Dear Mr. xxxxxx:

Good Saturday morning. Here we are on the first day of July. It's hard to believe that half of the year is already over. It will be Christmas before we know it. June has been a busy month in Washington with a lot happening. I wanted to give you my monthly update.

Supreme Court Rulings

This past week the United States Supreme Court made several rulings. The court ruled in favor of religious liberties in two cases, which I of course support. The First Amendment guarantees those religious freedoms. Also, the court struck down President Biden's student loan forgiveness plan. The court made the right decision. It was unfair to the millions of Americans who paid back their student loans and those who chose to take up a trade and not go to college. 

Fight for Space Command

This month, the House Appropriations Committee began drafting the fiscal year 2024 spending bills. As a senior member of the committee, and with the help of the Alabama Delegation, I was proud to include language in the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs spending bill, as well as the spending bill for the Department of Defense, that would block funding for future developments of Space Command in Colorado until the Secretary of the Air Force makes a permanent decision on the basing location. It is long past time for a final decision to be made, and I expect this language will serve as an incentive to finally make that call. As you know, Alabama was chosen, on merit. to be the home of Space Command. However, there has been a push to keep it in Colorado.

College Sports Name Image Likeness

There has been a lot of talk the past few years about the new rules in college sports that allow athletes to receive compensation from sponsors like fast food restaurants, radio programs, etc. called Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) rules. There has been a push for Congress to clarify the rules. Earlier this month, representatives from both Auburn University and the University of Alabama came to Washington to give us their thoughts.

Alabama Delegation Prayer Breakfast

Senator Tommy Tuberville organized the first Alabama Delegation Prayer Breakfast. This was a non-partisan event where the members of the Alabama Congressional Delegation could gather at the Capitol with religious leaders from our state for a morning of prayer and fellowship. We prayed for our state and our country and asked for God’s guidance and blessings on the work we do in Congress. I appreciate Coach Tuberville for organizing this event.

Redistricting

I’m sure you have seen in the news that the United States Supreme Court ruled that Alabama’s Congressional map must be redrawn. The Court ruled that there needs to be a second district in the state where African American voters have an opportunity to elect a member of Congress. The state legislature is responsible for redrawing the lines and Governor Ivey has just called them into special session. While I don’t expect there to be many changes to the 4th District, we will of course just have to wait and see.

I hope you all have a very happy, safe and blessed 4th of July! I will be back in touch soon.

May God bless you and your loved ones.

Sincerely,


Robert B. Aderholt