A seventh generation Texan, Van Taylor is a family man, businessman, and decorated Iraq War Veteran. Growing up, Van earned the Eagle Scout rank from the future President George Bush.
After high school, Van attended Harvard College from which he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in history. After graduating college, Van volunteered to serve his country and received a commission in the United States Marine Corps.
He attended The Basic School, Infantry Officer Course, and graduated first in his class from Sniper Employment Officer Course. He completed Intelligence School as the Marine Honor Graduate and commanded First Marine Regiment’s Reconnaissance Platoon in Camp Pendleton, CA. After completing that assignment, he served as an intelligence officer for an artillery battalion. Van earned the Navy Achievement Medal for devising a quantitative combat power analysis system.
As a local, small businessman, I know firsthand that jobs come from the private sector – not big government. Eliminating and reducing red tape and federal bureaucracy is the first step to allowing our local business owners to invest in their businesses, expand, grow, and most importantly, hire even more employees. Texas, which leads the nation in jobs and economic opportunity, has established a blueprint for success and Washington can learn a lot from how we do things in Texas.
My inspiration for seeking, and serving in, public office is to ensure we hand off a strong and prosperous Texas to the next generation. I believe our children deserve every opportunity to pursue their dreams, and without question, a strong education system is the foundation of this objective. I believe our schools work best with local control, great teachers, and parental involvement. Our Collin County schools are truly the crown jewels of our community, and our area has greatly benefited from their drive for excellence and ability to attract the best educators.
Today, our national debt stands at more than $26 trillion – that comes out to more than $80,000 for every man, women, and child in America.1 Reckless spending, void of responsible cuts in government expenditures, only damages our economy, hurts families and small businesses, and destroys jobs. Congress must make decisions without burdening the next generation under a mountain of debt. This includes implementing good-government reforms, like a Balanced Budget Amendment, to get our federal spending under control – just like we do in Texas state government. Texas families and small businesses live within their means – Washington must do the same.
The United States leads the world in innovative treatment, disease research, and access to highly qualified healthcare providers. However, our system is riddled with fraud and abuse and often times, unavailable to many due to immense cost. I believe we can and must do better. That begins by implementing market-based solutions to provide Americans access to quality healthcare they can afford from a doctor they trust.
America is a nation of immigrants, and the melting pot of the United States is the foundation of our identity. I believe this must always be a hallmark of our great nation however, our current system is broken.
Illegal immigration benefits no one: it is perilous for the immigrant forced into unimaginable danger on their journey. Tragically, approximately 31% of women and 17% of men are sexually assaulted along the journey, and roughly 68% of all migrants and refugees are victims of violence along the way.1 Illegal immigration jeopardizes the safety and well-being of Americans. According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), 266,000 illegal aliens with criminal records were arrested by ICE officers over the last two years alone.2
For decades, instead of solving problems politicians in Washington have discouraged meaningful discussion on the issue by lumping discussions on border security, legal immigration, and illegal immigration in to one big omnibus package preventing meaningful progress from being made on any part. By addressing each aspect of immigration policy individually, Washington can build varying coalitions and pass solutions and fix our broken system.
As national debt reaches $27 trillion, our nation faces an unprecedented fiscal crisis. The average Texans works about a third of the year until mid-April just to pay all the taxes they owe – in 1900, Americans worked less than three weeks to fund their taxes.1 The more government takes, the less free families become. Rather than government taking even more, Washington should rein in and prioritize our current federal spending. As a small businessman, I know firsthand how excessive taxation cripples our small business community, which is the engine for economic growth. Lower taxes on families and small businesses give Texans greater control in our everyday lives.
The United States Marines taught me the importance of servant leadership. As a Veteran, I know firsthand the sacrifices our military and their families make for our state and nation. I will always fight to ensure Texas and our nation honors our veterans and military personnel. Since coming to Congress, I’ve worked to help the VA acquire the former Garland Baylor, Scott & White hospital. I’m pleased to announce an agreement has been reached. The facility will eventually expand to care for the 184,000 veterans in North Texas.
Years of built up distrust in Washington has forced many leaders into red and blue corners were policy ideas are seen as “us” versus “them” instead of on their merit for the people we were elected to serve. The truth is there is far more that can work together on than divides us.
As a Member of Congress, I refuse to accept that future. That is why I work with both Republicans and Democrats to craft policy, discuss ideas, and brainstorm solutions together. The truth is there is far more that we agree on that divides us. Further, to get anything done in a divided government it takes working together – and I believe my constituents prefer results to a partisan crafted headline.
There is a lot of work ahead to get Congress turned around, but I believe that the answer lies in the wisdom of the multitudes. By listening to each other and working together we can achieve a better America for future generations.
Our children are the future. We must make sure that the decisions of today do not negatively impact that future.
Seniors are important. We need to work to ensure that the benefits they count on are there when they need them.
We need to make families strong. I am committed to that endeavor.
We need to help make small businesses strong. I am committed to that endeavor