Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: In Washington This Week…

Video of the Week

In recognition of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, an annual campaign that sheds light on a disease that affects 30 million Americans, I spoke on the House floor about my bill, H.R. 4153. This legislation, the Educating to Prevent Eating Disorders Act, is a bipartisan bill I introduced that will create a pilot program in middle schools to educate counselors, teachers and nurses about the symptoms. Click here to watch the full video!

Weekly Update

This week I had the opportunity to welcome North Carolina County Commissioners to D.C. These local officials are the form of government most closely connected to the people, so it was wonderful to have them here so we could listen to what their needs and concerns are. They know the pulse within the counties, and across the state, and they understand how local residents feel about issues and current events.

County commissioners joined several members of the NC Congressional Delegation for a breakfast and received an update on what we are working on here in Congress. Our state is fortunate to have such strong advocates within the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners.

Currently, House members are meeting within committee-led Task Forces organized around a series of issues important to Americans including: national security, jobs, health care, poverty, and constitutional authority. This week I joined the Task Force meeting on Poverty, Opportunity and Upward Mobility and later joined the Task Force meeting on Health Care Reform. Both were great opportunities to provide insight and perspective on how we can improve and reform both issue areas.

In Washington This Week…

This week I had the pleasure of meeting with the North Carolina Department of Transportation Secretary Tennyson. He thanked me for supporting the FAST Act– the long term highway transportation bill that provides certainty to local officials.

While our County Commissioners were in Washington to attend the National Association of Counties’ Legislative Conference, I had the opportunity to speak with them on a few legislative issues of particular interest. We discussed the Marketplace Fairness Act, human trafficking, immigration and unfunded mandates that are unfairly passed along to the counties.

Earlier this week I talked with Pickle Packers International representatives Phil Denlinger (Mt. Olive Pickle Company); Thomas Joyner (Nash Produce); and Howard Anderson (Bayer CropScience) about USDA Agricultural Research Service facilities — one of which is in NC.

It was great meeting with constituents who were in Washington for the “Exercise is Medicine” event this week. The “Exercise is Medicine” program encourages patients to be active for preventative care and teaches about ways exercise can be used to treat and manage symptoms of many chronic diseases.

I enjoyed meeting with constituent Rick Thomas, Director of the Apex Police Department 911 Center, in my Washington office this week.

Calling all High School Artists

If you know a Second District high school student with great art skills, please encourage them to submit their original work to my office for consideration in the Congressional Arts Competition! Click here for more information. Submissions need to be in my office by April 1, 2016.

Closure of GITMO

Not only has President Obama continued to misjudge the threat of Islamic extremism, but this last-ditch effort to fulfill a campaign promise of closing the prison at Guantanamo reaffirms that. Closing a base in a communist country rife with human rights violations signals a full retreat to every country around the world. Guantanamo Bay is not just a prison—it’s a military facility serving as our eyes and ears to monitor dictators, thugs and drug traffickers alike. We cannot stand for this, and Congress must do everything within our power to hold strong against the president’s reckless decision. Click here to read more about what Congress is doing to prevent this.

CategoriesNC Elected Officials