Dear Friends,
The American people continue to suffer through record inflation, historic gas prices, and a recession. Shockingly, Congressional Democrats are now on the brink of ramming through a partisan bill that will increase taxes on nearly every single American when they’re already stretched thin. Yesterday, the Senate passed the massive $740 billion tax and spend reconciliation bill on a straight party line vote of 51 to 50, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote. This bill will not only raise taxes on Americans, it will result in fewer jobs, reduce lifesaving health care innovation, hurt American energy producers, waste money on supersizing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and exacerbate our inflation crisis. This is clearly not a good bill and even the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) confirmed that it would not reduce inflation in the near term.
Amidst record inflation, this bill creates a nearly $17 billion tax directly targeting low- and middle-income earners next year. That means everyone that’s not an elite living in a blue coastal state is going to get rocked by these tax hikes. Also, the bill contains a $200+ billion “Made-in-America tax” that goes after U.S. companies by hiking taxes on American businesses – at the worst possible moment. These tax increases will ultimately be passed on to consumers through higher prices.
This legislation also goes after the American energy sector while spending over $350 billion on radical “Green New Deal” initiatives. Americans deserve efficient, affordable, and American-made energy, yet Democrats continue to pursue policies that have caused gas prices to double and destroyed U.S. energy independence. As Americans continue to pay sky-high prices at the pump, D.C. Democrats put an “American Energy Tax” in the bill which will increase fees and taxes on oil production. Families will pay these taxes in the form of even higher gas prices, elevated heating bills, and higher consumer prices.
Looking further into the bill, Congressional Democrats included a socialist price control scheme for prescription drugs that will negatively impact seniors, patients, and those with rare diseases. As a result, prices for new drugs will be more expensive, increasing costs at the pharmacy counter and raising insurance premiums. Additionally, this plan will lead to less innovation and fewer cures.
Making matters worse, this bill weaponizes the IRS by spending $80 billion to hire 87,000 new agents to snoop through American’s private bank accounts and audit small businesses without probable cause. For perspective, if this bill passes, the IRS will now be larger than the Pentagon, the Department of State, and the Border Patrol combined. This is just plain wrong and will lead to 1.2 million new audits of law-abiding citizens.
Regardless of what the radical-Left says, more big government spending will not rescue us from this recession, and I will continue to fight back against this misguided proposal.
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| GOP Doctors Caucus |
Last Friday, I joined my fellow members of the GOP Doctors Caucus in sending a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Speaker Nancy Pelosi to express our strong opposition to the drug pricing control policies in the reconciliation package. The CBO has estimated that if this plan is passed into law, 15 fewer drugs would be developed over the next 30 years.
We can and should work on bipartisan solutions to lower drug costs without sacrificing the cures and treatments that will provide for a healthier future. I will continue to adamantly oppose this reckless and shortsighted tax and spend bill.
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| More Jobs Coming to GA-03 |
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Last week, Governor Kemp announced that AFB International – a global manufacturer of pet food ingredients – will be opening a new facility in Muscogee Technology Park in Columbus, Georgia. AFB International will invest more than $79 million into the facility, creating over 100 new jobs! The company will be hiring for a variety of jobs including management, engineering, operations, and administrative support positions. They will find our highly capable workforce eager to meet their needs. I am excited to welcome this company to Georgia’s 3rd District and will continue to help Georgia’s local economies flourish alongside Governor Kemp.
Click here to read more.
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| Commemorative U.S. Flags |
Did you know my office can provide flags flown over the U.S. Capitol? These flags are a great way to commemorate special events or to have flown in honor of someone you know. You can specify a date and have it flown for a special occasion.
For more information about this process or to place an order, click here.
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| The Week Ahead |
The House of Representatives will return to Washington, D.C. this Friday to consider the following pieces of legislation:
H.R. 5376: Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
Additional Legislative Items Are Possible
As always, I’m here to serve you. Please contact my office with any questions, comments, or concerns. Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube to keep track of upcoming legislation and events!
Sincerely,
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