Roby: August District Travels Make Priorities Clear
By: Stephen Crews
Updated: September 10, 2012
Every
August Congress adjourns to allow members to travel back to their home
districts and
meet with constituents about the issues facing the nation. I cannot
emphasize enough the importance of this time I have with you. I cannot
accurately represent Alabama's Second Congressional District without
hearing firsthand the concerns and priorities of
the people who live and work here.
I
spent the last month traveling throughout our district visiting with
constituents, touring
local businesses and speaking to various civic organizations. It's a big
district so we packed in a busy schedule, stopping through 11 counties
and holding six lively town hall meetings.
After
a month of traveling and listening, three primary concerns of yours are
abundantly
clear: potentially devastating military budget cuts; the future of the
"Farm Bill" and its impact on Alabama agriculture; and job-killing
bureaucratic regulations that make a difficult economy even harder for
small businesses.
First,
people throughout Alabama's Second Congressional District are
rightfully worried about
the cuts to our nation's military, known as sequestration. Under
sequestration, our military faces across-the-board cuts of more than
$500 billion over the next decade. These additional cuts that take
place the first of next year are on top of the $487 billion
in long-term military cuts already enacted into law. As a conservative,
I understand that we must cut spending in an effort to make our
military leaner and more efficient. However, fiscal responsibility does
not preclude making the investments necessary to
ensure a strong national defense. The sequestration cuts, which will
impact the vital missions of our district's military installations,
simply go too far.
During
a "Meet with Martha" event in Enterprise, military personnel stationed
at Fort Rucker
explained just how concerned they are about sequestration and how the
cuts would affect the future of the post. The House of Representatives
has acted to prevent sequestration by finding reasonable, balanced ways
to reduce military spending while preventing
the kind of drastic cuts that will harm our entire military.
Unfortunately, the Senate has not yet acted on our legislation. There is
still time, however, and I am returning to Washington more determined
than ever to pass our plan and protect our military personnel.
Second,
the current federal "Farm Bill," which establishes much of our nation's
agriculture
policy, is set to expire later this month. Alabama's Second
Congressional District is one the major agriculture hubs in Alabama and
the Southeast. As a member of the House Committee on Agriculture, I
voted in favor of a Farm Bill that focuses our priorities
on protecting our farmers' interests and reducing spending to federal
food stamp programs. The bill isn't perfect, but it's a responsible bill
that reduces spending and reforms the nutrition title, all while
maintaining the safety net our farmers need.
Last,
and certainly not least, small business owners face tremendous
uncertainty in the worst
economic downturn since the Great Depression. During this district work
period I visited with many small business owners and toured a variety
of homegrown local businesses. No matter their particular type of
business, all business owners agreed that government
needs to get out of their way and stop hampering success.
During
a roundtable with the National Federation of Independent Businesses
(NFIB), small
business owners expressed their frustration with a White House that is
doing nothing to create an environment ripe for job creation and
seemingly doing its best to discourage success. Whether it is the record
number of costly regulations or the undue burden
imposed by Obamacare, small business owners are suffering from all the
Washington red tape. People who have built their businesses from the
ground up are rightfully frustrated by a White House intent on raising
taxes in these already difficult economic conditions.
Raising
taxes on job-creating small businesses will only inhibit hiring and
dampen opportunities
for growth. That's why I've opposed the Obama administration's efforts
to raise taxes, and I'll continue to oppose future tax hike attempts
when Congress comes back into session.
On
each of these issues, the people of the Second Congressional District
have spoken loud
and clear: we can't wait until after the election to act on these
critical matters. Rest assured that I will continue to fight for you
and make sure your voice is heard in Washington.
Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada is strategically delaying action
on the most
critical issues until after the election, or worse yet, until next year.
We cannot afford to wait. This current path is unsustainable.
While
"kicking the can down the road" might be politically expedient to some
in the short
term, inaction will lead to very real and dangerous consequences.
Leaders are sent to Washington for moments just like this to make tough
decisions.
I'm
committed to our military families, our farmers, the small business
owners and all those
who reside in our district. Thank you for entrusting me with the
tremendous responsibility of representing you and fighting for you in
the United States Congress.
As
always, please contact me to let me know your concerns about any issue.
Should you ever
need assistance, I have staff both in Alabama and in Washington, D.C.
that are committed to helping you. We all work for you. Find our contact
information at www.roby.house.gov
or connect with me on facebook at www.facebook.com/representative.martha.roby.
