-- Randy's Roundup --

A Weekly Newsletter from Congressman Randy Neugebauer

July 2, 2012

U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Obamacare

Last week, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the individual mandate in President Obama’s health care law. I am extremely disappointed with their decision. This is a dramatic shift toward more taxation, more government regulations, and fewer liberties for West Texans.

The government can now determine not only how much of your hard-earned income you are allowed to keep, but also how you spend it.  I am certain that our Founding Fathers did not envision such an intrusive role for government when they created our country 236 years ago.

This ruling means that Obamacare is constitutional, but it does not mean that it is good policy for our country.  I will remain a vocal opponent of this law. I have voted for every repeal that has come to the House Floor and I will lead the charge until this ill-conceived law no longer burdens small businesses and American families.  I expect another repeal vote in the House next week.

House Votes to Hold Eric Holder in Contempt

Also last week, the House voted to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress. Holder is under investigation for the reckless conduct of Operation Fast and Furious, a program which allowed gun smugglers to take possession of U.S. weapons in an attempt to trace the guns back to drug cartels. The program not only lost nearly 2,000 deadly weapons, but it also likely led to the death of border patrol agent Brian Terry in December of 2010.

The American people deserve an explanation of what happened. But the Attorney General has not been fully cooperative with the Congressional investigation of this atrocity and has left Congress with no alternative but to hold him in contempt.  Although the Justice Department announced they will not prosecute Holder, my colleagues and I will continue to call for answers on Operation Fast and Furious.  In coming weeks, House Republicans will file a federal lawsuit to compel the Justice Department to provide additional details.

House Financial Services Committee Report

The House Financial Services Committee passed the committee’s activity report last week.  This is a summary of the committee’s work since January of 2011. As Chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, it’s my job to ensure that the government agencies that determine financial policy remain accountable to taxpayers. This year, we held 18 hearings to prevent wasteful spending, reign in big government, and protect investors from ponzi schemes and other fraud.  However, our work is far from finished, and I will continue to strive for accountability and transparency in the federal government. You can read the report at FinancialServices.House.Gov, and the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee summary begins on page 224.