Jeff Miller RSS Articles

CONGRESSMAN JEFF MILLER TO HOST VETERANS’ EXPO IN OKALOOSA COUNTY

Wed, 16 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL-01) today announced that he will be hosting a Veterans’ Expo for Okaloosa and the surrounding areas. The expo will be on Wednesday, May 23, 2012 in Fort Walton Beach.

Miller said the event will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Veterans and their families are invited to attend as well as active duty military, reserve, and National Guard. Veterans will have access to several representatives from the VA and various organizations within the first district that can provide them with valuable information and resources regarding their benefits, job assistance, and health care.

“We are always trying new ways to listen to the needs of our Veterans in Northwest Florida,” Miller said. “The Veterans’ Expo will also help give constituents access to the information they need and benefits they are entitled to as a result of their military service in the defense of our great Nation.”

Northwest Florida Veterans’ Expo

FORT WALTON BEACH

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Northwest Florida Fair Grounds

1958 Lewis Turner Boulevard

Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547

8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (CDT)

A Sensible Budget

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 04:00:00 GMT

The federal government has a fundamental obligation to the American people to account for the taxes it receives and the money it spends. This money, after all, comes from the hard work and ingenuity of everyday American citizens. Unfortunately, fiscal responsibility based on the principles of a limited federal government as envisioned by our Founders is often shunned in the name of opaque and excessive spending. When confronted with the untenable reality of massive trillion dollar deficits, the big government proponents simply ignore the facts and try to borrow even more. Following this reckless path is a recipe for disaster.

But there is another path. A path based not on radical ideas from abroad, but built on the fundamental belief that America is the greatest nation on earth and that the Constitution is our guiding light. This path reduces our out of control spending and puts our budget on track to balance. This path restores transparency to the budgetary process and removes the government from areas where it has no business. This path empowers individuals and reaffirms our fundamental belief in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The choice is stark. The American people now must decide whether they wish to continue down the road to ruin or choose the path to prosperity.

Our debt has already reached astonishing levels, and both parties share the blame. However, the President, in his Fiscal Year 2013 budget, refuses to acknowledge that we have a spending problem. Republicans, on the other hand, refuse to accept the broken promises and failed policies that have pushed our nation to the brink of a debt crises.

This week, House Republicans unveiled our budget for Fiscal Year 2013. Our budget is based on the belief that our federal government should be guided by fiscal responsibility, economic liberty, traditional family values, and a strong national defense. Our budget brings deficits below 3 percent of GDP on the way to balance; reduces debt as a share of the economy; reforms our over complicated tax code; prioritizes our national security; ensures that social safety nets help individuals bounce back up to the middle class, rather than ensnare them in a web of government dependence; and protects Medicare for current beneficiaries, without bankrupting the program for future retirees.

In contrast, the President released his budget last month. Rather than cut the deficit in half, as he had promised to do by the end of his term, the President’s budget simply continued with another record breaking trillion dollar deficit. To make matters worse, his budget adds $11 trillion to the debt; slashes defense spending, forcing our nation’s servicemembers and their families to bear the burden of Washington’s irresponsible policies; imposes a $1.9 trillion tax hike; makes our tax code more complicated, making it more difficult for businesses to expand and hire new employees; and pushes forward with his ill-conceived health care reform, empowering a group of unelected bureaucrats to cut Medicare and restrict patient choice.

The House Republican budget is not the ultimate answer to our nation’s fiscal problems. It is, however, a blueprint for a more responsible and prosperous future. In comparison, the Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner testified before Congress that the Administration is “not coming before you to say we have a definitive solution to our long-term problem. What we do know is we don’t like yours.” Our plan is built on the tenets of economic freedom and individual liberty, and it affirms, once again, that our nation should follow the framework set out by our Founding Fathers in the Constitution. The Administration might not like our budget, but I think the American people will.

MILLER NAMED MOST CONSERVATIVE IN THE U.S. HOUSE

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

The National Journal today rated Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL-01) as the Most Conservative in Congress based on its 2011 Congressional Ratings. Miller tied with 9 other House Members with a conservative score of 94.

For the past three decades, National Journal has rated members of Congress based on selected roll-call votes from the previous year to create an ideological scale for Congress.

“I’m honored to be recognized by such a respected publication as one of the top conservatives in Congress,” Miller said. “I am very proud of my voting record, and I am confident it reflects the values and beliefs of the majority of Northwest Floridians.”

National Journal’s rating system is an objective method of analyzing congressional voting. A panel of the magazine’s editors and writers compiled a list of congressional roll call votes and classified them as economic, social or foreign policy related. The votes in each issue area were subjected to a principal-components analysis, a statistical procedure designed to determine the degree to which each vote resembled other votes in the same category. The ratings system was first devised in 1981 under the direction of William Schneider, a political analyst and commentator, and a contributing editor to National Journal, who continues to guide the calculation process.

The full National Journal ratings, including ratings for House members, are due out later today.

More information can be found at www.house.gov/jeffmiller or www.nationaljournal.com

Northwest Florida Veterans Expo

Thu, 23 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Veterans Expo Pensacola
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
8:00am - 12:00pm
WSRE Amos Auditorium
1000 College Boulevard
Pensacola, FL 32504

Veterans Expo Fort Walton Beach
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
8:00am - 12:00pm
Northwest Florida Fair Grounds
1958 Lewis Turner Blvd.
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547

Bringing together organizations (Federal, State, non-profits, and businesses that have a dedicated veteran component) for a one day “one-stop shop” venue that will provide information, support and will answer any veteran benefits related questions or issues. More information to follow as these events approach.

Click here for an informational Public Service Announcement.

Miller Newsletter on State of the Union

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

“An America Built to Last” – the theme of this year’s State of the Union Address. A great slogan and an even better promise. But it occurred to me as I sat through President Barack Obama’s third State of the Union address that I had heard this rhetoric somewhere before. In fact, I’ve heard over and over again the same tired idea that big government is the answer to our nation’s problems. Americans have specifically and repeatedly rejected this premise over the last several years. Yet, last Tuesday night the President put forward a speech light on proposals to rein in our debt or to provide jobs to Americans. We heard more empty promises and more calls for bipartisanship from one of the most partisan presidents in history. It seems almost comical that the President would title his speech after a catchphrase coined in reference to successful, long-lasting companies[i] and then seek to tax and over-regulate these very same job creators. We’ve heard it before, tried it, and it hasn’t worked.

The President was right to note that we have seen some recent success in foreign policy. Under his presidency, our military ended the life of the world’s most hated terrorist, Osama bin Laden, and the Iraq war has come to an end. No one should begrudge the President for these triumphs. However, I would remind our commander-in-chief that these achievements were only made possible because the United States maintains the very best military in the history of the world. While trumpeting his national security successes, the President is cutting more than $400 billion from the defense budget, not including the more than $500 billion in additional cuts starting in 2013 as part of the sequestration process. Slicing almost a trillion dollars from our military will irreparably harm the defense posture of this country, something I will not stand for and will fight to prevent.

While we have seen many victories overseas, the President’s record here at home is much more troubling. In what amounted to a 2012 campaign kickoff speech, the President asked for a little more time, a little more money, and a little more government to get America going again. At what point will this President stop blaming the last for our nation’s woes? With all due respect, it’s been three years. All of his signature policies have been enacted over our objections including Obamacare, Dodd-Frank, and a $1 trillion stimulus program. Every time he signed one of these bills into law, the President told us unemployment would go down and the economy would improve. It didn’t happen, and three years later, two million more Americans are out of work, and our economy remains stagnant.

Tuesday night, the President demanded that Congress act. “Send me a bill” he said, “and I will sign it right away.” Send me a bill? House Republicans have sent TWENTY-SEVEN jobs bills to the Senate that have never seen the light of day. Maybe the President needs to direct his words towards his own party’s Senate leadership and get them moving on these bills. In particular, we need the Senate to pass a budget so we have a blueprint to reduce government spending, something they have been unable to do in 1,000 days and counting. The President was elected to his first term in the Senate and announced his candidacy for President in less time than 1,000 days. If our founding fathers can draft and enact a Constitution for a new country (twice!) in 1,000 days, certainly the Senate can pass an annual budget. Yet even more hypocrisy came from the President’s call for increased American-made energy. This coming less than a week after the President denied the Keystone XL Pipeline project that would have done exactly that, not to mention providing thousands of jobs to American workers.

I will give the President credit for proposing at least one specific initiative – a tax increase on many job creators and small businesses. He even said, “You can call it class warfare all you want.” But that’s exactly what it is – pitting small businesses and job creators against the poor and unemployed. And what is the President’s solution to such a problem? Higher taxes and more government! Increase taxes to pay for the highest number of food stamp recipients in history. To be clear, even if we taxed millionaires at 100 percent, taking every single penny they’ve earned, it would not change the fact that the 2011 deficit is still the highest annual deficit accumulated under any President’s watch. And as for the President’s promise that taxes won’t increase for those making under $250,000? The President has actually signed into law at least 16 new tax increases during his term in office that directly impact the middle-class. I agree we need to fix the tax code and get rid of loopholes, but we also need to end special tax subsidies like those given to Solyndra, not call for higher taxes to pay for more government spending in the midst of an unstable economy.

At the end of the State of the Union address, I was left not inspired, but unfulfilled, much like the promise of hope and change we heard three years ago. Simply put, this Administration speaks one way and acts another. Promises don’t provide jobs to the unemployed. Rhetoric doesn’t get our economy growing again. It is time to put aside eloquent speechmaking and crafty slogans and instead get to work on putting Americans back to work. House Republicans have and continue to stand ready and willing for the President to work with us.

[i] Collins, James C., and Jerry I. Porras. Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies. New York: HarperBusiness, 1994.

Miller to Host Health Fair for Seniors in Crestview

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL-01) today announced that he will be hosting a Seniors Health Fair on Wednesday, January 25, 2012.

Miller said the events will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at the Crestview Community Center. Seniors and their families are invited to visit the fair to receive flu shots and basic health screenings. Veterans are also encouraged to attend to get more information on TRICARE for Life and VA health benefits.

“This is just another way we can better serve seniors in Northwest Florida,” Miller said. “The Senior Health Fair will help give constituents access to the information they need to enjoy their golden years in good health.”

Seniors Health Fair
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. CT

Crestview Community Center
1446 Commerce Drive
Crestview, Florida 32536

MILLER STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT OBAMA’S DISAPPROVAL OF THE KEYSTONE PIPELINE

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Jeff Miller (R-FL-1) today criticized the Administration’s decision to reject approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline:

“I am extremely disappointed in the President’s decision. At a time when Americans are facing a sluggish economy and nearly 9% unemployment, I find it inexplicable that the President would choose to prevent this project from moving forward.

The Keystone XL Pipeline could create upwards of 20,000 jobs and would be a much needed boost for the economy. I’m disappointed that this Administration has once again decided to put politics ahead of private sector economic stimulus for our country.”

Pearls of the Pacific

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Today and tomorrow mark the 70thanniversaries of the Empire of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor and the start of the Battle of Wake Island, respectively. The circumstances surrounding these events and the subsequent actions taken by the United States make this one of the most significant weeks in modern history.

For many, Pearl Harbor signified the loss of loved ones and a feeling of vulnerability previously unfelt in America’s history. Beyond the somberness and the carnage in the Pacific that day, Pearl Harbor stands as defining moment in American history. Few could have predicted the impact it would have on the course of our great nation.

When the Japanese attacked, they thought it was to their benefit, but they were wrong, and as Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto said, “they had awakened a sleeping giant and [filled] him with terrible resolve.”

To the Japanese, Pearl Harbor was a great victory, they caught us off guard and delivered heavy blows, killing over 2,400 and wounding almost 1,300. The attack also took a devastating toll—on top of the loss of innocent men and women—on our Pacific Fleet. The most notable destruction was to that of the USS Arizona. The Arizona was sunk and still lies at the bottom of the ocean. She serves as an underwater tomb for the men who perished on that tragic day. Only hours after this sudden attack, American forces on Wake Island were also attacked in a battle that ultimately claimed the lives of 820 Americans.

Prior to December 7, 1941, some wanted to remain neutral in the growing global conflict. After Pearl and Wake, however, we could no longer stand by idly. While she did not start the war, America made sure that she would be the one to finish it.

The next four years were spent seeking justice for those lost, protecting others from further attacks, and freeing millions under German and Japanese oppression. Our conquest was just, and in the end we made the world a better place.

When the first plane dropped that first bomb at Pearl Harbor, America was only a shade of the superpower she would become. After the surprise attack, America rose up and fearlessly fought back, crushing the torchbearers of tyranny, and revitalizing democracy throughout much of the world.

It is imperative that we forever remember the events that took place at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Today’s remembrance marks the first of what will be many 70thanniversaries that commemorate iconic events from World War II taking place over the next four years.

During those four years, the “Greatest Generation” left their mark on society. Americans of all ages, genders, races, religions, and ethnicities contributed to the war effort. Without their great determination and sacrifices America would not be the great country that it is today.

In Florida’s First Congressional District we are privileged to have one of the highest veteran populations of any Congressional District in America, many of whom are veterans of World War II. We owe them a debt of gratitude that can never fully be repaid, as their heroics propelled our nation into previously unchartered waters of greatness.

As this population of heroes dwindles with each passing day, it is my hope that we are able to do everything in our power to keep their story alive. I urge you, my friends, to reach out to these brave souls and learn as much as you possibly can about their extraordinary lives. As we ourselves approach perilous times in our nation’s history we must recapture the spirit and determination showed during the Second World War. In doing so, the “Greatest Generation” can inspire us to remain the greatest country in the world.

— Rep. Jeff Miller (FL-01) is Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

MILLER TO HOST HEALTH FAIR FOR SENIORS IN PENSACOLA

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT

U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL-01) today announced that he will be hosting a Seniors Health Fair on Tuesday, November 15th.

Miller said the events will take place from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at the Bayview Resource Center. Seniors and their families are invited to visit the fair to receive flu shots and basic health screenings. Experts will be on hand to discuss Social Security and Medicare. Veterans are also encouraged to attend to get more information on TRICARE for Life and VA health benefits.

“This is just another way we can better serve seniors in Northwest Florida,” Miller said. “The Senior Health Fair will help give constituents access to the information they need to make the best decisions for their health care.”

Seniors Health Fair

Tuesday, November 15

8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. CT

Bayview Resource Center

2001 East Lloyd Street

Pensacola, FL 32503

We Really Can't Wait!

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:00:00 GMT

Last week, while announcing the President’s decision to take a series of executive actions, the Administration unveiled their latest slogan, “We Can’t Wait.” I agree that we owe it to the millions of unemployed Americans to pass legislation that will help our economy flourish and put them back to work, but using "Executive Powers” without legislative transparency to point the finger at Republicans for a supposed unwillingness to pass legislation to help jump-start our economy is unproductive and insincere. The fact of the matter is that while the Administration was busy trying to come up with its next catch phrase, the House of Representatives passed two more job creating measures. In total, the House of Representatives has passed more than twenty jobs bills that would help put Americans back to work, yet only five of these have been passed by the Senate and signed into law by the President. Currently, eighteen jobs bills are stuck in the Senate awaiting further action (http://majorityleader.gov/JobsTracker). I guess we shouldn’t be surprised about the lack of activity on the other side of the Capitol, given that it has been over 900 days since the Senate last passed a budget.

One of the Executive Orders issued by the President this week was a push to get unemployed veterans back to work. The President “challenged” Community Health Centers to hire 8,000 veterans. I agree that military members with medical training should have an easier time finding employment, which is why I included provisions that would make it easier for them to get the credentials they need to obtain employment in my Veteran’s Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act (http://veterans.house.gov/jobs). And the VOW Act doesn’t stop there. The VOW Act would help train 100,000 unemployed veterans in a full range of job sectors, improve the Transition Assistance Program, and strengthen protections that help National Guard and Reserve troops from losing their jobs while they are deployed.

I fully commend the President for focusing on measures to help get one million unemployed veterans to work. This level of veteran unemployment is unacceptable. Members of the House of Representatives from both sides of the aisle understand how vital it is to get unemployed veterans back to work, and that is why the VOW Act passed the House of Representatives with overwhelming bipartisan support by a vote of 418-6. With Veterans Day less than two weeks away, passing the VOW Act in the Senate and sending it to the President’s desk would lay down a significant marker on the road to decreasing veteran unemployment.

I have also introduced a tax incentive to complement the VOW Act, which would not only immediately help veterans, but would also help small businesses grow. The Tax Credit to Hire Veterans Act would provide small businesses with a $25,000 incentive for hiring any unemployed veteran. Additionally, my bill includes provisions that ensure that businesses cannot simply hire a veteran, receive the incentive and then fire the veteran. This substantial tax incentive would allow businesses to use more of their capital to hire unemployed veterans, and provide a double incentive to businesses looking to hire veterans.

Long before the Administration coined its new slogan, the American people have been telling us that we cannot wait to create jobs. House Republicans have understood that we do not have the luxury of standing on the sidelines waiting for the economy to right itself and have taken action. In May, Republicans released the Plan for America’s Job Creators, a comprehensive approach to reducing government barriers to job growth. On numerous occasions, we have answered the call to action by passing jobs legislation, and we continue to do so. On Wednesday, the House passed H.R. 1904, the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act. This bill will pave the way for American businesses to create thousands of jobs delivering approximately $220.5 million in wages every year to American workers. More than $700 million in private funds have already been invested in this project, and over 500 Americans work at the site today. Over the life of the project, the economic benefits will exceed $60 billion and lead to another $19 billion in tax revenue for federal, state, county and local governments.

Passage of H.R. 1904 was followed up with the passage of H.R. 674, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the imposition of 3 percent withholding on certain payments made to vendors by government entities. H.R. 674 would repeal an unnecessary and burdensome requirement, set to go into effect in January 2013, which would withhold 3 percent of government payments to businesses that provide goods or services to federal, state, or local governments. This withholding tax would reduce the cash flow of businesses that contract with federal, state and local governments and undermine job creation. I believe that the looming implementation of this requirement is contributing to the severe uncertainty facing employers during these challenging economic times. The withholding requirement would also impose substantial costs on federal, state, and local governments, including costs to acquire new software and pay for additional accounting services. I was glad to see the Administration come out in support of House efforts to repeal this withholding tax. H.R. 674 received broad bipartisan support in the House, and there is no reason to add it to the list of bills that are stalled in the Senate.

The President and I may have different ideological viewpoints on how best to help the country, but I agree with him that unemployed Americans can’t continue to wait. The House, Senate, and the Administration must work together to support our nation’s job creators. The President does not need to circumvent the Congress through Executive Orders. House-passed jobs bills that are currently stalled in the Senate, including the VOW Act, would help to create far more jobs than any of the President’s Executive Orders. The House is doing its part, but only until the Senate acts, starts listening to the American people and stops trying to find new ways to delay legislation, will we create the right environment for businesses to thrive and expand their workforce. House Republicans have shown time and again that we are committed to passing legislation to improve our economy as the elected voice of the People. Now, we need the Senate and the Administration to do the same.

We cannot afford to wait any longer.