Getting the Job Done
This week the House returns to Washington to take up, once again, a package that extends the payroll tax holiday, unemployment insurance, and the “doc fix” for doctors’ Medicare reimbursements for 2012. Over the weekend, the Senate approved a package that includes a short-term, two month extension. When you look at the whole picture, the Senate’s bill is not enough. I spoke to some folks who made it clear that two months does not make sense. The American people deserve better than 60 days of certainty. However, Senate leaders have said that they will not come back to Washington to negotiate a deal. I encourage the Senate to rethink its position so that we can come up with a compromise under proper order in a conference committee as our Founding Fathers intended. We can find common ground and give the American people a full year of tax certainty.
Additionally, the original House-passed version of the payroll tax holiday included my EPA Regulatory Relief Act (H.R. 2250) to provide a legislative fix for the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Boiler Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) rules. However, the Senate excluded this job protecting provision. No matter the final contents of the payroll tax holiday package, the Senate still has an opportunity to act on H.R. 2250, which passed the House with strong bipartisan support in October. I hope that the Senate will realize the need to pass H.R. 2250 in order to allow for additional compliance time and to free American industry from the chains of uncertainty and excessive regulations.
Home for the Holidays
I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men...
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men!"
From the dark of night to the light of day, American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow heard the bells on Christmas Day in 1864. Longfellow wrote the poem Christmas Bells after suffering through years of great despair. You may be more familiar with Longfellow’s poem as the basis for the carol, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. In 1861, his wife was killed in a tragic fire that left him badly burned and grieving. Following the death of his wife, his son Charles was severely wounded in the War Between the States, but survived. Despite experiencing tragedy and hardships, Longfellow realized when hearing those bells that “God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!” The words of this carol celebrate the power of faith and offer great hope.
This year thousands of America’s troops will hear the bells at home on Christmas Day. Last week, I had the honor of greeting members of the Virginia National Guard Christiansburg-based Company C, 1st Battalion, 116th Infantry Regiment returning home from active duty in Iraq. For their families and loved ones, it was a day long awaited. During the month of December, more than 1,100 soldiers are scheduled to return to Virginia. Over the past several months and years, these men and women were willing to put their lives on hold and risk everything to serve. To these soldiers from Virginia and all those who are returning home this month, thank you and welcome home.
As the United States marks the formal end of the war in Iraq, we are reminded that conditions in the region are still fragile. The Iraqi government must now work diligently to ensure the safety and freedom of their people. The lives lost in this war are a testament to the great costs of freedom. During this holiday season, we also remember our troops serving in Afghanistan and those stationed in various locations in the United States and across the globe. My prayers for safety are with them.
While the military serves our nation as a whole, there is a distinct sense of service that also resonates throughout Southwest Virginia. We can all appreciate the importance of community and giving. Everywhere I go in the Ninth District, I notice the willingness of others to lend a hand – neighbor helping neighbor. Even during the toughest of times, I have seen the people of the Ninth District join together with great resilience. It’s evident that in Southwest Virginia the season of giving extends beyond the holidays. As we reflect on our many blessings and remember the birth of Jesus, from my family to yours, best wishes for a merry Christmas.
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.
