AUSTIN-U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, a member of the Senate Budget Committee, made the following statement regarding President-elect Barack Obama s promise today to cut wasteful government programs and his announcement that Congressional Budget Office Director Peter Orszag would join his Administration s economic team as Director of the Office of Management and Budget. "I welcome the President-elect s commitment to reform the federal budget process and rein in wasteful government spending. For my part, I look forward to working with President-elect Obama and Democratic leaders in Congress on quickly identifying and eliminating inefficient, ineffective and outdated federal programs. Families across Texas, and across the country, are forced to make tough decisions with their own budgets every day, particularly in the current economic climate. It should be no different for the federal government. Yet, year after year, too many government programs are funded because there are small-but vocal-special interest groups backing them with little Congressional oversight to determine when ideas have run their course. Already, in an initial analysis of 1,000 federal programs the Office of Management and Budget recently concluded that nearly 25 percent of them were either inefficient, or their efficiency could not be determined. That is why I have been a strong advocate for the creation of a Federal Sunset Commission to review federal spending programs. Modeled after Texas own Sunset Commission, this bipartisan group would be tasked with reviewing federal programs, determining their efficiency, and making recommendations on whether they need reform or should be eliminated all together."

U.S. Congressman Michael C. Burgess (TX-26) recently announced members of his 2008 Service Academy Advisory Board. The twelve-member board met earlier in November to advise him upon the selection of qualified service academy candidates.

Congressman Michael Burgess issued the following statement in response to the House Republican Leadership elections: I congratulate Congressman Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) on his reelection as Chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee. He will serve our Conference well and I look forward to working with him in the days ahead.

I voted against the bailout twice and will oppose including any taxpayer money going to the Big Three automakers. The federal government shouldn't become a guarantor against bad decisions business failure.

WASHINGTON-U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, expressed his deep concern with a report published today by the Houston Chronicle, which found dozens of cases where illegal immigrants in Harris County were arrested on violent criminal charges, but released because Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials failed to file the appropriate paperwork to detain them. In a number of cases, these individuals ultimately failed to appear at their scheduled court date and then committed additional crimes. "These reports, if accurate, are completely unacceptable and must be addressed," Sen. Cornyn said today. "If there is a lack of resources, then Congress needs to immediately approve additional funding to put more boots on the ground. But if it's a failure to do their job properly, then federal officials must be held accountable. I simply cannot understand how individuals arrested for violent crimes, and who admit to being in this country illegally, would even be given the option to post bail. These are criminals who have already made clear through their own actions that they have zero respect for the laws of this country. This is an intolerable situation, and I will be seeking an immediate briefing from the Department of Homeland Security in the days ahead." "This report, along with countless other reports on America's broken immigration system, highlights why comprehensive immigration reform must be a top priority for Congress in the coming year. Action to correct our broken immigration system is long overdue, and this investigation is only the latest example of why we need comprehensive immigration reform today instead of tomorrow. It also highlights the need for an amendment that I introduced to the 2007 immigration bill, which would have prevented dangerous criminal aliens, repeat offenders, absconders, and felons from pursuing a path to legalization.