Newsletters

Dear Friend, These last couple of weeks in Washington have been a whirlwind of activity, most of it bad for American families, businesses and taxpayers. Last week we told you about the massive spending bill Democrats approved on a largely party-line vote. That budget-busting, $1.9 trillion package was fast-tracked through the House with little debate, and under strict procedures that did not allow for consideration of any Republican amendments – including one I filed to try and re-instate the Keystone XL Pipeline. Just 9 percent of this bloated Washington goodie-bag was set aside for pandemic related health care needs – yet it contained hundreds of billions of dollars to bailout big spending states like Illinois, more than a billion dollars for Amtrak, millions more for museums and taxpayer subsidized art – and even earmarks for a bridge in New York and a subway tunnel in San Francisco. It also contained a number of policy riders that have nothing to do with COVID, such as a massive minimum wage hike that will hammer employers already struggling under the weight of government lockdowns. I am opposed to this legislation and shared my concerns in a letter to our Senators this week now that the ball is in their court. You can read that letter here.

Dear Friend, This week, the House of Representatives reconvened to consider several far-reaching bills that unfortunately continue to undermine America’s economic well-being, erode many of our fundamental rights and institutions, and once again the interests of federal bureaucrats ahead of the working families across the country that pay their salaries.

The House of Representatives did not convene for legislative activity this week, so I spent time holding several well-attended listening sessions across the district to hear what folks had to say. More on that later. I also received my subcommittee assignments on the House Natural Resources and Judiciary Committees, specialized panels that focus on specific areas of public policy within the larger framework of the full committees.

Dear Friend, This week Wisconsin hit a major milestone in the battle against COVID-19 with more than 800,000 residents vaccinated. In addition, Wisconsin moved into the top spot in the country for the number of vaccines being administered on a daily basis.

This week Democrats in both chambers moved quickly to give preliminary approval to a $1.9 trillion budget-busting spending package. Even more alarming, the special parliamentary mechanism used to fast-track this expensive bill may also be used to attach a sprawling list of outside-the-mainstream proposals wholly unrelated to pandemic relief – including amnesty for illegal immigrants and a job-killing plan to more than double the minimum wage even as many small businesses are reeling from lockdowns. This process is called “budget reconciliation,” and it allows the majority party to sidestep the filibuster rule to pass budget-related legislation with just 50 votes in the U.S. Senate (rather than the normally required 60). Using this process for non-budget related legislation would be unprecedented, and according to analysts, “would shatter conventional understandings of the budget reconciliation process.” You can read more about that here.

Dear Friend, This week I was appointed to serve on two committees during the 117th Congress. I retained my seat on the House Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over key policy issues related to constitutional questions, crime, terrorism, immigration, anti-trust law, the federal judiciary and civil rights. I also secured a seat on the House Committee on Natural Resources, which oversees federal land agencies like the Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service, tackles key issues like forest and wildlife management, mining and energy development on public lands, w

Dear Friend, This week we saw the inauguration of Joe Biden as America’s 46th president, and the end of President Trump’s term. Over the last four years we have seen a lot of big steps taken to move our country forward. President Trump’s policies resulted in the creation of some 7 million new jobs prior to the outbreak of the Wuhan Coronavirus in Communist China last March. Middle class families saw thousands of dollars in additional income, sweeping tax and regulatory changes that expanded opportunity for small businesses and record low jobless rates – including for women, African-Americans, Asian-Americans and Latinos. President Trump also delivered relief for millions of Americans struggling under the overbearing restrictions imposed by Obamacare – rescinding the “individual mandate.”

Dear Friend, This week in Washington, we saw an example of what baseball great Yogi Berra called “déjà vu all over again,” as Speaker Pelosi decided to move forward with a partisan effort to “re-impeach” President Trump. The effort was as rushed as it was partisan – with majority Democrats moving the Article of Impeachment straight to the House floor, bypassing the committee process, and with less deliberation or consideration than we usually see applied to the simple re-naming of a post office.