By Congresswoman Virginia Foxx

Ever wonder why Washington’s agenda seems like nothing close to the American people’s agenda?

So have I.

Countless constituents tell me they want Congress to cut spending and focus on restoring prosperity and job growth.  But, instead, under the current leadership, this Congress has ratcheted up spending and shredded the records on deficit spending.  Meanwhile, joblessness persists and more North Carolinians are asking if Congress is really listening. 

For some of us, there have been one too many backroom deals, one too many 1,000 page bills and one too many increases in the national debt—which hit $13 trillion last month, by the way.  Along with me, concerned North Carolinians from all walks of life are fed up with Congress turning a blind eye to their concerns.

That’s why my Republican colleagues and I are working to set a new agenda for America.  We’re pursuing a new crop of solutions that don’t plunge us deeper in debt.  But instead of hammering out an agenda behind closed doors and just handing down a finished product from Washington, we’re doing our best to shake things up.

We want to hear directly from you in an effort called America Speaking Out.  Any policy agenda will affect you, so shouldn’t your input be at the top of the heap?  Whether it’s economic policy and spending or national security and immigration policy, all concerned North Carolinians can speak out and help us forge a set of priorities that reflect your input. 

While Republicans know our principles and have repeatedly offered positive, conservative alternatives to the current majority’s big-government policies, your contributions are crucial.  And speaking out is now easier than ever. 

As part of the effort to give voice to your concerns we’ve created powerful new tools to help you get involved.  The key part of this effort is online at AmericaSpeakingOut.com.  Here you can submit your ideas for solving America’s tough problems, you can promote your ideas to others via email or social media like Facebook and you can debate and vote on other people’s solutions. 

AmericaSpeakingOut.com will facilitate a constructive conversation between constituents and those you’ve elected to represent you.  It’s part of a much larger effort to engage Americans in a national debate about solutions to our pressing problems. 

Will every idea that bubbles up on AmericaSpeakingOut.com be a good one?  Maybe not, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from chiming in.  The public square is meant for refining ideas and for making a good agenda a great agenda. So the more people that Speak Out, the better chance we have of creating a meaningful national agenda that will make a difference.

In the coming weeks and months, I’ll be looking for opportunities to hear from you, whether in the AmericanSpeakingOut.com forums, in a town hall or even via a letter or email to my office.  Now is your chance to speak out.  We’re going to change the way Washington does business—for the better.  I hope you’ll let me know how you’d like to see things improved.