Update
Friends,
One of my top priorities in Congress has been to reverse the impacts of President Obama’s war on coal and I’ve worked closely with President Trump to do just that. This week, we had another victory as the Trump Administration took action that will strengthen the Wyoming economy and protect our energy industry by reversing the Obama-era Clean Power Plan, which was killing jobs, strangling our economy, and slowly destroying our coal industry.
The Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) Rule released on Wednesday by the EPA will replace President Obama’s anti-coal regulations included in the Clean Power Plan with a rule that empowers states, promotes energy independence, and facilitates economic growth and job creation, while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from existing coal-fired electric utility generating units and power plants across the country.
Coal from Wyoming’s Powder River Basin is the cleanest in the world and provides power to 27 states. Ensuring the reliability of our electric grid by supporting coal — a crucial baseload power source — is an economic and national security priority. By returning more authority to the states, the ACE Rule will allow regulators in Wyoming and other states throughout the country to tailor their plans without the devastating effects of the Clean Power Plan. This rule recognizes the need for proven sources of energy that keep the lights on in Wyoming and throughout the country, a stark contrast from proposals like the Green New Deal that are purely a fantasy.
I thank President Trump and Administrator Wheeler for their commitment to a cooperative partnership between the EPA and states, rather than the mandated subservience required by the Obama Administration.
On the immigration front, House Democrats again blocked a plan to deal with the immigration crisis at the southern border, marking the 17th time they have obstructed GOP efforts to actually try and help solve this problem. The bill, requested by President Trump, would fund humanitarian resources aimed at alleviating the crisis, including increased shelter capacity for unaccompanied children, care for children in custody, and transportation to safe and efficient border processing centers.
Every day that Democrats refuse to bring this bill to the floor is a day they are allowing this situation to continue. If their side of the aisle actually cared about what’s happening to people at the border, they would stop playing politics on this issue and join House Republicans to provide the funding needed to address this crisis. 17 separate times, they have refused to do that.
Instead of addressing the crisis on our border, Democrats voted this week on two partisan appropriations bills that neglect defense priorities, weaken America’s nuclear capabilities, reduce access to our federal lands, and include a slew of other harmful provisions.
During debate on these bills, Republicans tried to improve them by offering several amendments. This includes the amendments I offered to reinstate the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to delist the grizzly bear in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, restore funding cuts in the bill for the GBSD program, which is critical for F.E. Warren, and prevent the Bureau of Reclamation from arbitrability increasing the “ability to pay” rate for water users within the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program. Unfortunately, Democrats refused to make these and several other GOP Amendments in order, blocking them from being considered on the House floor. This is something that has become a trend of the Democrat majority in the House.
Below is a comparison of amendments that were made in order when Republicans held the majority in the 115th Congress and what the Democrats have allowed since taking control of the 116th Congress.
This reveals that instead of working across the aisle or bringing to the floor amendments that would be good for the country and benefit the people that they serve, they are only interested in scoring political points.
Please see below for a roundup of other actions I’ve taken over the past week to fight for our state in Congress.
Sincerely,
Congresswoman Liz Cheney
Natural Resources Committee
During an eight-hour committee markup, I joined my Republican colleagues in opposing several pieces of legislation introduced by House Democrats that would block job creating resource development throughout this country. Though these bills were unfortunately passed through committee and will be considered by the entire House, they have no chance of consideration before the Senate and therefore will not become law.
Armed Services Committee
This week, I had the opportunity to sit down with Vice Admiral Jon Hill, the new Director of the Missile Defense Agency. We had a great discussion about the need to continue investing in our missile defense system to protect against attacks from rogue regimes like Iran and North Korea.
As we’ve seen with the recent escalatory actions by Iran, we live in a world where the threats we face are increasingly complex and dangerous. As a member of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, I will continue to be a strong advocate for missile defense and support the work done by the Missile Defense Agency.
It’s also important to note that as critical as our missile defense systems are, nothing can replace the deterrent value of our ICBM force and the men and women of the 90th Missile Wing who stand on alert every minute of every day.
Visits
Great meeting with the Wyoming Association of Music Education to discuss Title IV-A, a program that gives local school districts flexibility to use federal money to best meet the needs of their schools.
Always a joy to meet with Clarene Law and her granddaughter. We discussed how GOP tax cuts are helping small business S-Corps in WY grow & create jobs.
I enjoyed meeting with 4H Wyoming members from across the state for the annual 4H leadership program.
The Congressional Award was first introduced by Wyoming Senator Malcom Wallop 40 years ago. The award highlights the incredible volunteerism and a commitment to community by young leaders across the country. Congratulations to Wyoming’s 2019 Gold Medalists!
Newsworthy
Fox News I Rep. Cheney: Democrats need to condemn Ocasio-Cortez’s comparison of Holocaust to border crisis
K2 Radio I Wyoming delegation supports Trump administration coal plant rule
WYO News I Cheney supports EPA’s change in direction on coal
The Daily Wire I Conference Chair Liz Cheney joins the Ben Shapiro Show
