Dear John,
There has been a lot going on in DC recently and I wanted to share some highlights with you:
The 2022 NDAA:
Congress overwhelmingly passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2022; 363 to 70 in the House and 88 to 11 in the Senate.
This bill:
- Authorizes a 2.7% pay increase, establishes a basic needs allowance for service members, and requires actions to improve childcare and support for military families with special needs.
- Establishes an independent commission to review the war in Afghanistan, including the disastrous withdrawal, and present its findings and recommendations to Congress.
The 2022 NDAA also includes eight legislative provisions that I championed… two of which:
- Authorize an increase of $100 million in military construction funding for flood reconstruction at Offutt Air Force Base.
- Authorize $50 million to recapitalize privatized military housing at Offutt AFB.
Additionally, during negotiations with the Senate, agreement was reached to remove the following provisions from the final version of the 2022 NDAA:
- Language authorizing so-called “Red Flag” extra-judicial personal firearm confiscation.
- Language requiring women to register for the Selective Service System.
For more information on what was in the 2022 NDAA and the eight provisions I supported, click here.
Democrats in Congress Voted to Raise the Debt Ceiling, Raid American’s Wallets
None of us have an open wallet and neither should the federal government. But Democrat leadership in Congress recently voted to increase the debt limit. Our country is already nearly $29 trillion in debt, and we cannot continue to increase it without a long-term plan to address our country’s out of control spending. Additionally, Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Schumer clearly want to use this to ram through President Biden’s ‘Build Back Broke’ Act that, according to the CBO, costs closer to $5 trillion when the budget gimmicks are removed. Using the CBO scores, the Democrat leadership is trying to push a total of $7 trillion in spending without a single GOP vote. Our country is facing a debt crisis and it is triggering out-of-control inflation which is hurting American families.
January 6 Committee:
This commission lost all legitimacy when Speaker Pelosi wouldn’t allow Republicans to seat all their selections on the committee -- essentially kicking off those she didn’t like, who happen to have an “R” by their name. Now Congress has voted to hold Mark Meadows in contempt of Congress—even though he has cooperated by providing thousands and thousands of documents they have requested. When the committee asked for communications that may be protected by executive privilege, Mr. Meadows filed suit on December 8, 2021, asking the courts to stop the committee’s overreach. Until the court rules on this suit, Congress should not vote to hold him in contempt, but let the legal process play out.
Constituent Services:
Our district staff has worked with hundreds of constituents and businesses this year: contacting the IRS to hunt down tax returns, working with the VA to find medical records, assisting small businesses with find resources, and helping people through the backlog of passports. We pride ourselves in providing top-notch customer service to our constituents, and we were humbled to receive the Democracy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Constituent Services by the Congressional Management Foundation. The Constituent Service category honors offices for their outstanding practices or achievements acting as ombudsmen with the federal government or responding to constituent requests and inquiries. You can read about it here.
As always, if you have any concerns or need help with a federal agency, please don’t hesitate to reach out https://bacon.house.gov/contact/
Best,
