War on Coal Ending
President Trump promised to end the war on coal. The Executive Order he signed recently is indication he intends to keep that promise. In his order, the President directed an immediate review of the Clean Power Plan (CPP).
From when the Obama Administration first announced their plan, I believed the CPP was a job-killing federal overreach. The CPP,… Read more »
Health Insurance Reform
On the evening of Friday, March 24, the House of Representatives leadership determined they could not get enough votes for the American Health Care Act. The AHCA was withdrawn and that bill is dead.
Accordingly for the time being, Obamacare will remain as the law of the land. However, after the dust settles, and we all have a… Read more »
March Madness
Each spring, Americans across the country fill out brackets, select winners, and root for their favorite teams in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. In Washington this time of year brings a different type of March Madness, the federal budget and appropriation process.
Although there aren’t catchy names for the steps in the process, like the Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight,… Read more »
Health Care Reform
This week, the House of Representatives achieved the first steps in the repeal and replacement of Obamacare.
As a bill moves through Congress, as you may remember from Civics classes, the bill starts in the committee with jurisdiction over the content of the bill. The committee reviews the content and votes on the bill.
The American Health… Read more »
Legend and Stolen Fame
Congress is currently working on many important issues, including the replacement of Obamacare, tax reform, border security, and job creation. But, there are also opportunities to look at other worthy concerns, such as the challenges of the international anti-doping system.
This week, as the Vice Chairman of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, I… Read more »
Black Lung Benefits
Southwest Virginia is home to many folks who have proudly spent their working lives in coal mines to support their families. Many of them have been impacted by coal worker’s pneumoconiosis, or Black Lung. Miners who are diagnosed with the disease are entitled to certain federal monetary and medical benefits under the Black Lung Benefits Program.
Last week,… Read more »
Obamacare – One Sick Law
Obamacare is failing the American people.
No longer is it just Republicans sounding the alarm.
We are seeing insurance companies flee Obamacare, leaving even less choice and leading to higher costs. Just last week, Humana was the latest major company to announce a departure, and will no longer participate in 2018.
The insurance companies cannot… Read more »
Gorsuch: A Great Choice
Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story once noted a persistent problem with his profession:
The danger is not, that the judges will be too firm in resisting public opinion, and in defence of private rights or public liberties; but, that they will be ready to yield themselves to the passions, and politics, and prejudices of the day.*
We have seen too many… Read more »
Protecting the Second Amendment
On Thursday, I voted to overturn one of the Obama Administration’s final actions targeting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.
The rule in question, issued by the Social Security Administration (SSA), prohibited the purchase of firearms by anyone who has a determination of a disability listing as one of his primary conditions a mental… Read more »
A Time for Heroic Dreams
On January 20th, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. Congress is now charged to make many changes. Those of us in Congress will in fact have disagreements with President Trump, both in policy and in tweets. But it is our duty to strive with all our being to fulfill the charge of his campaign: “to make America great again.”
This is… Read more »
