View From the Capitol - Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler's Newsletter for the Week of July 28-August 1, 2014

Statement

Good Day,

This week, the House approved the Veterans' Access to Care through Choice, Accountability, and Transparency Act of 2014, H.R. 3230, important legislation to reform the Veterans Affairs Department and to provide veterans with the health benefits they have earned.

After the mistreatment, abuse, and secret waiting lists first reported at the VA facility in Phoenix, Congress acted. Above all, this bill provides access to quality, timely care that our veterans have earned. It allows veterans to receive non-VA care if they are unable to secure an appointment at a VA facility within the wait time goals of the Veterans Health Administration or, with a few exceptions, if they live more than 40 miles from the nearest VA facility.

This legislation will also help provide much-needed accountability by authorizing the VA to fire or demote Senior Executive Service and equivalent employees for poor performance or misconduct. Further, it reduces the funding for bonuses within the VA while allowing for the hiring of more doctors and the leasing of new medical facilities across the country. The bottom line is that this bill improves accountability in the VA and access to quality, timely care for our nation's veterans.

I am pleased that Congress has passed this bill to address concerns centering on the VA. We have a responsibility to ensure all the brave men and women who have served our country are receiving the benefits they so justly deserve.

The House also approved a resolution this week to authorize the House of Representatives to launch legal action in opposition to President Obama's attempts to bypass Congress and enact his own laws. Specifically, the resolution authorizes the filing of a lawsuit objecting to the President's unilateral changes to the federal health care law.

The President has overreached by unilaterally changing certain aspects of the health law, such as the employer mandate, without going through Congress. The Constitution does not give the President the right to do that. It is the elected representatives of the people who make the laws.

The simple truth is that the Constitution requires the President to faithfully execute the laws legislated by Congress. President Obama has demonstrated time and time again that he believes he has the power to make his own laws, going so far as to say that if Congress won't make the laws he wants, he'll take action on his own. This is contrary to the Constitution.

The President and every member of Congress take an oath to uphold the Constitution. The House is obligated to respond to this challenge to the Constitutional balance of powers. This is not about politics -- it is about respecting the Constitution.

I had an opportunity this week to join many of my energy-conscious colleagues who want to see an end to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) War on Coal. The EPA's carbon regulation, which I oppose, would shut down coal plants throughout the United States, harming the economy, and destroying jobs. The requirement that carbon pollution be reduced by around 21 percent in Missouri by 2030 is unrealistic.

I am certainly not opposed to reducing emissions, but I believe it must be done in a common-sense way that does not harm the hard-working Americans who would have to pay much higher energy bills as a result of these EPA regulations. The simple truth is that someone is going to have to pay for this effort to curb the use of coal. And, in Missouri, where we get over 80 percent of our energy from coal, it will be consumers who will be hit particularly hard. The people are already having a difficult time making ends meet, it makes absolutely no sense to burden them with higher energy costs.

As I witnessed, firsthand, on my recent "all-of-the-above" energy tour of Missouri's Fourth Congressional District, Missourians appreciate and welcome various alternative sources of energy such as wind and solar power, but they also want affordable power from the tried and true sources that include coal, hydro, nuclear. The goal for Missouri and the rest of our country must be to ensure we have access to an abundant and affordable supply of energy. We cannot allow coal-powered plants to be targeted by Washington bureaucrats. Common sense must prevail to allow hardworking families to keep the lights on as they stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter. It is the right thing to do.

Have a great week.

Vicky

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