We started this week with the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream of a nation where people were not “judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character” and a Presidential Inauguration. The week is ending with the annual March for Life which marks the 40th anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision.
This has been a busy week for legislation. The House passed “The No Budget, No Pay Act” to require the Democratic-controlled Senate to do its job, and pass a budget. It has been almost four years since the Senate passed a budget and in that time we have seen our national debt reach $16 trillion. This out-of-control spending that burdens future generations must stop now and this legislation is a step in that direction. You can find more information about No Budget, No Pay in this newsletter, as well as a related survey question I hope you will answer in the right sidebar.
The House Committee on Energy & Commerce, of which I am a new member, held an organizational and markup meeting this week. In this first official meeting of the committee in the 113th Congress, we were able to advance bills related to veterans, energy production and health care. Below you will find additional information about the work being done in this committee, including that on the Keystone XL Pipeline.
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No Budget, No Pay
This week, the House of Representatives passed The No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013 which requires the House and Senate to adopt a budget resolution for Fiscal Year 2014 by April 15, 2013. If either body does not, members of that body will have their pay put into an escrow account starting on April 16 and continuing until that body adopts a budget.
This legislation sends a direct message to the Democrats who are running Washington: pass a budget. The American people and households across the country have to live according to a budget and are fed up with our government’s disregard for the economic troubles facing our country. We have been elected to be stewards of our nation and responsible guardians of taxpayer dollars.
This bill will hold our colleagues in the Senate accountable for their refusal to pass a budget for the last four years – a neglect of their most basic duties. If we are to lead this country out of this recession, we must have the courage to work together to organize our finances and provide certainty for the millions of Americans who depend on it.
Will Senate Democrats Pass a Budget?
It’s been almost four years since Senate Democrats last passed a budget. In that time you could build 3 Pentagons, make 179 round trips to the moon or circumnavigate the globe 73 times. Republicans will hold the President and his Senate accountable for their failures on the budget with No Budget, No Pay.
Energy & Commerce
This week, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held its first official day of committee activity in the 113th Congress. In this organizational and markup meeting, we were able to advance five commonsense and bipartisan bills to assist veterans, streamline energy permitting, and advance health care for children. Visit the E&C committee website for details of the meeting and the legislation approved this week.
The Energy and Commerce Committee has worked tirelessly on the issue of the Keystone XL Pipeline approval. You can find out about recent developments related to Keystone XL, including Nebraska Governor Heineman’s approval Tuesday of the proposed reroute of the pipeline, on the E&C blog.
The March for Life
As we reflect on the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade this week, I am reminded that every life is a precious gift from God and it is not for us to judge its worth, deny its beginning, or determine its end. Thank you to all those who stood up for those who cannot speak for themselves in today’s March for Life. My pro-life colleagues and I will continue to fight the good fight to defend life no matter what the obstacles as we continue our mission in the 113th Congress.