We must strengthen our economy by reducing our federal debt (which now stands at $10.2 trillion), providing relief to hard working families and developing a comprehensive energy package that will reduce our dependence on foreign oil, lower gas prices and promote new industries for American businesses and workers.

I will also continue to support, as I always have, responsible, targeted tax cuts, especially for the middle class and small businesses. In fact, I have voted for tax cuts 155 times over the last ten years, including efforts to reform the AMT, extend the child tax credit, end the marriage penalty and reform the estate tax.

Throughout my time in Congress, I have worked to ensure that we fulfill our obligation to care for and support those who have given so much in service to our country. I wrote legislation, now law, that increased the payment paid to the family of a fallen service member from $12,000 to $100,000. Another piece of legislation I wrote required our government to cover all domestic travel costs for soldiers returning home on R&R (rest and recooperation) leave from combat. We must honor the sacrifices and commitment of our military, veterans and their families by providing the benefits they have earned.

There is no silver bullet for lower gas prices or energy independence. Drilling has to be part of the answer, but we cannot drill our way out of the problem. We must come together to finally develop a long overdue comprehensive energy policy that attacks our problems from all angles. This includes expanding our domestic energy sources, investing in renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar and biofuels, and encouraging energy conservation.

Rapidly rising premiums and exploding health care costs are stretching family budgets to the limit. We can help ease the burden on families and improve the quality of care through the use of electronic medical records, which will reduce medical errors, reduce wasteful administrative costs and ensure that appropriate and accurate information is available for medical decisions. We must also ensure that we care for those who simply cannot care for themselves – children living in poverty who need our help the most – by reauthorizing the State Children’s Health Insurance (SCHIP) program.

In order for America to retain its competitive advantage in the global economy, we must ensure that we provide our children with an opportunity for the best education available. We must correct deficiencies, strengthen and improve No Child Left Behind so that our schools, teachers and students have the resources they need to succeed and continue to support efforts that make higher education a reality for more of our students. America is only as strong as the next generation and investing in their education is not only in their best interests but ours as well.