View From the Capitol - Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler's Newsletter for the Week of December 8-12, 2014

Good Day,

First and foremost I want to say it was truly a blessing to meet and thank the families of the 442nd Fighter Wing of Whiteman Air Force Base this past weekend at their Welcome Home Celebration. Over 1,700 airmen and their families came out to celebrate the return of these brave men and women from tours of duty in Afghanistan. I am so proud to represent Whiteman and all of the noble heroes that serve there.

On another note, in DC this week, the House approved legislation to fund most federal government operations while protecting American taxpayers from federal overreach.  This bill gives the American people access to essential government functions through the end of Fiscal Year 2015 while only funding the Department of Homeland Security through February of next year – allowing a wholly Republican-controlled Congress to address the president’s executive actions on immigration at the beginning of the next session of Congress.  Moreover, this legislation contains substantial spending cuts, translating to $165 billion less than when George W. Bush was in office!

I am pleased that this bill prioritizes many of the important items my colleagues and I have been working on for many months.  This package provides for a strong national defense, works to protect Americans from overregulation, and keeps the Executive branch in check.

Some key highlights impacting Americans and Missourians alike include:

This bill protects our military and veterans by:

• Prioritizing funding for essential readiness programs, ensuring maximum preparedness;
• Including funding to prevent the retirement of the A-10 and for the production of 15 new EA-18G electronic warfare aircraft made in St. Louis, Missouri; and
• Providing $2.5 billion for processing VA disability claims to end the backlog, and rescinding $41 million in performance bonuses at the VA.

This bill protects our farmers and small businesses from overregulation by:

• Cutting EPA funding by $60 million – this is the fifth consecutive year of cuts, totaling a 21% reduction since FY2010 – and prohibiting regulation of farm ponds and irrigation ditches through the Waters of the United States rule;
• Cutting the IRS funding by $345.6 million, which is $1.5 billion below the president’s requested levels, and prohibiting the targeting of groups based on ideology
• Reducing regulations on commercial trucking, weight limits, driver hours, and hazmat permitting.

This bill protects Missourians from big-government overreach by:

• Providing no new funding for Obamacare and holds the line on those agencies tasked to implement Obamacare;
• Keeping all existing pro-life provisions and introducing three new provisions including requiring Obamacare plans to tell customers if they provide abortion services; and
• Prohibiting the administration from using funds to limit gun owners’ Second Amendment rights, providing no money for the UN arms trade treaty, and prohibiting the EPA from regulating the lead content in hunting and fishing tackle.

As I mentioned earlier, this bill also allows the Congress to address the controversial immigration issue by funding the Department of Homeland Security only through the end of February.  President Obama’s executive order on immigration clearly violated the separation of powers by bypassing Congress. This must be stopped.  The new Congress that will be sworn-in next month will be in a position to enact strong border enforcement measures and to direct funding for immigration as it sees fit, ensuring the will of the people is respected.  I look forward to that opportunity.

For the section-by-section summary of the funding bill, visit the Appropriations Committee website here.

Finally, Congress moved toward improving the lives of children with disabilities by approving the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act. Individuals with disabilities face severe financial struggles, yet they do not have access to the same financial planning tools available to other Americans.  This legislation aims to lift this burden by allowing for the creation of tax-free savings accounts for children and family members with disabilities – empowering them to save for qualified expenses, such as college, health care, and housing.  For millions of Americans growing up with disabilities, this will open the door to opportunities that may not have been viable otherwise.  The ABLE Act is a real, common sense solution that will provide the opportunity for a better life for millions of Americans.

Have a great week.

Vicky