Tom Phillips

Defense / Veterans

All Americans owe a debt of gratitude to our country’s bravest individuals – those who have served and given their lives in defense of freedom and liberty.  As a country, we must remember the sacrifices of our veterans and their families who have bravely served our nation and remain committed to providing the best care possible for them and uniformed service members. Learn more

With the resurgence of Russia and China as global powers, it is more important than ever that we have a well-funded and well-equipped modernized military, capable of projecting power and protecting American interests and trade across the globe.  After years of the sequestration our military has been neglected and our global rivals are catching up to us in terms of technology and expertise. Learn more

Economy

Jobs are an important part of both the national economy and an individual's identity and self-confidence.  Congress should work to make sure that everyone has an equal opportunity at the success of pursuing the American Dream.  This means less regulation, lower small business taxes, and more resources spent towards skills and job training and fewer spent trying to  temporarily fix the larger problem of unemployment.  Let’s work together to get everyone the skills they need to succeed in the modern economy and provide businesses with an economic and regulatory climate that leads to growth and success. Learn more

Education

First, we must continue to fund programs that provide useful job experience and skills via trade schools and job training.  Second, if college educated workers are of benefit to our economy, we must lower the post-graduation costs for these students.  Federal loan programs should have capped interest rates, to limit burdens to students as they are beginning to enter the workforce.  Government should not be in the for-profit business of student lending.  Additionally we also need to limit the total available for borrowing for each student, to help control escalating college costs.  Government willingness to extend uncapped lines of college loans to students is helping to drive up the cost of a degree as universities have a blank check to spend federal money. Learn more

Environment / Energy

We need to make sure government is acting as a noble steward of the environment, that oversees policies that are both economically and environmentally sound.  But we still need to use common sense when making decisions that impact both our citizens and our future, and can't be held hostage by alarmists that see catastrophe around every corner. Learn more

America needs to strike a balance, between protecting our environment for future generations and making sure that we have sensible policies in place that do not cripple economic activity or job expansion. Learn more

Foreign Policy

America has no better friend in the Middle East than the nation of Israel.  Not only is Israel the region’s only fully-functioning democracy – with a government based on popular consent and the rule of law – but it is also a valuable ally against Islamic extremism and terrorism.  Our shared democratic values and national interests are supported by maintaining a close friendship with Israel.  Americans also have a strong interest in Israel achieving a lasting peace with its neighbors, but on terms that don’t sacrifice the best interests of the Israeli people. America should never turn a cold shoulder to this stalwart ally, and we should look to help other nations in the region come to terms with Israel’s existential right to exist.  This doesn’t simply mean we stand with them militarily but must also requires that we battle antisemitism in both domestic and global politics.   Too many voices on the far left cozy up to the enemies of Israel, and we need to call out those we see display antisemitism in public, and hold them accountable. Learn more

Government Reform

I am a firm believer in limiting citizens’ time in our local, state, and federal government.  No one should be looking to make a career out of elected office.  The founding fathers always assumed that these offices would be temporary service that regular citizens committed to for short time spans.  Public service is meant to be a temporary commitment to helping govern our nation at all levels.  That is not currently the practice. Learn more

Immigration

Common sense approaches to immigration enforcement and border security are something that are near universally supported by our citizens, and before we can create future policies to address current illegal aliens within our own borders we need enforce these existing policies.   Additional enforcement of programs such as E-verify, and cracking down on Visa overstays will go a long way to solving this issue.  Funding for our border patrol, to be spent as our experts see fit, is also needed to keep America safe. Learn more

The cost to the American economy, and the American people, from illegal immigrants is considerable.  Funds that could be better used to help our students, poor, homeless, and disadvantaged must instead go towards providing services to people that are in our country illegally.  While we must be compassionate towards those who wish to partake in the American Dream, it must be done according to our laws and on our terms.  A country that loses control of its borders is no country at all. Learn more

Taxes / Budget

The Republican sponsored Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed in 2017 helped to jump start our stagnant economy once again.  Dropping rates across the board on both individuals and businesses has reinvigorated our economy and helped to drive down unemployment.  But our work in this area is not yet done. Learn more