đ đđ Maude and I would like to wish you and your loved ones a blessed and very Merry Christmas!
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in clothes and lying in a manager. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, âGlory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on who his favor rests.â
Luke 2:11-14
Click here for a sneak preview of a very Merry Mineral Monday that I will post tomorrow on Facebook and Twitter (X)!
Congressional Conservatives Reject âCrapnibus,â Pass Clean Bill to Fund Government
Allow me to âunwrapâ the government funding fiasco that occurred this week in Washington, D.C. and bring some much-needed clarity into what occurred. I will begin by noting that Democrats were hoping for two things: either a massive liberal spending bill or a government shutdown.  Be sure to keep reading as I will explain more about this later.  Democrats almost got their wishes, but I was not going to let that happen.
Throughout the course of the week, three different spending bills, known as continuing resolutions, or CRs, emerged. The first CR was a colossal disaster. Facing tremendous opposition from President-elect Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy, Elon Musk and conservatives in Congress including me, Speaker Mike Johnson saw the writing on the wall, albeit late, and wisely pulled the disastrous 1,547-page bill I referred to as a âcrapnibusâ that was chocked full of billions of dollars in wasteful spending to buy off liberals in Congress and included an undeserved pay raise for members of Congress. I vehemently opposed this reckless spending proposal negotiated behind closed doors and repeatedly made my objections known to Speaker Johnson. If you were hibernating and just awoke to read my newsletter, click here to read more about how horrific this original spending plan was.  To be candid, it was unconscionable that Speaker Johnson negotiated this garbage with Hakeem Jeffries and I made that point quite clear.
Sadly, this is what happens when congressional leaders repeatedly kick the can down the road and refuse to fund our federal government in a transparent and fiscally responsible manner.  I remain extremely disappointed by Congressâ unwillingness to pass the twelve annual spending bills for the new fiscal year.  It is inexcusable to me that Congress is either unable or unwilling to fulfill its obligation to produce a federal budget in a responsible, timely fashion. Weeks ago, I warned against an end-of-the-year âChristmas Treeâ strategy for the spending bill, which was the last âmust passâ piece of legislation on the congressional schedule before Congress adjourned for the holiday season. I predicted that congressional leaders were going to try and use it as a âHail Maryâ pass for more government spending and liberal policy items in a frantic last dash before the end of the year and I was exactly right.
The American people donât want and cannot afford more of the same kind of break-neck speed spending that has put our nation into record $36 trillion debt and crippling inflation. Instead, the American people overwhelmingly elected Donald Trump and gave Republicans the majority in the House and Senate to fight for conservative policy wins, not back ourselves into a corner only to surrender to Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer and RINO Mitch McConnell.  The deal sucked and there was no way I could support it. The American people are sick of this crap.
Next, the Speaker offered a second and much-improved CR.  However, it included a provision to suspend the nationâs debt ceiling for two years at a cost of more than $4 trillion. As I noted above, America is going bankrupt thanks to our $36 trillion national debt.  Anyone who has followed my voting history knows that I have never once voted to increase the nationâs debt ceiling and, while this CR was vastly better than the first, the American people voted to go in a different direction. Without equivalent reductions in wasteful spending to offset the $4 trillion price tag I simply could not vote to support increasing the debt ceiling. Thankfully, Republicans and President-elect Trump have instead reached an agreement to commit to cutting trillions in wasteful government spending when Congress must consider raising the debt ceiling early next year.
After killing the original âcrapnibusâ with my help, Congress finally got serious and passed the third and best option: a âcleanâ three-month continuing resolution to fund the government until mid-March 2025. By the way, the term âcleanâ CR means it is free of any extraneous spending or policy provisions like those included in the original 1,547-page âcrapnibus.â I will be candid; I am not a fan of continuing resolutions. However, this third âcleanâ CR option gave House Republicans the best opportunity to chart a fiscally responsible path forward and paves the way for President Trump to implement his first 100-day agenda to improve the economy, secure the border and advance our America First agenda by eliminating the prospect of a government shutdown days before President-elect Trump is to be sworn in â which is exactly what Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries were hoping for. I wasnât about to fall for their ploy. Why, you ask?  Iâve seen the so-called ânegotiating skillsâ of Mike Johnson for over a year. Unfortunately, on every important issue, he has caved to Schumer, Jeffries and Biden.  This time it was no different. The reality is that the Swamp manufactured this crisis. A government shutdown would have interfered with Donald Trumpâs ambitious plan to rebuild and restore America because he, along with Republicans in Congress, would be too busy being distracted with negotiations with Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, who are desperate to sabotage President-elect Trumpâs agenda.
With passage of this clean CR, President Trump, instead of Mike Johnson, will now be at the head of the negotiating table and will be able to participate in the FY25 appropriations process.  Letâs face it, the country is better off with Donald Trump, not Mike Johnson, leading the way.  Importantly, the CR also funded the salaries and provided a much-need pay increase for our brave men and women and uniform. I wasnât about to allow them to go without pay, especially during the Christmas season.
Vets SAFE Act Passes Senate, on to Bidenâs Desk for Signature
Good news: I am very pleased that my common-sense bill also passed the Senate this week and will now be sent to Mr. Bidenâs desk for signature and enactment. No American veteran, particularly disabled veterans, should be hassled at our airports. With successful passage in the Senate, the VETS Safe Travel Act is one step closer to becoming law.
Social Security bill repealing WEP and GPO heads to Bidenâs desk
More good news this Christmas season! More good news this Christmas season!  A few weeks ago, I shared in my newsletter that the House of Representatives passed the Social Security Fairness Act, legislation that I cosponsored to repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset to deliver higher Social Security benefits to millions of public sector retirees, including teachers, police officers and firefighters.  At the time, I promised I would provide updates. This week the Senate also passed the Social Security Fairness Act!! This important legislation has been reintroduced each Congress for decades but has not received a vote in either chamber until this year. The bill now goes to Joe Biden for his signature after the Senate gave its final approval early Saturday morning.
Tweet of the Week:
Photo of the Week:
đ¸Â Suzi and Scott Bailey from Prescott, AZ have been members of the Prescott Antique Auto Club for more than three decades and sent in this festive photo of their 1951 antique farm truck taken at Prescottâs annual Christmas parade.  Itâs perfect, Suzi and Scott. Thanks for sharing and Merry Christmas!
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Do you want the chance for your photograph to be featured as our âPicture of the Week?â  If so, send your best shots along with a brief description to Anthony.foti@mail.house.gov. Remember to include your name and where you live.
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