Jul 18 2011

President Obama's warning to Republicans that he will take the debt limit debate to the American people is music to my ears. Mr. President, I do not fear such a debate. Quite frankly, I welcome it.

Jul 08 2011

Now is the time to reduce spending, engage in meaningful regulatory reform, and keep taxes low so we can give American job creators a fighting chance to help turn our economy around.

Jun 29 2011


“South Carolina baseball has achieved legendary status by winning back-to-back NCAA Baseball National Championship titles.  Ray Tanner and his gutsy team represent the very best in college athletics and have brought great pride to our entire state.”


Jun 23 2011

“There is zero chance we will ever balance our nation’s budget under the current construct.  I’m convinced the only way Congress and the President will annually balance the federal budget is if it’s constitutionally required.  Without a Balanced Budget Amendment both parties will only talk about balancing the budget, never actually get it done.”

Jun 21 2011


It’s clear what this union complaint is about -- it’s an effort to intimidate people like me who are speaking out against them.  I will not be intimidated.  And it’s not going to stop me from fighting for the people of South Carolina.


May 26 2011

WASHINGTON -- Today, Senators John McCain (AZ-R), Joe Lieberman (CT-ID), Lindsey Graham (SC-R) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) released the following statement regarding Syria:

"In his speech one week ago, President Obama gave Bashar al Assad one last chance. Bashar had a choice to make, the President said: either embrace the democratic reforms demanded by the Syrian people, or get out of the way.

"It is now clear which choice Bashar al Assad has made, and that it is time for him to step aside. In the week since the President's speech, Assad's regime has continued its violent and brutal assault against the Syrian people. Mass graves have been found in Syria, while human rights groups estimate that more than one thousand people have been killed and over 8,000 people have been unlawfully detained or forcibly disappeared.

"Having ignored President Obama's appeal, Bashar al Assad and his regime must now bear the consequences. We urge President Obama to declare, as the Syrian protesters have, that Bashar al Assad has lost his legitimacy and it is time for him to go.

"We also hope the Obama Administration will work with our allies and partners to raise the situation in Syria at the UN Security Council and secure the passage of a meaningful resolution there. We commend the General Secretariat of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) for its condemnation of the violence in Syria, and urge our Administration to work with Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and other regional partners to ratchet up the pressure on Assad in other forums and lend greater support to the Syrian people.

"Finally, at the same time the United States and the international community target the Syrian regime for its campaign of barbaric human rights abuses, we must also hold Bashar al Assad accountable for his other violations of international law. In particular, the evidence is now clear and convincing that Syria has pursued illicit nuclear activities in violation of the NPT and stonewalled the IAEA investigation. It is time for the IAEA Board of Governors to find the Syrian government in noncompliance of its NPT obligations and refer the Assad regime to the UN Security Council."

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May 25 2011

I appreciate the hard work of the House Budget Committee and its Chairman Paul Ryan. I was proud to vote today in support of bringing the House-passed budget plan straight to the Senate floor for debate.