We have all heard the famous quote “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” This week as the U.S. Congress once again gaveled back into session, the same results held true as we were immediately met with new details of just how partisan and politically minded this Administration is. I should have known not to expect anything other than partisan rancor from this Administration but a recent memo leak showing details of the Obama Administration putting liberal politics before the interests of the American people is truly appalling.
 
A report of a memo sent by the Obama Administration to officials at the Pentagon was uncovered on Tuesday detailing a plan to veto the national defense bill that includes a pay raise for our troops. This revelation further proves that the Obama Administration could care less about the means he uses no matter how unethical they might be to push his liberal agenda. The internal Department of Defense memo instructs top military leaders to “play hardball” against Republican plans to increase the military budget, unless the Obama White House gets the spending increases they want for unrelated social programs. They suggest that the House and Senate fight against each other instead of finding middle ground to enact a national defense bill for our nation’s heroes, of which we have a huge number throughout southeast and south central Missouri. It is shameful that the Obama Administration spends more time playing political games rather than serving the American public.
 
This news was especially hard to stomach because while we are trying to find solutions, we keep being met with executive orders and rogue federal agencies specifically trying to impede our attempts. The extent to which this administration has gone out of its way to impede congressional oversight and accountability and implement radical agendas is absolute insanity.
 
After spending several weeks traveling all 30 counties, talking to farmers about their crops, small business owners about their bottom line, community leaders about their changing needs, and simply just catching up with old friends, facing this type of out-of-control government insanity is difficult because these folks deserve better than what we’re getting from the White House.  
 
The tactics described in the memo that was uncovered this week comes as no surprise because under the Obama Administration, dysfunction and partisanship have continually grown worse. It is no surprise that the American public have lost confidence in this Administration’s ability to do their jobs in the best interest of the American public. Time and time again, the Obama Administration condemns Congress for not reaching across the aisle to get things done, but behind closed doors he continues to encourage a battle between political parties. It is quite clear that the legacy that the Obama Administration will leave behind in January will be that of a politically divided country and bureaucratic insanity.
 
I believe Congress can come together and continue the more than five decades of bipartisan cooperation it has experienced in the past and pass a national defense bill that gives our troops a pay raise and provides them with the resources they need to defend and provide for the security of our country. The brave men and women who serve our country and keep us safe deserve better and so does the rest of the country, especially from someone who carries the title Commander in Chief.