June 19, 2015

South Carolina

I am stunned and heartbroken by the news out of South Carolina Wednesday night. My thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their loved ones as a result of this truly evil hate crime. Regardless of one's faith, all houses of worship should be sanctuaries, where we can let go of our burdens. It is unthinkable that this horrific act took place during a prayer service, where the faithful welcomed the suspect into their community. I am grateful to law enforcement for their quick work in apprehending him.

Trade Promotion Authority

As you may recall, last week the House considered several bills related to trade, including Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) or “Fast Track” and Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA). Under the conditions of the rule governing debate for the trade package, each component had to pass in order for the overall legislation to advance. TAA is intended to help workers who lose their jobs as a result of increased trade. Through TAA workers have access to education assistance and job training programs. I voted against TAA last week because I did not believe that it went far enough to help displaced workers. Additionally, public sector employees, whose jobs might be outsourced, were not eligible for assistance. In a cynical maneuver, last week’s rule tied TPA and TAA together so the passage of TAA was necessary in order to pass TPA. Once TAA failed overwhelmingly the whole trade bill failed.

This week the House took a different approach, holding a separate vote on Trade Promotion Authority (TPA). I voted NO. I do not support TPA because it significantly limits the voice of the legislative branch. By approving TPA, Congress relinquishes its right to amend trade agreements. It just doesn’t make sense to me that Congress would or should do this. In this case, the House voted this week to grant TPA before any trade agreement is even finalized.

TPA now returns to the Senate, where passage is not certain. The House and Senate are both expected to consider TAA again at some point soon. It is not clear at this point if the two measures will be paired again.

I voted NO on the Motion to Concur in the Senate Amendment with an Amendment to H.R. 2146, Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015. The entire vote is recorded below:

Intelligence Authorization

On Tuesday the House considered H.R. 2596, Intelligence Authorization Act. This legislation authorizes funding for the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency and other intelligence activities. Like some of the other funding related bills, H.R. 2596 uses Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funds to get around the sequester. I have always opposed sequestration. Exempting one agency while subjecting others to significant cuts is not responsible budgeting. It is long past time to reopen the debate over sequestration and replace it with a balanced approach. I voted NO. H.R. 2596 passed and the entire vote is recorded below:

Iraq and Syria

On Wednesday the House considered H. Con. Res. 55, directing the President, Pursuant to section (5) of the War Powers Resolution, to Remove U.S. Armed Forces deployed to Iraq or Syria on or after August 7, 2014, other than Armed Forces required to protect U.S. diplomatic facilities and personnel, from Iraq and Syria.

This resolution calls on the Administration to remove most of U.S. Armed Forces from Iraq and Syria unless Congress votes to authorize additional military action. The Administration recently announced plans to send 450 more U.S. military personnel to Iraq, bringing the number of U.S. troops in Iraq to approximately 3,500. There is no question that this represents an escalation of the U.S. role in the region. Despite this increased activity, Congress has not debated an Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF). Instead the AUMF from 2001 is being used to justify current activities.

The President has a Constitutional obligation to bring this matter before Congress and Congress has a Constitutional obligation to take a vote on it. I voted YES on H. Con. Res. 55. It failed and the entire vote is recorded below:

Medical Device Tax

On Thursday the House considered H.R. 160, Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2015. This legislation repeals the medical device tax, which was implemented as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Joint Committee on Taxation has calculated that H.R. 160 will increase the deficit by $24 billion over 10 years. The medical device tax is one of the components of the ACA that concerned me at the time of its passage. However, the positive aspects of the ACA far outweighed the negative, which is why I supported it. I would like to find a way to review the ACA so Congress can address some portions that may not be working as intended. Unfortunately, there are too many members who would like nothing more than to do away completely with the ACA and all its benefits. This makes it impossible to revisit the law. The primary reason I could not support H.R. 160 is because it doesn’t do anything to address the revenue that will be lost by eliminating the medical device tax. I voted NO. H.R. 160 passed and the entire vote is recorded below:

What’s Up Next

The next House votes will take place on Tuesday June 23rd. The House is expected to continue consideration of FY 2016 appropriations bills.