-- Randy’s Roundup --

A Weekly Newsletter from Congressman Randy Neugebauer

November 21, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone enjoys a Happy Thanksgiving this year with friends and loved ones. I constantly keep in my thoughts and prayers all the service men and women who are not home this holiday season.  To view my Thanksgiving message, please click here.

Supercommittee Fails to Reach Deal

The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, known as the “Supercommittee,” announced today that it did not find a meaningful solution to our serious budget problems before its November 23rd deadline.

The next step of this process is sequestration, or automatic cuts based on a formula that was put in place to ensure $1.2 trillion cuts in the event a deal was not reached. These cuts include $600 billion from defense spending and $600 billion from other discretionary spending. I am very concerned about the cuts to defense and the impact they could have on our national security. Without any action by Congress, these cuts will begin in 2013.

Even with the failure of the Supercommittee, we must find a way to cut spending. We cannot continue down this path and let future generations get stuck with the bill. The Supercommittee was created to change the course of our country’s fiscal path. Ultimately, a small group of twelve members of Congress was not the answer to the problem. Congress as a whole must take responsibility, show fiscal restraint and control the debt we have accumulated.

House Passes Bill to Help Veterans

On November 16th, the House passed H.R. 674 by a vote of 422-0. This legislation will repeal the 3% tax withholding requirement made to contractors doing business with federal, state and local governments. The bill also includes provisions that will help aggressively attack the unacceptably high rate of veterans’ unemployment. It will expand education and training for veterans, require the Department of Labor to focus on translating military skills and training to civilian sector jobs, and provide tax credits for hiring veterans and disabled veterans who are out of work. I support this comprehensive veterans jobs plan to help our nation’s heroes get the jobs and security when they return home that they deserve.

Pro-Life Letter to the Appropriations Committee Chairman

On November 10th, I signed a letter with 124 of my colleagues to Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers to ensure pro-life protections of the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act (ANDA) be added to the Labor and Health and Human Services Appropriations bill. ANDA codifies the Hyde-Weldon amendment, which limits funding to ensure that state, local and federal governments do not discriminate against health care entities that refuse to provide abortions. I believe Congress should honor the sanctity of human life and protect the rights of the unborn. I will continue to support pro-life legislation that fights for the most innocent Americans.