E-Newsletter

Debt Ceiling

It has been a long month here in Washington. I have only been able to get back home to the 9th District a handful of days. This weekend, debt limit negations continued. I stayed in Washington and my family joined me. My sons went to the House floor with me to vote and we got to spend some time together. I am looking forward to being home and seeing constituents.

As the debt limit debate has unfolded, I have heard from many folks in the 9th District who are rightfully concerned with our nation’s debt and, like I am, are frustrated by Washington’s lack of spending discipline. Last week I made the difficult decision to compromise and voted for Speaker Boehner’s plan. While the Boehner plan was not perfect, it was a realistic approach and a step in the right direction. Among other things, it required passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution before a second increase in the debt ceiling.

However, the legislation before the House on Monday was not quite as good.  By contrast, this deal only required a Balanced Budget Amendment to be voted on – not passed. I hope the Democrat controlled Senate will pass a Balanced Budget Amendment as a common sense solution to solve America’s debt problem, but it is far from certain. Additionally, there is a provision which, if there is congressional inaction, would allow President Obama to effectively raise the debt ceiling an additional $1.2 trillion, triggering an equal amount of blind cuts.

I firmly believe that a Balanced Budget Amendment would be one of the best options for controlling government spending going forward. There is support in the House for a Balanced Budget Amendment, but I am not sure the Senate would support this option. If we want to rein in spending and stop borrowing 40 cents of every dollar, we must make long-term, systemic changes. A Balanced Budget Amendment is a clear, realistic path that would permanently curb Washington’s spending appetite.

Chock Full O’ Regulations

First it was coal and the EPA. Now it’s California walnuts and the FDA. It would seem that the FDA has declared a war on walnuts. I was listening to a radio show recently and heard a segment about a letter Diamond Foods received from the FDA back in early 2010. Because of “unauthorized health claims” made by the company about the benefits of eating walnuts, the FDA determined that walnuts are drugs. Not just any drugs. According to the FDA, their walnuts are classified as “new drugs.”

There are studies that support Diamond Foods’ claims, but whether or not you agree with the science behind the health benefits of walnuts, the point of the matter is that walnuts are not drugs. You know that. I know that. But it appears the FDA does not. The real problem here is that federal agencies, like the FDA, EPA, or any of the other alphabet soup bureaucrats, are creating more and more regulatory muck for businesses to wade through. If the FDA has nothing better to do than police walnuts, maybe we need to take a closer look at their funding? We’ve become a regulation nation and that’s just plain nuts.

August Traveling Staff Office Hours

To better serve you, throughout the month, members of my staff will be holding traveling offices hours around the 9th District. To see the dates, times, and locations of upcoming office hours, please click here.

As always, if you have concerns or comments or wish to inquire about legislative issues, feel free to contact my offices. You can call my Abingdon office at 276-525-1405 or my Christiansburg office at 540-381-5671. To reach my office via email, please visit my website at www.morgangriffith.house.gov.