U.S. Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) today voted to support the “Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act,” which passed the House with bipartisan support. The bill includes fully paid-for extensions of the payroll tax holiday and protects reimbursements to doctors under the Medicare program for two years. It also reforms the unemployment insurance program and forces action on the Key... Read more »

U.S. Congressman Mac Thornberry supported two bills this week to reform the regulatory process: the “Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2011” (HR 527) and the “Regulatory Accountability Act of 2011” (HR 3010). “The House has passed over 10 bills this year aimed largely at reining-in agency rules already in the works,” said Thornberry. “HR 527 and HR 3010 get at the heart of the matter by o... Read more »

U.S. Congressman Mac Thornberry, the leader of the House Cybersecurity Task Force and a senior member of the Intelligence Committee, made the following comments about the bipartisan "Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011," introduced by Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) and Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD): "The Rogers/Ruppersberger bill is a very positive step forward in improving our cybers... Read more »

U.S. Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) issued the following statement after the Super Committee announced there will not be an agreement before the deadline on November 23, 2011: "I am disappointed that the 'Super Committee' was unable to agree on a deficit reduction plan. This is a lost opportunity to make the long-term, structural changes to federal spending that need to be made." "While ... Read more »

U.S. Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) today voted to support a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution (H.J.RES.2). Even though the vote was bipartisan, it did not get the two-thirds votes required to pass (H.J.RES.2). Only 25 Democrats joined the vast majority of Republicans to support the measure. “This amendment would have forced Washington to balance its checkbook, like most Amer... Read more »

U.S. Congressman Mac Thornberry voted this week in support of two bills to block overly-aggressive regulations written by the Environmental Protection Agency. Both passed with bipartisan support in the House. “Like the other bills we’ve passed reining in excessive regulations, these bills are about jobs. The boiler rules were so costly and so burdensome that the EPA actually sought to delay them b... Read more »

U.S. Congressman Mac Thornberry will be visiting with constituents across the 13th district next week. "Jobs and the economy are people’s top concern right now, and they are interested in what Congress is doing about them. They want to know what is being done about government regulation and taxes, getting spending under control, and energy production here at home, among other things. These convers... Read more »

The House Cybersecurity Task Force today unveiled its recommendations to help guide legislative action for the remainder of this Congress and beyond. The Task Force formally delivered its report to the Speaker and Majority Leader earlier this week. “Cybersecurity attacks are a direct threat to our economy and job creation, as well as our national security. The task force has addressed this critica... Read more »

U.S. Congressman Mac Thornberry voted today in support of the “Transparency in Regulatory Analysis of Impacts on the Nation Act of 2011 (TRAIN Act)” (H.R.2401). The bill, which passed by a vote of 249 to 169, requires the federal government to evaluate the impact of certain EPA regulations on jobs, consumers, small businesses, state and local governments, and agriculture. “The EPA has been hard at... Read more »

U.S Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon), the Vice Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, today welcomed veterans with the Texas Panhandle Honor Flight to the U.S. Capitol. Thornberry led the guests on a tour of House floor, as well as the Capitol Rotunda and Statuary Hall. “We are able to stand on the floor on the U.S. House and do the people’s business because men and women like the... Read more »