Friends, Last week, in a House Republican led effort to stop government abuse, we passed a series of bills that will hold agencies and their employees accountable for their actions, empower and protect citizens in their interactions with the federal government, help stop the flood of new red tape and regulations, and rein in lavish spending on conferences and travel by unelected bureaucrats. On President Obama’s watch, the size and scope of government has grown at an unprecedented rate and so have the abuses of power. Rightfully so, the American people’s trust in their government has also been severely diminished. Every day, I am fighting back because I believe we must limit government, protect Americans’ freedoms, and allow opportunity to once again flourish. Among others, the House passed these commonsense bills last week to help bring our government under control: Holding the President Accountable with The REINS Act The House of Representatives voted to stop President Obama’s abuse of executive power by passing H.R. 367, the REINS Act—bipartisan legislation I cosponsored requiring that any new major rule or executive order be voted on by Congress before it is imposed on hardworking families and small businesses. The fact is, regardless of which party controls the White House, the president cannot act unilaterally to make new laws. For too long, Congress has ceded authority to the president that rightfully belongs within the legislative branch. The REINS Act is common sense legislation to reform our regulatory process, protect the checks and balances set forth by our founding fathers, and hold the president accountable. Keeping the IRS Out of Obamacare The revelations about the IRS’ political targeting of conservative groups earlier this year proved that this agency cannot be trusted to administer our laws in a fair and impartial way; yet as it stands today, the IRS will be tasked with administering 47 tax provisions of Obamacare. When it comes to an individual’s health care decisions, no American should be forced to answer to the IRS. That’s why cosponsored and voted to pass H.R. 2009, the Keep the IRS Off Your Health Care Act—legislation to prohibit the IRS from enforcing or implementing ANY provision of Obamacare. If the President and Senate Democrats are interested in protecting American taxpayers, they must join the House of Representatives in passing H.R. 2009 without delay. Fighting Back Against the EPA’s Job Killing Regulations Protecting our environment is important and should be devoid of politics. Unfortunately, the overly-broad, politically motivated environmental regulations from President Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have only served to weaken our economy and drive businesses overseas. It is notright for unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats to have free rein in issuing burdensome regulations that result in higher electricity prices, lower energy reliability, and job losses. That is why I voted to pass H.R. 1582, the Energy Consumers Relief Act of 2013. This legislation would require the EPA to provide a cost-benefit analysis of the impact that any major new regulation will have on jobs and energy prices. Further, this bill prohibits the EPA from finalizing any rule that the Department of Energy deems to have an adverse impact on our economy. I was proud to support this legislation to restore congressional oversight to the EPA’s activities. I hope the Senate will follow the House of Representatives’ lead and take up these must-pass, bipartisan pieces of legislation to ensure greater transparency and accountability throughout government. Sincerely, Diane Black Member of Congress
Posted on: Mon, 05 Aug 2013 22:43:14 +0000
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