Dear fellow South Carolinians,

Thank you for reading my weekly e-newsletter, and please remember to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Credit Score Competition Act
Last week, I introduced my bipartisan Credit Score Competition Act. After growing up in a small, two-bedroom house with my grandparents, I came to understand and appreciate the independence that comes with the notion of owning a home. Homeownership is a huge part of the American Dream, and I want to help folks across the country accomplish that goal. The current credit-scoring model at the center of our housing market overlooks a large swath of people that are paying their monthly bills on time and deserve an opportunity to pursue homeownership.  Our goal in introducing this legislation is to encourage Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to consider more inclusive methodologies in determining a borrower’s creditworthiness. The legislation has already received support from twenty consumer and industry groups, and I hope it will soon help to make our system more fair to everyone.

Better Care for Our Veterans
There is no way we can ever fully repay our veterans for their willingness to answer our nation’s call to serve, but we can continue to demonstrate our appreciation and gratitude by helping them attain the highest quality of care our medical professionals can provide. I supported the passage of two major Veterans Affairs reform bills last week; one overhauling the Veterans Affairs (VA) appeals process, and another extending the Veterans Choice Program, an initiative that helps veterans access private care within their communities. Our service members do so much for us and our country, and it should be our duty to do all we can to help take care of them during and after their time in service

Tax Reform
As the debate on tax reform begins, our goal should be simplifying our tax code and creating a fair system tailored for the 21st century. We need to make sure that the tax code is designed to work for you – my bosses throughout South Carolina, the citizens who pay the taxes. Lower taxes mean higher incomes, more jobs and a significant boost in our nation’s economy, and that’s something we should be striving towards. And with more than 50 million Americans living in poverty, we can encourage growth with a tax code that is much easier to digest. I look forward to working with my colleagues in both chambers as we move forward on this important package, and helping every person across this country down a successful path. Click here to see my discussion on tax reform with CBS This Morning.

Sincerely,