Americans have called for greater integrity in Washington and I am proud to stand up with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure Congress upholds the highest ethical standards. Americans also called for common-sense proposals to address critical economic, health care, and educational concerns of working families.

That is why I have pledged to support in the first 100 legislative hours of the new 110^th Congress legislation to make the American people safer, make our Congress more honest and open, make our economy fairer, and build a better future for all of America’s children. These are promises I have made to the hard working people of the Fourth District of Arkansas.

On the opening day of the Congress, we adopted an ethics reform package that will make this the most honest, ethical and open Congress in history. This ethics reform package begins to sever the link between lobbyists and legislation, by banning gifts, meals and travel from lobbyists, and ending the abuses connected to privately-funded congressional travel. 

We have also changed the House rules system to restore pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) budgeting – which will begin to reverse the record budget deficits that are passing on trillions of dollars in debt to our children and grandchildren.  In addition, we will also end the abuse of special-interest earmarks.

When I was proudly sworn in to the United States House of Representatives on a Bible my parents gave me as a senior in high school accompanied by my daughter Sydney, I did so with pride because I believe that progress in the 110^th Congress will not be a victory for any one party, but for all Americans.

“Today we have begun to bring back fiscal sanity to our government through proposals that inject some much-needed common sense into the way Congress does business,” said Ross, Blue Dog Co-Chair.  “We heard the message the country sent Congress in November and that’s why passing PAYGO budget rules to stop any new deficit spending is a first step to getting our country back on track fiscally.”

Included in the House rules package are key principles of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition’s 12-point plan to end the nation’s addiction to deficit spending.  Specifically, the package requires pay-as-you-go budget discipline, known as “PAYGO,” with no new deficit spending.  The rules package also requires full transparency by ending the abuse of special interest earmarks. 

The fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition was formed in 1995 as a response to the Republican tidal wave that swept Democrats out of power.  Blue Dogs represent the center of the House of Representatives and appeal to the mainstream values of the American public.  The Blue Dogs are dedicated to a core set of beliefs that transcend partisan politics, including a deep commitment to the financial stability and national security of the United States.

Ross has been a member of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition since he was first elected to represent Arkansas’s Fourth Congressional District in Congress in 2000.  He currently serves as Co-Chair for Communications and is one of four elected leaders in the Blue Dog Coalition.

The Blue Dog 12-point plan for budget reform includes 12 common sense measures aimed at putting the nation’s fiscal house back in order.  It is based on the Blue Dogs’ commitment to solving growing fiscal problems facing our country.    

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“It has been an honor to serve the people of Arkansas’s Fourth Congressional District at our nation’s capitol, and I am humbled for this opportunity to serve you for another term,” Ross said.

“While we have made great progress together over the last six years, there is much more we must do. We must clean up the mess in Washington and restore America’s confidence in their elected officials. It’s time to make health care and a college education more affordable. We must put America on a path towards energy independence which will bring an economic revival to Arkansas’s Delta Region. And it’s time that we help 13 million Americans who are working full time by raising the minimum wage so they don’t have to struggle to raise a family.”

Ross serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and was also elected Co-Chair for Communications for the fiscally conservative, Democratic Blue Dog Coalition for the 110^th Congress.

“I want to continue to provide a new generation of leadership that will restore common sense and accountability to our nation’s government,” Ross said. “I will fight to ensure that our new Democratic majority will not be about getting even, but about getting ahead for America’s working families, seniors and children.”

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