Dear Mr. xxxxxx:

Good Saturday morning.  I hope that you have had a good July.  Time really seems to pick up speed at this point in the year, it will be Christmas before we know it! As Congress heads into the August recess, here’s an update on recent developments in Washington, D.C.

Economy Now in a Recession

We got the news Thursday morning that the U.S. economy has now had two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth.  If you Google the definition of a recession, you’ll find this: "a period of temporary economic decline during which trade and industrial activity are reduced, generally identified by a fall in GDP in two successive quarters."

However, the White House and most of the national media are both attempting to convince Americans that everything is fine.

Americans are not buying this spin.  Most Americans have felt we have been in a recession for over a year now.  The polls show this is what Americans are thinking, and now we have the economic data to back it up.

Joe Biden Inherited a Recovery and Created a Recession

When Joe Biden took office in January of 2021, he inherited a booming COVID recovery from the Trump Administration.  His economic prescriptions have now had a year to be absorbed by the economy and it's clearly bad medicine.  All of his policies on issues from energy, to dealing with supply chain issues, to inflation, have led to this economic mess.  Everyone feels it each time they go to the grocery store or fill up their gas tanks.  But the White House wants you to believe everything is fine.  They would have us believe everything is coming up roses, but did you know the price of flowers is up 14%?

I Did That

Speaking of inflation, and particularly gas prices, it's now been a year since these stickers started showing up on gas pumps across Alabama and across the country.  President Biden wants you to believe that the increase in fuel prices isn't because of his bad policies, but because of the war in Ukraine.   But the war in Ukraine only started at the end of February, and these stickers started reflecting people's feelings about gas prices a year ago now.

Gas prices have come down some in the past few weeks, but the average price for a gallon of gas in the U.S. is still $4.30.   When he took office in January of 2021, the national average was $2.39 and even lower here in Alabama.

Fighting Inflation

I have joined my Republican colleagues in working to fight back against Biden's inflation mess. Here are some of the things I've worked on:

Original co-sponsor of the Keystone XL Pipeline Construction and Jobs Preservation Act, which would authorize the pipeline, support thousands of jobs, and strengthen American energy independence. 

Joined in sending a letter to President Biden, pressuring him to take immediate action to remove federal regulatory barriers that are undermining America’s ability to lower food prices. 

Demanded answers on the baby formula shortage, including what the Biden administration has done to address the crisis and how they plan on preventing a future shortage. 

Continuing to Lead in Space

Unless you work at the Marshall Space Flight Center or one of the NASA contractors, space isn't something the vast majority of people think about everyday.  But, it is critical to so many parts of our daily life and most importantly, to our national security.

The previous administration understood this importance.  It's why President Trump created the U.S. Space Force.  He understood that our adversaries, first and foremost, China, are trying to use outer space as a new battlefield.  So, we either lead in space or we literally surrender the skies above us to the Chinese.  I know you can appreciate how dangerous of a thought that is.

However, I'm afraid the current Administration does not share this concern.  This is why I gave a speech in Washington this week to space industry leaders about my vision for America's Space Enterprise.  I laid out 11 pillars that we must be focused on if we are going to maintain our place as the world leader in space.  

You can watch my Space Policy Speech by Clicking on the link above

Around the District

I enjoyed attending the ribbon cutting for the new Cullman Regional Medical Center ER expansion.  This multi-million dollar expansion will allow CRMC to continue to serve people in Cullman and the surrounding counties.  I am a big supporter of the hospitals in the 4th District and have worked to make sure they all stay open and thriving.  I'm proud to say that not a single hospital in the 4th District has closed in the past decade, especially given the struggles rural hospitals across the country are facing.

Two members of the British Parliament joined me in an annual exchange program.  They come over to learn about the American system of government.  They also tag along as we do work in the district. They were with me when I met with Shoals area mayors in Florence.   Florence is not currently in the 4th District, but because of redistricting, most of Florence will be in the 4th starting January 3rd.

We also had a great tour of the University of North Alabama's nursing school.  This state-of-the-art program is training our future healthcare leaders in North Alabama. 

New School Year Begins

The new school year is starting in the next two weeks for most of the schools across the 4th District. Whether they attend Cherokee High School in Colbert County, Cornerstone Christian in DeKalb County, any of the schools in-between, or are homeschooled, I hope all of our students have a great new year!

May God bless you and your loved ones.

Sincerely,


Robert B. Aderholt