Dear Friend,

Thank you for the opportunity to update you on the work of the 114th Congress.  I trust this finds you and your family well, as we work together to bring Hoosier common sense to Washington.

For daily updates, please take a moment to "Like" my Facebook page by clicking here  or follow me on Twitter if you prefer  @ToddRokita.

In this week's Rokita Report

• Happy Thanksgiving!
• Touring Indiana's 4th District
• Small Business Saturday

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is Thanksgiving.  This day is a time for us to spend with our family and friends to reflect and give thanks for what we have.

Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday and traces its origins to our colonial roots.  During the Revolutionary War, the Continental Congress appointed one or more thanksgiving days each year.  Throughout our nation's history, Presidents and Governors would declare days of Thanksgiving.  In the middle of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln, proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be celebrated in November of 1863.

In 1941, Congress passed and President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law a bill making Thanksgiving a federal holiday.

Like always, I am thankful for my family and friends.  Kathy and I are thankful for our two boys, Teddy and Ryan.  To leave them a stronger Republic is what truly motivates me to serve in Congress.

I am thankful too for our Constitution.  The wisdom of that document has stood the test of time and guides our nation.  Nowhere before or since it's creation have the ideas of self-government of the people, for the people, and by the people ever come together as perfectly.  It is a blessing to be an American and for this I am truly thankful.

This year, I am thankful that we will have strong partners in our efforts to preserve and strengthen our Republic.  President-elect Donald Trump has laid out an agenda that will push back against onerous federal government overreach and restore the checks and balances of our government.  I am thankful for the optimism that Hoosiers have in the next administration.

I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving, surrounded by family, friends, and loved ones with much to be thankful for.

Touring Indiana's 4th District

On Monday, I met with Hoosiers on a whirlwind tour of the 4th District.  During this tour, I visited eight of the 4th District's counties and met with Hoosiers to talk about the topics that were on everyone's mind and to thank them for the continued honor of serving them in Congress.

Outside of Allen's Country Kitchen in Crawfordsville with State Senator Phil Boots.

I witnessed people's excitement about President-elect Donald Trump.  I also heard from Hoosiers who are fed up with ObamaCare's rising premiums and other failures.  I let them know about our "A Better Way" policy proposal.  This proposal is a collaborative effort from House Republican's on a variety of topics, including health care.  The health care proposal includes support for Medicaid block grants, an idea that I have promoted through H.R. 4362, the State Health Flexibility Act.  Returning Medicaid power to the states through block grants would save $2.25 trillion in the next decade.  Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence have both expressed their support for block grant programs.  I also let Hoosiers know that as Vice Chairman of the Budget Committee, I have helped coauthor the House Budget and reconciliation legislation.  Reconciliation legislation is a vehicle that will allow Congress to get a bill to the President's desk and skip the Senate's onerous filibuster rules.

Discussed ObamaCare, Lakes Freeman and Shafer, and President-elect Donald Trump's agenda with Debbie, Marla, Phil, and Paul at Monticello's USA Restaurant.

It was an exciting day and I appreciated the chance to hear directly from Hoosiers and get marching orders for my work in Washington.  Through the tour, I visited and met Hoosiers in:

• Flap Jacks in Brownsburg.
• Almost Home in Greencastle.
• Allen's Country Kitchen in Crawfordsville.
• Sacred Grounds in Lafayette.
• USA Restaurant in Monticello.
• Stone House Restaurant in Delphi.
• Flavors Coffee and Deli in Frankfort.
• Bekah's Westside Café in Lebanon.

Great to see Amelia and Lucas in Bekah's in Lebanon.  As Chairman of the Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee, I am committed to ensuring that mothers like Amelia have control over their children's education.

Small Business Saturday

As we embark on a busy holiday shopping season, Hoosiers have a chance to remember our local businesses during Small Business Saturday.  This Saturday is a chance for us to remember and visit small businesses.  The first Small Business Saturday was held in 2010 to provide a needed reminder between the busy shopping of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  In 2012, consumers spent $5.5 billion in small businesses across the country on Small Business Saturday.  Last year, that number had tripled to $16.2 billion.

Small businesses are the lifeblood of the American economy.  There are 28 million small businesses in the United States, that employ nearly half of our total private sector employees, and have accounted for 63% of net new jobs over the last two decades.  I hope you will consider visiting and supporting your local businesses on Saturday.

Thank you for your continued interest in Congress and for supporting my efforts to bring Hoosier common sense to Washington. Take care.  

Sincerely,
 
Todd Rokita