leaders As A Speaker At CPAC 2012

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

U.S. Representative Tom Graves (R, GA-09) will speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, DC on Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 11:05am. Rep. Graves will be participating in a forum on government spending called, “It’s the Spending Stupid! Why Is It So Hard to Cut a Trillion Dollars?” U.S. Senators Mike Lee (R-UT) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) will also be participating in this forum. Rep. Graves will give an address to the CPAC audience and then participate in a panel discussion with Senators Lee and Johnson. The forum will be lead by Colin Hanna of “Let Freedom Ring.”

WHO:                         Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA)
                                  Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT)
                                  Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI)
                                  Colin Hanna, Let Freedom Ring

WHAT: Speech and Panel Discussion at CPAC on Spending

WHEN:                       11:05am, Thursday, February 9, 2012

WHERE:                     CPAC 2012
                                  Marriott Wardman Park
                                  Washington, DC

Background:
The 38th annual Conservative Political Action Conference is America’s largest gathering of conservative activists and conservative leaders. From February 9 through Saturday, February 11, 2012, thousands of grassroots conservatives and conservative leaders will gather together for blockbuster speeches and policy discussions to celebrate the shared principles of smaller government, a strong national defense, and traditional values.

Rep. Graves Votes to Give Congress More Clarity on Fiscal Impact of Legislation

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Congressman Tom Graves (R-GA-09) issued the following statement ahead of his vote today for H.R. 3582, the Pro-Growth Budgeting Act, of which he is also a co-sponsor. This legislation would require the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to begin analyzing the long-term economic impact of major pieces of legislation which are estimated to have a budgetary impact of more than .25% of GDP. This analysis would give lawmakers a more complete assessment of the fiscal impact of legislation being considered by Congress.

“When American families and businesses create a budget, they determine their spending levels based upon their net income after taxes. Common sense tells us that as their taxes go up, their ability to spend goes down, which ultimately impacts the economy. As easily understood as this concept is, CBO is not able to take this factor into account when scoring a piece of legislation’s impact on our economy, resulting in inaccuracies. When our key scorekeeper is unable to consider major economic variables, it makes it even harder for Congress to get the nation’s fiscal house in order. “

“If we are to ensure the future prosperity of our great nation, Congress needs to have the best possible understanding of a bill’s affect on our economy. It is time we finally give CBO the tools it needs, and I believe the Pro-Growth Budgeting Act is an important step on our path to igniting our economy and creating more jobs in America.”

Rep. Graves Votes to Cancel Part of Obamacare

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Rep. Tom Graves (R-GA-09) announced his support of H.R. 1173, the Fiscal Responsibility and Retirement Security Act of 2011. The bill would repeal the CLASS Act, which is the new long-term care entitlement created by Obamacare. The Obama Administration decided to halt plans to implement the long-term care program in October of 2011, after determining it was too costly and would not work.

“The House took a positive step today towards canceling Obamacare. The long-term care entitlement was never financially sustainable, something the Obama Administration admitted last year. Rather, it was budgetary trickery intended to make the cost of Obamacare look good on paper.”

“Republicans in Congress need to vigorously continue our effort to cancel the entire Obamacare law. Besides trampling on the Constitution and personal responsibility, the law is ungainly, intrusive into the private sector, and a drag on the American economy. The report released by the Congressional Budget Office yesterday told us that Obamacare will, among other things, make Medicaid far more costly. At a time when the CBO is telling Americans the national debt will approach $20 trillion by the end of the decade, we simply can’t afford to pay for another big-government entitlement program.”