From Congressman Bill Flores
Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON, D.C. — The last few weeks in Washington have been quite busy. The president delivered his annual State of the Union address to Congress; the House and Senate passed a conference report for the farm bill; the debt-limit was extended; the House passed a bill to improve benefits and services to veterans; and the House passed a bill that prevents taxpayer money to be used to fund abortions. Additionally, I was excited to deliver some good news to the citizens of West to help in their rebuilding efforts following the nearby fertilizer plant explosion.
State of the Union
On Tuesday, January 28, President Obama delivered his State of the Union address. In this speech, the president failed to address several key problems faced by our country. The most important of these is that his policies have created the weakest economic recovery in the seven decades since the Great Depression. This has resulted in stubbornly high unemployment and the lowest labor force participation rate since Jimmy Carter’s presidency. In addition, his polices have caused a huge decline in economic opportunities for hardworking Americans and moved millions of families into poverty and onto food stamps. In a nutshell, his administration has dramatically increased income inequality while reducing economic opportunity. If the president had adopted economic policies similar to those of President Reagan, our country’s economy would have grown much faster and over seven million more Americans would be working today and off of taxpayer funded benefits.
The president has made it clear that he wants this to be a “Year of Action”. Given the president’s track record of delivering broken promises to the American people, it is easy to see why he wants to make this declaration. There is no question that action must be taken to get Americans back to work, improve our economy, reduce our deficit, and to develop solutions for American energy security. If the president is serious about helping improve the lives of hardworking Americans, he should join House Republican efforts to make the federal government more efficient and accountable, provide commonsense health care solutions, reform federal spending, simply the tax code, reign in out-of-control federal regulatory bureaucracies, and reform our broken immigration system.
The president’s threats to use unilateral administrative authority and sidestep Congress to move forward with his own agenda are problematic and likely illegal. Over the last couple of months, Congress has shown that both houses and parties have been able to come together to pass bipartisan legislation to reduce the uncertainty created by Washington. Bypassing Congress with the pen is not be how laws are made; rather the president should follow the Constitution and work with Congress to bring real solutions through a collaborative process.
If the president is sincere about taking action, he must start by addressing the failures of Obamacare – which is opposed by a large and growing majority of Americans. Obamacare continues to fail in its primary goals of controlling costs, providing greater access to health care, and allowing Americans to keep their current health care coverage. Additionally, the recent CBO budget and economic outlook showed that Obamacare is slowing economic growth, increasing the deficit, and costing a reduction of full-time-equivalent employment of about 2.3 million. We must work to repeal and replace this ill-conceived law with reforms that increase access to health care, lower costs, strengthen the doctor-patient relationship, and give American consumers a say in their health care. On Friday, we learned that Obamacare is driving up the cost of Medicare Advantage plans and reducing the number of plan options available for retirees, creating another broken Obamacare promise.
Throughout the 113th Congress, the House has taken action to pass dozens of jobs bills, which sit idle over in the Senate. If action is what the president is seeking, then it is time he push his party’s colleagues in the Senate to take up these House-passed jobs bills, which include my Protecting States’ Rights to Promote American Energy Security Act. House Republicans have been, and remain committed to, creating more jobs and better paychecks for Americans through economic growth, improving education and job training programs, reducing red tape and promoting domestic energy production. Most Americans know that more “Main Street” jobs and better paychecks are the ladders to greater economic opportunity for hardworking families – not more big government, bureaucratically driven solutions. The president would be well served to work with Congress on proven solutions versus trying to continue to promote his failed economic policies.
Debt Limit Extension
On Tuesday, February 11, the House passed the Temporary Debt Limit Extension Act, which extends the debt limit through March 2015. I voted against increasing the debt ceiling because this legislation allows for the debt limit to be increased without any of the much-needed reforms to fix our country’s critical fiscal challenges. When looking at extending the debt limit it is imperative that we also address the true drivers of our debt. With each day that Congress delays dealing with these issues, the harder it will be to get our debt under control and our economy up to its potential. Now more than ever, we must work towards a fiscally sustainable America through balanced budgets, job creation, economic growth, and energy security.
West Recovery
On Monday, February 10, I was pleased to announce that FEMA has awarded West ISD with two grants, totaling $20.8 million. I applaud FEMA for awarding the much needed funds to help the West schools rebuild after being severely damaged by the fertilizer plant explosion last April. These grants could not come at a better time as West ISD is hoping to start construction of new school facilities in the near future. With the help of these grants, the students will soon be able to leave their current environment in temporary facilities for permanent classrooms and facilities.
As the rebuilding process continues, the community and McLennan County should rest assured that we have not forgotten about West and all that its citizens have been through. Our local leaders have been and continue working to rebuild and their efforts are paying off for the community. Similarly, I remain committed to helping in any way possible and we will never forget those who perished in the disaster.
Farm Bill
On Wednesday, January 29, the House passed the conference report the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management (FARRM) Act. This conference report brings both the House and Senate farm bills together into one bill. It helps farmers and ranchers create jobs while providing certainty for the 16 million Americans working in agriculture. It provides much needed savings through the repeal of outdated policies and the reforming, streamlining, and consolidating of over 100 government programs. Additionally, the bill addresses fraud and misuse in the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP), the first reforms to our food stamp program since the welfare reforms of 1996. I do feel that stronger reforms to our food stamp program are still needed, but this bill is an improvement from the status quo that would have existed if this bill had failed to pass.
GI Tuition Fairness Act
On Monday, February 3, the House passed the GI Bill Tuition Fairness Act, which makes a number of improvements in benefits and services to veterans. I was successful in having two of my bills included into the underlying bill. The GI Bill Tuition Fairness Act expands educational opportunities for veterans by allowing them to pay in-state tuition for any public college of their choosing. My Servicemembers’ Choice in Transition Act, which was included in the bill, improves the required contents of the Transition Assistance Program. This offers our veterans specified training paths that will help better suit their intentions and provide them with the tools for a successful transition into civilian life. Additionally, the GI Bill Tuition Fairness Act includes my bill to better define the roles and responsibilities of Directors of Veterans’ Employment and Training. It provides directors with uniform requirements for performance and ensures that they monitor and advise state and local workforce agencies regarding employment and training programs. Holding VA directors to higher accountability will help make the job coaching and training experience for veterans more impactful and successful.
Our military men and women make many sacrifices on behalf of our nation. Upon completion of their service, it is important that we prepare them for meaningful careers and provide them with employment resources, expertise, and opportunities. We owe it to our veterans to ensure that they know exactly what benefits they have earned and how they can be effectively used. I remain committed to working to ensure our veterans have a successful transition from military service to civilian life and enjoy fulfilling career opportunities.
No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion
On Tuesday, January 28, the House took a stand toward strengthening protections for our unborn children with the bipartisan passage of the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. This bill prohibits the use of federal funding for abortions, and health insurance coverage that include abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is in danger. As a nation, we have an obligation to protect all innocent human life, including those yet to be born. I have long been an advocate of protecting the rights and the sanctity of life and strongly oppose the use of taxpayer dollars to destroy it. I am proud to stand and defend the lives of the unborn and am committed to the view that life is sacred. As a cosponsor of this legislation, I was pleased to see its passage and am hopeful that the Senate will follow the House’s lead and vote to defend the innocent lives of those yet to be born.
Looking Forward In the week ahead, the House will be taking up several bills to stop government abuse and hold the Obama Administration accountable for its executive overreach. In addition, House committees will conduct numerous oversight to deal with scandals and lawlessness by the administration.
As always, I encourage each of you to continue praying for our country during these challenging times, for our brave military men and women, and for our first responder personnel, all of whom selflessly serve and protect us each day.
