Rep. Mike Pence's blog

During a time of economic crisis and high unemployment, Democrats enacted legislation to restrict consumers' access to credit. This legislation has been particularly harmful for small businesses and families, which rely on many types of credit products to finance their day-to-day operations and household budgets.

Even as President Obama campaigned on a platform of change and transparency, recent dealings between the pharmaceutical industry and the Administration raise serious questions as to whether the drug lobby is helping to bankroll a multimillion dollar severance package for one of the President's senior advisors:

Several weeks ago, the President announced an agreement with the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) to achieve $80 billion in savings as part of health care "reform." The Congressional Budget Office has previously found that eliminating the Part D "doughnut hole"- one element of the PhRMA "deal"-would cause Medicare premiums to rise by 50 percent.

U.S. Congressman Mike Pence issued the following statement after the House of Representatives defeated an amendment offered by Congressman Pence that would have denied taxpayer funding to the largest abortion provider in America, Planned Parenthood:

U.S. Congressman Mike Pence made the following statement today after the independent Congressional Budget Office (CBO) stated that Congressional Democrats' health care reform would increase already rising health care costs:

"Today's announcement by the independent CBO confirms what Republicans have been saying all along: the health care proposal by Congressional Democrats amounts to a government takeover of our health care economy that will be paid for by small business owners and working Americans at a time when they can least afford it. Launching a massive new government bureaucracy with higher taxes on individuals and small businesses during the worst recession in a quarter century is a profoundly bad idea."

"I come to this floor at an extraordinary moment on the global stage.

"According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, the official news agency of Iran, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad supposedly won the election over his primary opponent on 12 June, 2009. But from the very moment that that election result was announced, the international community and the international press called it into question. The basis for that, even before the extraordinary demonstrations had begun to take place, was the fact that these were paper ballots. But the official government results of the election were announced literally within hours of the polls being closed. Various media outlets around the world questioned the authenticity of the results.

Bill is an economic declaration of war By Mike Pence After weeks of political horse-trading over the hot issue of climate-change legislation, a "compromise" is now making its way through the U.S. Congress. All the window dressing that this so-called compromise has prompted does not change the fact that it amounts to an economic declaration of war on the heartland of America, and it must be opposed.

Hoosiers should be wary. If Washington's national energy tax becomes law, it will have a devastating impact on the price at the pump and utility bills across the nation, and in the state of Indiana especially.

As we approach the summer season, we are reminded of the high energy costs that we endured just a year ago. It was a difficult time for many, as travel plans were shelved and budgets had to be cut in the face of historic gas prices. Since that time, another crisis has gripped our country. Our economy is in a deep recession and we have witnessed the unemployment rate in Indiana rise above an appalling 10 percent.

 WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. Congressman Mike Pence today joined Republican leaders in Congress and other agricultural leaders in discussing the adverse impact that the Employee Free Choice Act would have on the agricultural community and rural economies. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:

"I'd like to thank my colleague, Chairman Frank Lucas, for his steadfast work representing the interests of our nation's farmers and ranchers.

"I'd also like to thank my fellow Hoosier Chuck Connor for taking the lead in opposing this legislation on behalf of America's family farmers.

"I rise today in support of the military funding in H.R. 2356, the FY 2009 War Supplemental Appropriations Bill. It will provide nearly $85 billion to support our men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, those who every day make the sacrifices necessary to ensure our freedom and that of our posterity. Overall this legislation does reflect a bipartisan effort to provide necessary war funding and essential support for our men and women in uniform.

The history of mankind is littered with great inventions-the internet being chief among them. The printing press of our generation, it has revolutionized the way information is processed and delivered.

Among the innumerable ways in which the internet has contributed positively to our society, what sticks out most to me as a public official is transparency. Never before has there been such potency to the dissemination and deconstruction of information and it has fostered greater accountability and accessibility. If public scrutiny is sunlight, then the internet has taken on the role of magnifying glass.

Our nation is facing a serious economic crisis but the Democrats in Congress have offered a purely partisan bill that does not incorporate bipartisan recommendations.

The American people deserve to know that the President’s call for a compromise has been completely ignored by House Democrats who would use a time of national economic crisis to fund their big government priorities under the guise of stimulating the economy.

House Republicans take President Obama at his word and will urge him to make good on his pledge to set aside partisan differences and bring the best ideas from both parties to bear on this economic crisis.

Our nation is confronted by a serious financial crisis. It is a crisis of confidence in our financial markets and a crisis of confidence in this government. While many are anxious about how we will confront this crisis, as I saw on the faces of my constituents this week, many more approach this moment with faith, not fear.

We will get through this.  We have confronted much greater challenges than this and I am confident we will restore our markets and renew our government.  But we must do so in a manner consistent with the principles that make America great.

The American people are hurting. They’re struggling under the weight of record gasoline prices and in that cause Republicans have been fighting for a comprehensive energy bill that includes more drilling. Three-quarters of Americans agree with us.

Just last week, the drill-nothing Democrat Congress announced they would bring an energy bill to the floor that includes more drilling and now they say Republicans have to take ‘yes’ for an answer.

Well, I would suggest to my countrymen that they look at the fine print. The drill-nothing Democrat Congress has brought a bill that actually includes basically ‘drill-almost-nothing’ provisions.

After a month of weather-related disasters across my congressional district, it wasn't easy to board a plane to Israel for a long-planned series of diplomatic meetings, but the current negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and the rising threat of Iran and its agents in Hamas and Hezbollah convinced me that I should go.

My duties as the Ranking Republican on the Middle East and South Asia Subcommittee of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs include regular briefings on the status of Israel and regional issues, but there is no substitute for a firsthand look.