This week, House Democrats finally put a budget bill on the floor. This budget suspends the debt limit for two years and includes the largest caps deal since enactment of the Budget Control Act of 2011. It even surpasses the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 in spending increases, which was bigger than the three previous caps deals combined. With only $77.3 billion in offsets, the bill pays for less than 5% of the deal’s ten-year cost and does not include any long-term reforms to the spending that adds to our national debt. My Spending Safeguard Amendment, which did not get considered for debate, would have been a common-sense provision to rein in unchecked spending by requiring Congress to reauthorize programs that exceed their spending limits.

It is unfortunate that House Democrats rejected meaningful budget reforms and offsets proposed by President Trump. Despite the efforts of the administration, this budget does not restore fiscal responsibility in Washington, and I could not support a measure that puts off the urgent need to address our more than $22 trillion debt.

Stopping Bad Robocalls

 
As a long-time supporter of stopping unwanted robocalls, on Wednesday, I was very pleased to support the passage of H.R. 3375, the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act, which includes a provision I worked on to protect consumers from “one-ring” scams. This bill provides the teeth needed to finally get unwanted robocalls off our phones and crack down on the bad actors behind these terrible nuisances. 

Last year alone, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) received 232,000 consumer complaints of unwanted calls, a more than 34 percent increase since 2015. This bill will combat unwanted robocalls by implementing a nationwide caller authentication system. At no cost to consumers, carriers will identify robocallers and provide the option to block robocalls. Americans will be able to trust that the number they see on their caller-ID is actually the person calling them. The bill also requires the FCC to recognize the burdens of adopting new technology to authenticate caller-ID information and to address the barriers that carriers face, especially in rural areas.

Securing the Highway Trust Fund

  
On Tuesday, I reintroduced H.R. 3904, the Highway Trust Fund Reform Act of 2019, to stabilize the Highway Trust Fund. Transportation and infrastructure are key components of economic development efforts in North Carolina, and the Highway Trust Fund Reform Act would keep important road and bridge projects going in the short term while discussions continue on a long-term infrastructure package. The bill would exempt federal government contractors from the Davis-Bacon Act’s outdated, wasteful labor requirements for federal-aid highway and public transportation projects. The federal government can keep the Highway Trust Fund solvent and continue to fund important highway projects with the bill’s common-sense reforms to lower the cost of infrastructure contracts funded by the American taxpayer.
 

U.S. Service Academy Day

 
Every year, North Carolina’s Fifth District continues its strong legacy of military service by sending some of the area’s finest young men and women to attend our country’s prestigious military service academies. It is an honor for me to support students in the early stages of considering enrollment in a U.S. Service Academy all the way through the nomination process. On Monday, August 5, I will be holding a U.S. Service Academy Day from 9:30am to 1:30pm at Wilkes Community College in room 1112 of Alumni Hall. Representatives from all five U.S. Service Academies will be available to answer questions and provide information about each academy and their respective application processes. High school students and parents are invited to learn about the opportunities and eligibility requirements of the academies.
  

Recent Highlights

  

  
Grateful to all of the wonderful VSOs and representatives of the VA for joining me to host the Veterans Information Session last Friday. Making sure our veterans have access to every benefit they have earned is one of my top priorities in Congress, and with the initial launch of the VA MISSION Act last month, I want to ensure veterans are informed about the newly streamlined access to community care programs. If you or someone you know couldn’t make the information session, the staff in the Clemmons and Boone offices are always ready to serve veterans of the Fifth District.
  

   

  
Great to see the Holbrook’s and indulge my sweet tooth with a delicious cone at John Hall’s Speedy Chef restaurant in Elkin last weekend.
 

 Had a great meeting with Carolina Farm Credit in DC this week.

  

  

Proud to be recognized as a Park Champion by the National Recreation and Park Association for my work on behalf of local parks!
  

Sincerely,