PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST. ALWAYS! Todd Platts has always been guided by Abraham Lincoln’s principle that government should be "of the people, by the people, for the people." As Congressman, Todd has continued to “put people first.” He has sponsored legislation prohibiting automatic Congressional pay raises and has voted to block them. Todd introduced legislation denying retirement benefits to Congressmen convicted of illegal acts and proposed a constitutional amendment giving the President line-item veto authority to rein in excessive spending. He has also worked to strengthen whistleblower protections for employees who report fraud, waste, and mismanagement in federal government agencies. Finally, Todd believes partisan politics should not be part of the governing process.
Spending/Economy
The federal debt currently exceeds $14 trillion. The annual deficit exceeds $1 trillion, which means that the United States is borrowing approximately 40 cents of every dollar spent by the federal government. Todd strongly believes that this level of federal spending is simply not sustainable. Congress must do more to rein in spending.
Todd has supported a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution since his first term in Congress. He has been a leader in Congress in the effort to make government programs more efficient and accountable to the American taxpayers. In the 112th Congress, he has supported legislation to cut spending by more than $6 trillion dollars over the next decade, while instituting tax reforms that broaden the tax base and lower tax rates for everyone, while making the tax code fairer by closing loopholes.
Todd believes that since families across America are forced every day to tighten their belts and learn to do more with less - so should Washington. He has opposed spending trillions of dollars on ineffective stimulus packages, the bailouts of Wall Street and the auto companies, cap and trade legislation and the health care bill. He will continue his efforts to help enact real solutions to the financial challenges facing America
Economic opportunity is the cornerstone of the American Dream. The federal government should help create the conditions necessary for both the Nation's short-term and long-term economic health. Todd has supported legislation to provide tax incentives for work and investment, to create a comprehensive energy policy that includes responsible domestic energy exploration and to promote exports while also addressing the unfair trade practices of countries like China.
Health Care
Todd opposed President Obama's health care plan, which consisted of more than two thousand pages and will cost more than $1 trillion over ten years, for numerous substantive reasons, including his concerns about its costs, its mandates on individuals and employers, its deep cuts to Medicare, and the strong likelihood that it will cost millions of Americans their jobs.
During his service in Congress, Todd has supported numerous efforts to reform our health care system, including allowing small businesses to band together to negotiate insurance coverage for their employees, just as large corporations and labor unions are already allowed to do. He has cosponsored legislation – the HEALTH Act (H.R. 5), that provides fair and balanced medical malpractice reform to help lower the cost of health care while also ensuring that individuals negligently injured are appropriately compensated. He also cosponsored H.R. 346, the Health Care Choice Act, which would allow individuals to purchase health insurance across state lines from a competitive, nation-wide market. Todd believes that common-sense reforms such as these will help to address the skyrocketing cost of health care without imposing job-crushing mandates on businesses or costing taxpayers trillions of dollars in new government spending.
Immigration
Todd strongly supports the vigorous enforcement of our immigration laws and opposes attempts to provide illegal immigrants with blanket amnesty. He strongly opposed the amnesty bill debated in the Senate in May and June 2007 that would have allowed millions of undocumented workers in the country illegally to apply for legal "guest worker" status. Todd believes amnesty is the wrong approach to the immigration issue because it encourages more illegal immigration, undermines respect for the law and is blatantly unfair to those individuals who have been waiting in line, sometimes for years, to come to the United State legally. He is cosponsor of legislation (H.R. 994), the Loophole Elimination and Verification Enforcement Act, which would eliminate illegal immigration through border enforcement, employment verification, and interior enforcement.
Approach to Public Service
Todd believes that government should be "of the people, by the people, for the people." For this reason, he is one of the only Members of the United States House of Representatives who does not accept money from any political action committees (PACs). In other words, he has not received any political contributions from special interest groups while in office. Todd feels that all Members of Congress should always act in what they believe to be the best interest of their constituents and the people of the entire United States, not based on political contributions to their campaigns. Likewise, Todd has consistently sponsored legislation to repeal automatic pay increases for Members of Congress. Todd commutes each day from his home in York, Pennsylvania to work in Washington. By maintaining this deep connection to the community he grew up in, Todd has the opportunity to interact with the citizens of the 19th Congressional District on a daily basis, either through traditional and telephone town hall meetings, attending local events, scheduled meetings with individuals and groups, and just running into constituents while he is pumping gas or shopping at the grocery store.
LEADERSHIP FOR THE 21ST CENTURY! As the 19th District’s Congressman, Todd Platts serves on several key House committees. Todd’s assignments include the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Education and Workforce Committee and Armed Services Committee. Todd currently serves as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management. These assignments have allowed Todd to play an active role on critical issues such as: financial management of federal agencies, reducing improper payments and wasteful government spending, education reform and whistleblower protections.
SAYING NO TO SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS! Knowing special interest groups wrongly influence Congress with millions of dollars in contributions, Todd Platts is one of the only Members of Congress who refuses such contributions. Todd is once again running a grassroots campaign. He believes elections should be decided on qualifications and issues, not wealth or ability to raise money.