Dear Fellow Hoosiers,

Thank you for the opportunity to update you on the work of the 114th Congress. I trust this finds you and your family well, as we work together to bring Hoosier common sense to Washington.

For daily updates, please take a moment to "Like" my Facebook page by clicking here  or follow me on Twitter if you prefer  @ToddRokita.

In this week's Rokita Report

• Lebanon Constituent Visits
• Easter Egg Roll
• Remembering Deputy Koontz
• Rokita Reading

Lebanon Constituent Visits

Last week, I visited Lebanon to meet with local officials, groups, and businesses.  I visited Saint Adrian Meats & Sausage, which is a local butcher shop that sources product from Boone County and gets their name from the patron saint of butchers.  The shop is owned by Ryan and Amelia West.  During the visit, I recorded a video with Ryan West.

Click the image to play the video

After visiting the store, I spoke before the Boone County Tea Party.  We had a discussion on the budget process and how Congress is able to use the power of the purse.  I appreciated the chance to speak with a Tea Party group because we share the goal of restoring our Republic's constitutional principles.

Easter Egg Roll

I hope that you and your loved ones had a pleasant Easter.  Easter Sunday ends the Lenten season and allows us to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  The day after is filled with traditional events.  In Indiana, many celebrate Dyngus Day.  This year, my family and I attended the White House Easter Egg Roll.

This was the 138th Easter Egg Roll held at the White House and attendees came from across the country.  The first President to hold an egg roll on the White House grounds was Rutherford B. Hayes.  My two sons, Teddy and Ryan, took part in the egg roll and enjoyed meeting with the Easter Bunny and participating in the many activities surrounding the event.

Visits to Washington can be a great experience for the entire family and my office is glad to help Hoosier visitors.  We can arrange tours of federal buildings, including the Capitol, Supreme Court, FBI Education Center, and White House.  Because tours are offered on a first-come, first-served basis, be sure to reach out as early as you can.

Remembering Deputy Koontz

Last Tuesday, I attended the funeral for Howard County Sheriff's Deputy Carl Koontz.  Deputy Koontz was killed in the line of duty while serving an arrest warrant in Russiaville on March 20.  The funeral was held in Northwestern High School, where he had served as a school resource officer.

Attendees for the funeral came from across the state.  Law enforcement officials representing many different departments, including those in other states, stood in honor along the procession.  The Indiana Patriot Guard Riders held a line of flags in honor of Deputy Koontz.

Rokita Reading
A clickable offering of books and articles that I've read recently and highly recommend, as we strive together to "Keep the Republic."

As Vice-Chairman of the House Budget Committee, I recognize the importance of responsible budgeting and ensuring that the government spends within its means.  Much of the federal government's spending happens within entitlement programs that are on auto-pilot spending and cannot be tackled in the regular appropriations process.

As the House Budget Committee recently passed our budget out of committee, I was reminded of an article that I read in 2014 titled How the War on Poverty Was Lost by Robert Rector that was published in the Wall Street Journal.  Written in advance of the 50th Anniversary of the war on poverty, the article describes how the government is losing that war.  After trillions in spending, the official poverty rate persists with little improvement.  Instead of increasing the amount of funding and programs dedicated to funding, we are reminded that the original purpose of War on Poverty was "to give our fellow citizens a fair chance to develop their own capabilities."

The solutions proposed in the article are to encourage able-bodied adults receiving benefits to work or get job-training and to consider pro-family policies because current benefits encourage single-parent households.  The House Budget Committee sets us on a path to fix these by giving states increased flexibility in managing programs and by tackling duplicative anti-poverty programs that bloat bureaucracy while accomplishing similar goals.

Thank you for your continued interest in Congress and for supporting my efforts to bring Hoosier common sense to Washington. Take care.  

Sincerely,
 
Todd Rokita