Last week marked the dawn of a new day in our nation’s capital, with a unified Republican government led by President-elect Donald Trump that will work to change the status quo in Washington and turn this victory into real progress for hardworking Americans.
For six years now, my conservative colleagues and I have been playing defense in Washington. We worked to stop liberal bills to enact onerous gun control measures and give mass amnesty to illegal immigrants — but we didn’t get to see many of our own ideas make it past President Obama and his infamous “pen and a phone.” Now, conservatives can go on offense, and we have a real chance at getting our solutions signed into law. I believe that starts with repealing and replacing Obamacare. As Tennessee’s only member of the Budget Committee and Ways and Means Committee, I’m excited to be at the center of that fight.
We know Obamacare isn’t working — over 70 Tennessee counties only have one insurer on the exchange, and premiums in our state went up by 63 percent this year alone. So fully repealing and replacing this law must be a top priority for our Republican majority, and we have a real plan to do that. Earlier this year, House Republicans unveiled our “Better Way” agenda and included in it is a 37 page plan for how we replace Obamacare; things like commonsense tort reform, expanding access to health savings accounts (HSAs), and spurring competition by allowing the sale of insurance across state lines. With Donald Trump in the Oval Office, that plan can become a reality.
A Victory for Life
I’ve long said that I believe one of the biggest ways the incoming Trump administration can have an impact is in the fight to protect the unborn. The Obama presidency was a callous betrayal to our most vulnerable and voiceless. He was, and remains, deeply entwined with the abortion lobby, as evidenced by his repeated threats over the years to veto even the most modest of pro-life bills. President-elect Trump will be a welcome change for all who believe in honoring the dignity of life at every stage, and I’m excited to work with him on three specific areas: passing the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act to end the harmful practice of late-term abortion, protecting the conscience rights of individuals who refuse to perform or pay for abortions, and defunding Planned Parenthood so that we can instead send federal dollars to community health centers that provide better care to women without performing abortions. Earlier this week, I spoke with TheBlaze about the difference that President-Elect Trump will make for pro-lifers. Click HERE to read the article.
Restoring the Power of the People
President Obama has never been one to let the Constitutional separation of powers stop him from imposing unpopular new backdoor rules and regulations with the force of law. In fact, his administration just set a dubious new record — 527 new pages of federal rules in a single day. We can expect more of these politically motivated stunts in the coming weeks. That is why House Republicans just sent a letter to every federal agency instructing them to halt any new rules until President-elect Donald Trump takes office. But we can’t stop there. Congress must put this administration on notice that any so-called “midnight rules” (rules issued in the final months of a presidency) will be subject to careful scrutiny. That is why, just this week the House passed H.R. 5982, the Midnight Rules Relief Act, with my support.
Since 1996, a law known as the Congressional Review Act has been in place allowing Congress to disapprove rules set in place by a Presidential administration. Under this law however, Congress can only disapprove one rule at a time — meaning that a President could overwhelm Congress with an onslaught of new rules knowing they can’t possibly pass a resolution disapproving of each one. That is why this bill allows Congress to bundle new rules together and disapprove of them with a single stroke — establishing a simple, rapid-response method for Congress to put a check on an overreaching Presidency.
Our new unified Republican government has a lot of work ahead, but I’m excited to have President-elect Donald Trump leading the charge, and I’m up to the challenge. It is an honor to continue serving you in Congress!
