Issues

Fighting Wasteful Government Spending

I proposed an amendment to the Obama stimulus bill to cut $50 billion in wasteful spending that did nothing to stimulate our economy, such as $600 million in funding for "green" federal government automobiles. I voted against the liberal and bloated omnibus appropriations bill that included the largest increase in spending for government run programs since Jimmy Carter. I have consistently opposed federal legislation that uses your tax dollars for wasteful government programs like Sen. Reid's lands bill that allocated $15 billion for land management.

Plans for Job Creation

I am proud to have introduced, along with some of my colleagues, the No Cost Stimulus Act of 2009. This is a bill based in common sense and has the potential to create more than two million jobs and $10 trillion in GDP over the next 20 years without borrowing a dime. The No Cost Stimulus Act of 2009 would accomplish this by expanding domestic energy supply and streamlining burdensome, unnecessary environmental review processes that have placed a stranglehold on access to reliable U.S. energy sources for decades. These are the same laws crippling manufacturers and farmers across the country. However, a number of my colleagues may have trouble understanding the concept of "stimulating" the economy without borrowing several hundred billion dollars from China.

Coastal Restoration

Restoring Louisiana's coast line is absolutely essential. Our state's coastal wetlands provide protection from hurricanes and Louisiana's coastal communities serve as the nation's energy corridor and provide the second most domestic seafood products in the country. As one of the key negotiators who worked out the final language in the Water Resources Development Act, I fought hard for provisions that will protect and restore our coast and help better protect Louisiana from storms. That bill allows $4-5 billion in comprehensive coastal protection and restoration programs for Louisiana. I'm also proud to have helped pass the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act which will provide Louisiana with much needed funding for coastal erosion projects using funds generated from the oil we produce.

Affordable Prescription Drugs vs. Socialized Medicine

I am strongly opposed to socialized medicine and to letting Washington bureaucrats make health care decisions instead of leaving it to doctors and patients. We can make health care affordable by reducing costs, which is why I've fought in the Senate to lower prescription drug prices. I'm fighting to let Americans buy safe prescription drugs in Canada where medications are cheaper than they are in the U.S., and I'm also working to make generic drugs more available to patients. No one should go without their life-saving drugs because of skyrocketing costs, and I'm working to break down expensive barriers to medicine so patients don't have to choose between prescription drugs and other necessities.

No to Automatic Pay Raises for Congress

During a time when so many Americans are hurting, it's unconscionable for Congress to continue giving themselves pay raises from your tax dollars. I have fought for legislation that ends this ridiculous practice. For more on my fight against automatic pay raises and to sign our petition telling Speaker Pelosi that you don't want Congress to give themselves an automatic pay raise every year, visit stoppayraisesforcongress.davidvitter.com.

Card Check: Destroying American Business, One Coerced Signature at a Time

Barack Obama and his liberal allies have been in power only a few months, but American taxpayers and businesses are already getting a taste of the liberal agenda, with extreme government spending and tax increases already in motion. Card Check will be next on this agenda, and it will allow worker intimidation and broader government control of businesses - bad news for workers, employers and their families in these tough economic times. For more on my fight against Card Check and to sign my petition, please visit www.fightcardcheck.com.

Fighting Illegal Immigration: Renewing E-Verify

E-Verify is a voluntary program run by the U.S. Government that helps to ensure that employees hired by businesses and companies are legally authorized to work in the United States. After submitting worker information to the E-Verification system, it is the employer's responsibility to ensure that a worker is legally authorized. Not only does E-Verify help employers protect their workers and business environments from those seeking illegal employment, but it also protects American jobs for those who have earned the legal right to work in this country. For more on my fight to renew E-Verify, please visit www.reneweverify.com.

The Second Amendment: A Way of Life Under Siege

The 2nd Amendment states, "A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." As the Sportsman's Paradise, Louisiana will not surrender its right to practice these enduring traditions, nor will it surrender the right to self defense, a statute on which the freedom and safety of Louisiana depend. Under the agenda of President Obama and his liberal allies, it's no secret that the 2nd Amendment is in danger in Louisiana and across our great nation. I have proposed numerous of pieces of legislation to protect our 2nd Amendment rights, and I’m proud to have an A+ rating from both the National Rifle Association and the Gun Owners of America. For more on my fight to protect Second Amend rights, please visit supportsecondamendment.davidvitter.com.

TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party Days

President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and their big-spending liberal allies need to know that the people of Louisiana have had enough of their financially wasteful agenda. On April 15th, people all across Louisiana and the rest of the country attended TEA (Taxed Enough Already) parties to voice their opposition to skyrocketing spending and mounting debt, and they will do so again on July 4th, Independence Day.

I’ve introduced a resolution in the U.S. Senate to recognize the efforts of these citizens and to support their fight against the federal government’s wasteful spending and bailout policies, but I need your help to send the message. Please join me as a citizen Co-sponsor by signing my online petition to end wasteful government spending and officially declare April 15th "National TEA Party Day." Read more at davidvitter.com/teaparty.

Closing of Guantanamo Bay

On his first day in office, President Obama signed an executive order to close the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Now, other countries are refusing to accept the international terrorists that were being held there, and America has been forced to bring them to U.S. prisons on our own soil. Plans have already been made to move some of these criminals to Virginia, right in the Pentagon’s back yard, putting American citizens and soldiers there in danger. These international criminals don’t belong on American soil, and I hope you’ll join me in telling the President that we will not accept them in Louisiana - to sign the petition, please click here.

Protecting the Rights of the Unborn

I strongly believe in the dignity and sanctity of all human life. As your Senator, I have stood in defense of those who cannot defend themselves against the recent pro-abortion policy changes coming from the Obama White House. I authored the Title X Family Planning Act, which would prevent our federal tax dollars from going to abortion providers. The federal government should not sustain and underwrite private abortion providers with taxpayer funds when abortion is such a divisive issue. And I also successfully attached an amendment to the 2008 Indian Health Care Improvement Act that would have formalized a longstanding policy against any funding of abortions with federal Indian Health Service funds.