THIS WEEK SERVING GEORGIA’S 12^TH DISTRICT…

House Democrats finally caved to Republicans and President Trump on providing critical funding for the crisis at the border by supporting the Senate Amendment to H.R. 3401.

President Trump requested this funding nearly two months ago, and prior to this week, House Democrats blocked a plan to deal with this crisis nearly twenty times on the House Floor. With apprehensions expected to more than double since last year, this legislation provides the Administration with the resources they need to respond. I am glad the House Democrats abandoned their political games and brought this critical bill to the House Floor before the situation became even direr. This bill is now headed to the President's desk to be signed into law.

The House continued consideration of government spending bills – all significantly increasing spending levels and continuing down a path of passing along an insurmountable debt to future generations.

As a business owner, I am appalled by the lack of fiscal responsibility being shown by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. I offered additional amendments to cut spending by one percent in certain departments of the government, but House Democrats blocked my modest spending cuts. It is a sad day when we cannot even cut a mere one percent of funding.

The House Education and Labor Committee held a hearing Tuesday on rolling back the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which strengthens our First Amendment right to freedom of religion.

Let me say this loud and clear: We must not make any efforts to eliminate or weaken this law! Those of faith deserve to be heard and not silenced by those in government who wish to take away their First Amendment rights.

The Education and Labor’s Subcommittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions held a hearing on Democrats’ agenda to shore up public unions.  

 On Wednesday, I spoke at the hearing about protecting Right to Work state laws, as well as fighting corruption in public and private unions.

In the House Agriculture Committee’s Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry, we discussed soil health management, and I asked about the role land grant universities, like the University of Georgia, play in research and technological innovation.

Additionally, we celebrated National Onion Day! Georgia’s 12th District is world renowned for our famous Vidalia onions.

Join me in thanking our farmers for continuing to provide the sweetest onions in the world!

I met with the new President of Georgia Southern University, Dr. Kyle Marrero, where we discussed the changes happening on campus and Dr. Marrero’s plans for the future.

What an exciting time for Georgia Southern University --Not only is the university one of the state’s fastest-growing research universities, but its economic impact exceeds $1 billion annually, playing a large role in the success of the 12th District. Go Eagles!

The Southeast division head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Dr. Roy Crabtree, also paid a visit to the office this week to discuss the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam.

NOAA is responsible for working with the Corps of Engineers to design any fish passage structure related to the New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam. During this time, I emphasized the importance of maintaining the pool and finding a solution that works for our community. For an update on the lock and dam, please see the recent story in the Augusta Chronicle: Corps discussing 3 options on lock and dam.

Dr. Harsha Vyas from the Cancer Center of Middle Georgia and I sat down this week to discuss an update on the Department of Veterans Affairs' clawback Issue, as well as challenges with Pharmacy Benefit Managers.

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, I held a telephone town hall, where we discussed the top issues in the district and Washington.

To see what was discussed on the call, please visit my website here. If you’d like to sign up to be called every time, please visit my website at https://allen.house.gov/live/.

As we look to the Fourth of July, I want to take the time to thank you, again, for giving me the greatest honor of my life- to serve you as your representative in the greatest country in the world.

This week, during the telephone town hall, I asked the poll question, “Do you think I should co-sponsor legislation to combat illegal robocalls?” The response was overwhelming, with 95% voting in favor.

That’s why I cosponsored H.R. 3375, the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act, introduced by Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ-6) on June 20, 2019, to combat this malicious practice.  Specifically, this bill would require phone carriers to use technology that authenticates whether calls are legitimate or spam within 18 months after the measure becomes law.  Additionally, this piece of legislation would allow carriers to automatically provide call blocking to subscribers at no cost unless they opted out of the service. 

Unwanted robocalls have been plaguing our daily lives for far too long.  With the House Energy and Commerce Committee reporting this bill out of committee, I am hopeful that we can continue to work in a bipartisan fashion to fight this practice and that this legislation will be passed in the House of Representatives in short order.

Do you have a bill that you would like to see highlighted or that you would like me to support? Share your thoughts with me! You can email me ⇒  HERE, contact any of our offices or join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.