-- Randy’s Roundup --

A Weekly Newsletter from Congressman Randy Neugebauer

November 8, 2010

Countdown to Lame Duck

As lawmakers head back to Washington next week for the Lame Duck session of Congress, the voices of the American people will still be ringing loud in our ears. They told us they are tired of politics as usual and the policies of more spending, more borrowing and more taxes. They said they want Congress to listen to them, not pass a trillion dollar government takeover of health care or job-killing cap and tax legislation. They want to focus on job creation and increase certainty so they can grow their businesses and invest in the economy.

The mentality of this Lame Duck session should be “do no harm.” This is not the time to take on controversial legislation like Card Check for labor unions or immigration reform. Instead, we need to focus on the economy and policies that will start getting Americans back to work. One major point of interest is the single largest tax increase in history that is coming down the pike. Unless Congress acts, taxes are set to increase by $3.9 trillion on December 31st. When we are facing record unemployment and a struggling economy, tax hikes on anyone, especially our small businesses, are irresponsible. My bill, the Taxpayer Certainty Act (H.R. 4746), would permanently repeal the death tax and make the 2001/2003 tax rates permanent for everyone. Real economic certainty means making these tax cuts permanent.

Since the Democrat Majority failed to bring a budget up for consideration, Congress will have to pass a Continuing Resolution that will fund the government through next year. In the next several weeks we will also have to take a look at renewing some of the other expiring tax provisions, as well as the Medicare “Doc Fix” that determines reimbursement rates for physicians.

Lame Duck will certainly prove to be an interesting time in Washington. I hope that the Democrats in Congress will listen to the American people and restore fiscal sanity to the federal government. After all, the American people spoke loud and clear last Tuesday – let’s hope my colleagues were listening.

What is Lame Duck? Lame Duck is the term applied to the period between elections and the swearing in of new Members of Congress on January 3, 2011.

November is Military Family Month

As we pay tribute to our nation’s veterans this week, I would also like to honor the military families who proudly stand behind our men and women in uniform. Our nation’s military and their families make countless sacrifices on our behalf. During Military Family Month, I express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, and sons and daughters who diligently support our troops as they protect our nation. It is my hope that all Americans will remember our veterans and their service to our country as well as the military families who have served this nation in their own right. Their honor and dedication is a reminder to us all that freedom is not free.

Military Service Academy Nominations Deadline Next Week

The deadline for those wishing to be nominated to one of our nation’s military service academies for the summer of 2011 is November 15, 2010.  All applications must be submitted in-person to one of my district offices  or postmarked by November 15th.  To learn more about the service academies or download a copy of the application, please visit my website.

If you know of anyone who might be interested in these programs, please pass this information along. If you should have any additional questions about either of these opportunities, I encourage you to contact my office toll-free at 1-800-763-1611.

“Question of the Week”

Do you think the outgoing Democrat Majority will attempt to use the Lame Duck session of Congress to push through controversial legislation like Cap and Trade or another stimulus package?

Please visit my website to submit your answer to this week’s question.