Last week, I was proud to introduce my first bill in Congress.  The Cut, Cap, and Balance Act – which I co-authored with Rep. Chaffetz (UT) and Rep. Ribble (WI) – simply says that if the president wants to raise the debt ceiling, then we want to cut spending now, cap spending in the near-term, and pass a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  The fact of the matter is that we don’t want to be back here raising the debt ceiling again in five or ten years.

Not only did this bill receive an enormous amount of support, but on Tuesday (just two days before my 44th birthday) it passed the House on the bipartisan vote of 234-190 and was sent over to the Senate.  That’s right, they may have the “Gang of 6″ in the Senate, but we have the “Gang of 234″ in the House.

Unfortunately, many in the Senate aren’t interested in cutting government spending.  In fact, giving the Cut, Cap, and Balance Act the best endorsement we could have hoped for, Senator Harry Reid called it the “worst legislation” ever.  Yes, the same Harry Reid who fought so hard to protect earmarks for cowboy poetry festivals, thinks that a plan to balance the budget is the worst bill ever.

His speech reflects the attitude of many in Washington who do not want to see the government live within its means.  They refuse to ask “Can we afford it?”  Instead, they take the “we can’t afford not to” approach.  And that’s why we have the largest deficits in history and a $14.3 trillion national debt.

It will take a lot of work to push back against the big-spenders’ extreme message, and we need your help to do it.  You can click here to make a $44 donation for my birthday or a $234 donation in support of the “Gang of 234.” With your support, we can work together to change the way Washington does business!

Even though there are many efforts to twist and distort what conservatives have been trying to do in Congress, there are several freshmen members who are still committed to changing the way Washington does business.  Recently, one group recognized Mick and ten others for staying the conservative course and voting their principles.

These “Magnificent Eleven” ran for Congress to get things done, not to get pats on the back.  But now we need your help to keep up the effort, get our conservative message out, and make sure folks hear the truth about what we’re doing to fix things.

But as they try to balance the budget and save seniors’ benefit programs, some groups are playing politics instead of actually helping to fix things.  Consider this recent AARP ad dialogue:

Man #1—“If Congress really wants to balance the budget,”

Woman #1—“They could stop spending our money on things like…”

Woman #2—“A cotton institute in Brazil,”

Man #2—“Poetry at zoos,”

Woman #1—“Treadmills for shrimp,”

Man #1—“But instead of cutting waste,”

Man #2—“Or closing tax loopholes.”

Woman #1—“Next month Congress could make a deal that cuts Medicare…”

Woman #2—“even Social Security.”

Man #1—“I guess it’s easier to cut the benefits we earned, than to cut pickle technology.”

And take a look at what The Washington Post (not the most likely paper to stand up for conservatives) had to say about this ad:

“The AARP ad perpetuates the worst stereotypes about how easy it would be to balance the budget. At a time when the nation’s fiscal crisis — amid the looming retirement of the baby-boom generation — demands informed and reasoned debate, the AARP misinforms its members about the choices the nation faces. The choice is not between shrimp treadmills and Medicare; the question is how growth in the big entitlement programs can be restrained to accommodate the baby-boom generation without harming the elderly already receiving benefits. If AARP has identified real spending cuts worth $100 billion, it should have made an ad promoting those ideas, not an ad perpetuating myths.”

To read the rest of this fact-check, or what the ad yourself, you can click HERE.

If there’s one major issue that gets in the way of fixing things in Washington it’s that there’s too much emphasis on beating up the other party first and worrying about the facts second.  So far this year, there’s no proposal that has been hit with more lies and political spin than the House budget plan.

In the interest of keeping folks armed against outrageous claims (especially the new “Mediscare” tactics), I thought I would bring three of the biggest whoppers to your attention:

1- Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, head of the Democratic National Committee, has said that conservatives want to “take the people who are younger than 55 years old today and tell them, ‘You know what? You’re on your own. …We’re going to throw you to the wolves and allow insurance companies to deny you coverage and drop you for pre-existing conditions.’ ”

2- Under her leadership, the Democratic National Committee also released a TV ad immediately after the House budget vote which claimed that “Republicans voted to end Medicare.” (Remember, these are the same folks who said I would throw grandma in jail for taking Social Security…)

3- Finally, President Obama stated that the House budget “ends Medicare as we know it.”

I firmly believe that the best way to counter these lies is to present people with the hard facts.

So, what EXACTLY does the House budget say?

“Policy on Medicare Reform- It is the policy of this resolution to protect those in and near retirement from any disruptions to their Medicare benefits and offer future beneficiaries the same health care options available to Members of Congress.” [click here to read the bill]

The simple truth is that the president needs to look in the mirror when he’s talking about “ending Medicare as we know it.”  Obamacare not only changed current seniors’ Medicare benefits, but it also sets up a committee of unelected bureaucrats who – starting in 2015 – can make any changes to Medicare that they see fit. (Without the approval of Congress.)