Conaway Chronicle Budget Agreement, Defense Bill, Obamacare

Statement

Budget Agreement:

On Dec. 12th by a vote 332 to 94 the House passed the Budget Act, H.J.Res 59, which establishes budget levels for 2014 and 2015. I supported this budget agreement because the status quo is unacceptable. Under the sequester our military faces an indiscriminate slashing of resources, which is putting the men and women in our armed forces in unnecessary danger. The sequester was supposed to be offset by targeted cuts in wasteful spending, but instead, these indiscriminate cuts are hollowing out one of the few essential functions of our federal government -- our national defense. Failing to offset the sequester in 2014 and 2015 will result in a military that is too small, too poorly equipped, and too poorly trained to safely defend our nation. Besides partially offsetting the sequester for two years, this legislation makes several important policy changes. It ends a subsidy of private pension plans, requires federal employees to contribute more to their own retirement, repeals unnecessary government programs, and prevents abuse in the Unemployment Insurance and Medicaid programs. This plan also increases the fees that some Americans must pay to utilize some government services -- like air travel, customs fees, and pension insurance. While I am not happy about the increase in fees that are part of this deal, the increase in fees will cover only the cost of providing the programs. Work on a long-term deal that reins in our federal budget deficit and addresses entitlement spending should begin immediately. While I am disappointed in parts of this deal, especially the increase in revenue, it is a moral imperative that the men and women in the military have the training and resources they need when we send them into harm's way and we cannot do that under the across-the-board cuts demanded by the sequester.

Defense Authorization Bill:

On Dec. 12th the House passed legislation (H. Res. 441) authorizing funding for our military. The bill provides the funding that our military needs, maintains restrictions on transferring Guantanamo Bay detainees, and and take steps to reduce instances of sexual assault in the military.

Farm Bill:

We continue to make progress toward completing a Farm Bill. Although we were unable to complete the bill this week, I am optimistic that we can complete work on the bill in early 2014. On Dec. 12th, the House passed legislation, H.R. 3695, to extend the current Farm Bill, which is set to expire on Dec. 31st, until Jan. 31st. I am committed to completing a bill that requires able bodied adults to work, look for work, or be involved in work training, in order to receive Food Stamps. This is a reasonable reform of the Food Stamp program. I am also committed to producing a bill that provides assistance to farmers when times are bad, but not when times are good.

Obamacare:

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Health Subcommittee on Dec. 11th. The hearing was a continuation of efforts by her and others in the Obama Administration to re-brand Obamacare as a success. While the Secretary was trying to re-brand Obamacare, the non-partisan Poltifact Website, which is part of The Tampa Bay (Fla.) Times was awarding President Obama's promise "If you like your healthcare plan you can keep it," the "Lie of the Year" award. Secretary Sebelius also announced this week that the HHS inspector general's office would be investigating the multitude of problems with the Obamacare Website. The Obama Administration needs to stop trying to win a public relations battle and investigating what went wrong, and instead concede that the law is a failure and needs to be repealed. Until the administration does that, I will do what I can to at least limit the law's damage. On Monday Dec. 16th, I will be participating in a hearing on the Texas Department of Insurance's (TDI) proposed rules to strengthen protections for consumers who seek assistance from federal health exchange navigators. Under the proposal the navigators would be required to undergo criminal background checks, privacy training; and provide proof of identity, and evidence of financial responsibility.

Iran Sanctions:

This week I signed a letter urging the Senate to take action on legislation that enhances economic sanctions on Iran. On July 31, 2013 the House passed H.R. 850, the Nuclear Iran Prevention Act, by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 400-20-1. In the nearly five months that have passed, the Senate has failed to take action on this bill, which addresses the devastating threat of a nuclear-armed Iran by increasing economic sanctions. With President Obama's recent decision to join other nations in reducing sanctions against Iran, it is critical that Congress come out in strong support of increased sanctions. A nuclear-armed Iran poses a grave threat to the United States and our allies in the region. Israel, America's strongest ally in the Middle East, continues to face serious threats from an Iranian regime that denies Israel's right to exist and has stated that Israel "must be wiped off the map." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that any deal which eases sanctions on Iran without a dismantling of its nuclear program is a "bad deal" and the "deal of the century for Iran." The tough sanctions that have been leveled against Iran to date have been successful in bringing them to the negotiating table, and the threat of increased sanctions has the ability to compel Iran to finally abandon its nuclear ambitions.

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