Dear Friends,As I continue to travel around Tennessee’s Sixth District, folks always approach me with the same message: We want Washington to get off our backs so we can live our lives the best way we know how. I hear you and I am looking forward to taking these concerns back to Washington when I return to the Capitol in the coming days. In the meantime, here are a few things that have been on my radar this past week. First, the good news:
Federal Judge Places Injunction on EPA’s Harmful WOTUS Rule
Yesterday, a federal judge in North Dakota upheld a lawsuit brought by 13 states against the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Waters of the United States” rule, commonly referred to as WOTUS. This senseless government overreach would place burdensome and costly constraints on farmers, including potentially landing farmers who are just trying to do their job with a $37,500 daily penalty unless they go through the time consuming process of obtaining a government permit. When speaking about the rule the judge said “The risk of irreparable harm to the states is both imminent and likely.” While the 13 states who files suit will receive a temporary injunction from having to implement the regulation, every other state – including Tennessee – must begin compliance today. With 13,000 farms in Tennessee’s Sixth District alone, this rule could harm the livelihoods of the very people who put food on our plates.
While blocking this rule will be a long and difficult task, conservatives in Congress are working on several strategies to protect America’s agriculture community from this burdensome rule. For example, earlier this year, I voted for and the House passed the Regulatory Integrity Protection Act of 2015, which would effectively stop the WOTUS rule from being implemented. We are now waiting for the Senate to take the bill up for a vote.
NLRB Decision Threatens Jobs and Small Businesses
In another politically-driven move from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the organization chose labor bosses over small franchise and contract owners – and the countless Americans that depend on these employers for jobs. Under the decision that came down yesterday, subcontractors will now be redefined as direct employees of the corporation they work for. This means that the many franchise fast food chains throughout our community, which operate like small businesses, risk losing their autonomy and ability to make the best decisions for their customers and employees. Anti-business decisions like this are why I previously voted to defund the NLRB in its entirety. Small businesses are the bread and butter of our economy and the nation’s largest employers – the stakes are far too high to let this decision stand. I am committed to working with my colleagues in Congress to develop a legislative response to this irresponsible rule.
Obamacare Premium Rates Skyrocket in Tennessee
Late last week, our states largest insurer – Blue Cross Blue Shield – was approved for a 36.3 percent average increase in premiums for 2016, with select premiums increasing by up to 59.5 percent. The President repeatedly promised Americans that his healthcare law would save families an average of $2,500 per year. Now, Tennesseans are seeing once again that nothing could be further from the truth. As I recently stated, “My House colleagues and I will continue taking action wherever possible to offer relief from the most onerous provisions of Obamacare, but this staggering rate increase is a reminder of why we need a Commander-in-Chief who will partner with us to start over on healthcare reform.”
Weighing in with Gov. Palin about the fight to defund Planned Parenthood
Earlier this week I had the privilege of joining Gov. Sarah Palin on One America News Network to discuss the urgent need to defund America’s largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood. Gov. Palin agrees that House leadership must immediately bring up my bill, the Defund Planned Parenthood Act, so that we can stop taxpayer dollars from being used by this callous organization.
