The question on many of my constituents’ minds right now, understandably, is when will the government re-open? Unfortunately, with the Democrats controlling the House, the focus has not been on quickly finding true solutions to protect our national security and strengthen our southern border so that the government can re-open. This week, Speaker Pelosi called up for a vote four appropriations bills that are non-starters in the Senate and for the President.

My stance remains firm. National security is the number one job of the federal government, and if politics continue to get in the way, the President should take action to keep our country safe. President Trump has not declared a national emergency, but the National Emergencies Act, passed in 1976, gives him broad authority in this area. The possibility of using the military to build a wall is currently being analyzed by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS is Congress's own nonpartisan think tank and serves as its primary public policy research and analysis support agency. I would like to share with you its most recent report on this issue.

Education and Labor Committee

 
Did you notice something different about the heading above? I certainly took notice last week when Democrats changed the name of the Education and Workforce Committee to the Education and Labor Committee. The words that we use matter, and I contend that this name change misses the mark in light of all the talk that’s occurred about the importance of inclusivity. Whether you identify as a “laborer” or not, rest assured, I will be working to serve our nation’s entire workforce—not just some professions. On WATA radio’s All About Home Construction show I recently talked the importance of the language we use when discussing work and education. In case you missed it, listen to the episode here.

Bills Introduced in the 116th Congress

  
In the first two weeks of the new Congress, I have introduced two bipartisan bills aimed at government modernization and reform. The first is H.R. 150, the Grant Reporting Efficiency and Agreements Transparency (GREAT) Act. The GREAT Act streamlines the federal grant reporting process, enabling increased efficiency for federal grant recipients and transparency for taxpayers. I also reintroduced H.R. 300, the Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act. This bill would make the federal government accountable for counting the real-world costs of the unfunded mandates footed by state and local governments and often passed on to individual taxpayers and businesses. 

I also introduced H.R. 296, the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act, which restores Congress’ original intent of the Title X Family Planning Program. When the program was created in 1970, Congress made it clear that abortion was not an acceptable form of family planning, stating, "None of the funds appropriated under this title shall be used in programs where abortion is a method of family planning." Since then, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) skirted the law by allowing Title X funds to contribute to employee salaries, facility costs and medical supplies for abortion providers. President Trump’s Protect Life Rule corrected this problem. My bill would ensure that future administrations also prohibit this abuse of family planning funding and increase reporting requirements for HHS for more transparency and accountability.
  

Recent Highlights

  

This is a significant week for women in American history. It marks the first occasions that a woman spoke in the House Chamber (January 12, 1806) and addressed a House Committee (January 11, 1871). Additionally, on January 10, 1918 the House passed a constitutional amendment for women’s suffrage.

Next Week

 
Congress continues to debate legislation to fund border security and re-open the federal agencies that have closed due to the shutdown. Furthermore, I am proud to report that the House will consider one of my bipartisan bills, the GREAT Act. 

Sincerely,