Passing of Congressman Alan Nunnelee
I was saddened to hear of the passing of my friend and colleague, Congressman Alan Nunnelee of Mississippi. As a fellow member of the Gulf Coast delegation, I had the privilege of working with Alan on a number of important issues. His loss will be felt immensely across the entire U.S. House of Representatives. Alan was a man of great faith and strong conservative values, who came to Washington in 2010 to make a difference for his constituents in Northeast Mississippi and for the American people, and he courageously continued to serve through his battle with cancer. Vicki and I send our deepest prayers and condolences to the entire Nunnelee family.
Happy Birthday Ronald Reagan
On Friday, February 6, we celebrated President Ronald Reagan's birthday, and although he is no longer with us, President Reagan's legacy shines as brightly today as ever, continuing to inspire millions of Americans. President Reagan came into office at a time of economic turmoil and global uncertainty, and thanks to his unwavering faith in God and commitment to our founding Constitutional principles, he helped launch one of the most prosperous times in our Nation's history. Today, we once again face a dangerous and uncertain world and a stagnating economy, and we would do well to follow Reagan's words and his deeds. In his 1986 State of the Union Address, President Reagan remarked, "What brought America back? The American people brought us back--with quiet courage and common sense; with undying faith that in this Nation under God the future will be ours, for the future belongs to the free." As we celebrate his birthday, let us honor President Reagan's legacy by tackling the challenges our country faces with undying faith and an unwavering commitment to freedom.
Washington Update
House Passes H.R.596 to Repeal Obamacare
Obamacare is a train wreck, and House Republicans have said since day one that this bill would have devastating impacts on our Nation--limiting choice, restricting access, raising costs, and harming our economy. Across the country, we are seeing these predictions being borne out, and that is why it is more important than ever to work to protect the American people from Obamacare by fully repealing this bill.
Last week, the House held a vote on a simple four page bill that would fully repeal Obamacare. In addition to fully repealing each and every page of Obamacare, H.R. 596, introduced by my colleague Bradley Byrne (R-AL), would also direct various House committees to draft and report to the full House legislation to replace Obamacare, laying out 12 commonsense principles for replacement legislation, including: lowering health care premiums through increased competition; preserving a patient's ability to keep their plan if they like it; fostering economic growth and job creation; providing individuals with pre-existing conditions access to affordable coverage; protecting the patient-doctor relationship; and instituting tort reform to reduce unnecessary and wasteful spending.
Over the years, House Republicans have put forward several good alternatives to actually address the issues that we are facing in our health care system. I will continue to work with my colleagues to repeal Obamacare and replace it with the kind of patient-centered reforms that are needed to empower consumers and make health care more affordable and accessible.
House Passes H.R.50 to Provide Transparency, Accountability, and Awareness of Federal Mandates
As a proponent of limited government, I believe it is essential that both Congress and government agencies take the full economic impact of proposed federal government action into account before passing laws or advancing regulations, including the cost of imposing unfunded federal mandates on the private sector and on state and local governments. Congress passed legislation in 1995, the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA), to try and curb these harmful unfunded mandates and bring additional transparency. Unfortunately, loopholes and exemptions have largely prevented this bill from meeting its original goal, and so Congress took action last week to enhance accountability and transparency in the regulatory and legislative process.
H.R. 50, the Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act, would update and improve UMRA. Amongst its provisions, H.R. 50 would bring independent regulatory agencies--including the National Labor Relations Board, Federal Communications Commission, and Consumer Product Safety Board--which were excluded from the original bill under the UMRA framework. These agencies also issue regulations that can have wide-sweeping impacts, and they should not be exempt from carrying out the cost-benefit analysis required by UMRA. In addition, many agencies covered under the original bill have been able to skirt UMRA compliance by utilizing a loophole that, according to the Government Accountability Office, covers approximately 35 percent of major rules. H.R. 50 would close this loophole. The bill also extends UMRA's consultation requirements for state and local governments to the private sector, to ensure that all impacted parties have the ability to weigh in on proposed regulations.
H.R. 50 helps rein in government so that laws and regulations coming out of Washington don't crush the communities and businesses that they impact. I voted for H.R. 50, which passed by a vote of 250-173, and I will continue to work with my colleagues to promote transparency and accountability at federal agencies.
House Passes H.R. 527 to Provide Regulatory Relief for Small Businesses
Thanks to a bloated Code of Federal Regulations, which totals more than 174,000 pages, current regulations hamper economic growth and make life harder for our Nation's businesses. All businesses feel the impact of these excessive regulations, but none more than small businesses. In fact, compliance cost for businesses with less than 50 employees are an estimated 17 percent higher than for larger companies, and they average about $11,700 per employee per year. This is money that these businesses could be using to grow and hire more workers.
In an effort to help our Nation's small businesses and reduce the cost of regulations, the House passed H.R. 527, the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act, last week. This bill would update the Regulatory Flexibility Act, which was first passed by Congress in 1980, to eliminate loopholes used by the IRS and other agencies that are hurting small businesses. It would also expand opportunities for small businesses to provide early feedback on new rules before they are formally proposed, and require that agencies review existing regulations and reduce small businesses impacts where possible. By forcing federal regulators to fully consider and minimize the impact of new regulations, this bill would help lead to more flexible rules that place less of a burden on job-creating small businesses, and that is why I voted in favor of H.R. 527.
San Antonio Fly-In
Each year, the San Antonio-area Congressional delegation hosts a fly-in for leaders of all sectors. During their visit, I was afforded the opportunity to speak with San Antonio's city delegation, comprising community partners and military leadership. With tens of thousands of veterans in the area and home to Joint Base San Antonio (Fort Sam Houston, Randolph Air Force Base, and Lackland Air Force Base), I spoke on issues currently facing our Nation's veterans and servicemembers.
Veterans Corner
President Obama's VA Budget Request for Fiscal Year 2016
I am committed to providing the Department of Veterans Affairs with the resources it needs to take care of our Nation's veterans. But if there's one thing we've learned over the last year, it's that VA's numbers cannot be trusted. Furthermore, whether it's funding, staffing, or information technology tools, Congress has given this administration nearly everything it has asked for to increase access to VA health care and overcome perennial challenges such as the department's mountain of backlogged disability benefits compensation claims. For its part, VA has left hundreds of millions in health care funding unspent since 2010 as thousands of veterans languished on waiting lists and squandered more than $1 billion on a host of botched construction projects, acquisition failures and extravagant employee conferences. That's why I, along with members of my committee, will ensure President Obama's Fiscal Year 2016 VA budget request receives the scrutiny it is due over the coming weeks. Additionally, the president's idea to reallocate a portion of Veterans Choice Program funding to other areas of VA is a complete non-starter, which I will not support. When a near-unanimous Congress worked with President Obama last year to create the choice program, we made a promise to veterans to give them more freedom in their health care decisions. I will not stand idly by while the president attempts to renege on that promise.
Senate Passes the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act
The Senate passed the Clay Hunt SAV Act last week building on the House's success. The bill, which passed the House January 12, 2015, is an important step toward helping stop the epidemic of veteran suicides. It provides comprehensive, new ideas aimed at improving the accessibility and effectiveness of mental health care available to our veterans. This bill had many advocates -- none more important than Clay Hunt's parents -- who fought tirelessly to shepherd this legislation through both houses of Congress. We commend them for their work in this effort and call on President Obama to sign this important bill into law without delay.
House and Senate Committees on Veterans' Affairs Leadership Meeting with
Secretary McDonald and Deputy Secretary Gibson
VA Secretary Bob McDonald and Deputy Secretary Sloan Gibson invited the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the Senate and House Veterans' Affairs Committees to meet and discuss key issues facing the department and our Nation's veterans. Such meetings are essential to ensure Congressional leadership can more effectively and openly communicate Congress' intent, while also providing VA leaders an opportunity to identify challenges facing the department. After major reform legislation passed last year, VA is now on a path toward improved accountability and efficiency. Much work remains, however, and I look forward to maintaining an open dialogue with department leaders.
Department of Veterans Affairs Town Hall
Following the meeting, I, along with Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee (SVAC) Chairman Johnny Isakson (R-GA), SVAC Ranking Member Richard Blumenthal (D-CA), and House Veterans' Affairs Committee Ranking Member Corrine Brown (D-FL), joined Secretary McDonald at a town hall meeting with VA employees. This forum provided us an opportunity to hear directly from employees, many of whom are veterans, regarding how our efforts in Congress impact VA employees and how we can better collaborate to provide our veterans with the best service and care possible.
Meeting with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
I met with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) CEO Paul Rieckhoff and IAVA leaders to discuss the group's legislative priorities for the 114th Congress and the successful passage of H.R. 203, the Clay Hunt SAV Act. I appreciate IAVA's dedication and service on behalf of our servicemen and women as well as its steadfast support of H.R.203. Passage of the bill was an important success, but taking care of our veterans is an ongoing process, and I look forward to continuing to work with IAVA and other veterans service organizations to ensure we are doing all we can to take care of America's returning heroes.
Honoring the Members of the First Special Service Force
I had the unparalleled privilege of participating in Congressional Gold Medal ceremony to honor the courage and sacrifice of the First Special Service Force. Authorized by Public Law No: 113-16, members of this elite force, which would come to be known as the Devil's Brigade, were bestowed Congress' highest honor--the Congressional Gold Medal. The Allied Force, composed of American and Canadian citizens, fought crucial battles in Italy and southern France, putting themselves in unthinkable danger during World War II. Conducting risky night-time raids with black boot polish painted on their faces against highly strategic German targets, the Devil's Brigade was never defeated in combat and paved the way for today's American and Canadian special operations forces.
While the medal we presented last week is a physical token of gratitude for the heroism FSSF displayed in the face of evil, perhaps the most important aspect of the ceremony is that it served to strengthen the great legacy of the First Special Service Force. It was truly a humbling experience to be in the presence of the 43 FSSF heroes who attended this historic event and I am proud of the work we did in Congress to make it possible.
Prior to the ceremony I enjoyed having the opportunity to visit with family members of the late Kenneth Gay and the late Nelson B. Fox, Sr., two members of the First Special Service Force that called Northwest Florida home.
As always, I welcome your comments. 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.
Thanks,
Jeff