Newsletter - Miller Newsletter - 07/14/13

Statement

In the News

Immigration
Last week, the House Republican Conference met to discuss immigration. During the meeting, Members had the opportunity to have their views on this important issue heard, and, following the meeting, the House leadership announced that the House will not take up the flawed Senate-passed comprehensive immigration reform bill. Rather, the House will continue to work on individual legislation through the normal committee process aimed at commonsense reforms to secure our border, better enforce current immigration statutes, and improve our legal immigration system. I was glad to see the House leadership adopt this position, and I will continue to work with my colleagues to oppose the Senate's fatally flawed immigration bill.

Egypt
More than a week after the coup which deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, an interim government is beginning to take shape in Egypt; however, the situation remains extremely perilous. I recently joined Fox Business Channel's Lou Dobbs to discuss the situation in Egypt, as well as other important military and veterans' issues.

Constituent Voice
Every week, I receive thousands of letters and phone calls from constituents all across Florida's First Congressional District. Without the input of hardworking Northwest Floridians, it would be nearly impossible for me to do my job. One topic on the minds of many constituents last week was student loan rates.

Student Loans
On July 1, the rate for new subsidized federal Stafford Loans increased from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent, despite the fact that the House passed H.R. 1911 in May to reform the student loan process and prevent this increase. H.R. 1911, the Smarter Solutions for Students Act, would take politicians out of the business of setting student loan rates and instead rely on the free market to set the appropriate rates for student loans.

Analysis by the American Action Forum, run by former Congressional Budget Office (CBO) head Douglas Holtz-Eakin, found students entering college and graduate school in 2009-2010 would have saved anywhere from $413 to $3,359 if rates were set by the market rather than Congress. Putting student loans back in the free market is also a good deal for taxpayers. According to a recent CBO study, the Smarter Solutions for Students Act would save taxpayers $3.7 billion over ten years. But, rather than remove politics from the student loan business, Senate Democrats have refused to bring up this commonsense House-passed legislation, leaving students and taxpayers to pay for their political gamesmanship.

Obamacare
Another issue that continues to weigh heavily on the minds of countless Northwest Floridians is Obamacare, and they aren't alone. A recent poll by the consumer healthcare group HealthPocket found that only 12 percent of Americans support implementing Obamacare's individual mandate. Yet, despite delaying the employer mandate for America's biggest businesses two weeks ago, the Administration continues to push ahead with its disastrous plans to fine hardworking Americans for failing to comply with Obamacare.

Implementing Obamacare is turning into a nightmare for the Administration and the American people alike. Delaying the implementation of the employer mandate simply underscores this fact. Last week, House Republicans sent a letter to the President calling on him to delay the implementation of the individual mandate so that Americans aren't penalized for the Administration's incompetence. I have also signed onto H.R. 1908, the Federal Repeal of Expensive Exchanges Act, which would fully repeal both the individual and employer mandates.

Ultimately, the only true way to protect the American people completely from the looming avalanche that is Obamacare: full repeal. The House has voted 37 times to repeal, defund, and dismantle Obamacare, and I remain committed to overturning the President's massive federal takeover of our healthcare system.

Veterans Update
Trials in Transparency
One of the top oversight challenges of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs is getting timely information from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). VA is currently sitting on nearly 100 requests for information made by the Committee, some dating back more than a year. The leisurely pace with which VA is returning requests -- and in some cases not returning them -- is a major impediment to the basic oversight responsibilities of the Committee. That's why last week, along with Ranking Member Mike Michaud, I was pleased to launch Trials in Transparency, a new web component of Veterans.House.Gov that will keep a running record of outstanding information requests made to VA by both Democrat and Republican members of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. VA owes it to America's veterans and America's taxpayers to engage in an honest conversation about its past mistakes, the future challenges it faces, and its capabilities for overcoming those challenges. Giving Congress timely access to the information it requests is an important part of that conversation. When the department drags its feet in providing information requested by Congress, it inhibits our ability to ensure America's veterans are receiving the care and benefits they have earned.

Florida Delegation Meeting with VA Under Secretary for Benefits Allison Hickey
On Tuesday, July 9, I hosted a meeting between Florida's Congressional Delegation and Department of Veterans Affairs Under Secretary for Benefits Allison Hickey. This meeting focused on VA's efforts to address its sizeable backlog of disability benefits compensation claims and what these efforts will mean for Florida veterans. The VA backlog is an especially important issue in the Sunshine state, considering that Florida is home to more than 1.5 million veterans. With the backlog crisis finally receiving the national attention it deserves, and pressure for VA to solve this problem at a fever pitch, I wanted to bring interested parties from VA and Congress together for a frank discussion on how these developments will affect Florida veterans dealing with backlogged claims.


Florida Delegation Meeting with Under Secretary Hickey

Washington Update
Americans expect their elected leaders in Washington to advance policies that will help strengthen our economy and ensure a secure future for our children and grandchildren. Yet, far too many big government advocates in Washington continue to push for irresponsible policies that make life more difficult for hardworking taxpayers through abuses of power, further government intrusions that lead to higher health care costs, and a top-down energy plan that needlessly increases costs for consumers and businesses.

House Republicans remain committed to fighting against these big government policies and advancing our robust legislative agenda focused on reducing regulatory burdens and allowing the hardworking Americans and American small businesses that make up the backbone of our economy to thrive and create jobs. I was glad to support measures last week to continue the House's efforts to lay the groundwork for a thriving economy and prosperous future with new jobs and expanded opportunities for all Americans, without expanding government.

H.R. 2609 - Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2014
Last week, the House passed H.R. 2609, the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2014 by a vote of 227-198. Passing appropriations bills, based on spending levels set by budget resolutions, offers lawmakers the opportunity to cut our budget and reduce out-of-control spending in Washington. H.R. 2609 is fully in line with the spending numbers set out in the House-passed Republican budget, which brings federal spending back to balance within the 10-year window. Spending in the Energy and Water Appropriations Act is reduced by $2.9 billion from last year and brings spending in these areas back to 2007 levels.

Among the reductions are excessive green energy programs, which are cut in half, and Obama stimulus-era programs such as the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy program which is reduced in the bill by 81 percent. We protect against future waste of taxpayer dollars with language to prevent future Solyndras. Additionally, the bill was offered under an open amendment process, and several amendments were brought to the floor to cut billions of dollars more; I was glad to support these spending reduction efforts.

While it is vital to cut spending and reduce our massive debt, Congress also has an explicit constitutional duty to provide for the common defense, and H.R. 2609 included important national security provisions relating to our nuclear arsenal. Provisions in the bill ensure that our nuclear stockpile is fully maintained and our current nuclear deterrence posture is fully upheld.

Passing appropriations bills is an important part of Congress' budgetary responsibilities, and I was glad to vote in favor of H.R. 2609 because it provides for important energy programs in a fiscally responsible manner that prioritizes and protects our national security.

H.R. 2642 - Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013
The House also voted last week to pass H.R. 2642, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2013, commonly known as the farm bill. Agriculture is, and always has been, a central component of the American success story; however, for many years agricultural policy has been tied together with nutrition assistance programs. The House-passed 2013 farm bill reverses this trend by decoupling the farming provisions of H.R. 2642 from the nutrition assistance provisions. Nutrition assistance programs are wholly separate from support for our Nation's farmers, and by splitting the farm bill each program can receive the full attention that it deserves.

Separating the nutrition and farming titles does not mean that House Republicans believe nutrition assistance programs are not important; it simply means that nutrition and farm policies will be considered separately to provide transparency and a vigorous debate on two very different policy initiatives. The American people deserve this debate to ensure that farm and nutrition programs make good policy sense for the citizens of our country, and passing H.R. 2642 was a step in this direction.

The 2013 House-passed farm bill makes many necessary reforms to our agricultural policy which, as nearly everyone agrees, is horribly outdated, and these reforms also help achieve significant deficit reduction goals. The bill repeals or consolidates more than 100 USDA programs, including elimination of direct payments and repeal of counter cyclical payments. All together, the reforms in the bill reduce spending in the bill by nearly $20 billion, a significant savings to taxpayers.

The bill also advances several regulatory relief principles by eliminating duplicative permitting requirements for pesticides, prohibiting the EPA from implementing unjustified biological opinions of the National Marine Fisheries Service that are based on unscientific sources, and requiring regulatory agencies to use scientifically sound information in any potential regulatory actions.

With passage of H.R. 2642, the House can now move on to further debate on nutrition assistance programs and eventually to a conference with the Senate to come up with a new five-year farm bill that will give our Nation's farmers the certainty they need to continue meeting our Nation's food needs.

Meeting with Pensacola High School International Baccalaureate Program Student Lauryn Reid

I had the opportunity last week to meet with Lauryn Reid, a rising Junior at Pensacola High School's International Baccalaureate program. Lauryn was in Washington as a National Youth Correspondent at the Washington Journalism and Media Conference. Today's students are tomorrow's leaders, and so it is always encouraging to see young people actively engaged in the political process. We are proud to have Lauryn representing Northwest Florida at the Washington Journalism and Media Conference.

Congressman Miller and PHS IB Student Lauryn Reid

President Obama Signs into Law H.R. 324, First Special Service Force Congressional Gold Medal
As the proud Sponsor, I am pleased to announce that on Friday, July 12 the President signed into law, H.R. 324, to grant the Congressional Gold Medal to members of the First Special Service Force. This law, which expresses our National appreciation for the Force's distinguished achievements, contributions and superior service during World War Two, honors the heroism and sacrifices of the warriors of the First Special Service Force. The Devil's Brigade, nicknamed by their foes, was a truly revolutionary force that achieved remarkable success and undoubtedly earned Congress' highest honor. To the members of the First Special Service Force and all the men and women who defend our nation and fight in the name of freedom, thank you.

In the District

Public Hearing on F-35 beddown at Eglin Air Force Base
On July 9, 2013, many of our neighbors gathered with local civilian and military leaders in a public hearing to discuss the Revised Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the F-35 beddown at Eglin Air Force Base. This hearing was designed to allow those in the local community to learn more about the F-35 environmental impact analysis process and the information contained within the Revised Draft SEIS. Most importantly, this event was held to ensure military leaders understand and respond to the questions and concerns of those in the local community. While I believe the F-35 training mission is critical to our local economy and our Nation's security, my staff and I will continue to review this draft document and closely study this issue to better understand the impacts on the residents of Eglin and the surrounding communities. I welcome your feedback throughout this process and encourage you to contact me with your thoughts.

To share your thoughts on legislation, votes or issues, please visit http://jeffmiller.house.gov/ to send an e-mail or call any of my offices. As always, I welcome your comments.

Thanks,
Jeff

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