Federal Government Funding

This week, Congress voted on a last-minute Continuing Resolution (CR) that would keep the federal government funded through December 16. While ramming through legislation that causes crippling inflation and a recession by increasing taxes and spending billions, Democrats in Washington have failed to address the most basic duty of funding the government. The Majority has refused to negotiate with any House Republican leaders on pressing issues relating to our government funding priorities, including runaway inflation, the supply chain crisis, the border crisis, or the opioid deaths associated with drugs like fentanyl coming across our open southern border.

This continuing resolution does not address the inflation crisis, the supply chain crisis, the border crisis, or the energy crisis. The CR includes $1.8 billion to fund more migrants illegally crossing the border yet provides no additional money for border security or our Customs and Border Protection officers. They have decided to kick the can to December, setting up another government funding showdown during the unaccountable lame duck period. This is yet another example of why the American people cannot afford two more years of one-party rule in Washington.

H.R. 3843 – Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act – NO

Gives more resources to Biden’s hyper-politicized FTC and DOJ with little accountability or guarantee the collection cap won’t be lifted in the future.
Excludes a Republican amendment offered in committee that would explicitly limit fees received by the FTC and DOJ to only those appropriated by Congress.

S. 3969 – PAVA Program Inclusion Act – NO

Doesn’t include an important provision which would allow for Congress to deploy official observers to watch the conduct of congressional elections, which has been done for decades.
Republicans originally came to an agreement to support this bill if the provision above was included, House Democrats reneged from this agreement.

H.R. 7780 – Mental Health Lawsuits Act – NO

Expands the Department of Labor’s ability to go after plans and employers using civil monetary penalties for mental health parity violations despite the fact that the Administration has not issued the necessary guidance and regulations for them to successfully comply with existing law.
Allows for any employer health and retirement plan administration decision to be subject to review by a court, undermining the private market by interfering with the everyday decision-making that is necessary to run employer-sponsored health and retirement plans and open the door for frivolous lawsuits.
Includes a carveout for union-run multiemployer benefit plans which are exempted from the underlying bill’s prohibition on discretionary clauses and arbitration provisions.

H.R. 8987– Fairness for 9/11 Families Act – YES

The cost would be offset by rescinded funds from the Paycheck Protection Program.
Provides vital funding to a healthcare program for the nearly 118,000 people who were exposed to dangerous toxins of ground zero.

H.R. 6833 – Continuing Appropriations and Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act – NO

Funds the government only through December 16^th, setting up yet another shutdown showdown before the end of the year.
Nearly $2 billion for Refugee and Entrant money to fund more economic migrants illegally crossing Biden’s open border, yet provides no additional money for border security or our Customs and Border Protection officers.
Provides an additional $12.3 billion in economic and military support for Ukraine without any measures to track how the latest billions will be spent.

Rep. Crawford Participates in 13th Congressional Football Game

Rep. Crawford Raises Concerns About Amtrak's Profitability in Transportation Hearing

For weeks, I’ve received many calls, emails, and text messages from constituents who are rightfully frustrated with changes the Defense Healthy Agency (DHA) is making to TRICARE pharmacy benefits, which will hurt healthcare access for the men and women who serve our country and their families. Recently, the DHA awarded a $4 billion contract to Express Scripts, resulting in a reduction of the retail pharmacy network. Express Scripts which is a Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) that owns a mail-order and specialty pharmacy and is a direct competitor to independent pharmacies, has slashed payments to community pharmacies far below drug acquisition costs, thus making it impossible for a pharmacy to participate and serve military patients and their families.

This is a tactic with which our independent pharmacists are all too familiar. PBMs are the middlemen between pharmacies and third-party payers, such as insurance companies, that are supposed to negotiate fair drug prices for consumers. However, in recent years, PBMs have taken to merging with huge healthcare corporations, such as retail pharmacies and health insurance companies. These massive conglomerates can undercut their competitors by pushing them out of network or negotiating higher rebates for their own pharmacies. These practices put independent pharmacists out of business and significantly limits choice for patients. I have been working with my colleagues in Congress to reign in these practices, push for transparency, and elevate concerns with these mergers. This week, I joined several of my colleagues in the House and the Senate in sending a letter to the DHA requesting information on how DHA plans to protect TRICARE beneficiaries’ access to retail and community pharmacies. I greatly appreciate my constituents bringing this issue to my attention and implore the DHA to reverse course. Our brave service members and their families deserve better.