-- Randy's Roundup --

A Weekly Newsletter from Congressman Randy Neugebauer

U.S Constitution Celebrates 225th Birthday

Today marks the 225th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution. When the Founding Fathers adopted the Constitution in 1787, they were not just approving a document, but building a nation.  The principles put in place 225 years ago continue to guide our nation today.  It gave us checks and balances to prevent any one branch of government from gaining too much power.  It ensured states would retain the power to make decisions for their residents.  And perhaps most importantly, it gave us the power to change the Constitution itself when necessary.

The Constitution is not a guideline that we only abide by when it is convenient—it is the very foundation of our nation.  As a United States Congressman, I am bound by oath to support and defend the Constitution, and I look to it for direction as I cast my votes on your behalf.

Preventing Devastating Defense Cuts

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the approaching “fiscal cliff” in this newsletter.  If you’ll recall, half of that cliff was due to tax hikes, and the other half was because of automatic spending cuts that will take place in January of 2013, unless Congress can find other savings.  These automatic spending cuts, known as the sequester, could reduce our national defense spending by as much as 10 percent. That would be devastating to our ability to defend ourselves.  Even our Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, compared these across-the-board defense cuts to, “shooting ourselves in the head.”  My colleague, U.S. Representative and retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Allen West of Florida explained that the cuts would slash our armed forces: “We would have the smallest ground force since 1940, the smallest Navy since 1915, and the smallest tactical fighter force in the history of the modern United States Air Force.”  You don’t need to be a military expert to see why our national security depends on us being able to prevent these cuts.

The question is how. My Republican colleagues in the House and I have been working on legislation to reduce our debt through more targeted, common-sense reforms.  Unfortunately, the Democrats in the Senate and the White House have shown little interest in working with us.  If nothing changes before January 1st, we will be faced with these sequester cuts. The House is continuing to work to prevent that from happening.  Last week, we passed the National Security and Job Protection Act, which would repeal the across-the-board defense cuts.  I strongly oppose playing political games at the expense of our men and women in uniform. Congress must cut our deficit responsibly, but not in a way that puts our national security at risk.

U.S. Air Force's 65th Birthday

On Tuesday, the U.S. Air Force will celebrate its 65th birthday. Since 1947, the Air Force has been involved in military engagements around the world, flying critical missions and supporting our troops on the ground. I’m proud to represent the men and women of Dyess Air Force Base, who defend this great nation every day. Whether it’s over 3,000 consecutive days of deployment by the busiest C-130 unit in the Air Force, or 10,000 combat missions by the workhorse of the bomber fleet, our troops on the ground don’t have to look up at the sky long before they’ll see a plane from Abilene, Texas. I will continue to make sure folks here in Washington know how important the work of the Air Force is to the security of Americans.

NFIB Award

I was honored to be named a Guardian of Small Business by the National Federation of Independent Business. As a former small-business owner, I am proud to stand up for small businesses and show my support on the House Floor. I will continue to try to eliminate government red tape that prevents small businesses from doing what they do best, innovating and creating jobs.

Action Item of the Week

This week, the House will consider H.J.Res. 118, which expresses the House’s disapproval of the Department of Health and Human Services rule to waive mandatory work requirements for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients. I am a cosponsor of this resolution because I believe welfare programs should incentivize participants to find a job, not keep them on welfare.