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Last week, the Augusta community mourned the loss of one of our local legends: Dessey Landrum Kuhlke. Dessey was truly the most caring and selfless leader I have ever known. A longtime resident of the Augusta area, Dessey graduated from Georgia Southern University and served in the Army. I was fortunate enough to work for him and with him during my 35-year construction and development career.  He was a husband, father, grandfather, friend-- a mentor to me and many others. Augusta is a better place because of Dessey Kuhlke, we will remember him often.

Click below to listen to my tribute on the House floor: Remembering Dessey L. Kuhlke


    Click HERE to listen to Rep. Rick Allen's speech.

The first two weeks of Trump’s Presidency have been busy—but I’m not complaining! As a former small business owner for over 40 years, I can tell you this is how the business world works and just what Washington needs.

On that note, I want to take a few minutes to clear up any confusion you may have and explain the President’s recent executive order entitled: “Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry into the United States.”

  • This executive order suspends immigrant and non-immigrant entry from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen for 90 days until the Department of Homeland Security along with the Director of National Intelligence can review what information the government needs to fully and extensively vet would-be visitors.

  • It also suspends the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program for 120 days and suspends Syrian refugees until sufficient changes have been made to ensure their admission is consistent with the national interest.

  • This gives Congress and the Secretaries of State, Homeland Security and Directors of the National Intelligence and the FBI time to develop a uniformed screening procedure to ensure those who are coming into this country are who they claim to be and are not a threat to security or public safety.

  • Green card holders of the seven countries will not be barred from reentering the United States.

My thoughts are this: first and foremost we must protect our homeland—the executive order does that—and keeps Americans safe until the legislative branch can reform our visa process and the vetting of refugees.  Last Congress the House passed a similar piece of legislation, the American SAFE Act, which passed with bipartisan support and a veto-proof majority. I am hopeful that cases affecting travelers when the executive order was announced have been resolved or will be resolved soon.  

I also wanted to pass along the link to read the exact text of the executive order. Click HERE to read more.

  • Additionally this week, the house passed a number of homeland security measures aimed at bolstering nuclear, cyber and transit defenses to create a 21st Century military that is capable of fielding the threats of today, tomorrow and the years to come. Click HERE to read more from the House Homeland Security Committee.  

One of the President’s biggest missions is to create an environment where American small businesses can once again begin to grow and flourish. To do that, he knows we must start by scaling back the costly rules and regulations that have overburdened the American people for the last eight years. Finally, the legislative and executive branches are on the same page: we must get government out of the way. Last week, I told you about a piece of legislation I joined my colleagues on called the One in, One Out Act. Well, in true Trump fashion, this week, the President announced his own version—the One in, Two Out Executive Order. Limiting the amount and cost of new regulations, these measures are common sense at their core. To begin growing our economy and creating jobs, we must reduce the size and scope of the federal government and tackle the mountain of red tape surrounding our nation’s job creators. Americans are ready for growth and innovation and for the first time in a long time, the President is on their side.


Click HERE to listen to Rep. Rick Allen's speech.    

Under the Obama Administration, federal agencies became the 4th branch of government. Thankfully, as the legislative body, Congress has the authority to overturn harmful agency actions under the Congressional Review Act. This week, the House used the Congressional Review Act to disapprove of outlandish rules issued under the Obama Administration:

  • H.J. Res 40 provides Congressional disapproval of a rule submitted by the Social Security Administration announcing it will share information with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS, which streamlines the process of gun purchasing by weeding out those individuals who cannot purchase a firearm). If this rule took effect, Americans who receive certain disability benefits from the Social Security Administration would have their 2nd Amendment rights restricted. The House voted to 235-180 to disapprove.

  • H.J. Res 37 disapproves of the final rule submitted by the Department of Defense, the General Services Administration relating to the Federal Acquisition Regulation to block implementation of the "Blacklisting Rule." This rule requires employers bidding on federal contracts to disclose violations and alleged violations of 14 different federal labor laws and similar state laws. This violates due process rights, setting a precedent of “guilty until proven innocent” and jeopardizes small businesses by adding a thicker layer of bureaucracy.  The House voted 236-187 to disapprove.

ICYMI: This Tuesday, the President made good on his promise to nominate a conservative justice to the bench. At just 49, Judge Neil Gorsuch has an impressive resume. He has served on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Colorado since 2006 and clerked for Justice Byron R. White and sitting Supreme Court Judge, Justice Anthony Kennedy. He is a strong Constitutionalist who has stood up for the First Amendment and religious liberty. Judge Gorsuch is outstanding and qualified choice for a lifetime job on the United States Supreme Court. I trust that my colleagues in the Senate will confirm Judge Gorsuch in a timely manner.


On Thursday, I hosted the first Telephone Town Hall of 2017. I got a lot of good feedback and enjoyed taking questions from you. If you missed this one, don’t worry, there will be more hosted throughout the year. In the meantime, if there are any questions you’d like to ask me, email me ⇒ HERE, or contact any of our offices and leave a message or chat with a staff member. You can always join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Your input is always appreciated, have a great week!    


Sincerely,

 

Rick Allen
Member of Congress

 
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