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Jordan Announces 2013 Congressional Art Contest

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Urbana) encourages high school students across the Fourth Congressional District to submit their artwork in the 2013 Congressional Art Contest.
A winner will be chosen in each High School of the fourteen counties in the Fourth Congressional District; Allen, Auglaize, Champaign, Crawford, Logan, Sandusky, Seneca, Shelby, Union and parts of Erie, Huron, Lorain, Marion and Mercer.
The district winner’s artwork will hang at the United States Capitol for one year in a display of winners from across the country.
Winners will also be offered an art college scholarship and airfare for two to visit Washington, D.C.
“I look forward to seeing the artwork submitted by my constituents and wish them the best of luck in this year’s contest,” said Rep. Jordan.
All forms and information can be accessed through Rep. Jordan’s website, http://jordan.house.gov. For additional information, contact Susan Ohl in the Lima District Office at 419-999-6455.

Jordan Office Second-Lowest Spending in Entire Congress

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH) today announced that his was the second-lowest-spending office in Congress in 2012. The only office to spend less was that of the First District of the State of Washington, which was vacant between March 20th and the November election.

According to the Statement of Disbursements recently released by the U.S. House of Representatives, Jordan’s office spent only $832,054 of the $1,313,374 he was allocated in 2012, returning over $480,000, or about 37% of his budget to the Treasury.

“Because I have been fighting so hard to balance the federal budget and get spending under control, I think it is important to lead by example,” Jordan said. “You can provide good public service while being respectful of taxpayers’ money, and I think our actions prove that.”

Congressional offices are allocated between $1.3 million and $1.8 million per year for expenses like salaries, rent, travel and communications. In 2012, the average Congressional office spent 90.85% of its budgeted allowance, while Jordan’s office spent merely 63.35%.

“We have been working to cut our budget for the past several years in order to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars. Government can always scale back and do more with less,” Jordan added.

Jordan’s and other Congressional offices will take an 8.2% budget cut this year as a result of the recent sequester. This is in addition to an 11% cut they have taken over the past two years.

Reps. Jordan and Speier Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Stop Excessive Spending on Lavish Conferences

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 05:00:00 GMT

Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Urbana) and Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA) joined efforts on a bill aiming to put an end to lavish spending on conferences for federal employees. The bill, H.R. 859, responds to testimony the pair heard in the Oversight and Government Reform Committee about excessive spending on conferences by the General Services Administration (GSA) and other federal agencies.

“At a time when families and taxpayers across America are tightening their belts, the government should be tightening its belt too,” said Jordan. “One area we can definitely afford to cut back are the high-priced conferences that use taxpayer money to pay for such ridiculous events.”

The pair said that testimony provided to their subcommittee on February 5^th revealed that “big ticket” conferences and events, defined as those costing taxpayers more than $100,000 each, added up to more than $276 million in 2012. Their legislation sets new, tougher standards and would reduce an agency’s overall budget if they fund a conference that cost more than $600 per day or $3,000 per trip.

“It’s offensive that taxpayer funds would be used like a blank check by Agency heads and it’s time to shut it down. We have an obligation to pinch pennies for the taxpayers of this country and there’s no better place to start than on conference slush funds,” said Speier.

GSA’s now infamous conference at the M Resort in Las Vegas cost taxpayers $820,000. It included a mind reader, a clown, a $31,000 reception, and a $75,000 team-building exercise.

Other data provided to the Committee by various agencies and departments detailed more conferences that exceeded the cost threshold set by GSA.

The most frequent offenders include the Department of Defense (64 incidents), the Social Security Administration (22 incidents), the Department of Energy (21 incidents), USAID (21 incidents) and the Department of Agriculture (15 incidents). Other agencies with two or more incidents include the Department of Interior, Health & Human Services, Housing & Urban Development, Commerce, the EPA, the Department of Education, and the Small Business Administration.

The Taxpayers’ Conference Overspending Protection Act would allow exemptions for foreign travel approved as mission-critical by agency officials and the Office of Management and Budget.

Full Text can be found HERE

Jordan Supports "No Budget, No Pay"

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 05:00:00 GMT

I have been critical of both Republicans and Democrats in Washington for avoiding the bold steps needed to stop the out-of-control borrowing and spending that has led our nation to the brink of a debt crisis.

How does Washington’s vicious debt cycle happen? Think back to the last debt ceiling debate in July 2011 when President Obama asked Congress to raise the debt ceiling by more than $2 trillion. He wanted the additional borrowing authority with no strings attached because America has to borrow money to “pay its bills”.

That sounded to me like an excuse to keep spending money we don’t have, so I proposed a plan called “Cut, Cap and Balance” to cut current spending, cap future spending, and send a Balanced Budget Amendment to the states before the debt ceiling was raised. A CNN poll showed that two-thirds of Americans supported this as a plan to stop the out-of-control borrowing and spending once and for all, but Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) rejected it and instead cut an eleventh-hour deal with Congressional leaders and the White House.

The “deal” increased the debt ceiling by more than $2 trillion, created a Super Committee, and scheduled automatic across-the-board spending cuts if the Super Committee failed. This deal was a big hit inside the beltway, but Standard & Poor’s downgraded the federal government’s credit rating a few days after the deal was signed into law, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped by 1,300 points over the next week as well.

Today, 18 months later, we have reached the debt ceiling again but the promised cuts have still not happened. The Super Committee failed to reach an agreement, the subsequent “automatic” cuts were postponed by Congress, America is another $2 trillion in debt, and President Obama is asking for another increase in the debt ceiling with no strings attached because America has to borrow more money to pay its bills.

For too long, Washington politicians in both parties have acted like irresponsible teenagers, maxing out the nation’s credit cards in this vicious cycle with no plan on how to pay the bill.

In FY 2012, Washington took in $2.5 trillion and spent $3.8 trillion. That is the same as a family making $50,000 and spending $77,000, putting the remaining $27,000 on their credit card. How long could your family sustain that reckless plan?

I have been working with my colleague Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and a handful of others over the past few months to build support for a plan that would once again try to end the madness. Step one in this plan would require both the House and Senate to pass a budget. If they don’t pass a budget, they don’t get paid.

“No Budget, No Pay” is a common sense idea with bipartisan support. Congress is already required by federal law to pass a budget, but the current law has no teeth, allowing the Senate to go the past four years without passing a budget. Back to the household analogy, if a family made $50,000 and spent $77,000 this year, and had no plan for what to spend next year, how will they ever get their spending problem under control? We must see Washington’s spending plans before we can tackle its spending problem.

Step two requires immediate spending cuts to put us on a path to balance the budget in a few years. Washington has a bad habit of promising spending cuts but never following through. Those of us fighting for fiscal responsibility often feel like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football. We get “promises” of spending cuts in exchange for tax increases, and “promises” of cuts in exchange for debt ceiling increases, but the promised cuts never happen. Lucy always pulls the football away.

This agreement would be different. Cuts must happen first before a long term increase in the debt ceiling. Not ten years from now, but this year.

In exchange for those two steps toward fiscal responsibility, we conservatives will agree to raise the debt ceiling for a few months to give the Senate one last chance to pass a budget.

Had we adopted the Cut, Cap and Balance plan in August 2011, we would be on track to balance the budget in a year or two. But we missed that opportunity and instead, we have $2 trillion more in debt and zero spending cuts to boot.

We cannot continue down the same road that got us in this mess. We cannot continue allowing Washington to make excuses for not tightening its belt and ending its irresponsible spending policies.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Urbana) has represented Ohio’s 4th district in Congress since 2007. He serves on the House Judiciary and House Oversight and Government Reform Committees.

Jordan Statement on Fast & Furious Contempt Resolution

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Urbana) released the following statement after the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform approved a resolution holding Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress:

"I commend Chairman Issa for conducting the Fast & Furious investigation in a through, fair, and responsible manner. It’s unfortunate the Justice Department will not comply with the subpoena, a request for information they have had for eight months. We simply want the facts. Because Attorney General Eric Holder will not provide what the law requires he provide, we are left with no other option except to vote to hold him in contempt."

House Defense Authorization Bill Protects 4th District Defense Programs

Fri, 18 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

A defense bill passed by the House of Representatives today authorizes $255.4 million for Abrams tank upgrade work at Lima’s Joint Systems Manufacturing Center and prohibits the transfer or retirement of C-27J cargo aircraft flown by the Ohio Air National Guard’s 179th Airlift Wing, Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Urbana) has announced.

The funding for Lima, an increase of $181 million over President Obama’s request, as well as the provision that would impact the C-27J program, is included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2013, which was approved by a vote of 299 to 120 today. Jordan voted for the bill.

Overall, the NDAA authorizes $554.2 billion for Department of Defense activities in Fiscal Year 2013, consistent with the House-passed budget. It establishes a 1.7-percent across-the-board pay raise for members of the military and extends bonuses and special pay programs. It also maintains our ability to detain, interrogate, and prosecute foreign terrorists without diminishing or in any way affecting the rights of citizens.

Actual defense spending for Fiscal Year 2013 will be determined in separate legislation later this year. Jordan said that he will work to protect the authorized funding for tank upgrades as work continues on the 2013 budget.

“This bill reflects our continued commitments to a strong national defense, fiscal responsibility, and ensuring the rights of American citizens,” Jordan said. “It honors the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform as they protect and serve our nation at home and abroad.”

Jordan Staff in Champaign & Shelby Counties Friday

Mon, 07 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON – Congressman Jim Jordan’s (R-Urbana) staff will be in Urbana and Sidney on Friday, May 11th.

Cory Noonan, Rep. Jordan’s Deputy District Director, will be available to meet with constituents from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM in Conference Room B of the Champaign County Community Center, located at 1512 U.S. Highway 68.

In Sidney, Noonan will be available to meet with constituents from 1:30 PM to 2:30 PM in the Sidney County Council Chambers located in the Municipal Building at 201 West Poplar Street.

Jordan: ObamaCare Rule Still Violates the First Amendment

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Urbana) issued the following statement in response to the Obama administration’s revised version of an ObamaCare mandate that violates the right to religious freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution:

“Today’s decision by President Obama shows that the voice of the American people is as strong as ever and I commend those who spoke out over the past week.”

“This ObamaCare rule still tramples on Americans’ First Amendment right to freedom of religion. It’s a fig leaf, not a compromise. Whether they are affiliated with a church or not, employers will still be forced to pay an insurance company for coverage that includes abortion-inducing drugs.”

“This is not just a problem for church-affiliated hospitals and charities. Under these rules, a small business owner with religious objections to abortion-inducing drugs and contraception must either violate his religious beliefs or violate the law.”

“The liberal Obama administration thinks its political goals trump the religious faith of American citizens. That isn’t right, fair, or constitutional.”

Jordan Introduces the Ultrasound Informed Consent Act

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

This week, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Urbana) introduced H.R. 3805, the Ultrasound Informed Consent Act, in the second session of the 112th Congress.

To date, there are approximately 1.2 million abortions per year in the United States, totaling over 50 million since Roe v Wade. A tireless defender of life, Rep. Jordan believes this legislation will empower women with information and provide them the opportunity to make a truly informed decision.

With the Ultrasound Informed Consent Act, a doctor would be required to perform an ultrasound on a pregnant woman and provide an accompanying explanation and display of the results. The physician's description would provide information on the size of the unborn child, its heartbeat and the presence of limbs and internal organs. This information would be entirely voluntary to the patient, who would not be compelled to view the images. In the 22 states that already have this law, it has proven to be an effective tool to reduce the number of abortions.

Said Jordan, “This visual invites a deeper reflection on the humanity of the unborn child. We believe the compelling image will result in more children having the gift of life.”

Jordan Response to State of the Union Address

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Urbana) issued the following statement in response to President Obama's State of the Union Address:

"The President missed a great opportunity tonight to put the campaign rhetoric aside and commit to supporting common sense solutions that will help get our economy back on track. The American people want us to work on simplifying the tax code, producing more American energy, and stopping the onslaught of new federal regulations that are creating uncertainty and economic stagnation."

"Instead, President Obama is pledging to double-down on his failed plan of more government, more job-killing regulations, more borrowing, more debt, and higher taxes."

"There are almost 30 jobs bills, passed by the House and waiting for action in the Senate. The President would do better to urge his former Senate colleagues to debate and vote on some of our jobs bills, which will jumpstart our economy."