Americans across the country are hurting. As Nevadans continue to struggle with high unemployment, my number one priority in Congress is to turn our economy around and get Nevadans back to work. Despite claims that the stimulus bill would provide an "immediate jolt" to our economy, our nation experienced more than 20 straight months of job loss after its passage. Businesses need stability to thrive and create jobs and that starts with keeping taxes low and controlling government spending. Now it is time for Congress to focus on long-term economic policies to help bolster recovery and provide businesses the certainty they need to create jobs.

Big government is not the answer to fixing our economy. Congress needs to control wasteful spending and shrink the size of government. Adopting pro-growth policies that expand tax relief across the board and allows Americans to keep more of what they earn will lead to job creation and economic prosperity in the future. Capitalism is the foundation of America's prosperity. We should embrace these principles not run from them.

I am a strong supporter of the state of Israel. For many decades, Israel has continually been a strong ally of the United States, has consistently promoted the ideals of democracy in the Middle East, and historically has provided invaluable international assistance that has saved the lives of countless innocent civilians.

I am very concerned about the safety of Israel and the United States should continue to stand by its longtime friend and ally. Like most Americans and Israelis, I also continue to be very alarmed by the reckless behavior of Iran's radical government. The Iranian government is an oppressive regime that withholds basic liberties from its citizens and continues to be outspoken in its desire to see other nations - including the United States and Israel - utterly destroyed. I have traveled to Israel and have seen firsthand the threat that many Israelis face on a daily basis. I have advocated for U.S. assistance for Israel so that it has the ability to defend itself, and I support legislation that punishes Iran for its dangerous pursuit of weapons of mass destruction. Rest assured that I will continue to work to support the state of Israel.

As our national debt grows, the dollar is weakened and Americans have to work more so they can buy less. Curbing out-of-control spending and balancing the budget should be top priorities for Congress. Despite record spending on bailouts and the stimulus bill, Congress pushed through a 20% increase in government spending for the 2010 Fiscal Year alone.

This government has been on a massive spending spree for too long, and it is time for this reckless behavior to end. As an opponent of the stimulus and the only member of the Nevada delegation to vote against the bailout, I believe it is critical to rein in spending, address the yearly deficits, and get government debt under control.

I coauthored the balanced budget amendment, which would require the federal government to live within its means – just as the American public is required to do. Moreover, I have voted to set non-security budget allocation levels at 2008 levels, before the bailouts and stimulus spending were implemented. It is time that more than lip service is paid to controlling government spending.

I believe our healthcare system needs reform, but a government takeover of our nation's healthcare system is not the solution. Congress must act to improve access, bring down the cost of medical care, and provide coverage for those with pre-existing conditions. However, granting a massive government intrusion into individual healthcare choices will ultimately lead to fewer options for Americans. The new healthcare law needlessly expands the federal government, raises taxes on small businesses, cuts benefits to seniors, and imposes criminal penalties on Americans who don't purchase bureaucrat-approved health insurance. This legislation goes so far as to tax and criminalize individuals who don't purchase a plan that has the federal government's seal of approval. Greater government expansion and higher taxes are not the reforms our nation needs.

The massive healthcare law will add more than a trillion dollars to federal health spending. Any program that uses ten years of revenue to offset six years of service is obviously unsustainable. Congress has an opportunity to repeal these policies and replace them with market-based reforms that will provide greater access, affordability, and economic certainty to our nation. Repeal of this law will reduce federal spending and allow Congress to address problems in the current healthcare system without onerous government intrusion.

Real healthcare reform will lower the cost of care by including medical liability reform, reimporting prescription drugs, and promoting competition by allowing customers to purchase insurance across state lines. These steps would provide consumers with more choices at less cost.

Nevada currently has the unfortunate distinction of leading the nation in foreclosures. One foreclosure can reduce nearby property values and home equity as much as $220,000. The Center for Responsible Lending estimates that roughly one in three households will see their property values drop by $5,000 on average as mortgages from 2005 and 2006 reset at higher interest rates, and a foreclosure lowers the price of neighboring properties by 0.9 percent on average.

Homes in foreclosure strain local governments too, since they often become sites for crime or other neighborhood problems. Just one foreclosure can impose up to $34,000 in direct costs on local government agencies, including inspections, court actions, police and fire department efforts, potential demolition, unpaid water and sewage, and trash removal.

We need to re-establish a housing market that has long-term stability in which private capital, not the federal government, is the primary source of mortgage financing. Any financial regulatory reform bill in the future should stop taxpayer-funded bailouts, make further reforms to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and help address the struggling housing market which is especially problematic in Nevada.

The first step to curbing illegal immigration in the United States is to enforce the laws that already exist. I support greater border security and the construction of a fence or other physical barrier to help secure our borders. Businesses that knowingly break the law and hire illegal immigrants should be fined. However, employers need effective tools to determine whether a worker is in our country legally and eligible for work.

Illegal immigration costs American taxpayers an estimated $113 billion a year in education, healthcare, and other publically funded benefits. If amnesty for illegal immigrants is enacted, it could cost taxpayers $2 trillion and higher. I am strongly opposed to amnesty for illegal immigrants and do not believe it is in the best interest of our country.

Porous borders not only are a threat to our national security but also contribute to the associated crimes of human and drug trafficking. A "coyote," or individual who brings illegal immigrants across the border from Mexico to America, frequently turns into a human trafficker when the illegal immigrant must pay for entering the country.

According to the U.S. State Department 2010 Trafficking in Persons Report, our nation is a "destination country for men, women, and children subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced labor, debt bondage, and forced prostitution." The report goes on to say that in some human trafficking cases "workers are victims of fraudulent recruitment practices and have incurred large debts for promised employment in the United States, which makes them susceptible to debt bondage and involuntary servitude."

Additionally, illicit drug problems have come with our nation's lax border control. Nevada law enforcement officers have told me that up to 80 percent of the meth in our state comes from Mexico. Mexican black tar heroin is the most prevalent form of heroin in Nevada, and Mexican-grown marijuana is readily available in our state.

The U.S. Constitution, in Article I, Section 6, authorizes compensation for Members of Congress “ascertained by law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States.” Currently, Members’ salary is $174,000 annually.

Senator Heller has never voted to increase his salary as a Member of Congress.

Throughout its history, Congress has relied on two primary methods in adjusting salaries for Members. Stand-alone legislation, the most frequently used method, was last used to provide increases in 1990 and 1991. This was the only method used by Congress for many years.

The second method, under which annual adjustments took effect automatically unless disapproved by Congress, was established in 1975. Senator Heller supports changing this unfair system. As servants of the constituents who sent them to Washington, Members of Congress should have to explain to the American people why they deserve a pay raise. Congress must address the housing crisis, increase Americans’ consumer confidence, and balance the budget before it even considers giving itself a pay raise.

From 1975-1989, these annual adjustments were based on the rate of annual comparability increases given to federal employees. This method was changed by the 1989 Ethics Act to require that the annual adjustment be determined by a formula based on certain elements of the Employment Cost Index. Under this revised process, annual adjustments were accepted 13 times (scheduled for January 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2009) and denied seven times (scheduled for January 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2007, and 2010).

Under a provision in the fiscal year 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act, Members did not receive a pay adjustment in 2010. Members were originally scheduled to receive a pay adjustment in January 2010 of 2.1 percent.

(CRS Report 97-615, Salaries on Members of Congress: Congressional Votes, 1990-2010, Ida Brudnick.)

Members of Congress can elect to participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) and pay the same premiums and copays applicable to their plan as 2.7 million other federal employees do. For an additional fee, Members of Congress can receive healthcare services from the Office of the Attending Physician in the U.S. Capitol. Members may also purchase care from military hospitals using their FEHBP benefit.

Senator Heller believes that Members of Congress should have to live with the same healthcare laws it writes for the American people. In 2009, he offered amendments to the healthcare bills considered by the House Ways and Means Committee and on the House floor that would have required Members of Congress to participate in the government-run healthcare plan they were attempting to create for millions of Americans.

(CRS Report RS21982, Health Benefits for Members of Congress, Barbara English.)