For the past seven weeks, the American people have been paying the price for the refusal of Senate Democrats to come to the table and open the government, but over the weekend, they finally made some headway.  After 40 days and 14 votes, eight Senate Democrats finally put the American people first and voted with Senate Republicans to move forward on the Continuing Resolution (CR) to reopen the federal government. 

The Senate has proposed a new date for the CR to January 30, 2026, as well as include three full-year spending bills for various agencies.  These are both simple and effective changes necessary to reopen the government and move forward on regular appropriations work.

House and Senate Republicans have been in agreement on this clean CR since the beginning, with House Republicans and a lone Democrat voting to keep the government open on September 19.  But you need a 60-vote majority to end debate and further consider the legislation in the Senate.  There's only 53 Republican Senators, so we had to wait on seven to eight Democrats to do the right thing and vote to open the federal government.

Speaker Johnson directed the House to return to Washington within the next 36 hours to get the revised CR out of Congress and to the President's desk.  When President Trump signs the CR, the government isn't going to be up and running just as it was 40 days ago.  It's going to take some time to get things operating as normal. 

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been working tirelessly to ensure air travel remains as safe as possible during this shutdown.  He’s been emphasizing the safety of travelers must always come first — and appropriately so.    Unfortunately, when resources are stretched thin, some flight delays, or even cancellations, have been necessary to maintain the highest level of safety.  That’s not something anyone wants to see, especially with Thanksgiving around the corner.

Secretary Duffy and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford outlined the proactive actions the FAA will take to maintain the highest standards of safety in the national airspace system.  This includes achieving a temporary 10 percent reduction in flights at 40 high traffic airports across the country. 

This information is likely to change this week if we get the government back up and running and federal workers return to work, so if you plan to travel within the next few weeks, I recommend following Secretary Duffy on X.  He gives consistent updates on how the shutdown is affecting flights.

This past Wednesday, the Senate Indian Affairs Committee held a hearing on U.S. Senator Thom Tillis’ (R-NC) S. 107 – the Lumbee Fairness Act.  Having sponsored H.R. 474, the House companion legislation to the Senate Bill, and considering the House included my amendment language of the Lumbee Fairness Act in its annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), H.R. 3838, we are in the strongest position yet to get this passed and signed into law with President Trump’s strong support. 

It’s long past time the federal government grant the Lumbee Tribe the full recognition they deserve.  Supporting the Lumbee Fairness Act is about righting a wrong, honoring our commitments, and ensuring the Lumbee community is given the same services and privileges afforded to every other federally recognized tribe. 

“The Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing gave the Lumbee people another opportunity to defend our heritage and continue our fight towards full fairness as a federally recognized tribe.  The Lumbee Fairness Act has overwhelming support from North Carolina’s Congressional delegation and tribes across the country who know this is the right thing to do,” said Lumbee Tribal Chairman John Lowery.  “I’m grateful for Congressman Rouzer’s leadership on the bill’s inclusion in this year’s House FY26 NDAA and will continue to fight to correct the wrongs of the Indian Termination Era and restore the full rights and privileges of the People of the Dark Water.”

Senator Tillis and Chairman Lowery both testified in support of the legislation, you can watch the hearing here.

I had a great meeting with representatives from AgCarolina Farm Credit to discuss the significant challenges facing our state’s agricultural community.  We talked about the importance of ensuring farmers have reliable access to credit, especially during times of uncertainty in the markets and unpredictable weather conditions.  Supporting North Carolina’s farmers strengthens our entire state.

It was a productive conversation, and I appreciated hearing directly from those who work every day to keep our farms running and our food supply chains strong.  I look forward to continuing to work with Farm Credit and our agricultural community to advance commonsense policies that help our farmers succeed, strengthen our rural communities, and preserve our way of life for future generations.

I want to remind my readers that the Wilmington Fire Department is hosting it's annual food drive.  They're supporting the nonprofit Nourish NC.  The drive began November 1st and will run through December 12th.  You can find more details on WWAYTV. 

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement.  Nothing can be done without hope and confidence." — Helen Keller