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Government Reform

 I agree with most Ohioans that our Federal Government spends far too much and is overly large, cumbersome and bureaucratic. Many of the roles currently filled by government agencies would be better left to individuals, private businesses and non-profit organizations. I take my government oversight responsibilities very seriously, and am well-positioned to work on this issue from my seat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. During the 114th Congress I will continue to consider and propose ways to reduce government spending and eliminate redundancy in government agencies.

June 8, 2016
Opinion Pieces

The key to understanding America's social-welfare system today — and why it needs to be reformed — is not its bloated annual budget but its tendency to undermine the two most dependable routes out of poverty: work and marriage.

For many Americans struggling to make ends meet, our safety net works as it was intended, providing a temporary lifeline when they fall on hard times and need help getting back on their feet.

Issues:Pro-Life and Family IssuesBudget and Fiscal IssuesGovernment Reform
June 6, 2016
Opinion Pieces
Last week the House Judiciary Committee held its first hearing on whether to impeach Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner John Koskinen for obstructing justice, providing false testimony to Congress, disregarding Congressional subpoenas, and stonewalling a congressional investigation.

Civil servants like Mr. Koskinen have historically been held to a higher standard than private citizens because they have fiduciary obligations to the public. Under Mr. Koskinen's leadership, the IRS has breached these basic fiduciary responsibilities.
Issues:Government Reform
May 26, 2016
Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) today introduced H.R. 5360, the Welfare Reform and Upward Mobility Act of 2016, a bill to reform the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The bill, sponsored in the Senate by Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah), is modeled off of successful reforms implemented in Maine and the welfare reforms of 1996.

Of the legislation, Rep. Jordan said:

May 25, 2016
Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a member of the House Select Committee on Benghazi and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released the following statement regarding the State Department Office of Inspector General's report that found former State Department Secretary Hillary Clinton violated agency policies on email records:

"Keep in mind that the Inspector General's report addressed just one of the many questions that remain about Secretary Clinton's private server, and now we have independent confirmation that her email system was unauthorized, illegal and put classi

May 24, 2016
Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) condemned Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen's "breach of public trust, dereliction of duty and negligence" today in a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee.
May 13, 2016
Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) made the following comments regarding the Judiciary Committee's announcement today that it would hold two full committee hearings to examine Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner John Koskinen's misconduct:

"I applaud Chairman Goodlatte's decision to hold hearings on the resolution for impeachment of IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. Commissioner Koskinen failed to fulfill his duty to the American people by allowing back-up tapes containing potentially 24,000 emails to be destroyed.

May 13, 2016
The House Judiciary Committee announced it will hold hearings on House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz's (R-UT) resolution for impeachment of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Commissioner John Koskinen. The House Freedom Caucus released the following statement:

"The House Freedom Caucus applauds Judiciary Chairman Goodlatte's decision to initiate hearings on the impeachment of the IRS Commissioner.

April 19, 2016
Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) questioned attorney Cleta Mitchell today about the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservatives, congressional efforts to impeach IRS Commissioner John Koskinen, and cell tower-mimicking Stingray technology. During the Task Force on Executive Overreach hearing, Jordan pointed out that the IRS, while failing to collect roughly $385 billion in taxes for the Treasury Department, was instead spending its time acquiring and using Stingray technology, which could be used to violate Americans' Fourth Amendment rights.

During the hearing, Rep.

April 14, 2016
Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) called for movement on legislation to impeach Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen today during a special order on the floor of the House of Representatives. Rep. Jordan was joined by Reps. Ron DeSantis, Ted Yoho, Doug Lamborn and Jody Hice.

Under Commissioner Koskinen's watch, with congressional subpoena and preservation order in place and with Congress, the Department of Justice and the IRS inspector general asking for documents, the IRS destroyed 422 backup tapes that contained potentially 24,000 e-mails.

March 2, 2016
Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) today questioned witnesses from the American Civil Liberties Union, The Heritage Foundation and the U.S. Department of Justice about geolocation technology and privacy issues. In a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing, Rep.