Congresswoman Renee Ellmers: #KeepPounding

February 8, 2016 NC Elected Officials

Photo of the Week

Showing my support for the Carolina Panthers by dabbin’ on ’em while enjoying bet-winning Arizona tamales thanks to Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema. Click here to see the video.

 

Weekly Update:
This week House Republicans demonstrated to the American people our continued commitment to repealing Obamacare and defunding Planned Parenthood. On Tuesday, the House took up a measure to override the president’s veto of legislation that would have done both these things. While the override attempt was unsuccessful, I will continue to stand strong in upholding the priorities of the Second District and work to replace Obamacare with patient-centered healthcare.

We also voted in the House this week on HR 3662, the Iran Terror Finance and Transparency Act, to prevent the US from providing sanctions relief to Iranian groups supporting terror. This legislation provides more Congressional oversight and blocks the President from offering sanctions relief to an individual or bank until certifying that they have not conducted business with a terrorist organization.

I also had a chance this week to introduce energy legislation that I have been working on for the past few months. This bill, H.R. 4444, will roll back an outdated regulation issued by the Department of Energy that is having an adverse effect on those in the manufacturing sector. Click here to read more about this pro-consumer, pro-manufacturing bill.

Also be sure to take a look at the op-ed I wrote with Rep. Ann Wagner about human trafficking — an issue being discussed this Super Bowl week, but one we need to be fighting every day of the year.  An excerpt and link to the original article is provided below.

Even though we were working in Washington this week, the NC congressional delegation demonstrated our Super Bowl 50 spirit! While I had fun taking a few minutes to polish my dabbin’ skills, I also took to the House floor to talk about how the Panthers’ #KeepPounding motto highlights the importance of the 21st Century Cures Act. See my video below and learn more about our efforts to find #CuresNow.

 

 

 

#KeepPounding for #CuresNow

This week on the House floor I told the story of Sam Mills, the initial inspiration behind the Panthers’ #KeepPounding motto. Mills, a former player and coach for the Panthers kept pounding despite his battle with colon cancer. With this spirit of perseverance the Panthers have made it to Super Bowl 50! Just as the Panthers kept pounding all the way to the Super Bowl, the Energy and Commerce Committee keeps pounding to discover cures and fund research for many of the rare cancers and diseases in existence today. Click here to learn more about the E&C Cures and here to watch the full speech.

  Here is “Coach” Braylon Beam, a 6-year-old Panther fan battling brain cancer, who has now taken a front running in the Panthers’ #KeepPounding mantra. Braylon was able to meet the team thanks to Make-A-Wish Foundation where he predicted that the Panthers would win the Super Bowl.

 

 

My Op-Ed about the Fight to End Human Trafficking
 

The discussion of human trafficking has escalated in the lead up to Super Bowl Sunday, but this heinous practice happens every single day in nearly every city and town across the country. Take a look at my joint op-ed with Rep. Ann Wagner at FoxNews.com (excerpt below) to learn more about what we are doing in Congress to address modern day slavery hiding in plain sight in America.

 Kimberly Ritter, an anti-sex trafficking advocate, describes the horror: “They take little girls and walk them from truck to truck, they call them lot lizards. The pimp needs to keep control of the girls, that pimp can sell her up to 20 times a day, 7 days a week.” The girls can be 12 and 15 years old; they are our neighbors, nieces, sometimes our daughters or sisters. Take a moment; picture the pain, the torment, the hopelessness and anguish. The stories are real. Modern day slavery is happening right here in the United States of America…hiding in plain sight.

Sunday night, Americans across the country will tune into what is arguably the biggest sporting event of the year – the National Football League’s Super Bowl 50. As Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos fans stream to California for the big game, innocent children and women will be forced into modern-day sexual slavery rings right there in Santa Clara.

According to the McCain Institute, a non-profit organization focused on advancing democracy and human rights, large sporting events in concentrated urban areas become prime locations for traffickers to exploit victims.

 

Visiting My Washington Office This Week

It was a pleasure to sit down with Dr. Randall Williams, Deputy Secretary for Health Services and State Health Director, and Chris Collins, Director of the Office of Rural Health, from the NC Department of Health and Human Services to discuss rural health issues.

Enjoyed meeting with Cape Fear Farm Credit in my Washington office this week as they celebrate their 100th anniversary!
CategoriesNC Elected Officials