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On Tuesday President Obama presented his plan to close the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay and proposed transferring up to 60 prisoners to the United States mainland. Bringing dangerous terrorists to the American homeland has been consistently rejected by bipartisan majorities in Congress, and the president’s plan is lacking key details required under the law, including the exact cost and location of an alternate detention facility.
On the same day that the president announced his plan, Spanish and Moroccan police arrested four suspected members of a jihadi cell that sought to recruit fighters for Islamic State, including one individual described as a former Guantanamo detainee who once fought with militants in Afghanistan. President Obama’s stubborn insistence on fulfilling an ill-advised campaign promise to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay distracts from ongoing threats to American national security and highlights the failures of his foreign policy agenda.
Expanding Opportunities for Outdoor Sporting Activities
Federal agencies frequently place burdensome regulations on the American public, preventing them from safely accessing federally-controlled land and waters for recreation. On Friday I voted in favor of legislation that revises a number of existing programs to expand access to, and opportunities for, hunting, fishing and recreational shooting on federal lands. H.R. 2406, the Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act, also eliminates red tape, safeguards against new regulations impeding outdoor sporting activities on public lands and protects Second Amendment rights.
Acting Secretary of Education Testifies Before Committee
This week Acting Secretary of Education Dr. John B. King, Jr. testified before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. I expressed my concerns to Acting Secretary Dr. John B. King, Jr. about what is happening within the Department’s Office for Civil Rights and its impact on college campuses across this country. For too long, the OCR has gone around Congress legislating a new mission, and I am deeply troubled about the office’s legitimacy and effectiveness on these issues and the potential negative impact on students and institutions.
I also sought assurances from Dr. King that the department will comply with congressional intent regarding the Every Student Succeeds Act. This legislation prohibits the Department of Education from prescribing school improvement strategies and allows schools and school districts to develop school improvement plans approved and monitored by their state leaders. This new flexibility allows state and local leaders not only to collaborate, but also to be held accountable and take responsibility when it comes to improving student learning and achievement.
Standards to Root Out Fraud
On Thursday the House passed legislation that establishes new standards to root out fraud in multi-state lawsuits. Under current law, innocent individuals and local businesses can be dragged into lawsuits by trial lawyers for the sole purpose of rigging the system to keep their lawsuits in the state courts they like best. H.R. 3624, the Fraudulent Joinder Prevention Act of 2016, gives federal judges greater discretion to decide, early in the case, whether a local defendant can be held liable and allows federal judges to release innocent local parties from a lawsuit if there is no plausible legal case to be made against them.
5th District Congressional Art Competition
Do you know any talented high school artists living in North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District? Encourage them to submit entries for the 2016 Congressional Art Competition, which is a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize talented young artists and promote the valuable role meaningful art plays in our society.
As in years past, the online community will decide this year’s winner. Following the submission deadline, a photo of each student’s artwork will be posted on my Facebook page. The piece that receives the highest number of “likes” will win, and the artist will have the opportunity to travel to the U.S. Capitol for the installation of his or her work. Two runners-up also will be selected, and their artwork will be on display in one of my district offices. Online voting will begin on Wednesday, April 20, at noon and will end on Tuesday, May 3, at noon.
The deadline for entries is Friday, April 15, at 5 p.m. Visit my website to view guidelines for entering the competition.
Carolinians in the Capitol
This week I met with a variety of individuals and organizations from North Carolina, including the
American Legion Department of North Carolina, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Garden Club of America, Highland Industries of Kernersville, North Carolina credit unions, Wake Forest Baptist Health, West Wilkes High School, Wilkes County Board of Commissioners and YMCA Catawba Valley.
What’s Coming Up
Next week the House will consider legislation that tightens restrictions on providers terminated from the Medicaid program for fraud from receiving federal funds. In addition, the House will consider legislation suspending enforcement of a regulation on clay and ceramic product manufacturing while challenges to the regulation proceed.
Sincerely,
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