The Week Just Past: Hopeful Signs

Spending IS the Problem

White House "Sequesters" Tours for Everyday Americans

U.S. Capitol: Open for Visitors

Nuclear Iran Prevention Act of 2013

The New Violence Against Women Act is Law!

The Week Just Past: Hopeful Signs

“The House has taken the first step towards assuring the American people that the federal government will stay open and operating for them when current funding expires at the end of the month.  On Wednesday, we passed straightforward and responsible legislation which protects national security and helps our veterans while maintaining the President’s ‘sequester’ – ‘across-the-board’ budget cuts.   The bill now goes to the U.S. Senate.

“Now, don’t get me wrong, while I support the spending-cutting goals of sequestration, its ‘meat-axe’ approach is extremely unwise.  As currently constructed, the sequester reduces each and every program uniformly.  It prevents Congress or the Administration from safeguarding effective agencies and functions and prevents us from focusing reductions on less valuable, inefficient or out-dated government operations.  Clearly, there are better ways to cut spending.

“This foolish approach to budgeting must be repealed and replaced.  I have already voted twice to replace these reductions with more sensible ones. In a $4 trillion federal budget, there are other responsible reductions totaling $85 billion out there.   

“The future health and welfare of our children are tied to bipartisan agreements on getting our federal debt under control!  The Senate should pass the House measure without delay so we can continue focusing on helping Americans get back to work and putting the country on a path to a balanced budget.

“The President this week seemed to abandon his barnstorming efforts to have Congress enact another major tax increase, in favor of personal outreach to Congressional Republicans.  It’s a hopeful sign.  I hope it’s real.  But frankly, many Democratic and Republican members feel that the President has little interest in building the personal relationships that could lead to a significant bipartisan deficit reduction agreement.”

Rodney Frelinghuysen

Spending IS the Problem

At a time when American families are being forced to do more with less, Washington continues to spend money. The result: a booming budget deficit that economists say is hurting families and hurting our economy.

Speaker John Boehner has launched a new website: www.Speaker.gov/SpendingIsTheProblem.  There you will find a statement signed by 180 American economists who agree the deficit from excessive spending is hurting our economy. Also on the site is a form for Americans to fill out and share their thoughts on Washington’s spending problem.

The Speaker is asking Americans to say if they agree with this statement from the economists:

“The large structural deficit due to excessive government spending is hurting the economy. If replaced, the sequester should be replaced with more responsible spending cuts, equal in total to the 2011 agreement, to help put the country on a path to a balanced budget within ten years.”

See the full list of economists and report what you think at www.Speaker.gov/SpendingisTheProblem.

White House "Sequesters" Tours for Everyday Americans

The Obama Administration announced this week that all public tours of the White House will be canceled, starting tomorrow, because of "across-the-board" budget cuts known as "sequestration."

“Like other federal agencies, the White House is subject to the sequester and is taking the necessary steps to comply with the law," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.  

“The White House certainly has to comply with the sequester, like everyone else,” Rodney said.  “However, I wonder why the Administration has chosen to end public tours of the White House and save approximately $1 million while the President insists on continuing his expensive campaign-style trips around the country aboard Air Force One.  And, I am not the only one to guess it’s a matter of priorities.”  

U.S. Capitol: Open for Visitors

As always, Rodney’s office welcomes the opportunity to provide a free tour of the U.S. Capitol to anyone visiting Washington who will now be unable to visit the White House because of the President’s decision. Alternative spending reductions have been implemented within the Capitol complex to ensure public tours and other regular activities can proceed as they normally would.

“I encourage you and your family to visit the U.S. Capitol during your trip to Washington, D.C.,” Rodney said. “If you haven’t already made arrangements through my office for a Capitol tour, I encourage you to do so. Simply contact my Congressional office at 202-225-5034 or visit my website at Frelinghuysen.house.gov.

Nuclear Iran Prevention Act of 2013

Rodney is among House members spearheading initiatives to strengthen economic sanctions on Iran in order to prevent them from acquiring nuclear weapons capability.  He has cosponsored the Nuclear Iran Prevention Act (H.R. 850), which would strengthen enforcement of current U.S. sanctions on Iran, expand sanctions targeting Iran’s human rights violations, and, for the first time, specifically authorize the President to impose sanctions on any entity that maintains significant commercial ties to Iran. This bipartisan bill was introduced by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (CA) and Ranking Member Eliot Engel (NY).

To find out why Rodney continues to keep the pressure on Iran read the article that follows:

Recommended Reading: David Feith, writing in the Sunday Wall Street Journal, “How Iran Went Nuclear. Veteran weapons inspector Olli Heinonen on how the U.N.'s 'Stockholm Syndrome' has aided Tehran's drive for the bomb—and why an unsettling secret may be lurking in the Iranian desert.” This is an excellent, in depth perspective on Iran's nuclear program. Worth a close read!

The New Violence Against Women Act is Law!

President Obama signed the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act on Thursday.  The new law, which Rodney supported, continues support for a national hotline for victims, a network of shelters, the enforcement of protection orders across state lines, and training for first responders, among other provisions.

“I recognize that the programs created under VAWA make a difference in the lives of thousands of women,” he said.  “One in four American women are victims of domestic violence and one in six have survived some form of sexual assault.  A strong VAWA will help protect victims of domestic violence and enable women to escape abusive relationships.”