-- Randy's Roundup --

A Weekly Newsletter from Congressman Randy Neugebauer

January 23, 2012

March for Life Rally

Today was the annual March for Life rally on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Every year on or close to the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, thousands of people come to our nation’s capital to support pro-life policies and stand up for every life, specifically the unborn. I applaud and share their passion for this effort. I will continue to support legislation that protects the unborn from the point of conception and honors the sanctity of life. I thank every March for Life advocate for their participation.

State of the Union Address

Tomorrow night, President Obama will address Congress and the nation in the annual State of the Union address. I look forward to hearing the President address our country’s problems, and hope that he will focus on solutions, not sound bites. The heart of his speech should focus on creating jobs, expanding energy production in our country, finding ways to strengthen our national security, and addressing the rising costs of health care with common-sense solutions. Look for my statement on President Obama’s State of the Union address tomorrow night on my website, Randy.House.Gov.

Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)

Last week, I heard from 152 people in the 19th District of Texas regarding the Stop Online Piracy Act, also known as SOPA. My staff wrote down every comment, and I truly appreciate each phone call, email and fax we received. I am evaluating each detail of this legislation, and although a vote on this bill has been postponed, please know that I will keep your thoughts in mind if the bill comes to the House Floor. We need to protect intellectual property rights. At the same time, we need to be very careful to avoid government censorship and make sure the Internet stays open and competitive.

Keystone XL Pipeline

I am disappointed to report that on January 18th, President Obama blocked the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, determining that the crucial job-creating project does ‘not serve the national interest.’ This makes no sense. The Keystone XL Pipeline would have stretched from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, and would have created 20,000 jobs (many of those in Texas), generated millions of dollars in economic activity, and enhanced our energy security. At a time when Americans are suffering from high unemployment and high energy prices, this decision is a yet another critical mistake by an out-of-touch Administration.