While Congress has managed to accomplish quite a bit over the last nine months, other external matters unrelated to our agenda have sucked up all the oxygen, keeping people’s attention away from important policy issues. Case in point: Congress averted a government shutdown on Wednesday night by passing a major spending bill to fund the critical programs and agencies Americans rely on -- but you might have missed this news because the national media hasn’t given it any air time.
Despite these distractions, my colleagues and I haven’t let the noise take our attention away from working to cut down on burdensome regulations, create jobs, and get our economy back on track. We’ve made significant investments to combat the opioid crisis, end human trafficking, target dangerous criminals, and make schools safer.
We’ve continued to honor and support our brave men and women in uniform by increasing funding for military training and readiness programs, equipment, and quality-of-life programs for our troops and their families. We’ve also made significant reforms to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA) to provide better care to our veterans.
The House also continued its work this week to deliver relief to hardworking Americans through tax reform.
Learn more below about some of the significant measures included in these bills:
H.R. 6157, the Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2019
In addition to funding the federal government through December 7th, this legislation fully funds the Department of Defense (DOD), ensuring our troops have access to the training, programs, and resources needed to carry out their missions and return home safely. This is the first time in more than a decade that the DOD will be fully funded on time.
The Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations portion of this legislation prioritizes funding to protect health, labor, and safety standards. The bill boosts funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) by $2 billion to support life-saving research for Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and opioids. It also prioritizes funding to keep our children safe on school grounds by supporting mental health, surveillance, and other protective measures. Finally, the Labor portion of the package makes important investments in future generations by funding programs that will help students acquire the skills they need to compete for good-paying jobs.
H.R. 6760, the Protecting Family and Small Business Tax Cuts Act
As you may remember, the House version of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act originally made tax cuts for individuals and small businesses permanent. However, the cuts were eventually made temporary by the Senate to abide by budget reconciliation rules and are currently set to expire in 2025. To ensure we continue doing everything possible to bring relief to hardworking Americans, while giving our nation’s job creators significant potential for reinvestment and growth, the House passed the Protecting Family and Small Business Tax Cuts Act this week, legislation to make the individual and small business tax cuts from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act permanent. It’s remained a top priority of mine to ensure these tax cuts were eventually made permanent for families and small businesses and I’m pleased to see the House advance this important legislation before the end of the year.
Washington Visitors
It’s always nice to see familiar faces while I’m in Washington. Below are some of the Nevadans I met with this week.
I had a productive meeting on Thursday with legislative affairs representative Scott Gilles and Reno City Manager Sabra Smith Newby to discuss important issues related to transportation, federal lands, and affordable housing. Thanks for stopping by!
In Case You Missed It
Appropriations Wins for Nevadans
Earlier this month, the House voted on H.R. 5895, the Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act of 2019, a package of appropriations bills that provides funding for national defense nuclear weapons activities; the Army Corps of Engineers; various programs under the Department of Energy (DOE); the Legislative Branch; the Department of Veterans Affairs; military construction and family housing for the Department of Defense; and other related agencies. My staff and I also worked hard to secure funding for several Nevada-centric priorities in this legislation, in addition to a measure that instructs the Department of Energy (DOE) to review the details of any facility of the Nevada System of Higher Education, as defined by the State of Nevada that is contaminated with radium to determine whether the Department has a legal liability or authorization for remediation of such facility. Learn more about this bill below.
Specifically, H.R. 5895 provides funding to support:
- Water conservation and delivery projects;
- Rural water projects;
- Nevada’s Desert Research Institute (DRI) for urban flood management; and
- Nevada’s National Guard readiness programs and priorities;
House Unanimously Passes the Nevada Lands Bill Technical Corrections Act
On Tuesday, the House unanimously passed the Nevada Lands Bill Technical Corrections Act, legislation I introduced that will boost economic growth and development across Nevada while strengthening conservation efforts. I would like to acknowledge and thank my colleagues on the House Natural Resources Committee for making this bill a priority and moving it through the House. I’m pleased to see this legislation advance with unanimous, bipartisan support and will continue working for common-sense policies that give businesses in Nevada increased opportunities for growth and success.
Click here to learn more.
Supporting Our Nation’s Small Businesses
I was honored to stop by the Reno-Sparks Chamber of Commerce earlier this month to receive the ‘Spirit of Enterprise’ award for my work in Congress on behalf of our nation’s small business owners. These job creators are the backbone of our nation’s economy and I will continue to support policies that ensure these key drivers of economic development continue to succeed. Thanks for having me.
Reviving Our Economy
After years of struggling to get ahead, the American people are finally seeing jobs, opportunity, and economic growth. As a direct result of Congress passing a historic tax reform bill last year, unemployment is at a historic low, job openings are at record highs, paychecks are growing, and wages are rising.
While there is always more work to be done, I’m pleased to see that our commitment to advancing polices that cut down on burdensome regulations and government-knows-best policies are helping improve people’s lives and making it easier for families to get ahead. If anything, these last several months should serve as a reminder of how, with some patience and persistence, the legislative process can work when we place the issues ahead of the politics.
As always, thank you for subscribing to the Amodei Report. I look forward to keeping you updated on the issues you care about most. For additional information, please visit my website at amodei.house.gov or call my Washington office: (202) 225-6155, Reno office: (775) 686-5760 or Elko office: (775) 777-7705. To receive updates on what I am doing in Washington and in Nevada’s 2nd District follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.
