On Thursday, the 115th Congress adjourned, and the 116th Congress was gaveled in. Serving you in Congress has been the highest honor of my life, and it is my solemn duty to continue doing so over the next two years.
The first order of business in the new session was electing a new speaker. The Democrats chose Nancy Pelosi, who is now in her second term as speaker. Previously, Democrat leadership signaled that they would be willing to work with President Trump, the Republican-controlled Senate, and the Republican minority in the House to solve our Nation’s most pressing problems. Following the passage of the Democrat rules package and funding bills, I am skeptical of their willingness to compromise.
Every new Congress drafts and adopts the rules package that govern the flow of legislation through the chamber and parliamentary procedure. Formerly, the House required a 3/5 majority vote to raise taxes, and allowed for the Congressional Budget Office to factor in economic projections when scoring bills. The Democrats eliminated both of those sensible rules. More concerningly, the Democrats adopted a rule allowing the Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, the represent the entire U.S. Government in any litigation regarding the Affordable Care Act. Defending legislation in court is not the job of the Speaker of the House, it is the job of the U.S. Solicitor General, who has made it clear that he will not waste taxpayer money fighting losing legal battles. From their rule package alone, it is clear that the Democrats will attempt to stretch the powers of the House to, and perhaps past, their constitutional limits.
The Democrats also passed their first two pieces of legislation, which would end the partial government shutdown. The President has clearly stated that he will not end the shutdown without funding for border security, yet the Democrats put language in their bills explicitly stating that none of the funds appropriated could be used to protect our Southern border. We must reopen the Government, and we must build physical border barriers with Mexico. Sadly, it appears that Speaker Pelosi and her new majority are content to leave our agencies closed and our border open.
FAQ (What folks have been calling/texting my office about this week)
Q: Where do you stand with the border wall funding?
A: Securing our borders provides an unparalleled return on investment in terms of national security and we cannot have true immigration reform without a border wall. If we continue to grant amnesty and even citizenship to large groups of people without first securing our borders then we will continue to have this issue every several years. It is unfortunate that this issue has reached the boiling point and has caused a partial government shutdown but now is the time for my colleagues to come to the table and get the job done.
You can text me legislative concerns or questions at 870-292-6747
Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Jonesboro, who serves on the House Agriculture Committee and who was on the conference committee that ironed out differences in the bill, said he supported the provision.
“I applaud my Senate colleagues for working to get this provision into their bill and I worked hard to make sure it made it into the final conference report. The Heitkamp amendment is an important first step towards exporting American agriculture goods into Cuba,” Crawford told Talk Business & Politics. “We look forward to building on this momentum in the 116th Congress.”
U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, R-Jonesboro, praised the provision. Crawford has been a vocal, and staunch supporter of greater access to Cuban markets.
“I applaud my Senate colleagues for working to get this provision in their bill and I worked hard to make sure it made it into the final conference report. The Heitkamp amendment is an important first step towards exporting American agriculture goods into Cuba. We look forward to building on this momentum in the 116th Congress,” Crawford said.
Lawmakers say they'll be monitoring developments, and they'll have their luggage ready in case they need to fly back to Washington on short notice."I'll spend the holiday on alert, ready to go back if necessary," said U.S. Rep. Rick Crawford, a Republican from Jonesboro.
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