Dear Mr. xxxxxx:

Good Saturday morning. I know a lot of weather radios and weather apps were waking people up in the middle of the night with tornado warnings. I hope you and your family all stayed safe.

Here we are already on the first day of April. March may have been madness, but we made progress in Congress. This month we kicked off the fiscal year 2024 appropriations process, passed major parents’ rights legislation, and took the first step in lowering energy costs for millions of Americans.

BREAKING NEWS

Before we get to what has been going on in Congress this past month, let me quickly offer my thoughts on the indictment of former President Donald Trump, which was announced Thursday afternoon.

The politically motivated pursuit of this case against a former President will be seen by a jury for what it truly is: a stunt. The prosecutors of New York City should focus on the very real crime crisis that they are facing on a daily basis.  To use our justice system as a weapon is to tear down the system that we all hold dear.

Congressional Hearings

As you may know, it is the Constitutional duty of Congress to set, or appropriate, the federal budget each year. As the Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, I have the honor of leading in the effort to secure a common-sense conservative budget for my subcommittee.

Budget Requests

In our first budget request hearing, we heard from Secretary Xavier Becerra of the Department of Health and Human Services on what he believes we should appropriate to his department.

I raised concerns to him about requests to double down on out-of-control government spending, which only adds to our already-high inflation rates, not to mention our national debt. I also informed the Secretary that taxpayer dollars going towards partisan priorities, like federal funding for abortion, have no place in an appropriations bill. I remain committed to the fight for life, and that means keeping far-left abortion policy out of this bill.

Space Command in Huntsville

At a hearing held by the Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, I pressured Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall on rumors that President Biden may reverse the decision to relocate the U.S. Space Command to Huntsville, Alabama.

The Secretary stated that the decision to relocate or not lies with him at the direction of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. I will continue to argue that Space Command belongs in the Rocket City and that this decision should not be made as a political ploy.

My full questioning of the Secretary can be found here.

Parents' Bill of Rights

This month the House Committee on Education and the Workforce brought to the floor the Parents’ Bill of Rights Act that aims to protect our children from radical ideologies seen in schools and curriculums across the county.

Parents rarely have access to what their children are being taught in the classroom. This bill demands that school’s curriculums and budgets be made available to the public and empowers parents with the ability to voice concerns to school officials and boards.

The bill also aims to better secure students’ personal information as data collection from children becomes increasingly prominent from big tech and foreign actors.

Energy Independence

House Republicans made a commitment to both get energy prices down and increase domestic production to counter the Biden Administration’s harmful energy policy.

The Lower Energy Costs Act aims to repeal import/export restrictions of natural gas, repeal Biden’s $6 billion natural gas tax, require the Department of the Interior to resume lease sales on federal lands and waters, and reform the broken permitting process to streamline federal reviews for all sectors of the economy.

This bipartisan bill is a step in the right direction towards not only resolving issues caused by the Biden Administration, but sets a precedent for future energy policy by prioritizing domestic production during a time of strained relationships with other major economies.

Fourth District News

Annual Art Competition

I mentioned this in a previous newsletter, but I wanted to remind everyone about our 4th District Art Competition.  The deadline for submitting entries is Thursday, April 13th.  This year, in addition to the usual prizes for the Best of Show winner, scholarships to Wallace State Community College will be awarded to all of our category winners.  We will announce the winners at a ceremony on April 17th at Wallace.  For more details on the competition, click here.

Lighting the Fountain at UNA

I had the honor of lighting the fountain at the University of North Alabama in Florence.  This is an annual tradition to kickoff spring each year. Because of Congressional redistricting, UNA is now within the boundaries of the 4th Congressional District.  This is the first four-year institution to ever be in the 4th District and I’m glad to represent the area in Congress.

A fun fact: I won my first political race while a student at UNA. I ran for, and won, the position of senator on the student government association representing Rivers Hall.

Easter 2023

Before my next newsletter, we will of course celebrate Easter on April 9th.  I want to wish all of you a very Happy Easter.  This is of course the most important day on the Christian calendar.

As a way of celebrating, and sending my Easter wishes, I want to share part of the lyrics of one of my favorite Easter hymns:

Christ Arose

Verse 1
Low in the grave He lay,
Jesus my Savior,
Waiting the coming day,
Jesus my Lord!

Chorus
Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes,
He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever,
With His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose!
Hallelujah! Christ arose!

May God bless you and your loved ones.

Sincerely,


Robert B. Aderholt