e-News 10/30/15

• A new Speaker of the House
• Bipartisan Budget Act
• “Obama's veto of defense act leaves U.S. military at risk”
• “Iran’s Indecent Proposal”
• Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• Salute:  Happy Anniversary to VA Lyons Homeless Veteran Project

A new Speaker of the House

The House of Representatives selected a new Speaker yesterday.  My colleague Paul Ryan of Wisconsin answered the call to step forward!

As a born optimist, I see the election of Paul Ryan as Speaker as an opportunity to turn the page and start with a clean slate.  While he is a man of new ideas, Paul has deep respect for the institution of the House and its traditions.  He shares my commitment to returning to ‘regular order’ and allowing the House Committee system, especially the Appropriations Committee process, to operate as it should. 

I look forward to working with Speaker Ryan to return to establishing fiscal discipline, balancing our budgets and limiting the long reach of the federal government.

Read Paul Ryan’s first speech as Speaker of the House here.

Bipartisan Budget Act

The House approved the Bipartisan Budget Act (BBA) this week – legislation which puts in place significant, structural reforms to help save our entitlement programs for the families and seniors who rely upon them.  The bill, which is completely ‘paid for,’ will result in $168 billion in long-term savings. 

But for me, the additional national security funding included in the bill determined my vote. 

Readers of this weekly eNews know that I feel strongly that our military has been the target of repeated funding cuts, and it has been used by the President as a political bargaining chip. Our Armed Forces absolutely need stability in their funding as they work to defend the nation in an increasingly dangerous world.

Of course, the BBA cannot not repair the damage that has been inflicted on our military and our capabilities by several years of inadequate defense budgets.  However, it does come close to matching the higher amount allocated for defense in our Congressional appropriations bill, and it locks in a minimum defense budget for next year as well. 

I concluded that this agreement deserved support because it provides predictable funding for our nation’s security at a time of great uncertainty and growing threats.

Now, my Defense Appropriations Committee will go back to work to finalize the Defense Appropriations bill the House passed by a significant bipartisan margin in June.  Our goal is to ensure that our men and women in uniform, and those civilians that support them at important installations like Picatinny Arsenal, have all the resources they need to confront any foe and accomplish any mission at any time.  And, as always, we will go “line by line” through the defense agency budgets and make decisions to ensure the best possible use of every taxpayer dollar. I look forward to this essential and important work, and to the completion of the Appropriations process before the December 11deadline.

This agreement is by no means perfect, but on balance it’s a good agreement for our troops, for taxpayers, and for the American people.

Read details of the Bipartisan Budget Act here.

“Obama's veto of defense act leaves U.S. military at risk”

Read my Op Ed column in the Thursday Newark Star-Ledger here.

“Iran’s Indecent Proposal, Khamenei haggles over the price of American surrender.”

“The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action—better known as the Iran nuclear deal—was officially adopted Sunday, Oct. 18. That’s nine days ago. It’s already a dead letter.

“Not that you would have noticed by reading the news or tuning in to State Department or White House briefings. It’s too embarrassing to an administration that has invested all of its diplomatic capital in the deal. Also, too inconvenient to the commodity investors, second-tier banks, European multinationals and everyone else who wants a piece of the Iranian market and couldn’t care less whether Tehran honors its nuclear bargain.

“Yet here we are. Iran is testing the agreement, reinterpreting it, tearing it up line by line. For the U.S.—or at least our next president—the lesson should be clear: When you sign a garbage agreement, you get a garbage outcome…”

Read the rest of Bret Stephen’s column in the Monday Wall Street Journal here.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we remember those we have lost, stand side-by-side with those who are in the midst of their battle, and celebrate with those who have overcome their foe: breast cancer.

Each year it is estimated that over 220,000 women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,000 will die.

Other than skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women. Getting mammograms regularly can lower the risk of dying from breast cancer. The United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends that if you are 50 to 74 years old, be sure to have a screening mammogram every two years. If you are 40 to 49 years old, talk to your doctor about when to start and how often to get a screening mammogram.

As October draws to a close, we recommit to finding a cure to this disease.

Salute:  Happy Second Anniversary to Valley Brook Village, a joint project of Community Hope, the VA Lyons health care center and Peabody Properties that provides permanent rental housing and supportive services for 62 formerly homeless veterans on the VA’s Lyons campus. 

Learn more about Valley Brooke Village here.