Pete's Blog

The $1.9 Trillion Credit Card Increase

This week, Congress expanded its capacity to run up the national “credit card” bill by $1,900,000,000,000 – the largest increase to the national debt limit in American history. That’s $1.9 Trillion more national debt that our children and grandchildren will be forced to pay. Now with this record-breaking addition, the national debt limit totals $14.294 Trillion – or $46,319 per American.

Dems Block Sessions Amendment to “Freeze Spending”

Congressman Pete Sessions provided the House of Representatives with its first opportunity to implement President Obama's touted “spending freeze” priority - offering an amendment to a cyber security authorization bill to save taxpayers $47 million by freezing spending for three years. "Unfortunately for the American people, the Democrat Majority has issued a resounding ‘no’ to spending restraint. In fact, after rejecting the spending freeze, Congressional Democrats are raising the debt limit by $1.9 Trillion – expanding their capacity to run our nation into bankruptcy. The American people deserve better,” said Sessions.

Sessions Introduces TBI Treatment Bill for Troops, Vets

Washington, DC – U.S. Congressman Pete Sessions has introduced the TBI Treatment Act (H.R.4568) to expedite new and innovative treatments, not currently available within Department of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities, to our nations’ veterans and active duty soldiers suffering from Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI). “Thousands of our brave servicemen and women are returning from combat with mild to severe cases of TBI, resulting in an inability to hold a job, properly care for their families, or in some cases, to overcome suicidal tendencies,” stated Sessions. “As a nation, we have the responsibility for their care and recovery, and I am encouraged with the potential of expediting innovative treatments for brain-injured soldiers suffering from TBI.”

Spending freeze amendment rejected by Congressional Democrats

This week, I offered an amendment to save taxpayers $47 million in the Cyber Security Enhancement Act by freezing spending for three years – exactly what President Obama proposed in his fiscal year 2011 budget. Click through to read more.

House Votes to Spend $50 Million in Taxpayer Money for Caribbean Beachfront Property

At a time of record spending, trillion dollar deficits, and double-digit unemployment, today Democrats in Congress voted to spend $50 million of taxpayer money to create a beachfront National Park on St. Croix in the Virgin Islands . Click through to read more.

Homebuyers tax credit “whipsaws” U.S. home sales, down 16.7%

According to the National Association of Realtors and reported in Marketwatch, U.S. home sales declined 16.7% in December – the largest decline on record, dating back to 1968. A contributing factor: uncertainty in the marketplace over extending the homebuyers tax credit. Marketwatch reports: Sales had surged about 40% from June to November in response to the federal tax credit for first-time buyers, which was set to expire on Nov. 30. As it happened, the tax credit was extended until June 2010 and expanded to cover repeat buyers. But buyers didn't know the credit would be extended when they were shopping for homes in October. In order to close in December, they would have had to sign a sales contract by early November at the latest. Existing-home sales are recorded at the closing. [. . . ] (Rex Nutting, Marketwatch, January 25, 2010)