The Sam Johnson Journal: 2014 in Review
Statement
Dear Friends,
As we prepare to enter a New Year, I wanted to thank you for helping make 2014 a productive fight for the conservative values our Collin County holds dear -- these values are what make America the Greatest Nation on Earth! And because I believe it is important to look at the year in review so that new goals for the next year can be set and achieved, I'd like to go over a "14 in 2014." I hope you find this review helpful!
Fighting Illegal Immigration & the President's Executive Amnesty
Repealing "ObamaCare"
Emergence of ISIS
Protecting Americans from Ebola
Fighting Social Security Disability Fraud
No Social Security for Nazis Act
Taliban 5 Terrorist Trade for Sgt. Bergdahl
VA Scandal
IRS Scandal
Plano VA Clinic
Goodbye, Wright Amendment!
Providing Clean Water for Collin County
Congressional Gold Medal Honoring America's Fighter Aces
Republican Wave Takes Back Congress
Fighting Illegal Immigration & the President's Executive Amnesty
Illegal immigration is one of the biggest issues facing America -- and Texas -- today. Just take a look at our State's border crisis this summer when an unprecedented number of children and families entered our country illegally. This crisis was a direct result of President Obama's 2012 decision to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants.
To make matters worse, on November 21, 2014, President Obama granted amnesty to even more illegal immigrants -- millions more. The President's executive action is illegal and it's unfair to those who have played by the rules to legally call America home. It's no wonder that a majority oppose the President's action.
Standing up to the President's illegal immigration policies has been, and will remain, one of my top priorities in 2015. I have actively spoken out on the House Floor against the President's border security failures and executive amnesty, and I have voted time and again to STOP his amnesty efforts. You can rest assured I am fully committed to fighting for the taxpayers of Collin County to hold the President accountable for his actions. The American people want, need, and deserve a President who respects the Constitution.
TOP 5 KEY ACTIONS I TOOK THIS YEAR TO ADDRESS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION & PRESIDENT OBAMA'S EXECUTIVE AMNESTY:
December 11: I voted AGAINST the "Cromnibus" -- a spending bill that did nothing to stop the President's executive action granting amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants.
December 4: I voted in support of the Executive Amnesty Prevention Act of 2014.
December 1: I introduced the No Social Security Numbers & Benefits for Illegal Aliens Act. This bill addresses a specific part of the President's executive order that allows some illegal immigrants to receive work permits which would then enable them to receive Social Security numbers and benefits.
July 25: The House passed my measure that would help deter illegal immigration by stopping illegal immigrants from claiming the $1,000 refundable child tax credit.
July 18: I led a Congressional Delegation to the Rio Grande Valley Sector of the border in McAllen, Texas to see the border crisis first-hand.
Repealing "ObamaCare"
Right before the second enrollment period for "ObamaCare" opened on November 19, 2014, some rather telling video footage of MIT economics professor Jonathan Gruber surfaced. In the video, Gruber, who is known for being a key advisor to President Obama and Democrats on "ObamaCare," stated that the "stupidity of the American voter" and a "lack of transparency" were crucial in passing this devastating health care law. Gruber's comments only underscore the reason why President Obama and Nancy Pelosi rammed this bill into law -- a law that continues to hurt American families, especially those struggling to makes ends meet. In Collin County, families are being forced to pay anywhere from $20 - $72 more per month under the "ObamaCare" exchanges, and that is just the increase from 2013! This is on top of the fact that millions of Americans can no longer keep their plans and doctors.
The full repeal of "ObamaCare" continues to be a top priority for me, which is why I voted to repeal this bad law on April 10. I have also continued to do what I can to dismantle as much of this law as possible with a Democrat-led Senate: repealing "ObamaCare's" 30-hour work week that is hurting the job market and repealing the Medical Device Tax -- just to name a few. Rest assured that defunding, dismantling, and fully repealing "ObamaCare" remains at the top of my to-do list -- Americans cannot afford to pay the price of this bad health care law -- with their pocketbooks OR their health.
Emergence of ISIS
This summer Americans witnessed the horrific actions of ISIS as it marched into Iraq as part of its mission to create an Islamic State. These terrorists continue to brutally murder anyone who opposes them. ISIS is clearly a direct threat to Americans and our democratic way of life. They must be defeated, and they must be defeated soundly!
On September 10, 2014, the eve of the 13th Anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, President Obama finally announced his plan to confront ISIS. His plan consists of airstrikes and arming Syrian rebels. As a 29-year Air Force veteran who fought in two wars, I have concerns with the President's strategy. That is why on September 17 I voted against his request to arm these rebels -- the last thing we need is our own weaponry and training to ultimately be used against us.
Protecting Americans from Ebola
The 2014 outbreak of this deadly disease is the largest in history. The vast majority of Ebola cases have been within three West African countries -- Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. However, on September 30 America experienced its first travel-associated case with Thomas Eric Duncan. Duncan was hospitalized at Texas Health Presbyterian where he died on October 8. Two nurses who treated Duncan also contracted the disease and were hospitalized, though thankfully they recovered.
The fact that Ebola was brought to American soil raised grave concerns with President Obama's efforts to protect Americans. Because the health and safety of Americans is my #1 priority, I took a number of steps to address this issue:
I called on President Obama to halt travel and visas from Ebola-affected countries.
I introduced the Stop Ebola Act. This bill would ban all new visas to folks from Ebola-affected countries.
I called for an investigation into the CDC's response, or lack thereof.
I asked Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel for answers regarding the risks facing our troops fighting Ebola in West Africa.
Fighting Social Security Disability Fraud
Every worker in America pays a portion of their hard-earned wages into the Social Security Disability Insurance program for promised benefits if he or she becomes too disabled to work. And while this program provides a vital safety net, it is plagued by major fraud that puts at risk not only billions of taxpayer dollars, but also the benefits on which millions of disabled Americans rely.
At a time when the program revenues will cover only 81% of benefits in 2016, not one dime should be lost to fraud, waste, or abuse. That's why, as Chairman of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security, I introduced the Stop Disability Fraud Act. This bill makes fair, commonsense changes to combat fraud and better protect taxpayers and beneficiaries. Americans want, need, and deserve no less.
No Social Security for Nazis Act
The World must never forget the six million Jews and other innocents murdered in the Holocaust. America has worked to prevent Nazis from entering the country and reaping the benefits of U.S. citizenship, including Social Security. However, on October 20, the Associated Press released an article titled, "Expelled Nazis Got Millions in Social Security." I was stunned to learn that, due to a loophole, some Nazis who came to America are getting Social Security benefits. That is just plain wrong! And while the number of Nazis getting Social Security may be few, allowing payments to continue is an inexcusable insult to those who suffered at the hands of the Nazis. That is why, on November 19, 2014, I introduced the No Social Security for Nazis Act (H.R. 5739) to close this loophole. The good news is that in December both the House and Senate passed my bill, and on December 18 the President signed it into law.
Taliban 5 Terrorist Trade for Sgt. Bergdahl
On May 31, 2014, President Obama announced his Administration had negotiated the release of POW Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in exchange for five mid- to high-level Taliban terrorists that had been detained at Guantanamo Bay. As a 29-year Air Force veteran and someone who spent nearly seven years as a POW in Vietnam -- more than half that time in solitary confinement -- the news that President Obama negotiated with terrorists was deeply troubling. The fact that it was done behind the back of Congress was even more troubling. The President has in effect put a price on the head of each solider, sailor, airman, coast guardsmen, and Marine serving abroad in defense of freedom. Our troops overseas are already in harm's way, and the President should be doing everything he can to PROTECT them and help them succeed in their missions -- not place them in greater danger and compromise hard-fought gains. America must stand strong!
VA Scandal
After it was uncovered that over 40 veteran deaths at Phoenix, Arizona's VA hospital were preventable, the Veterans Affairs office of the Inspector General conducted an investigation. Its initial report confirmed "significant delays in access to care negatively impacted the quality of care" and that "veterans were and continue to be at risk of being forgotten or lost in [the system's] convoluted scheduling process." In the wake of the Inspector General's report, on May 30th the Secretary of Veteran Affairs, Eric Shinseki, resigned.
We must do all we can to ensure our heroes get the best possible care available. This includes getting answers about why this waitlisting was allowed to happen in the first place and holding individuals responsible for waitlisting our veterans accountable. Our veterans want, need, and deserve an honest, effective, and efficient VA.
In addition to Phoenix's VA health care system, VA hospitals across the country are now also under investigation. That is why, on May 13, I joined other Texas Members and called on Inspector General Richard J. Griffin to investigate allegations of mismanagement at VA hospitals in Central Texas.
IRS Scandal
In May 2013, the American people learned the IRS had targeted conservative groups. The targeting of individuals who exercise their Constitutional right to express their own beliefs and freedoms is WRONG! Since House Republicans learned of this targeting, we have been actively working to get answers and hold the Administration's IRS accountable. We have twice called for testimony from former IRS Director Lois Lerner -- who is at the center of the IRS political targeting scandal, and she has twice refused. That is why, on May 7, I voted to hold Lerner in Contempt of Congress for her failure to comply with a congressional subpoena.
Making matters more suspicious, this June House Republicans learned that the computer belonging to Lerner crashed in 2011 and an untold number of her emails between 2009 and 2011 were "lost." The time-frame her lost emails cover coincides with the time-frame of the political targeting. And her emails are apparently unrecoverable because within weeks of the crash, the IRS cancelled its email backup contract with Sonosoft and Lerner's hard drive was recycled. This situation reeks of a cover-up, and I am committed to getting answers and holding the individuals responsible for targeting Americans' First Amendment rights accountable.
Plano VA Clinic
In response to constituent concerns and the growing veteran population in North Texas, I have made it one of my ongoing efforts to push for a local VA clinic. In February, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs notified me that we secured a new VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) for North Dallas. Just days ago on December 16, the General Services Administration (GSA) issued approval to move forward with the clinic, which I am happy to announce will be located in Plano.
North Texas veterans have waited far too long for a clinic of their own, and I am thrilled our veterans will soon have better access to high-quality care closer to home. The new Collin County VA Clinic will make a huge difference for veterans, active duty service members, reservists, and their loved ones.
This is a win for North Texas and a win for our heroes. Nothing makes me happier than to give our brave men and women in uniform the health care services they earned and deserve.
Goodbye, Wright Amendment!
It was almost a decade ago that Jeb Hensarling and I introduced The Right to Fly Act. And on October 13, 2014, our dream became fully realized -- North Texans are now free to fly where they want to, from where they want, when they want to, on what airline they want to -- and at more affordable prices.
Everyone wins when you unleash competition and let freedom and free enterprise prevail. That is what the Wright Amendment Repeal is all about -- giving consumers choice through competition. At a time when government tries to regulate virtually every aspect of Americans' lives, this repeal is a particularly meaningful win that should be celebrated. The repeal of the Wright Amendment also serves as a testament to what we can accomplish with the American principles of hard work, determination, and commitment to freedom.
Providing Clean Water for Collin County
Water is one of our most vital resources and primary needs. Providing safe, clean drinking water -- while being mindful of drought conditions -- is crucial. That is why I am pleased the North Texas Invasive Species Barrier Act, which I co-sponsored, was signed into law June 9th.
This bill takes preemptive action to allow access, transfer, and treatment of water from Lake Texoma to a treatment facility in Wylie. Let me be clear that this bill does not encourage extra pumping that would harm Lake Texoma's water levels. It merely allows the North Texas Municipal Water District and the Greater Texoma Utility Authority to do their jobs by providing safe water and much-needed jobs to North Texas. It's a win-win for Collin County residents!
Congressional Gold Medal Honoring America's Fighter Aces
The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest recognition Congress may bestow to persons "who have performed an achievement that has an impact on American history and culture that is likely to be recognized as a major achievement in the recipient's field long after the achievement."
In an effort to properly and rightfully honor all America's Fighter Aces -- fighter pilots credited with destroying five or more confirmed enemy aircraft in aerial combat, this year I introduced the American Fighter Aces Congressional Gold Medal Act. I can think of no group more deserving. Their efforts have shortened wars, saved lives, and contributed to the aerial supremacy of the United States. This bill, which recognizes nearly 1,500 U.S. Fighter Aces, was signed into law May 21. I look forward to helping pay these outstanding veterans tribute at the Gold Medal Ceremony, which is expected to take place early next year!
Republican Wave Takes Back Congress
The midterm elections on November 4 were a clear referendum of President Obama's liberal policies that are hurting struggling Americans. The people made their voice heard, and starting in January 2015, both the House and Senate will now enjoy a Republican majority that is dedicated to getting our country back on track.
The Democrat-controlled Senate has been one of the biggest obstacles we faced when passing legislation, and I look forward to a productive New Year now that Harry Reid is no longer in charge of the Senate! We have many issues that need to be addressed, not least of which is fighting the President's executive amnesty and dismantling "ObamaCare." These are big tasks, and Republicans are ready. I look forward to hearing from you as we work together to see these goals achieved.
Thank you for taking the time to read this Year in Review newsletter! I wish you and yours a safe and blessed Holiday Season as we prepare to ring in 2015.
God Bless you and I salute you,
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