Dear Friends,
It’s been a busy week in Washington where I had the opportunity to meet with constituents to discuss the complicated tax code, discuss the importance of quality assisted living communities in our district, and even join Fox News to talk about the latest developments in the battle over the right to life and conscience rights on Capitol Hill. Before you start your weekend plans, I wanted to share these other quick updates from the week that has passed:
Stopping the DOJ’s Special Interest Slush Fund
Nobody should receive preferential treatment by the federal government. Recently, the House Judiciary Committee discovered that in the last two years alone, the Department of Justice (DOJ) “donated” $880 million in recovered money from organizations who broke the law to activist groups. More often than not, these groups are progressive, left-wing organizations with special ties to the White House such as La Raza, NeighborWorks, and the National Urban League – all of which have an obvious political agenda and have benefitted over the years from this practice. This week the House passed H.R. 5063, the Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act, in order to prevent the DOJ from using settlement money to fund its own left-wing political agenda. This common sense reform increases government transparency by ensuring that these funds instead be used for the public good. Together we are working in Congress to stop the special interest paydays–the exact kind of government-led favoritism that the American people are sick of.
A Unanimous Vote To Aid Our Nation’s 9/11 Families and Responders
As we approach the 15th anniversary of September 11, 2001, I find myself in deep reflection about the lives lost and the way that our country was forever changed. As you may know, of the 19 terrorists who carried out the September 11th attacks, 15 were from Saudi Arabia. Many experts believe that the Saudi royal family provided support to organizations that assisted these attackers. This week the House unanimously passed S. 2040, the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, to allow the families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia for damages in US courts. In the past, Saudi Arabia would have been able to claim immunity in such matters, but this bill strips away that protection to ensure that the Saudi regime is held accountable and that victims get their day in court. In a time of such partisanship in Washington, I was encouraged to see the House come together in a unanimous, bipartisan fashion to provide relief to these families who have endured so much. I hope you will join me in prayer this weekend as we reflect on this national tragedy.
Another Obama Administration Political Stunt
Over the last week, President Obama’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a quietly-announced proposed rule change that would strip states of the right to steer federal dollars away from Planned Parenthood and towards more trusted community health centers that provide a broader range of services to women. Under current law, states are afforded some discretion to determine how to dole out federal funding for family planning services. Here in Tennessee, we’ve successfully cut off Planned Parenthood’s access to this revenue stream – something I worked for years at the state legislature to help accomplish. Now, the Obama Administration is seeking to undermine our state’s authority in this process as part of an obvious political stunt to prop up their friends at Planned Parenthood. We cannot allow this to stand. For this reason, I am drafting a letter with my colleague Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) petitioning the Obama Administration to reexamine this absurd rule. I’m also working hard to raise awareness of this overreach so that the American people can make their views known as well.