-- Randy's Roundup --

A Weekly Newsletter from Congressman Randy Neugebauer

Obama Submits His FY2013 Proposed Budget

Today, President Obama submitted his budget proposal for FY 2013 to Congress. Instead of addressing our nation’s $15.5 trillion dollar debt, his budget proposes to spend $47 trillion over the next 10 years, while imposing a $1.9 trillion tax increase on American families and adding trillions of dollars in new debt. It recycles budget gimmicks of the past three years and only furthers more debt crisis and decline.

Clearly, President Obama still does not understand that continuing to spend money we don’t have jeopardizes America’s chances of a stable and secure future. It’s time to confront our nation’s most pressing challenges head on by enacting common-sense cuts to control our debt and reform important programs for the future. I will continue to support and vote for legislation that fosters the spending discipline we so badly need.

Obama Offers a “No Change” Accommodation on Abortion-Drug Mandate

On Friday, President Obama announced that he will make a so-called “accommodation” on the controversial Obamacare rule that will require religiously-affiliated organizations, regardless of their beliefs, to offer insurance plans that cover contraception, sterilization, and abortifacient drugs. I believe these proposed changes will have the same result: a massive government intrusion into the 1st Amendment rights of religious organizations. The “accommodation” does nothing to lift the mandate on religious-affiliated hospitals, colleges, and charities to contract with an insurer that provides free contraception, sterilization, and abortificatients to their employees.

In response, I have cosponsored of H.R. 1179, the Respect the Rights of Conscience Act, which would strike this rule and promote the protection of 1st Amendment rights. I am proud to cosponsor this bill and am working with my colleagues to repeal any rule that infringes on Americans’ freedom of religion. The sooner we repeal this mandate, and Obamacare as a whole, the sooner we can restore freedom and liberty to Americans.

Oversight Hearing Will Examine CFPB Director Richard Cordray

As you may know, I am the Chairman of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. On Wednesday, Mr. Richard Cordray, who was recently appointed director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) by President Obama, will appear before my committee to testify on the CFPB’s budget. The CFPB currently enjoys unprecedented access to funding through the Federal Reserve Bank and can draw as much as $548 million from the Federal Reserve’s budget. There is no law, committee or person with the authority to prevent funds from being paid to the CFPB. These are funds that could otherwise be going to pay down the national debt.

This hearing will examine the CFPB’s budget to ensure that it is using public funds in a cost-effective and transparent way. We will also examine the CFPB’s policies and procedures for providing budget information to Congress. I look forward to questioning the director of the CFPB and hope you will tune in by watching from the Financial Services website.