America Is Getting Back To Work:

This morning, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the May jobs report and it is great news for American workers:

  • The U.S. economy added more than 2.5 million jobs in May, versus what was expected to be a 7.5 million job loss.
    • 225,000 manufacturing, 464,000 construction, and 1.2 million leisure & hospitality jobs were all added in May.
    • The number of workers who reported being on temporary layoff decreased by 2.7 million in May.
  • May saw the greatest number of jobs created in a single month on record.
  • The unemployment rate fell from 14.7 percent to 13.3 percent, while it was expected to rise to nearly 20%.

While we still have a long way to go to fully recover from the economic and health crisis caused by coronavirus, these jobs numbers prove that the policies of this Administration are getting Americans back to work. I will continue working with the Administration to implement pro-growth policies to get Wyoming’s economy back on its feet.

My Statement On Protests & Riots Happening Across The Country:

The right of Americans to peaceably assemble is a sacred right enshrined in the First Amendment of our Constitution. This right must be defended by our government and leaders, all of whom have sworn an oath to do so.

The horrific murder of George Floyd has understandably sparked constitutionally-protected peaceful protests across the country. However, riots are not constitutionally-protected protests. Those who are exploiting the protests, attacking our law enforcement officials, burning our cities, and assaulting innocent civilians must be arrested, prosecuted and face the full power of American justice.

Across the country, we have seen law enforcement officers and protestors praying and working together to defend and unite our communities. These scenes reflect the truth of who we are. Freedom and justice for all must prevail.

EPA Proposal To Bring Transparency To Clean Air Act Rulemaking Process:

On Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency issued a proposal for public comment concerning processes EPA should undertake when promulgating regulations under the Clean Air Act (CAA) to ensure that information regarding the benefits and costs of regulatory decisions are developed and provided in a consistent and transparent manner.  

This decision will give local stakeholders more of a voice in the regulatory process, ensuring that all future regulations consider a benefit-cost analysis that focuses on real-life data. This commonsense approach will ultimately protect economic prosperity and critical jobs across the state of Wyoming. I commend the EPA for revising the Obama era policies that were weaponized by far-left bureaucrats with little to no input from Wyoming’s ranchers and energy producers. Click here to learn more. 

EPA Issues Rule Limiting Clean Water Act Abuse By Radical Environmentalists:

On Monday, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced a final rule to reform implementation of Section 401 of the Clean Water Act (CWA). This final rule ensures that other states cannot harm our local economy. Previously, radical environmentalists were able to politicize the CWA and obstruct critical energy development in Wyoming.

We saw these negative ramifications for our state in 2017 when Governor Inslee of Washington took advantage of this provision to block a permit for the Millennium Bulk Terminal, an export facility that would have expanded the ability of the United States to ship Wyoming’s coal to Asian markets. 

No state should be able to tell us in Wyoming how to live or do business. I applaud the EPA for issuing this rule, which will end the government overreach that was hindering our ability to develop energy resources and reap the economic gains that come with that production. Click here to learn more. 

Democrats Adopt Proxy Voting Scheme Infringing On The Constitution:

Last Wednesday, I joined my House colleagues at a press conference to discuss the lawsuit filed that challenges House Democrats’ plan to vote by proxy. Instead of working across the aisle to allow the House to operate, Democrats adopted a proxy voting plan that their own report suggested could infringe on the Constitution. I’m proud to join a lawsuit with my colleagues challenging this scheme. Click here to watch video of my remarks, and see an excerpt of the transcript below:

REP. LIZ CHENEY: “We’re in the midst of a grave national public health and economic crisis, and as Members of Congress, we have an obligation to ensure that Congress can operate. Now, there are different views and perspectives up here in terms of remote voting. We’ve all tried very hard to work in a bipartisan fashion. We’ve all tried to reach across the aisle and work with our counterparts on the Democratic side to help to come up with ways that Congress can operate, to help to come up with ways we can fulfill the constitutional requirement that we be present. Now, in my own view, being present doesn’t necessarily require physical presence. I think that remote operations are possible,  but that’s not the path the Democrats have gone down. What the Democrats have done, instead of working with us, is use this crisis to try to gain partisan benefit. What the Democrats have done, counter to their own report, you know, a number of us, including Ranking Member of the Rules Committee, Mr. Cole, and the Leader and the Whip, a number of us have worked closely with the Democrats to try to say, ‘listen, let’s come up with ways, as we did after 9/11, that we can operate in the middle of a pandemic, and let’s also look for ways to protect us in the future.’

“We know there will be future crises and we know that we’ve got to come up with ways we can operate in the future. There may be circumstances when we cannot assemble at the Capitol and it may be that we need to look at things like voting remotely. But instead of going down that path, despite the fact that we have tried to work together, after the Speaker of the House delayed for weeks and weeks, refused to even address the issue, she then commissioned a report. The report came up with some interesting suggestions. There were some good suggestions in the report. The report also noted that proxy voting was likely unconstitutional – the Democrats’ own report. So, instead of going down the path of saying “how can we do this together,” the Democrats adopted a completely partisan scheme and they have done it in a way that absolutely infringes on the rights of the minority and infringes on the Constitution. It’s a sad day that we have got to be in the position where we’re bringing suit against the Speaker, we’re bringing suit against the Democrats in order to prevent them from pushing this proxy vote through.”

COVID-19 Food Assistance Program:

Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the creation of the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). This new program will use funding from the CARES Act to take several actions to assist ranchers, farmers, and consumers in response to the COVID-19 national emergency:

  • Direct Support to Farmers and Ranchers: The program will provide funding in direct support based on actual losses for agricultural producers where prices and market supply chains have been impacted and will assist producers with additional adjustment and marketing costs resulting from lost demand and short-term oversupply for the 2020 marketing year caused by COVID-19.
  • USDA Purchase and Distribution: USDA will partner with regional and local distributors, whose workforce has been significantly impacted by the closure of many restaurants, hotels, and other food service entities, to purchase fresh produce, dairy, and meat. USDA will begin with the procurement of fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and meat products. The distributors and wholesalers will then provide a pre-approved box of fresh produce, dairy, and meat products to food banks, community and faith based organizations, and other non-profits serving Americans in need.

Wyoming ranchers or farmers whose operations have been impacted by the coronavirus pandemic can now apply for direct financial relief through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. 

The application can be found here and will also be available on this website: https://www.farmers.gov/cfap.

See the below guide, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, for more information about the program and how it’s meant to provide assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have seen financial losses because of the pandemic: 

HHS Provides More Support For COVID-19 Testing In Rural Communities:

The Department of Health And Human Services (HHS) through Health Resources and Services Administration, provided $225 million to Rural Health Clinics for COVID-19 testing. These investments will support over 4,500 RHCs across the country to support COVID-19 testing efforts and expand access to testing in rural communities.

This funding comes from the Patient Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, which specifically directed these monies to be allocated to RHCs. This is in addition to the nearly $165 million HHS announced last month to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in rural communities.

Additionally, HHS recently announced that it had begun distributing nearly $4.9 billion in additional relief funds to skilled nursing facilities. This funding, which supplements previously announced provider relief funds, will be used to support nursing homes suffering from significant expenses or lost revenue attributable to COVID-19.

Paycheck Protection Program Update:

Recently, the Small Business Administration released its latest report about the Paycheck Protection Program. This report combines the totals from round one of funding and round two of funding, concluding that since the program was originally passed as part of the CARES Act, more than 4.4 million small businesses have received loans nationwide. That includes 12,741 small businesses in Wyoming who have been approved for these loans and can keep workers on payroll.

The SBA also released an updated report with information about both the number and the amount of Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) it has approved on a state-by-state basis. Across the country, more than 707,600 of these loans have been approved including 1,268 in Wyoming. 

To locate an eligible Paycheck Protection Program lender, click here: www.sba.gov/paycheckprotection/find

Wyoming small business owners, ranchers, farmers, non-profits, and religious organizations can find additional information about applying for Paycheck Protection Program loans by clicking on the following links:

Personal Protective Equipment Update:

I’m working with the Trump Administration to ensure Project Airbridge delivers Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to Wyoming’s health care workers as they fight COVID-19. As we begin to safely reopen our economy, protecting our front-line workers remains a top priority:

Cutting Regulations And Growing The Economy:

Last month, President Trump signed an Executive Order on regulatory relief to support America’s economic recovery. 

For more on what this Executive Order will do, please see the below fact sheet from the White House: 

  • President Trump is directing agencies to use all emergency authorities to swiftly identify regulations that can be rescinded or temporarily waived to promote job creation and economic growth.  
    • Agencies have used these emergency authorities to fight coronavirus, and now we will use them to revitalize our economy and lift up our country again.
    • The Trump Administration will utilize the same determination to jumpstart the economy that it has used to combat the coronavirus.
  • The President’s order asks agencies to speed up the rulemaking process by moving proposed rulemakings to interim final rules with immediate effect – saving years in some cases.  
  • President Trump has long made deregulation a major pillar of his pro-growth policies, freeing up small businesses and entrepreneurs to create jobs and drive economic growth. 
     
  • The President is providing regulatory relief for American businesses as they work to recover from the impact of the coronavirus.
  • The President is directing agencies not to over-enforce when a business is working in good faith to follow the law. 
    • This discretion will especially benefit small businesses, who are fighting to recover from the impact of this pandemic.
  • The President’s order establishes a “Regulatory Bill of Rights,” a set of 10 basic principles of fairness to govern the administrative enforcement and adjudication process. 
    • These principles will help give businesses the confidence they need to invest and grow as we recover as a nation.
       
  • Deregulation has played a key role in the Administration’s coronavirus response, and we will look through the hundreds of actions taken already to see which ones can be made permanent.
  • President Trump and his Administration have taken over 600 regulatory actions to combat the coronavirus, including many suspensions, waivers, enforcement discretion, and more. 
  • The Administration will look at ways to make many of these actions permanent.

Holding China Accountable:

Last month, I joined Wyoming Public Radio’s Open Spaces to discuss the importance of holding China accountable for the global devastation caused by the spread of coronavirus. Listen to the full interview here, and see an excerpt of the transcript below:

BOB BECK: You’re on this committee that’s looking into China. Why is this important to blame them?

REP. LIZ CHENEY: Well, it’s important to hold them accountable. I think that what clearly happened, you know, you can set aside all of the discussions and debates about whether the virus came out of a wet market in Wuhan, whether it came out of a lab in Wuhan, it came from Wuhan. Also, we know the government of China knew that they had human-to-human transmission, they did not tell the world that, they hid that from the world and then they shut down travel from Wuhan into the rest of the country, while they allowed travel from Wuhan into the rest of the world.

To me, that is the key issue and that’s a key moment in which they were very clearly culpable and you can’t say that it was accidental because they took such clear steps to protect themselves. I think that it is very important for us, given the devastation this virus has caused, given the lives it’s taken, and I’m sure it’s far more globally than we’re seeing reported, that this can’t happen again. Any country that would do what the Chinese government has done has got to be held accountable for that. I think we also have to make sure that we protect ourselves. We can’t allow the Chinese government, knowing their intention and knowing what they’re willing and capable to do, we can’t allow them to control, for example, our supply chains of critical pharmaceuticals or defense related products, other things we need to protect ourselves. We can’t be in a position where they can blackmail us.

Taking Another Step To Dismantle The Disastrous Iran Nuclear Deal:

Last Wednesday, the Trump Administration announced it would end the civil nuclear waivers for projects established under the catastrophic Obama-Iran nuclear deal that have allowed Iran to continue building up its nuclear program. We now know from the Nuclear Archive seized by Israel that the regime never gave up its plans to create nuclear weapons. Man-made uranium particles were found early this year at an undisclosed Iranian site according to the United Nations, and in January, Iran announced it will no longer adhere to any of the limits in the deal. 

I applaud the Trump Administration for taking another critical step toward permanently dismantling President Obama’s disastrous nuclear deal. These sanctions waivers legitimized Tehran’s illicit nuclear infrastructure even amid the regime’s long-running lies about its nuclear activities and its recent malign nuclear escalations. Revoking these waivers is key to the President’s maximum pressure campaign, as is invoking the snapback of United Nations sanctions against this rogue regime—a step I encourage the Administration to take.

Medical Supplies:

Recently, President Trump rolled out a new plan to strengthen our strategic national stockpile and ensure we are fully prepared to meet any future challenge. The President, working with Congress, has already secured $16 billion to build up the national stockpile with critical supplies, including ventilators, masks, respirators, and pharmaceuticals. Thanks to the Administration’s efforts to secure ventilators, no American who has needed a ventilator has gone without one.

Latest Coronavirus Testing Numbers:

As of today, more than 19.3 million Americans have been tested for coronavirus. Wyoming has tested 26,415 people. The Administration has sent $11 billion to help States, territories, and tribes meet the testing goals set out by their Governors and tribal leaders.

Therapeutics And Vaccines:

President Trump has launched Operation Warp Speed to deliver safe and effective coronavirus treatments and vaccines as quickly as possible. Operation Warp Speed aims to eliminate every last inefficiency to cut down the vaccine timeline and will continue to accelerate the development of breakthrough therapies.

More than a dozen promising vaccine candidates have already been identified from the more than 100 currently in development. The Administration has provided an emergency use authorization for Remdesivir, the result of a lightning speed process to get therapeutics to patients immediately.

Please follow this newsletter and the coronavirus page on my website for continued updates about COVID-19 and how government is responding to protect both the country’s health and our economic security. 

Congresswoman Liz Cheney