November 8, 2019
Friend,
Between impeachment proceedings, committee activity, and heightened political theater, there's been a lot of activity in the Swamp this month. However, I keep reminding my colleagues of something important I learned in business: "Never confuse activity with progress." As a member of the Oversight and Reform Committee, I have attended several hours of the closed depositions that the Democrats are conducting. It's a tremendous distraction to the real business of Congress, and I've worked hard to focus on the things that matter to Kentucky, like energy prices and transportation infrastructure. Below, I've included a few highlights from the past month.
In case you didn't know, you can follow me on Facebook and Twitter for more updates.
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Rep. Massie receives the Taxpayers' Friend Award |
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I want to thank the National Taxpayers Union for my Taxpayers’ Friend Award and "A" rating! In their annual Rating of Congress for 2018, I am one of 17 members in the House of Representatives to achieve this rating.
This award is given to members of Congress who have a consistently fiscally responsible voting record. NTU evaluates every vote that has an impact on tax, spending, trade, and regulatory policy by utilizing a weighting system.
Check out their ratings here.
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OKI Regional Council of Governments' Annual Luncheon |
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I was honored to speak at the OKI Regional Council of Governments' (Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana) Annual Luncheon. OKI is made up of local governments, community groups, and businesses throughout Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana with the mission of improving the economy and quality of life in the region.
I told attendees about the drama and political theater we often see in Congress, especially in the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. It can be frustrating to see hollow political gestures instead of honest and constitutional policy solutions. But not everything Congress does is so futile. Serving on the Oversight and Reform Committee has allowed me to help ensure that any Post Office reform legislation moving through our committee facilitates a symbiotic relationship between private cargo carriers and the United States Postal Service.
Fortunately, not every committee has been derailed by what I call "weapons of mass distraction." I have been a member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure since I came to Congress in 2012. Within this committee, I serve on the Aviation Subcommittee, the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, and the Subcommittee on Water Resources (locks and dams). I sought to serve on this committee because the federal government has a legitimate role in maintaining interstate infrastructure and because highways, aviation, and locks are central to the interests of Northern Kentucky. For example, I introduced H.R. 3791, the Investing in America: Rebuilding America’s Airport Infrastructure Act, to remove the federal cap on the airport passenger facility charge (PFC), giving airports like the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) more flexibility and local control to finance major construction projects. This is a bipartisan free market solution that will go a long way toward improving our airports and help them become more independent of federal grants by allowing them to raise more of their own revenues.
During the questions and answer period, I was asked about electric cars and the future of ground transportation, the Brent Spence Bridge and infrastructure funding, and the status of Army Corps of Engineer funding for dredging navigable rivers. I was excited to address the interesting infrastructure and technology issues brought up by these questions.
Thank you to OKI CEO Mark Policinski and Lorrie Platt, OKI Director of Communications for hosting and inviting me. It was great to see Judge Executives Kris Knochelmann, Gary Moore, and Steve Pendery and speak with Candace McGraw, CVG CEO. Keep up the good work!
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Green New Deal: O&R Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Subcommittee |
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Instead of having hearings on topics relevant to the jurisdictions of the various committees, Democrats are holding climate change hearings in almost every committee in Congress. The Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties held a hearing entitled, "Examining the Oil Industry’s Efforts to Suppress the Truth about Climate Change."
I asked witness Mandy Gunasekara (founder of Energy 45 and Senior Fellow at Life: Powered Project) about how the proposed Green New Deal would affect the poor.
After explaining how it's actually progressive climate policy that hurts vulnerable populations, Ms. Gunasekara says, “It’s extremely problematic, totally unrealistic, and fails to recognize the fact that the United States already leads the world in terms of emissions reductions. There is a very good news story. And it doesn’t require restructuring the entire economy so that it’s more aligned with socialism than it is with the democracy that’s produced the innovation and the positive environmental impacts we’re experiencing today.”
Click here to watch the video.
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Representative Massie on Kennedy: Withdrawing Troops from Syria |
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I had a great conversation with Kennedy on Fox Business about President Trump's decision to withdraw troops from Syria.
Click here to watch the interview.
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Rep. Massie meets with Northern Kentucky Association of Realtors |
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I enjoyed meeting with the Northern Kentucky Association of Realtors (NKAR). NKAR works to promote and protect Real Property Ownership rights and to assist its members in effective operation in an ever-changing real estate landscape.
I told attendees about the drama I often see in the Committee on Oversight and Reform. However, serving on this committee, specifically the Government Operations Subcommittee, has allowed me to work with Covington Mayor Joe Meyer and the General Services Administration on an ongoing transfer of the soon to be vacant Internal Revenue Service Processing Center property in Covington, Kentucky.
I also have the privilege to represent my constituents' interests on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Members of NKAR have concerns about the Brent Spence Bridge. While the bridge is structurally sound, it is highly trafficked which causes headaches for commuters and plays a role in determining where people choose to live when they move to Northern Kentucky.
We also discussed stream mitigation and the effect it has on much of the land across Northern Kentucky. The current stream mitigation process frustrates home builders and developers because it significantly increases house prices and increases the time needed to acquire appropriate permits. Their main concern, and mine as well, is whether the stream mitigation fees they pay are actually used on environmentally impactful projects. I recently suggested to the EPA deputy administrator in a Congressional hearing that the mitigation fees should be used for important local environmental projects like sewer overflows during heavy rainstorms.
Thank you to Ken Warden and Mike Spicer for inviting me and to all of the realtors for a great discussion. Keep up the good work!
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On the House Floor: H.J.Res. 77 |
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In October, I voted against H.J. Res. 77. This resolution pushed by the Democrats objects to President Trump's decision to remove U.S. troops from Syria.
President Trump made the right decision to remove American troops from the fighting. The decision to place American soldiers in Syria was part of the failed Obama-Clinton foreign policy. It was never authorized by Congress, and endangered American lives without a clear objective or rationale.
If Democrats were truly serious, they would ask for a declaration of war as required by Article I, Section 8 of our Constitution.
The Constitution calls for Congress to declare war and for the Commander in Chief to wage the war. With this resolution, Congress perverts the Constitution by trying to direct a war without ever authorizing it.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter.
In Liberty,
Thomas Massie
Member of Congress
Kentucky's 4th District
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