My Letter from the Speaker

January 7, 2018 |  Speaker Paul Ryan 



Dear Michael,

Thank you for contacting me with your thoughts about the important national security issues America faces at home and abroad. The importance of homeland security, a strong military, and prudent foreign policy, cannot be overstated, and the first job of the federal government is securing the safety and liberty of its citizens from threats at home and abroad. In my role as Speaker, I am committed to making sure that the House functions in an open and transparent way to ensure that the federal government fulfills this duty. 

Whether defeating the terrorists who attacked this country on September 11, 2001, deterring the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, or battling insurgents who would harbor terrorist networks that threaten American lives, the men and women of the United States’ military have performed superbly. All Americans owe a debt of gratitude to our country’s bravest individuals who have served and given their lives in defense of freedom and liberty. The brave soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines who have served our country have made tremendous sacrifices on behalf of our nation. To honor the service of these heroes, and to ensure their success, Congress must provide our military with the necessary resources to accomplish the missions that they have to protect our nation from those who wish to do us harm. Further, Congress must never forget its promises to our troops, our veterans at home, and the families of all who serve, and we must also work to ensure our veterans and the families of all service members receive the care, and services they need in a timely, convenient, and efficient manner. Unfortunately, since President Obama entered office, his administration has switched from a strategy-driven budget—a budget that identifies the missions of the military and bases its funding request on the costs associated with accomplishing these missions—to a budget-driven strategy—a budget that sets funding levels and then asks the military to do what it can with the limited resources. Without military readiness or a strong defense posture, the United States will not be able to retain its leadership role in the world as a force for peace, freedom, and stability. 

While Congress has been able to mitigate some of the damage President Obama’s agenda has inflicted on our military preparedness, there is ultimately no substitute for a commander in chief who takes America’s critical role in the world as a force for good seriously and provides the strategic leadership and moral clarity that is required of our nation in this role. Whether it is the so-called, “reset” with Russia or his, “redline,” in Syria, President Obama has time and time again undermined his own credibility, that of his office, and that of our country be refusing to honor his word, stand up to America’s adversaries, and stand up for our allies. The President continues to underestimate both the scope and the nature of the threat posed by ISIS, and he has failed to produce a coherent strategy for defeating this enemy and restoring order in Syria, Iraq, and the broader region. Instead of working to ensure that the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, never obtains a nuclear weapon, President Obama and his administration turned their backs on Israel and other Middle-East nations and negotiated from a position of unconditional weakness with Iran. The result was an astonishingly weak deal that makes a nuclear Iran more likely, not less, and destabilizes the whole region. 

American leadership in the world often comes at a high price. But as the last seven years have demonstrated, our nation—and the whole world—pay an even higher price when America fails to lead. The fact is, we live in complex and dangerous world, and we face many serious threats. Moving forward, I remain committed to holding President Obama accountable and demanding that his administration reevaluate its failed foreign policy—particularly as it relates to ISIS and the threat of radical Islamic terrorism at home and abroad, and to ensuring that Iran is held accountable for its continued illegal acts of hostility, hatred, and human rights abuse. I am also committed to providing the resources that are necessary to deter Russia’s aggression against its regional neighbors and to protect the freedom of sovereign nations in Europe. Lastly, I remain committed to deterring further North Korean aggression and to increasing pressure on the rogue regime that imprisons the people of that country and threatens global security to alter its course, respect human rights, and comply with international law. 

In addition to demanding better policies in the face of our nation’s current challenges, Congress must continue the work of laying out plans and providing the resources required to modernize our military’s technological capabilities in the face of new and emerging threats like cyber-terrorism and cyber warfare. We must make the investments necessary to ensure that our air and naval fleets are adequate in size and strength to defend the homeland, guarantee stability in the global commons, deter aggression against our friends and allies, and promote and protect America’s security, our interests, and our most treasured values whenever and wherever they are threatened or under attack. To be sure, in every area of government, we must be good stewards of tax payer dollars, and there is no question that we should continue to demand transparency and efficiency from the Department of Defense. That said, in order to accomplish our most vital national security and foreign policy goals, we will have to tackle our most pressing fiscal challenges before they tackle us. That means we must lay out a vision to bring true drivers our debt, automatic spending on health and retirement programs, under control set sound priorities as we make decisions each year about discretionary spending on non-defense programs. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the 114th Congress to ensure that these goals are fully met. 

This year, the House is turning a new page. To solve more problems, we are improving the way we seek solutions. To serve the People all members are elected to represent, the People’s House has to function the way the Founders intended. I approach my role as Speaker from the perspective of a two-time committee chair, and so I believe the committees should retake the lead in drafting major legislation. If you are interested in learning more about the work being done in the House to rebuild and modernize America’s military, please feel free to visit the House Committee on Armed Services website: https://armedservices.house.gov/ . Additionally, for information about issues related to diplomacy and foreign policy, please visit the House Committee on Foreign Affairs website: http://foreignaffairs.house.gov/ . For information about domestic security issues, visit the House Committee on Homeland Security website: https://homeland.house.gov/ . 

For information about the important work being done to bring much needed accountability and reform to the VA, visit the House Committee on Veterans Affairs website: http://veterans.house.gov/ . These pages are substantive and reliable sources of information about issues important to our national security and the military, and each provides regular updates about the work the important work of these committees. I hope you find this information useful and informative. 

We have more to do to get our country back on track, and so my top priority is to work with my colleagues to assemble a bold, pro-growth agenda for the country. We will make clear where we stand and how we would apply America’s founding principles to today’s problems. To accomplish this goal, I have worked with my colleagues to define six key areas of focus for restoring a more confident America, and we have formed six committee-led task forces charged with developing a bold, pro-growth agenda. The task forces, comprised of committee chairs of jurisdiction, will seek input from all members to ensure their ideas and perspectives are reflected in this agenda. For updates, please visit:  http://www.speaker.gov/confidentamerica 

Here is an overview of our six areas of focus for building a more confident America: 

National Security 
Goal: Develop an overarching strategy and the military capabilities required to confront the national security threats of the 21st century. 

Tax Reform 
Goal: Create jobs, grow the economy, and raise wages by reducing rates, removing special interest carve-outs, and making our broken tax code simpler and fairer. 

Reducing Regulatory Burdens 
Goal: Make it easier to invest, produce, and build things in America with a regulatory system that reduces bureaucracy and eases the burden on small businesses and job creators, while still protecting the environment, public safety, and consumer interests. 

Health Care Reform 
Goal: Repeal and replace Obamacare with a patient-centered system that gives patients more choice and control, increases quality, and reduces costs. 

Poverty, Opportunity, and Upward Mobility 
Goal: Strengthen our safety net and reform educational programs to make them more effective and accountable, help people move from welfare to work, and empower productive lives. 

Restoring Constitutional Authority 
Goal: Reclaim power ceded to the executive branch over the years by reforming the rulemaking process, checking agency authority, exercising the power of the purse, and conducting more robust oversight. 

Thank you again for contacting me. If you would like to find information about the lawmaker who represents your congressional district in the House or about how to contact that person, you are welcome to visit www.house.gov, where you will find this and other useful information about the work of the House.

Sincerely,


     Speaker Ryan’s Press Office | H-232 The Capitol | 202-225-0600