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Miller Newsletter May 12, 2013

In the News

Benghazi Hearing
Last Wednesday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a nearly six hour long hearing with three key whistle-blowers who shared critical information about what occurred before, during, and after the Benghazi terrorist attacks.  These witnesses included Gregory Hicks, a Foreign Service Officer and former Deputy Chief of Mission in Libya; Eric Nordstrom, a Diplomatic Security Officer and former Regional Security Officer in Libya; and Mark Thompson, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Counterterrorism at the State Department. 

Their testimony regarding the events in Benghazi called into question the Administration’s account of the terrible attack on the U.S. Consulate.  During his highly emotional testimony, Mr. Hicks recounted details of a phone conversation he had with Ambassador Chris Stevens shortly before the Ambassador was killed in the deadly attacks.  According to Mr. Hicks, Ambassador Stevens immediately identified the events at the Consulate as an attack and never mentioned any demonstrations occurring prior to the attack.  Mr. Thompson, a former Marine, also told the Committee that his requests to send a Foreign Emergency Support Team (FEST) made up of special operations personnel, specifically trained to deal with dangerous situations like the one in Benghazi, were not granted by the Administration.
 
The testimony of these witnesses once again discredits the Administration’s claims about the Benghazi attack.  Their accounts also highlighted the extreme courage of many American personnel who acted bravely in the face of grave danger.  The American people, and especially the families of the victims of Benghazi, deserve to hear the truth about these events, and I assure you that House Republicans will not stop our efforts until we have achieved this important goal.  

Constituent Voice

Every week, I receive thousands of letters and phone calls from constituents all across Florida’s First Congressional District.  Without the input of hardworking Northwest Floridians, it would be nearly impossible for me to do my job.  One topic that seemed to be on the minds of many constituents last week was the Senate’s proposed Internet sales tax.

As you may know, the Marketplace Fairness Act, which would allow states to force online retailers to collect sales taxes from states in which they have no physical presence, passed the Senate last week.  The bill has now been sent over to the House and referred to the House Judiciary Committee.

Veterans Corner

C-SPAN Interview
An interview I taped for the C-SPAN program Newsmakers aired last Sunday.  I was glad to have the opportunity to discuss many important issues in the veterans’ community, including the claims backlog, veteran employment, and VA executive bonuses with journalists from USA Today and the Military Times.  To watch the full interview, click on the image below.


GI Film Festival
I was pleased to be invited to introduce the film "The Real Inglorious Bastards" at the GI Film Festival in Washington, D.C. last week.  This moving documentary tells the true story of a group of Jewish Americans who return to Nazi Germany to go undercover and gain intelligence to aid the Allied war effort.

Congressman Miller at the GI Film Festival

Atlanta VA Medical Center
I traveled to Georgia to conduct an oversight visit to the Atlanta Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in Decatur, Georgia, on Monday, May 6, 2013.  I was joined by Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Congressman John Barrow (D-GA-12), Congressman Paul Broun (R-GA-10), Congressman Phil Gingrey (R-GA-11), and Congressman David Scott (D-GA-13).  Our oversight visit is a result of two recent reports issued by the VA Inspector General that linked three patient deaths to mismanagement at the Atlanta VAMC, as well as recent revelations that the center’s former top administrator received $65,000 in performance bonuses over four years, despite the patient deaths.  Until we have complete confidence that VA is holding executives accountable, rather than rewarding them for their mistakes, no one should get a performance bonus.  I will continue to closely monitor the situation to hold VA officials accountable for their failures.

Washington Update

H.R. 1406
For many Americans working in the private sector, balancing the responsibilities of raising a family and fulfilling work commitments is particularly challenging.  These challenges are exacerbated by the fact that outdated federal laws prevent these private sector employees from choosing to receive time off as compensation for working overtime hours.  So, while many public sector employees enjoy the flexibility to choose between time off and overtime pay, hardworking families in the private sector are left with only one option. 

To help these working families balance family life and work, the House passed H.R. 1406, the Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013.  This commonsense bill, which I was proud to cosponsor and vote for, would allow workers in the private sector to voluntarily choose paid time off instead of additional overtime wages as compensation for working overtime hours.  H.R. 1406 also includes many safeguards to ensure that workers can choose whichever option they prefer.  All decisions on whether to choose paid time off or overtime wages are at the full discretion of employees and they are free to change their mind at any time.  I was glad to support this important measure to provide hardworking American families with the flexibility they need to meet the demands of home and work.

H.R. 807
As the world’s preeminent economic power, the full faith and credit of the United States should never be in question.  Yet, thanks to reckless spending from big government advocates in Washington, our nation is once again approaching the debt ceiling.  I believe that we must make it clear that the U.S. will not default on its debt payments, and that is why I am a cosponsor and proud supporter of H.R. 807, the Full Faith and Credit Act.  This commonsense bill completely removes the threat of default by requiring the Treasury to make good on our debt payments.  Additionally, this bill would ensure that Social Security benefits are paid in full, on time and without interruption, while also requiring the Administration to provide a weekly accounting to Congress of the debt obligations they have paid out. 

I was glad to vote for this bill when it passed the House last week.  I was, however, very disappointed to see the President threaten to veto the Full Faith and Credit Act.  The President continually accuses Republicans of “political gamesmanship.”  Yet, when a solution to take the threat of default completely out of the political arena is proposed, the President’s response is a veto threat.  The President’s actions are simply another reminder that the Administration does not take our debt seriously.  

I had the opportunity last week to speak with a group of small business owners from Texas that came to Washington to tell us about the regulatory challenges they are facing.  I was glad to speak with them about the importance of hiring veterans, as well as the VA claims backlog and its effect on local communities.

Congressman Miller speaking at the Bryan/College Station Chamber of Commerce event in Washington, D.C.

In the District

F-35
Last week, Eglin Air Force Base received the first of its new shipment of F-35 Block 2 aircraft.  This aircraft is the first of fourteen new F-35A’s set to be delivered to the 58th Fighter Squadron at Eglin by the end of the year. These aircraft and the new personnel that will be coming to the area to operate and maintain them are a welcome addition to Northwest Florida.

Congressman Miller at the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter roll out on February 24, 2012.

As always, I welcome your comments. To share your thoughts on legislation, votes or issues, please visit http://jeffmiller.house.gov/ to send an e-mail or call any of my offices.

Finally, I would like to wish my Wife, Vicki; Mother, Peggy; Mother-In-Law, Winona, and all of the mothers in Northwest Florida a very happy Mother’s Day.   

Jeff

Miller Newsletter May 5, 2013

In The News

Religious Liberty in the Military
As a strong supporter of religious liberty for our men and women in uniform and civilians alike, I was concerned when I read recent reports indicating potential disciplinary actions, including court marshal, taken by the Department of Defense (DoD) against servicemembers for their religious beliefs.  I immediately reached out to DoD officials and was reassured that DoD has no plans to single out a particular religious group or individual for any disciplinary actions based on their faith.  DoD provided further clarity and confirmed that servicemembers can evangelize and share their faith with other servicemembers, but without attempting to force one’s faith on another.  DoD provides no endorsement for any one religion or religious organization; all of our military branches include a chaplaincy with ordained chaplains from many different religious faiths.  Rest assured, I will continue to monitor this situation to ensure that religious liberty is fully respected within the Department of Defense.

Guantanamo Bay
On Tuesday, President Obama once again announced plans to close the military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.  The President’s initial pledge to close the facility was made during his 2008 presidential campaign, and it was met with strong, bipartisan opposition.  One of his early plans was to transfer some of the world’s most dangerous terrorists to a facility in Illinois, a plan that was quickly thwarted by Congress.  To date, the President has yet to offer a reasonable path forward on how his Administration intends to relocate the detainees after the facility’s closure or how future terrorist detainment will occur. 

I would like to reaffirm my strong opposition to any attempts to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and import its terrorists into American communities.  At the same time, I feel there is a need to alleviate the financial burden on our Nation, but not at the cost of our national security.

National Day of Prayer
On May Second, people all across this nation joined together in the National Day of Prayer.  Prayer, although controversial to some, is one of the most important facets of life and has always been part of our nation’s history. Benjamin Franklin began the tradition of prayer before Congressional deliberations at the Constitutional Convention.  Like our Founding Fathers, we continue to rely on the power of prayer to guide our actions and strengthen our faith no matter which religion we choose to practice.  I value my time in prayer, and I am blessed to be joined by several of my colleagues as we gather weekly to pray, worship and seek God’s wisdom. 

In the spirit of the National Day of Prayer, I would like to share with you the first prayer of the Continental Congress, 1774, which I proudly display in my Washington D.C. office
 

 

Constituent Voice

Boston Marathon Bombing
Every week, I receive thousands of letters and phone calls from constituents all across Florida’s First Congressional District.  Without the input of hardworking Northwest Floridians, it would be nearly impossible for me to do my job.  One topic that seemed to be on the minds of many constituents last week was continuing investigation into the Boston Marathon Bombing.

In response to the concerns of many received last week regarding the events leading up to the recent terrorist attack at the Boston Marathon, I would like to inform you that the House Homeland Security Committee will hold their first congressional hearing this week.  Receiving answers to the many pending questions will help us to better understand the national security issues facing our Nation.

National Stroke Awareness Month
I was reminded last month during a constituent meeting that May is Stroke Awareness Month. Since its designation in 1989, the purpose of Stroke Awareness Month is to educate the public on the enormous emotional, physical, and financial impacts that strokes have on hundreds of thousands of Americans and their families each year.  Please click here to learn more and join me in helping to raise awareness throughout the entire Northwest Florida community.

Veterans Corner

VA Performance Appraisal System
When it comes to executive bonuses, apparently there is no limit to VA’s tone deafness. The department’s latest unbelievable bonus was a whopping $62,895 paid to VISN 4 Director Michael Moreland in the wake of patient deaths at a hospital he oversees. On its own, this incident is egregious enough. But unfortunately we’ve learned in recent days that multiple VA medical center officials have received bonuses in the wake of patient deaths linked to mismanagement. That’s why I am calling on VA to conduct a top-to-bottom review of its performance appraisal system to ensure outrageous bonus payments like this do not occur in the future. In the meantime, VA owes us all – especially the families of those who died – an explanation as to why the department awarded these bonuses.

Veterans Employment
In today’s economic climate, finding meaningful employment is a challenge, and, unfortunately, this difficulty extends to our nation’s veterans.  I firmly believe that we must come together as a Nation to keep our promise to those who have protected not only our liberty, but the American way of life.  It is our duty to welcome these men and women back into society and match their skills with jobs. 

To help put many of our nation’s unemployed veterans back to work, one of my highest priorities in the last Congress was the VOW to Hire Heroes Act, which was signed into law.  This comprehensive package was designed to reduce unacceptably high veteran unemployment by expanding education and job training, improving the Tuition Assistance Program, facilitating seamless transitions to civilian life, translating military skills and training to the private sector, and providing tax credits for businesses that hire veterans. 

Included in the VOW to Hire Heroes Act is the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP), which offers up to 12 months of training assistance to unemployed Veterans.  Since the program began last year more than 99,000 applications have been approved.  To find out more information about this program and see if you or someone you know is eligible please click here.

Businesses in Northwest Florida are also doing their part to help hire veterans.  I am pleased to inform you about an upcoming event this Friday, May 10, 2013.  Veterans, members of the National Guard and Reserves, and families of Active Duty Military Personnel are invited to attend a job fair from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at JobsPlus One-Stop, located at 409 NE Racetrack Road in Fort Walton Beach.  This is just another way we can better serve veterans in Northwest Florida.  The Veterans’ Fair will help give constituents access to prospective employers seeking to fill current vacancies.  Click here for details regarding this event. 


In the District

Escambia River Electric Coop 74th Annual Meeting
As a member of the Escambia River Electric Cooperative, Inc. (EREC), I was pleased to join over 300 constituents at EREC’s annual meeting last weekend in Jay.  Since it’s founding in 1939, residents of northern Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties have depended on EREC’s efforts to bring affordable electric power to the area.  I would like to once again thank EREC for their 74 years of service to Northwest Florida and congratulate Megan Flaherty of Central High School and Justin Haltman of Northview High School as this year’s high school senior award recipients.  Keep up the great work. 

Pine Forest High School
I was asked by a highly motivated student to come speak to Pine Forest High School’s Advanced Placement Government and Politics class.  The group of extremely bright and hardworking students that I met at Pine Forest is a true testament to the quality of education here in Northwest Florida.  I was glad to speak with these young men and women about my role as an elected representative of the people of Florida’s First Congressional District and update them on some of the legislative issues that Congress is currently debating.  Both Northwest Florida and our nation are in good hands with talented students like the ones I met at Pine Forest on the horizon as the next generation of American leaders.
 

Congressman Miller at Pine Forest High School
Escambia County School District Appreciation Luncheon
I was pleased to attend the Escambia County School District Appreciation Luncheon on Thursday.  It was wonderful to help honor the teachers, staff, and volunteers that make such an immense impact on the lives of the students of Escambia County.  The commitment and passion to ensuring the success of our students is inspiring and the awards for Teacher of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, and Outstanding Partner in Education are tokens of our appreciation.  We are truly blessed to have these dedicated individuals educating the students of our community.

Inspiration Student Hero Awards Ceremony
For nearly 20 years, Cox Communications has awarded the Inspirational Student Heroes Award to thousands of students in Northwest Florida who have each demonstrated that, despite facing various challenges in life, success can be achieved through courage, hard work, and a positive attitude.  I was honored to help recognize 75 of the extraordinary students along the Gulf Coast for the inspiration they have provided to their peers and our community. 
 
Bar Association Law Day Luncheons
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the Escambia-Santa Rosa and Okaloosa-Walton Bar Association Law Day Luncheons.  Our Constitutional rights are what served as the bedrock upon which generations of hardworking Americans built the great nation that we are all so proud to call home.  That same spirit of hard work, American ingenuity, and a steadfast commitment to upholding our Constitutional rights is alive and well today across our Nation.  As we seek to solve the pressing political questions of our day, we must remember to look back to our founding documents and the legacy countless great Americans who have stood up and fought to protect and preserve the Constitutional liberties that have made the United States of America the greatest nation on Earth.
 

Anna Jackson, a junior at Washington High School, was awarded the Bar Association’s Essay Contest Winner the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association Law Day Luncheon. Her essay was chosen from 55 submissions from high school students across Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties.

 

Lewis and Belle Bear were presented with the Liberty Bell Award at the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association Law Day Luncheon, which is given annually to non-attorneys who have contributed to the American system of freedom under the law.
As always, I welcome your comments. To share your thoughts on legislation, votes or issues, please visit http://jeffmiller.house.gov/ to send an e-mail or call any of my offices.

Thanks,
Jeff 

Miller Newsletter April 28, 2013

In the News
Benghazi Report
Since the terrorist attack on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012, five committees in the U.S. House of Representatives have opened investigations to get to the bottom of the truth, and it is unquestionable that the American people and especially the families of the fallen heroes deserve to know what happened that tragic day, not only to hold those accountable, but to help prevent future attacks.  This is the mission we have been charged with since day one, and it is important that we not lose sight of it. 
Last week these 5 committees, two of which I serve on, provided a progress report on our investigations.  While this interim report is only the beginning of our investigation into the events of Benghazi, I was extremely disappointed to learn during the course of our investigation that the Administration continuously denied requests for additional security prior to the attacks and then attempted to hide responsibility for those decisions.

The five House committees investigating Benghazi also demanded last week that the Administration immediately release documents to the public relating to a State Department cable, bearing the signature of then Secretary Clinton, acknowledging requests for additional security and yet still ordering the withdrawal of security assets.  The House investigation also found that the talking points used by Ambassador Susan Rice to brief the American people in the days after the attack were clearly altered to withhold vital information about the attacks, including the likely connections to al-Qa’ida. 
The Administration must turn over all relevant documents for further investigation so that the House can fully determine and hold to account those who are responsible for making decisions that led directly to the loss of four American lives. 


Keystone XL
Last week, the State Department released a report on the Keystone XL Pipeline project.  The results of the report, which has taken the State Department more than four years to complete, concluded that the plan will not adversely affect the environment.  Despite the careful observations and analysis from the State Department, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continues to raise objections, and they have asked the State Department to conduct further analysis.

I am in strong support of the Keystone XL Pipeline, and I am proud cosponsor of H.R., 3, the Northern Route Approval Act which would effectively approve the Keystone XL Pipeline by waiving the Presidential permit for its creation. This bill is extremely crucial, and the Keystone XL Pipeline project is precisely the kind of job creating energy project that is necessary to create jobs and help our economic recovery. The Keystone XL project is estimated to inject $20 billion of private sector investment into our economy, and it will create approximately 20,000 direct jobs and 118,000 additional jobs from increased economic activity. I am extremely disappointed in the President’s decision as well as the EPA to hold up American job creation.  

Constituent Voice
Every week, I receive thousands of letters and phone calls from constituents all across Florida’s First Congressional District.  Without the input of hardworking Northwest Floridians, it would be nearly impossible for me to do my job.  One topic that seemed to be on the minds of many constituents last week was the flight delays caused by FAA’s decision to furlough air traffic controllers.
As with all other executive branch agencies, the FAA knew for more than a year that the sequester cuts were coming.  Yet, they waited until April 17, four days before the furloughs were set to begin, to inform Congress and the airline industry of their plans to furlough air traffic controllers, leaving airlines and travelers unable to prepare.  FAA should be able to manage with a 5 percent cut from sequestration without significantly impacting aviation, but, rather than implement these cuts in an efficient manner, the Administration appears to have deliberately chosen to apply the sequester in a manner that will hurt American travelers. 
But, while the Administration was looking to play politics with this issue, Republicans were simply looking to fix it.  Rather than take the idea of Washington Democrats to resolve all revenue issues with tax increases, or Senator Harry Reid’s idea to replace sequestration cuts with war “savings” that are already scheduled to occur, we were able to find a bipartisan solution to allow FAA to transfer funds from lower priority items to air traffic control operations, thereby solving the problem at no additional cost to the taxpayer.  I was glad to support this commonsense measure, which passed both the House and Senate, to protect American travelers from the Administration’s political posturing.   
 
Veterans Corner
April 24 Hearing on Obamacare and the VA
With Obamacare unfortunately still set to go into full effect next year, millions of Americans will be forced to reckon with massive changes in our health care system.  Yet, more than three years after this monstrosity of a bill was passed, the Administration still cannot answer basic questions about its impact.
I am particularly concerned that Obamacare could adversely affect several aspects of VA’s health care services, including enrollment and utilization, outreach and communications, and staffing and retention.  To try and answer these pressing questions, I chaired a hearing last Wednesday in the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs to question VA and Treasury officials on the potential impact of Obamacare on VA and the millions of veterans currently enrolled in VA’s health care system
The VA has estimated that, as a result of Obamacare, 66,000 new veterans will enter into the VA health care system.  However, at the hearing, VA officials admitted that their efforts to estimate and prepare for Obamacare’s impact have been extremely limited, calling into question the validity of their estimates. 
Obamacare, and its many confusing provisions, will make health care choices for veterans even more complicated.  As Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), one of the key architects of Obamacare, admitted this month, the looming implantation of Obamacare is a “train wreck.”  VA owes it to our Nation’s veterans to explain how they plan to protect veterans from the runaway train that is Obamacare.  
 

Congressman Miller at April 23rd Hearing

H.R. 1490
Last year, VA officials at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa, Florida admitted to videotaping a brain-damaged veteran using a covert smoke detector camera.  This hidden camera is the only one of its kind at any VA facility, and this type of behavior is as bizarre as it is outrageous.  To think that some VA employees actually thought it was a good idea to covertly record a patient with a video camera disguised as a smoke detector boggles the mind.  Perhaps even more alarmingly, when the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs questioned VA officials on the legality of this practice at a prior hearing, department officials contended they had done nothing wrong.  Well, I strongly disagree. 

I believe that the privacy rights of our nation’s veterans must be fully respected by the VA, and that is why I recently introduced H.R. 1490, the Veterans Privacy Act.  The Veterans Privacy Act would keep covert, Big Brother tactics out of VA medical centers and protect the sacred trust that should exist between VA and veteran patients by requiring VA to receive consent from patients before installing cameras in treatment rooms.  
 
Washington Update
Last week, the House voted unanimously to posthumously award a Congressional Gold Medal to Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley, in recognition of the 50th commemoration of the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama where these four innocent girls lost their lives.  This horrific event, which occurred while these young girls were preparing to attend Sunday School, shook our nation and sparked a surge of momentum in the Civil Rights Movement that helped secure the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.  With the 50th anniversary of this tragic event later this year, it is fitting that Congress commemorate the memory of these girls with the Congressional Gold Medal.
 
As always, I welcome your comments. To share your thoughts on legislation, votes or issues, please visit http://jeffmiller.house.gov/ to send an e-mail or call any of my offices.

Thanks,
Jeff

Miller Newsletter April 14, 2013

In the News
Last week, President Obama finally released his budget for fiscal year 2014.  By law, the President is required to submit his budget by the first Monday in February, and it is supposed to begin the budgetary process.  But, rather than take their fiscal responsibilities seriously, the Administration delayed the release of the budget until after both the House and Senate had already passed their budgets. 

The tardy release of the President’s budget—for the fourth time in his five years in office—simply underscores the Administration’s failure to take our fiscal challenges seriously.  Likewise, the content of the President’s budget fails to adequately address our debt and deficit.  Despite including more than $1 trillion in additional tax increases—in addition to using accounting gimmicks like counting already scheduled reductions related to the drawdown of military operations as new “savings”—the President’s budget never even comes close to balancing and would add $8.2 trillion in new debt.  In fact, the smallest deficit in the President’s ten year budget is $439 billion in 2023, which is only $19 billion less than the highest deficit ever recorded prior to the President taking office.  The President’s budget simply offers the same approach of growing government by taking more of the American taxpayer’s hard-earned dollars. 

Constituent Poll Results
The President’s budget also includes $222 million for new gun control efforts, despite the fact that this remains a contentious issue.  Last week, I asked you to weigh in on the gun control debate through a poll on my website.  As the results of the poll, published below, indicate the President’s decision to propose hundreds of millions of dollars on new gun control measures is far out of line with the views of the majority of people in Northwest Florida.
 

Constituent Voice
Every week, I receive thousands of letters and phone calls from constituents all across the Florida’s First Congressional District.  Without the input of hardworking Northwest Floridians, it would be nearly impossible for me to do my job.  One topic that seems to be consistently on the minds of constituents is the budget.   
As I outlined earlier, the President submitted his budget proposal last week, and, for the first time in four years, the Senate also passed a budget earlier this year.  Their proposals offer fundamentally different views of our future.  Unlike their proposals, I am a strong supporter of a balanced budget, and was glad to cast my vote in favor of the House Budget, which balances in 10 years, clears the path for economic growth and job creation through reduced taxes, and addresses the long-term drivers of our debt to ensure that both current and future generations have access to retirement and health security. 

Veterans Corner
Last Thursday, I chaired a hearing in the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs to determine how VA will use the funding in the President’s fiscal year 2014 budget to break VA’s disability benefits backlog, expand access to the department’s mental health care services and improve the quality and timeliness of overall services to veterans.

VA Secretary Erik Shinseki, along with various other VA officials, testified as part of the first panel.  On the second panel we heard from numerous Veterans Service Organizations, including the American Legion, AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Veterans of Foreign Wars. 

I have always been supportive of giving VA the resources it needs to accomplish its mission to serve our nations veterans; however, VA has consistently failed to overcome perennial challenges, including the claims backlog and access to mental health care, and deliver the results that VA officials have promised.  Congress has given VA everything it has asked for to fully fund the agency, the department now has an obligation to America’s veterans and taxpayers to ensure that any budget increases lead directly to increases in productivity and improved service to veterans.   

VA’s unacceptable claims backlog has also received the attention of various national and local news stations.  Last week, I was on MSBNC’s Morning Joe to discuss what we can do to reduce the backlog.  You can watch a video of a video of my appearance on Morning Joe by clicking the picture below.
 

Congressman Miller on Morning Joe

Legislative Activity
This spring, House Republicans will continue with a robust legislative agenda that focuses on creating an economic climate for growth and job creation, upholding American values, and supporting American families.  Throughout the month, I will provide updates on our legislative policies aimed at growing our economy through limited government and expanding the freedom and individual liberty that has made our nation great. 

In the House Chambers
The House passed multiple bills last week, but I would like to focus on two commonsense measures that are part of the House Republican agenda to promote economic growth and job creation.  I was glad to cast my vote in support of both of these bills.

On Wednesday, the House passed H.R. 678, the Bureau of Reclamation Small Conduit Hydropower Development and Rural Jobs Act by an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 416-7.  The Bureau of Reclamation oversees 47,000 miles of canals across the country.  Yet, duplicative and burdensome federal regulation has made it cost prohibitive to pursue hydropower development.  In fact, the cost of complying with the mountains of paperwork outweighs the entire economic cost of proposed developments.  H.R. 678 would solve this problem and help facilitate the construction of nearly 400 new hydropower projects.  These new projects would bring much needed economic benefits and will promote domestic energy security. 

Excessive regulation clearly hinders economic growth; however, regulatory uncertainty can be just as detrimental to job creation.  A great deal of the regulatory uncertainty in our economy today stems from the President’s January 2012 recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).  The President issued these three recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), despite the fact that the Senate was regularly meeting in pro forma session, and therefore not in recess.  These appointees have since voted on numerous NLRB rulings and created significant regulatory burdens and uncertainty in our economy. 

The constitutionality of the appointments has been called into question by millions of Americans and many Members of Congress, and this January, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals ruled that they were unconstitutional.  However, the ruling in the court’s case, Noel Canning vs. NLRB¸ only applies to the particular case in question.  Meanwhile, the NLRB continues to meet and issue rulings.  The NLRB’s continued operation only perpetuates a climate of economic uncertainty and means that decisions issued by the current NLRB cannot be relied upon at all.

In response to this situation, on Friday the House passed H.R. 1120, the Preventing Greater Uncertainty in Labor-Management Relations Act.  This bill would prohibit the NLRB from meeting and issuing rules until the administration’s appointees are confirmed by the Senate, or the Supreme Court determines the appointees to be constitutional.  By ensuring that the NLRB does not enforce any decisions made since January 2012, this bill would go a long way to restoring economic certainty and allowing our nation’s businesses to start hiring without fear of potentially unconstitutional NLRB decisions. 

In the District

EADS Airbus Assembly Plant Groundbreaking
I was glad to participate last Monday in the groundbreaking ceremony for the new EADS Airbus Assembly Plant in Mobile.  While located just outside of our district, this new plant will still bring thousands of jobs to the area and employ many Northwest Floridians, and we welcome the new addition to the Gulf Coast.
 

Congressman Miller Speaking at EADS Airbus Groundbreaking Ceremony

Congressional Art Competition
Last Thursday, my office and the Pensacola Museum of Art hosted an event to display the 48 submissions from our district for this year’s Congressional Art Competition and choose the one piece that will be sent to Washington to represent Florida’s First Congressional District.  The artwork on display from these young artists was truly impressive.  After much deliberation, “Self Portrait of Innocence” by Abby Harrison from Jay High School was selected as the winner of this year’s contest.  I would like to thank all of the students, their schools, and the Pensacola Museum of Art for their participation in the 2013 Congressional Art Competition. 
 

Congressional Art Competition Winner Abby Harrison displaying "Self Portrait of Innocence".

Some of the other submissions from this year's contest
As always, I welcome your comments. To share your thoughts on legislation, votes or issues, or call any of my offices.
Thanks,
Jeff

Miller Newsletter April 7, 2013

In the News
Last week, the United Nations held a vote on its U.N. Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), which would seek to impose U.N.-approved international gun control standards on the trade of arms.  Second Amendment advocates across the country have expressed serious concerns about this potential Treaty, and I joined more than 120 colleagues in the House of Representatives in sending a letter to the Administration outlining our concerns with the ATT and urging the Administration to reject any treaty that undermines our Constitutional rights or national security interests.  Because ratifying treaties is a sole Constitutional duty of the Senate, I have also signed onto legislation, H.CON.RES.23, which states it is the sense of Congress that the President not sign the Treaty, and that if he does, the Senate should not ratify it.  Many Senators also expressed serious reservations, and just last month 53 Senators supported an amendment to the Senate budget resolution opposing the ATT.

But, despite these reservations, the Administration directed their representative at the U.N. to vote in favor of the Arms Trade Treaty.  While the Treaty was adopted by the U.N., all treaties must also be ratified by a two-thirds majority of the Senate.  I am confident that the Senate will not ratify the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty; however, the Administration’s vote in favor of this measure, over the objections of millions of Americans, is a worrying signal. 

Constituent Voice
Every week, I receive thousands of letters and phone calls from constituents all across the Florida’s First Congressional District.  Without the input of hardworking Northwest Floridians, it would be nearly impossible for me to do my job.  I would like to highlight one of the issues that I have been hearing about from my constituents in the last week: the Arms Trade Treaty and gun control in general. 

I believe that the right to bear arms is a fundamental right enshrined in our Constitution.  As Congress continues to debate potential legislation on this issue, I would like to get your opinion.  Please click here to take a poll and let me know how you feel about this important issue.

Legislative Activity
In January of this year, I reintroduced legislation to grant the Congressional Gold Medal, collectively, to the First Special Service Force, in recognition of its superior service during World War II—H.R. 324.

The First Special Service Force (FSSF) was a covert World War II military unit born through the efforts of President Franklin Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The FSSF conducted ultra-high risk military missions in the Aleutian Islands, Italy, and southern France.  Once sent into action, the FSSF never failed a combat mission.  The FSSF contributed prominently in the liberation of Italy and France. Most notably, the Force conducted battles south of Cassino, including Monte La Difensa and Monte Majo, two mountain peaks critical to the German defensive line.  During the night of December 3, 1943, the Force ascended to the top of the precipitous face of Monte La Difensa, where the Force suffered heavy causalities but overcame fierce resistance to successfully overtake the German line. 

These forefathers of modern US Special Operations forces made a uniquely heroic contribution to the Allied war effort in WWII.  The FSSF lost a total of 2,314 men, 134 percent of the original combat force.  Amazingly, 177 of these brave soldiers are still alive with 120 in the United States spread across 37 states.  These heroic troops represent the breadth of American intrepidity and courage, and they have earned our country’s deepest gratitude and highest praise.

Currently H.R. 324 enjoys tremendous bi-partisan support throughout the House of Representatives with 305 cosponsors.  I hope to be able to write you soon to report that we’ve passed this important measure to grant these heroes the recognition they deserve!

In the District

Navy Federal Credit Union Expansion Announcement

Congressman Miller at Navy Federal Expansion Event
I had the pleasure of spending the constituent work period meeting with folks from around Northwest Florida.  On Wednesday, I was asked to speak at a ceremony celebrating the expansion of Navy Federal Credit Union’s Pensacola campus.  Navy Federal is one of many good businesses that strengthen economic growth and prosperity in our community.  Over the last 10 years, they have hired more than 2,800 new employees, and with their new expansion they plan to hire 1,500 more.  Companies like Navy Federal decide to create jobs in Northwest Florida thanks to the hard working attitude of Northwest Floridians.  We are pleased to have Navy Federal as a part of Northwest Florida’s thriving community and we look forward to many years of future growth along the Gulf Coast.

General Merchant Farewell

On Thursday, April 4, I had the opportunity to attend the farewell ceremony for Major General Ken Merchant and his wife, Sue.  Ken and Sue have been strong supporters of both the Eglin family and the local community as a whole.  Both Vicki and I join the rest of the community in wishing General and Mrs. Merchant best wishes and safe travels to their next duty assignment in Washington D.C.

Congressional Art Competition
 

The Congressional Art Competition, which began in 1982, is an annual competition open to high school students from across the country.  Each year, one student per congressional district is chosen to represent their district and have their artwork displayed for a year in the Cannon tunnel leading into the U.S. Capitol.
Last year’s representative from our district is Stephanie Gunton from Pace High School, whose artwork, entitled "Andrew," can be seen below.
 

"Andrew" by Stephanie Gunton from Pace High School


Stephanie's portrait "Andrew" displayed next to the other contest winners in the Cannon Tunnel
This Thursday at 6:00 pm my office along with the Pensacola Museum of Art will be hosting an event at the Pensacola Museum of Art located at 407 South Jefferson Street in Pensacola to display the 48 submissions from 14 schools for this year’s entry from Florida’s First Congressional District. I would like to invite you all to come down and support these talented young Northwest Floridians.

As always, I welcome your comments. To share your thoughts on legislation, votes or issues, please visit http://jeffmiller.house.gov/ to send an e-mail or call any of my offices.

Miller Newsletter March 31. 2013

Constituent Voice
Every week, I receive thousands of letters and phone calls from constituents all across the Florida’s First Congressional District.  Without the input of hardworking Northwest Floridians, it would be nearly impossible for me to do my job.  I would like to highlight one of the issues that I have been hearing about from my constituents in the last week. 

Perhaps the best way to begin this new section is with an issue that continues to weigh on the minds of thousands of people in Northwest Florida and millions across the country: Obamacare.  This month we passed the three year anniversary of the President’s massive government overhaul of our health care industry.  Yet, more than three years later, I continue to receive hundreds of letters, emails and phone calls each and every week on this issue, almost every single one of them calling for this law to be repealed and defunded. 

In the House, I have voted more than 30 times to repeal, defund, or dismantle the law, most recently on March 21 when I voted in support of the fiscal year 2014 House Republican Budget.  In addition to these votes, I recently signed on as a cosponsor of H.R. 1005, the Defund Obamacare Act introduced by Congressman Tom Graves (R-GA).  This simple one page bill would prohibit any taxpayer dollars from being used to implement or fund any portion of Obamacare.  I believe it is a commonsense solution to help ensure that the American people are not forced to spend trillions of dollars on Obamacare.

Veterans Corner
In December 2010, I was honored to be elected to serve as Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.  Coming from Northwest Florida, which has one of the largest populations of veterans anywhere in our country, I knew that this was a crucial opportunity to help serve and ensure that our nation’s veterans receive the recognition and benefits for their unparalleled service to our nation. 

Since being elected as Chairman, I have had the opportunity to hear from veterans and veterans’ service organizations from across the country on many important challenges facing the veteran community.  One of these recurring issues is the completely unacceptable VA claims backlog.  VA owes it to America’s veterans to formulate a realistic plan to eliminate the backlogs and work with Congress to tell us what they need to achieve this vital goal. 

On March 20, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs held a hearing to try and open up the honest conversation that must occur so that VA and Congress can work together to fix the backlog problem.  Unfortunately, VA has a history of sugar-coating the problems it faces and overstating its ability to solve those problems.  And the backlog issue is a particularly challenging problem that is getting better, not worse.  In fact, according to a March study released by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office, the average days to complete a claim have increased from 161 days in fiscal year 2009, to 260 days in fiscal year 2012.  As a result, nearly 900,000 veterans are waiting for VA to make a decision on their claim.  

The scope of VA’s problem is highlighted by the graphic below from the GAO, which compares the national average for the different phases of the claims process with VA’s stated national target.  As you can see VA currently spends nearly twice as much time gathering evidence and nearly five times as long making a rating decision as they should. 
 
I was glad to see VA Secretary Eric Shinseki announce on CNN’s State of the Union on March 24, that VA is installing electronic records systems to speed up the process and reach their stated goal of eliminating the backlog by 2015; however, Congress must maintain rigorous oversight of the department to ensure that poorly performing employees and management are held accountable.  It’s time to end that culture of complacency that has developed among some VA employees and replace it with a culture of accountability throughout every corner of the organization.  If a VA employee doesn’t want to do their job, the answer isn’t to move them to another VA office. The answer is to remove them from VA altogether and replace them with someone willing and able to fully and properly serve our nation’s heroes. 

In The News
Last week the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of United States v. Windsor.  In this case the Supreme Court will decide whether the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is constitutional.  DOMA—which was passed by an overwhelming bipartisan majority of 342-67 in the House and 85-14 in the Senate—defines marriage as an institution between one man and one woman.  Marriage has been one of the institutional bedrocks of human society for thousands of years, and I am strong supporter of the Defense of Marriage Act. 

Unfortunately, despite the fact that DOMA is the law of the land, the Obama Administration refused to defend the law in court.  In fact, his Administration went so far as to send not one, but two Justice Department officials to argue before the Supreme Court that DOMA is unconstitutional. 

House Republicans understand that millions of Americans support the traditional definition of marriage and want to see DOMA defended and upheld.  Because the Administration refused to defend this law, House Republicans have used the House’s Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group (BLAG) to appoint attorneys to defend DOMA in court. 

The Supreme Court is expected to rule on this important issue in June, and I am hopeful that they will uphold DOMA and affirm its constitutionality. 

In the District
Last week, I was delighted to be in Northwest Florida during the Constituent Work Week. I was pleased to meet with state officials and local farmers in Jay to receive updates on the Farm Service Agency plans in Northwest Florida.

Miller Newsletter March 24, 2013

Since the American people elected a Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010, we have been focused on balancing the budget and restoring fiscal responsibility to Washington.  Balancing a budget should be an essential responsibility of governing, and it is a responsibility that House Republicans do not take lightly.  We understand that serving in the People’s House is a privilege and that the American people expect fiscal responsibility from their elected leaders. 

Without a balanced budget, it is impossible to rein in Washington’s out-of-control spending or reduce our nation’s mounting debt, and a balanced budget also unleashes our nation’s full economic potential and leads to sustained economic growth and prosperity.  Americans across the country are strongly in favor of a balanced budget, and last week I was glad to be able to cast my vote in favor of the House Republican budget for fiscal year 2014. 

As I outlined in my newsletter last week, our budget balances within ten years and lays the foundation for a prosperous future though commonsense spending reductions, pro-growth tax reform, and meaningful entitlement reforms that preserve retirement security for our nation’s seniors without bankrupting these programs or cutting the quality of the services they provide. 

For the last four years, the budget process would have simply stalled after the House passed its budget; however, this year—thanks to the House-led No Budget, No Pay Act of 2013—the Senate finally joined the House and passed their own budget for the first time in four years.  Their budget offers a fundamentally different vision for our future, one based on the excessive spending and big government ideology that helped drive us into our current fiscal troubles. 

Unlike the House budget—which would reduce the size and scope of government to allow American ingenuity and hard work to drive economic growth and prosperity—the Senate’s budget calls for yet another massive tax increase of more than $900 billion plus an additional $100 billion in already failed stimulus spending.  Yet, even with the Senate’s massive tax hike, they still fail to live up to the basic responsibility of balancing a budget. 

Simply put, the Senate’s budget never balances because the Senate leadership refuses to cut spending or address the drivers of our debt.  But, despite the fact that their budget never balances, the Chairwoman of the Senate Budget Committee, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), told the American people just last week in a USA Today op-ed “Our budget is balanced.”  So, it seems that Senate Democrats understand that a vast majority of Americans favor a balanced budget.  Yet, instead of producing a budget that does balance, they release the same old ideas of excessive spending and unreasonable taxes and then tell the American people that their budget is balanced. 

Senate Democrats call their budget “balanced” because they don’t want the American people to take a closer look at what they have proposed.  Rather than cut spending, the Senate budget uses accounting gimmicks that count already planned reductions in war spending and one-time emergency spending measures as part of their baseline.  When these gimmicks are taken away, the Senate budget actually increases spending by $265 billion. 

The Senate budget looks at our deficit problem and offers only one solution—taking more of the American people’s hard earned tax dollars.  This is a fatally flawed approach.  In fact, according to information recently released by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, if we attempt to stabilize our debt using only tax increases, as the Senate budget proposes,  tax rates on all Americans would have to increase to 33 percent in 2023, 48 percent in 2030, and a truly astounding 86 percent by 2050. 

The House and Senate have put forward two very different possibilities for our nation’s fiscal future.  Ultimately, it is up to the American people to decide whether to follow the limited government, pro-growth approach offered in the House’s path to prosperity, or to follow the Senate’s tax-and-spend road to ruin. 

Miller Newsletter March 17, 2013

All across our nation, American families are taking a look at the money they have and budgeting to meet their expenses.  They understand that it isn’t always easy to budget, but it is necessary.  Yet, for too long big government advocates in Washington have insisted that our federal government does not need to live within its own budget, and years of government expansion and overreach have added trillions of dollars of debt and left our economy weaker.
 
In fact, our total national debt recently eclipsed the size of our entire economy, and, without action to reverse this trend and restore fiscal responsibility to Washington, our debt is a serious threat to the future prosperity of our nation.  Our federal government was created by the people and for the people, and it has a moral responsibility to carry out its constitutional duties without bankrupting the American people.
 
Since taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010, conservatives have acted on numerous occasions to reduce spending, eliminate waste, and put us on a path to a balanced budget.  We have released and passed our budgets in the House each and every year, while the Senate has failed to pass a budget in over four years, and the President has failed to deliver his budget on time four times in five years in office.  Their constant failure to meet their budgetary obligations is a clear indication to the American people that the current Administration and the Senate leadership are not serious about solving our fiscal challenges.
 
Fiscal responsibility starts with a budget.  Last week the House Budget Committee, led by Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, released the House Republican budget for fiscal year 2014.  The House Republican budget cuts $4.6 trillion in wasteful government spending and balances our budget in 10 years, while also fixing our broken tax code to help our nation’s businesses invest and hire new workers, repealing Obamacare, and making commonsense reforms to our entitlement programs to strengthen these programs for current and future beneficiaries and ensure that the promises of retirement security made to the American people are not broken due to Washington’s fiscal irresponsibility.
 
Simply put, Washington can’t keep spending money it doesn’t have.  Balancing the budget is a commonsense solution to our fiscal challenges that would also strengthen our economy spurring private investment and increasing productivity.  Our budget cuts responsibly, while protecting key priorities like national security.  It eliminates waste through anti-fraud accounts and returns federal spending to its historical levels.
 
Reducing spending and balancing our budget would not only save future generations from a massive debt burden, it would also provide sustained economic growth for years to come.  According to analysis from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, $4 trillion in spending cuts over the next ten years would result in an additional increase of 1.7 percent of our gross national product in 2023.  In a time where our economy has been struggling to grow at all, this increase would mean more jobs and higher wages for American workers, while also putting us on a path to solve our debt issues once and for all.
 
Our budget also includes a much needed overhaul of our tax code.  American families and businesses must navigate a labyrinth of confusing credits, deductions, and phase-outs, and this complexity means that they are forced to spend more than $160 billion and 6 billion hours every year simply trying to comply with the tax code.  The House budget would set the way for further work being done by the Ways and Means Committee to simplify the tax code by consolidating the seven individual brackets into two with a first bracket of 10 percent and a top bracket of 25 percent, reducing the corporate tax rate from one of the highest rates in the world to a commonsense system that allows American businesses to be competitive in the global economy, and reducing the amount of time and money that Americans spend just trying to file their taxes.
 
We know that tax reform will spur further economic growth and prosperity.  In 1981, President Reagan came into office amid a stagnant economy with a mystifying tax code that included 16 brackets and a top rate of an astounding 70 percent.  President Reagan made bipartisan tax reform a foundation of his economic policy. He reduced the number of brackets down to three and the top rate down to 28 percent, and our nation saw an unprecedented economic boom that lasted through the 1990s. 
 
House Republicans also understand that we must act to reform our entitlement programs.  Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid have trillions of dollars in unfunded liabilities, and without reforms Americans will face a sharp cut in benefits that will put not only the solvency of our government at risk and our economic future, but also severely jeopardize the ability of the government to protect the promise of retirement security for current and future beneficiaries.
 
Health care costs in our country are growing, and currently average seniors receive $3.66 of Medicare coverage for every $1 that they contributed during their working life.  But, this imbalance can be solved without reducing the quality of care to either current or future beneficiaries.  Our budget does just that by preserving the current Medicare system for those in or near retirement, ending the raid on the Medicare trust fund, introducing means-testing for high-income seniors, repealing the health-care rationing board established in Obamacare, and making commonsense reforms for future generations that allow consumers, not the federal government, to drive innovation and competition in the free market.  By offering multiple guaranteed coverage options for future seniors, including the traditional Medicare option, our reforms would drive health care providers to compete against each other to offer higher quality care at lower prices. 
 
The Senate also released a budget of their own last week; however, their budget offers no real solution to our debt crisis and includes yet another $975 billion in tax increases and only $975 billion in deficit reduction.  But, even the $975 billion in supposed deficit reduction, which is far below what our nation and economy requires, includes “savings” from winding down the war in Afghanistan and it also counts “savings” from emergency spending, like Hurricane Sandy relief, that are set to expire anyway.  Our House budget does not use these flawed baseline gimmicks, which automatically assumes that we will spend money that everyone knows is set to expire.  But, if you counted the House plan using the Senate’s method then our budget would include $5.7 trillion in cuts.  And, on top of the tax increases and budget gimmicks, the Senate budget even includes $100 billion in new stimulus spending.  The disparity between the savings in the House and Senate budgets, and the willingness of the Senate to use gimmicks to tout savings where none exist, is simply further evidence that Senate Democrats are more interested in raising taxes yet again than averting a debt crisis or ensuring the long-term solvency of our entitlement programs.
 
Our nation is facing many serious fiscal challenges that must be addressed to preserve the future prosperity of our nation and the solvency of our entitlement programs.  The House Republican budget is a commonsense plan to put our nation back on a prosperous path through responsible spending cuts, an overhaul of our tax code, and entitlement reform that will preserve the hard earned retirement security of current seniors and ensure that future generations of Americans do not inherit a massive debt burden and a diminished economic future, while the Senate Democrat budget is simply more of the same big government tax and spend policies.  Our budget is recognition of the obligation that Washington has to fulfill its constitutional duties in a responsible manner that extends opportunities for all Americans to use their God-given freedoms and liberties to pursue the American Dream.

Miller Newsletter March 10, 2013

Last week, the House of Representatives passed a continuing resolution, or CR, to fund the government for the remainder of the fiscal year.  This bill—the Department of Defense, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013—is part of an ongoing effort by House Republicans to restore fiscal responsibility to our federal budget.  This bill represents the largest real reduction in discretionary spending since the end of World War II, while also making important changes to our defense budget that will give the Department of Defense more flexibility to deal with the harmful effects of President Obama’s sequester.  The House-passed CR also continues our efforts to defund Obamacare by withholding funds from several federal agencies charged with setting the law in motion, and it lays the foundation for the House’s Budget for fiscal year 2014, which is scheduled to be released this coming week.
 
While Members of the House have and continue to work to address our fiscal challenges, the President continues to criticize House Republicans, saying that our efforts to stop Washington from wasting taxpayer dollars “will impede [federal agencies] ability to provide services to Americans and efficiently allocate funding to key programs including those in infrastructure, clean energy, education, and research and development.”
 
Rather than criticizing the House for fulfilling our responsibility to the American people, the President should be hard at work preparing his 2014 budget, which is already more than a month late.  To date, the Administration has still refused to give a timeline for the release of their budget, despite the fact that, under current law, the President should have submitted his budget no later than February 4, 2013.
 
Recent news reports indicate that the President is not expected to deliver his budget until early April, which would represent the longest budget delay of any incumbent President in U.S. history.  When one of the most pressing concerns of Americans across the country is federal spending and our mounting debt, you would think that the President would be doing everything he could to finish his budget ahead of schedule, not months late.  But the President’s failure to meet his budget deadlines seems to be a recurring problem, and it is simply another reminder to the American people that, despite his rhetoric, the President is not serious about our rapidly growing debt.
 
In fact, this year will mark the fourth time in five years that President Obama’s budget has been delivered late.  But, perhaps Americans should not be surprised by the Administration’s failure to meet its obligations, considering Senate Democrats have failed to pass a budget for more than 1,000 days, ignoring their legal requirement to pass a budget resolution by April 15 each year.
 
Meanwhile, House Republicans have passed legislation to fund the government for the rest of this year at a level that returns us to the pre-Pelosi Congress spending levels, and we are on pace to release our budget ahead of schedule this coming week.  Our budget will demonstrate, once again, that House Republicans are serious about reducing the size of government and solving our debt crisis, and it will include a full repeal of Obamacare and restore fiscal responsibility to Washington by balancing within ten years.
 
President Obama and Senate Democrats have an obligation to the American people to address our debt.  I hope they will begin by passing our continuing resolution to keep the government open, help meet the needs of our troops and veterans, while also providing meaningful spending cuts that pave the way for a balanced budget. 

Miller Newsletter March 3, 2013

Americans have known since November 2011 that automatic across-the-board spending cuts, known as sequestration, were set to take place this year.  While we must work to reduce government spending and put our nation back on a path to fiscal responsibility, House Republicans quickly recognized that there is a better way to cut spending.  Yet, for more than a year and a half, House-led efforts to replace sequestration with measured, commonsense cuts to reduce government spending have been met with constant opposition from the White House and the Senate leadership. 

In fact, from the beginning, President Obama sent a very clear message about his views on sequestration when he said, on November 17, 2011, he would “not accept any measure that attempts to turn off part of the sequester.” The President then reiterated this point, telling the American people on November 21, 2011, “My message to them is simple:  No.  I will veto any effort to get rid of those automatic spending cuts to domestic and defense spending.  There will be no easy off ramps on this one.”  After making his position on sequestration abundantly clear, the President had an opportunity to put forward an alternative plan in his budget proposal.  But, his 2013 budget proposal, released in February 2012, did not address sequestration at all.  Instead the President put forward a blueprint of higher taxes and increased spending. 

While President Obama was busy campaigning, House Republicans introduced and passed the Sequester Replacement Reconciliation Act of 2012 on May 10, 2012. Meanwhile, the Administration was too busy doubling down on its message that they would not accept a substitute for sequestration.  Only a few weeks prior to the House passage of the Sequester Replacement Act, on April 18, 2012, Jeffrey Zients, the Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget, sent a letter to the House Appropriations Committee, with a further veto threat.  In his letter, the Administration told Congress that “until the House of Representatives indicates that it will abide by last summer’s agreement, the president will not sign any appropriations bills.” 

The Administration then went back to ignoring sequestration completely, until President Obama was forced to comment on it during the Presidential debate on October 22, 2012. When asked during the debate at Lynn University in Boca Raton about sequestration, President Obama said, “First of all, the sequester is not something I proposed, it's something that Congress proposed.  It will not happen.”  But the American people now know, the President was wrong on both points.  As the Pulitzer Prize winning Washington Post journalist Bob Woodward chronicled in his latest book, the idea for sequestration came directly from the White House, who then sold the idea to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.  The President’s own Press Secretary, Jay Carney, was forced to admit on February 12, 2013, “Sequester was one of the ideas put forward, yes, by the President's team.” 

After news emerged that the sequester was the White House’s idea, the Administration resorted to scare tactics to try and distort the true impact of sequestration. In recent days, the President and various members of his cabinet have gone on national television to tell the American people that sequestration would cause thousands of teachers to lose their jobs, massive flight delays, reductions in border security personnel, and an end to federal meat inspections.  On February 19, the President gathered a group of first responders to the White House and told them, “Are you willing to have teachers laid off, or kids not have access to Head Start, or deeper cuts in student loan programs just because you want to protect a special tax interest loophole that the vast majority of Americans don’t benefit from? That’s the choice. That’s the question.”  But these are exaggerations and false choices used to divert the public’s attention from the fact that the President has done nothing to address sequestration. 

Rather than substantiate the President’s claims, the Administration trotted out its cabinet members to go on the Sunday shows and scare people even more. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan went on CBS’s Face the Nation on February 24 and told the American people “as many as 40,000 teachers could lose their jobs ... There are literally teachers now who are getting pink slips, who are getting notices that they can’t come back this fall.”  But when the Washington Post fact-checked these claims they found them to be utterly false, writing “Duncan’s lack of seriousness about being scrupulously factual undercuts the administration’s claim that the cuts are a serious problem,”  going on to write that, “Duncan made this claim not once, not twice, but three times… Next time, before going on television, check your facts.”