The spirit of the holiday season unites us in several ways. Like many Nevadans, my family has an annual tradition of coming together to reflect on everything we’re thankful for. This year, I’d like to carry that same tradition over to the work my office and I do each day. So as 2018 comes to a close, let’s take a look at some positives.
The 115th Congress made significant investments to: combat the opioid crisis, end human trafficking, target dangerous criminals, and make schools safer. We 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 continued to show gratitude to our nation’s heroes by making significant reforms to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA), authorizing the largest amount of funding in the history of the VA to improve quality of care for vets.
Finally, we promised you a better economy. After years of struggling to get ahead, I’m pleased to report Americans are finally seeing jobs, opportunities, and consumer confidence come roaring back as a direct result of Congress passing tax reform. Here in CD-2, unemployment is at historic lows and residents have seen a median increase in income of 5.2%.
In addition to being thankful for these accomplishments, I’m equally thankful for the opportunity to serve you – the people of Nevada’s Second Congressional District. When it comes to constituent services, Team Amodei’s priorities will always be accessibility and responsiveness.
If you’re ever unable to get the answers you need, or if you have been treated unfairly, our job is to intervene on your behalf. From resolving issues with federal agencies, to coordinating visits to our nation’s capital, my office helped Nevadans with several matters in 2018, and I’d like to take a moment to reflect on some of those highlights below.
This year, I traveled more than 157,000 miles meeting with nearly 600 groups and organizations throughout our district and in Washington, D.C. In addition to answering 84,755 constituent letters, my office helped 361 Nevadans with cases involving a federal agency, returning $136,921 to constituents in unpaid benefits withheld by the federal government.
I’m grateful for the continued opportunity to serve you folks. We have achieved a lot together over these last seven years, and I look forward to working with you in the 116th Congress as we continue making a difference for Nevada.
Washington, D.C. Wrap-up
With only a few working days left in the 115th Congress, the House took critical action last week to pass a five-year Farm Bill. This legislation will ensure our farmers, ranchers, and foresters have the tools, resources, and certainty they need to remain competitive in the 21st century. I commend my colleagues for coming together to pass legislation before the new year that will strengthen our rural communities and look forward to seeing the President sign this bill into law.
Click here to learn more about the priorities included in the bill.
Looking Ahead
As you may know, to avoid a partial government shutdown, Congress must pass a spending bill by December 21. One of the issues on which Congress must agree with President Trump is his requested amount of funding for border security.
In case you missed it, in April, Congress passed an omnibus appropriations bill which allocated $47.7 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). When discussing border security, it’s important to realize the current state and scale of our southern border and how the omnibus bill responsibly addresses its needs. Our current border has a concentrated combination of various types of infrastructure such as wall, fence, all-weather roads, lighting, enforcement cameras, ground sensors, and other related technology. Additionally, about 1,300 miles of the Southwest border have no barriers established by the government.
The omnibus greatly strengthened our borders by providing billions of dollars in funding for Customs and Border Protections, personnel, physical barrier assets, and infrastructure, in addition to more than 90 miles of border wall systems – going beyond the Administration’s original request for 74 miles.
In the coming weeks, my staff and I will be sure to keep you informed of any updates surrounding funding for border security and a short-term spending bill.
As you and your family begin making plans to gather with loved ones, please travel safe, share what you can with others, and stay warm. I extend my best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season and a happy new year.
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.
