Replacing the Defense Sequester
 
The administration has repeatedly said the fast-approaching “sequester,” or automatic budget cuts, would seriously weaken our armed forces and threaten our national security. To avoid these dangerous defense cuts, the House of Representatives passed the Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act of 2012 in May that would reprioritize the $98 billion cut in 2013 defense funding scheduled to take effect this January. This act would replace the sequester with common-sense savings and reforms, cut other mandatory non-defense programs, and reduce the deficit another $243 billion beyond the original cuts from the Budget Control Act by eliminating bailouts, slush funds, and stopping fraud in taxpayer-funded programs. It is now time for the Senate Democrats and the administration to follow suit.
 
Last week, I voted in favor of H.R. 6365, the National Security and Job Protection Act that extended President Obama's deadline to present his plan on how to implement or replace the  sequester, because he has failed to put forth a credible plan. In fact, the president violated the law he signed in August, the Sequestration Transparency Act of 2012. This law required President Obama to submit a detailed report by September 7, 2012, that explained to the American people what his proposed cuts were and who would be affected by the sequester, but the White House ignored the deadline. On September 14, the administration released a 394-page report outlining the details of the sequester, however this report “simply lists the dollar amount of the cuts but fails to address their real-world impact.”
 
Unfortunately, the Senate has not passed a bill either; they have not even proposed a plan. The House continues to work on this issue, but this is a bicameral legislature, and things cannot get done without both the House and the Senate.
 
House Republicans have acted responsibly to remain true to the Budget Control Act, and avoid the fiscal cliff that would thrust the economy back into a recession. President Obama and Senate Democrats have not taken a single action to resolve this potentially disastrous situation. This lack of leadership is hurting the economy and the country.
 
Protecting the Welfare Work Requirement
 
In July, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a memo allowing states to waive the work requirement for those seeking public assistance. The work requirement was the key component to the success of the 1996 bipartisan welfare reforms that moved millions of Americans out of poverty, off government dependency, and into jobs.  
 
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 replaced the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program with the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant program. The law promoted work as a central focus of helping low-income families achieve self-sufficiency. Individuals were required to work, prepare for work, or look for work as a condition of receiving public assistance. These work requirements are a big reason the 1996 reforms were successful. In the years that followed, the number of individuals receiving welfare dropped by 57 percent, poverty among all single mothers fell by 30 percent, and employment and earnings among single mothers increased significantly.
 
The welfare reform law specifically forbids any administration from changing the work requirements. This was confirmed by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office, when it released a report on September 4, 2012, determining the administration cannot waive the welfare work requirement without Congressional approval. However, the administration has ignored this and attempted to circumvent Congress’s authority.

With nearly 23 million Americans struggling to find a full-time job in this weak economy, we cannot allow the administration to roll back critical features of welfare reform and years of progress. This is why, as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, I supported H. J. Res. 118 to block the administration from implementing its controversial waiver scheme, which passed the House this week. President Obama should work with Congress, instead of around it, on plans that will create jobs and lessen government dependency.
 
Stop the War on Coal; Create Jobs
 
This week the House passed another bipartisan “jobs package” called H.R. 3409, Stop the War on Coal Act. The first part of the bill, the Coal Miner Employment and Domestic Energy Infrastructure Protection Act, will support U.S. energy production by prohibiting the Secretary of the Interior from issuing new  regulations that could negatively impact mining jobs and our economy. This bill is a necessary measure to prevent the administration’s sweeping rewrite of coal mining regulation that will cost jobs and decrease American energy production.
 
The second part of the bill, the Energy Tax Prevention Act, will stop the Environmental Protection Agency from using the Clean Air Act to impose costly, greenhouse gas regulations that would drive up energy prices, send jobs overseas, and further hamper our economic growth. The Energy Tax Prevention Act will permanently prevent the EPA from levying a national energy tax under the Clean Air Act, all without weakening the Clean Air Act in any way.
 
The third part of the bill provides for more accurate accounting of the full cost of EPA rules. This bipartisan legislation requires analysis of the full economic impacts of certain environmental regulations so that Americans will be able to better understand how these policies affect U.S. manufacturing, global competitiveness, energy prices, and jobs.
 
Farm Bill Disappointment
 
I am disappointed the House of Representatives was not able to bring H.R. 6083, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act, also known as the “Farm Bill”, to debate on the House floor prior to the November election. Many current farm bill policies expire on September 30, 2012, and this bill is a critical part of the planning process for those who rely on sound agriculture policy during difficult economic times.
 
I have met with many farmers and ranchers in eastern Kansas who are asking Congress to provide certainty for producers as they head into the next planting season, and continued to voice my strong support for a five-year farm bill. I, along with many of my colleagues from both sides of the aisle, have asked House leadership to bring this bill up and let the House and Senate work out the differences to get the best possible legislation. This bill will now most likely be considered in November. In the meantime, I will continue to listen to concerns and suggestions on how to make this bill beneficial to farmers, ranchers, and consumers.

Special Thanks

Thank you for all the kind words, thoughts and prayers with the loss of my dad this past week. Your support of me and my family has been greatly appreciated.