I am 100% pro-life. I believe life begins at conception and that abortion takes the life of an innocent human being. It is the duty of our government to protect this life as a right guaranteed under the Constitution.

The United States is in the midst of a dramatic transformation in our capacity to produce the vital energy that powers our American economy. For decades our country has relied heavily on imports, making us vulnerable to hostile regimes and supply disruptions. Today, creativity and competition are driving our domestic energy sector forward, allowing the U.S. to access abundant resources here at home. This recent and rapid expansion of domestic energy production can improve our outlook for the future both at home and in our global affairs, but in order to take full advantage of this opportunity, more must be done.

Reckless levels of spending in Washington have been occurring for far too long. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the size of government has grown by more than 49 percent in the last decade. To put this in perspective, the federal government spends more than $11,530 per person, over $3,700 more per individual than what we were spending in 2005.

There is absolutely no question that the United States Tax Code needs to be reformed. In fact, it is long overdue.

Our criminal justice system is broken. Our nation’s laws should focus on imprisoning the most dangerous and violent members of our society. Instead, our criminal justice system traps non-violent offenders – disproportionately African-American men – in a cycle of poverty, unemployment, and incarceration.

As the Federal Government has increased the size of the Department of Education, test scores and scholastic performance have markedly dropped. More money, more bureaucracy, and more government intervention are eroding this nation’s educational standards.

There are many in Washington who give lip service to the Second Amendment, but vote to restrict gun ownership once they begin serving in public office. Gun control laws only restrict access to responsible gun ownership.

The Founding Fathers warned of a Federal Government bent on usurping the power, rights, and privacy of its States and citizens. In the last nine years, the Federal Government has expanded the scope of its power at an alarming rate, while blatantly ignoring the Constitution.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) – commonly known as “Obamacare” (P.L. 111-148), rapidly expanded the powers of government into the health care system. Since the passage of Obamacare, states, businesses, and other institutions have filed Constitutional challenges to many of the burdensome provisions of the law.

Long term incumbency leads to politicians who seem to care more about what is best for their career than what is best for their country. With each successive term, politicians grow more and more distant from the people.

Year after year, the various agencies of the Executive Branch hand down thousands of rules and regulations, many of which create undue burdens on businesses and hinder job creation. In particular, over the past several years, the Obama Administration has aggressively and unilaterally expanded the reach of the federal government by way of regulatory fiat.

I believe that defending this country is the primary and most important constitutional function of our federal government. Our nation is at its strongest when we establish clear priorities. For example, the irresponsible spending polices of the past decade have grown the national debt and weakened our defense capabilities.

With the end of the war in Iraq and the continued withdrawal from Afghanistan, many veterans have returned home in need of assistance. We owe it to the men and women who have served in combat to provide them with quality care for injuries sustained in defense of this nation and provide the necessary support tools as they adjust back to civilian life.

‘The Waste Report’ is an ongoing project to catalog egregious examples of wasteful spending throughout the U.S. government.