The People’s House is Back in Business

“…we want our allies around the world to know that this body of lawmakers is reporting again to our duty stations. Let the enemies of freedom around the world hear us loud and clear, the People’s House is back in business.” – Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson

Dear Mr. xxxxxx:

As I know you are fully aware, we were without a Speaker for roughly three weeks. This was basically the bulk of October. So, as you can imagine, not much legislative action took place.

But I’m very happy with the election of Congressman Mike Johnson of Louisiana as the 56th Speaker. Alphabetically, I am the first Republican in the House roll call.  So, I was honored to cast the first vote for now Speaker Johnson.

I think he is an excellent choice to lead the House of Representatives. He will be a strong and unifying Speaker who will fight for our shared values.  As a long-time warrior for conservatism, I know he will stand dedicated to our cause. There is much that must be accomplished in a short amount of time.  Under his leadership, we will fund the government, secure the border, and ensure Israel has what it needs to defend itself from Hamas terrorists

A Lot to Do in a Short Time

Government funding runs out at midnight on November 17th. So, as the old Jerry Reed song says, "We've got a long way to go and a short time to get there." My Republican colleagues and I have been pushing for the 12 individual spending bills to be brought to the House floor for a vote and send them on to the Senate. We want to avoid another bloated Omnibus bill like what Democrats passed last year right before Christmas.

We are making some great progress. We have now passed through the House, seven of the 12 spending bills. The remaining five should get votes over the next two weeks.

These bills Republicans are passing in the House are examples of our party’s commitment to cutting spending. We have a $33 trillion debt. We can't continue on with the status quo.

Labor, Health & Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill

Speaking of the spending bills, I want to talk a little about the bill that falls under my responsibility. I'm chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee for Labor, Health & Human Services, and Education. This bill is responsible for the largest non-Defense spending in the entire federal budget.

In this bill, we are cutting almost 30% and will bring funding back to roughly 2018 Trump-era levels. These cuts trim the fat and force these government agencies to run lean and mean. There will still be plenty of money for these departments and agencies to do their jobs, but do it more efficiently.

Crisis at the Southern Border

We have an unmitigated disaster at our southern border.  Data shows 269,735 illegal immigrants were encountered attempting to cross the U.S.-Mexico border in September - a 15 percent increase in crossings from the previous month and the highest total for September in DHS history. For 31 straight months, monthly encounters have been higher than even the highest month seen under the previous administration.

At least 169 people on the terror watchlist have been encountered trying to cross the southern border this fiscal year breaking the all-time record of 98 set last year. More people on the FBI terror watchlist have been arrested at the southern border this fiscal year than the previous six years combined.

Illicit drugs are flowing into the country at an alarming rate, with only 5 to 10 percent being intercepted as border officials struggle to contain the smuggling. 1,404 pounds of deadly fentanyl and 12,103 pounds of methamphetamine were seized at the southern border in September alone, with much more getting through.

The Biden Administration has failed to do anything about this disaster and seems to have no desire to act. Earlier this year, House Republicans passed the Secure the Border Act which would resume construction of the border wall, limit asylum eligibility and require asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico. The Senate needs to pass this bill as well and send it to President Biden. But I believe it will take a change in Administration to see this crisis get the attention is desperately needs.

Supporting Israel

I think we were all shocked in early October when the terrorist organization Hamas launched a deadly assault on Israel, killing innocent civilians and taking scores of people, including Americans hostage. Israel has a right to defend itself and it has a right to exist. It's clear that Hamas has no desire for peace, but to see Israel wiped from the map.

I've also been troubled by the rise in antisemitism we have seen here in our own country since this attack. There is no place for that in our nation.

Israel is America's strongest ally in the Middle East. I believe we have a moral responsibility to help defend our friends. To that end, the House passed a bill Thursday to provide $14.3 billion to help Israel defend itself. It also provides funds to help get American citizens out of harms way.

While financially supporting our ally, the House is doing this in a fiscally responsible way. This bill redirects money that Democrats approved last year to expand the bureaucracy of the IRS. I see this as a win-win situation. We support our ally Israel, and do it with money I believe would have been used inappropriately, such as targeting conservative groups. We know this happened at the IRS during the Obama Administration.

I commend Speaker Johnson for bringing a resolution to the floor expressing the House’s support for Israel as his first action as Speaker. I was proud to support that legislation, and will continue to look for ways to help one of our closest allies.

Defunding Planned Parenthood

This week, I introduced the “Protect Funding for Women’s Health Care Act” in the House of Representatives. This bill would prohibit federal funding from going to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, or to any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, successors, or clinics. 

This bill reflects the will of the American people. It is important that funding intended to support the health, safety, and well-being of women is not instead funding the killing of unborn babies or the pursuit of a radical agenda.

This bill additionally ensures that the funding is redirected back to important health services for women such as cancer screenings, prenatal and postnatal care, immunizations, and other eligible services. 

Talking with Cullman Students

Students in Lawayne Morton's U.S. Government class at Cullman High School followed the Speaker's race very closely. They decided to get my thoughts on it and asked me join them in a zoom discussion. I was in Washington, but they were in their classroom back in Cullman.

They had a lot of great questions. Besides questions on our new Speaker, they also asked about the Israel-Hamas conflict, growing antisemitism, the crisis at the border and President Trump. I really enjoyed getting to spend time with them to answer their questions.

Angels in Adoption

I have been a strong proponent of adoption since I was first elected to Congress. That's why I'm proud to serve as Co-Chair of the Congressional Adoption Caucus. Each year we honor "Angels in Adoption" from across the country. I was glad to nominate two from Alabama this year. These two Angels, Keith Lowhorne of Madison County and State Representative Ginny Shaver of Cherokee County, have both met and exceeded the definition of “Angels in Adoption.”

Lowhorne, who along with his wife Edie, adopted their two grandchildren, has been an advocate and voice for adoptive grandparents in Alabama and across the country. Rep. Shaver has used her position in the Alabama Legislature to also advocate for adoption, to make it happen more easily and more often.

November

I want to wish all of our service members, both past and present, a happy Veterans Day. Thank you for your service. You have all done so much for our nation.

And to everyone, I hope you have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving. 

May God bless you and your loved ones.

Sincerely,


Robert B. Aderholt