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January 17, 2014 Conaway Chronicle: Reducing Federal Spending, Obamacare, Posthumous Purple Heart __________________________________________ |
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Reducing Federal Spending: On Jan. 15th, the House passed legislation, H.R. 3547, that funds the federal government for 2014. The Senate passed the bill and the President is expected to sign it into law. This bill is part of an ongoing effort by House Republicans to rein in out of control federal spending that threatens our national security and is harming our economy. We have been working on this since we gained control of the House of Representatives in 2011. We have changed the conversation from, "How much do we increase spending?" to "How much do we reduce spending?" Although I am pleased with what we have accomplished, I am not satisfied with where we are at. We need to further reduce spending and I will continue my efforts to impose fiscal discipline on our bloated federal government. The below chart shows the reduction in spending that has taken place since Republicans gained control of the House in 2011. The spending bill includes language that exempts all disabled veterans who retired from the military from changes in the Budget agreement that slow the growth of their pensions.
Posthumous Purple Heart for Virgil Lacey: On Jan. 11th, Leo Lacey Jr. accepted a Purple Heart that his uncle, Virgil Lacey, earned during World War I. Leo Lacey Jr. approached the Army after doing some research on his uncle's participation in the war. The presentation took place at the Mills County courthouse. Virgil Lacey entered the army in 1914 in Texas City, TX. He served in Company C, 16th Infantry, 1st Division, known as The Big Red 1. He was killed in France on November 7, 1918 during the Meuse-Argonne Offensive which was four days before the Armistice, which ended the war, took effect. It is never too late to honor the sacrifices that our veterans have made. A photographer with the Goldthwaite Eagle took the picture on the left. Brig. Gen. Clark LeMasters, Commanding General 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), Fort Hood presented the Purple Heart to Leo Lacey Jr. I appreciate the editors at the newspaper sharing the photograph with me. Virgil Lacey is in the family photograph on the right.
Obamacare: While I am committed to the repeal of Obamacare, until we can accomplish that I will do my level best to minimize the harm that it is causing. With that in mind, I voted on Jan. 16th for a bill, H.R. 3362, that would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide the American people and Congress weekly reports on the status of HealthCare.gov. The Obama administration has been providing information piecemeal in order to put Obamacare in the best light possible. The American people and the Congress need all of the information, not just what President Obama wants to share with us. The House passed the bill by a vote of 259 to 154. The Senate should also pass this bill and President Obama should sign it. If Obamacare is the success that they claim it is, they should have no problem disclosing detailed information about it. Angelo State Basketball: In a 67 to 65 victory over my alma mater, Texas A&M-Commerce, Angelo State senior Kenny Williams nailed an incredible 360 degree dunk. During the game he scored 21 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. If you click on the below photograph, you can watch a video of the 360 dunk.
Eastland Memorial Hospital New Nursing Student Orientation: I had the honor of addressing new nursing student orientation at Eastland Memorial Hospital on the morning of Jan. 17th. Rural hospitals, like Eastland Memorial Hospital, and the doctors and nurses who work at them are essential for the small cities and towns in Texas. Eastland Memorial Hospital has been an anchor for the community since 1952. It provides everything from emergency services to inpatient services to physical therapy. The nursing students are students at Ranger Junior College, which I attended before transferring to Texas A&M-Commerce. The heart of rural hospitals are the men and women who work in them. The beds and diagnostic equipment would be useless without these men and women who are training to be nurses. In the photograph on the right, State Representative Jim Keffer is on the left and Eastland Memorial Hospital CEO Ted Matthews is in the middle.
Cisco Town Hall: I want to thank the folks in Cisco for taking the time to meet with me on Jan. 17th.We had a good conversation about the budget agreement and Obamacare.
Town halls Next Week: I will be holding several town halls next week. If one of them is near where you live, it would be great to have you attend. I enjoy and learn a lot from the conversations that I have at town halls. Sterling Tuesday, Jan. 21st at 2:30 p.m. Sterling City Town Hall Sterling County Courthouse, 609 4th St. Clyde Wednesday, Jan. 22nd at 7:30 a.m. Clyde Town Hall Callahan Hall, 209 South 1st St. Breckenridge Wednesday, Jan. 22nd at 9:45 a.m. Breckenridge Town Hall Stephens County Courthouse, District Court Room 200 West Walker St. Comanche Thursday, Jan. 23rd at 5:30 p.m. Comanche Economic Development 215 N. Houston St. Coleman Friday, Jan. 24th at 9:15 Coleman Public Library, 402 S. Commercial Avenue Thank you for reading The Conaway Chronicle, a review of my activities in Congress. As always, you can follow me on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. Sincerely,  Rep. Mike Conaway, 11th District |
