E-Newsletter

President’s Social Security Rhetoric

Playing politics with Social Security is unacceptable. Last week President Obama stated that he cannot guarantee Social Security checks will go out after August 2 if a debt limit deal is not reached. I am disappointed by these comments from the President. According to the AARP, Social Security is the principle source of income for nearly two-thirds of older American households receiving benefits.Many folks in the 9th District have worked hard and paid into this system their entire lives. Along with Medicare and Medicaid, Social Security represents a commitment that the government made to current seniors.

AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond said in a statement, “While there may be disagreement over different policies, there should be no disagreement that it would be both irresponsible and immoral to fail to make Social Security benefit payments to seniors who have worked and contributed over their lives to earn their benefits.”

I agree! I am opposed to any debt limit deal that makes harmful cuts to vital Social Security benefits for current seniors and prevents checks from being issued. Let me be clear. Failing to raise the debt limit would have serious impacts on our economy. However, even if no deal is reached, roughly 60 percent of revenues to the federal government would still be received. I would be shocked and deeply disappointed if President Obama chose to suspend your hard earned Social Security benefits.  In fact, I recently agreed to cosponsor a bill that would ensure the timely payment of full Social Security benefits would not be affected in the event the public debt limit is reached.  In these uncertain times, we must provide assurances that Social Security recipients will continue to receive their benefits. 

Light Bulbs

For anyone who is familiar with the Constitution, you know that the 10th Amendment protects the powers of the states. Last week, I took two votes that I believe relate to this provision.

A provision of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, which became law before I was a Member of Congress, requires the phasing out of traditional incandescent light bulbs by 2012.  Under this law, these bulbs would no longer be sold.  The Better Use of Light Bulbs Act (H.R. 2417) would have repealed the current requirements concerning the energy efficiency standards of light bulbs.  It failed to pass the House of Representatives on July 12.  I voted to oppose H.R. 2417.

I agree that Congress should not have included language banning traditional light bulbs in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, and that is why I am a co-sponsor of H.R. 91, which would be a straight repeal of that law.  Unfortunately, H.R. 2417 would have gone further than H.R. 91 and prohibited state action regarding traditional light bulbs. While I think it would be bad public policy for a state to ban traditional light bulbs, I recognize states retained that right and many others under the 10th Amendment of the United States Constitution. The Constitution, in my opinion, does not give Congress the right to prohibit states from banning the use of lighting products within the confines of the respective state.  Also, you may be interested to know that I supported an amendment to the 2012 Energy and Water Appropriations Act (H.R. 2354) to prohibit funding from being used to enforce regulations with respect to incandescent light bulbs.  This amendment was included in the final version of H.R. 2354, which passed the House with my support on July 15.

Water

The House also voted on H.R. 2018, the Clean Water Cooperative Federalism Act, which would restore a better balance between the states and the federal government when it comes to implementation of the Clean Water Act mandates. In recent years, the EPA has delayed or superseded a state’s permitting and water quality certification decisions after they had already been approved such as the Spruce No. 1 Mine in West Virginia.  H.R. 2018 reins in regulatory uncertainty and guarantees that the states also retain their powers.

Military Service Academy Applications Available

Applications are now available for 9th District residents interested in applying for a congressional nomination to one of our nation’s military academies. The deadline for submitting a congressional nomination application packet to the Abingdon District Office is October 15 and must be postmarked by that date to be considered. If you would like more information on the nomination process, please contact Terry Sivert in my office at (276) 525-1405. To download a PDF version of the application, please visit my website. Best wishes to those pursuing a nomination to one of the U.S. Military Service Academies.

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.