{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://cheney.house.gov/media/newsletters/congressman-cheneys-december-8th-newsletter", "Congressman Liz Cheney's December 8th Newsletter", "2017-12-08", "2017", "2017-12", "Republican", "House", "WY", "Liz Cheney", "C001109", "cheney.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "This Week's Round-up \nThis week, the House passed H.R. 38, the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, a bill I am proud to cosponsor. This legislation will ensure that the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding folks in Wyoming will not be infringed upon when they cross state lines. Law-abiding citizens should not have to fear criminal prosecution for exercising their Second Amendment rights.\u00a0\nI spoke on the House floor in support of the H.R. 38. Below is an excerpt from my speech:\n\u201cMr. Speaker, those traveling through or living on the border of a state that does not recognize their home states laws could have their gun rights stripped when they cross state lines. That is wrong, Mr. Speaker, this puts otherwise law-abiding citizens in a situation where they may be criminally liable for simply carrying out their constitutional right to keep and bear arms. The Constitutional rights of United States Citizens should not\u00a0chance\u00a0or end at state lines\u2026\u201d\nRead and watch my full speech on the House floor here:\u00a0https://goo.gl/H2f2sP\nThis week the House also passed the resolution to send the GOP tax bill to a House/Senate conference. I\u2019m\u00a0please\u00a0we are one step closer to sending a tax cut bill to President Trump\u2019s desk for signature. I joined letters to the conferees urging that they (1) maintain the Senate language repealing the Obamacare mandate; (2) maintain the House language repealing the death\u00a0tax; and\u00a0(3) maintain the House language ending the Alternative Minimum Tax.\u00a0\u00a0I will continue working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to ensure the tax bill provides the kinds of cuts and simplification people in Wyoming deserve.\u00a0\nThis week the House also approved a continuing resolution to continue to fund the government through December 22. \u00a0Before agreeing to support this continuing resolution, I worked with House leadership to ensure that we can get the Defense Department out from under the constraints of further continuing resolutions. I believe we need to send a Defense Appropriations Bill to the Senate no later than December 22 that will provide the resources our men and women in uniform need to defend the nation. \u00a0\n Natural Resources Committee \nThis week the Natural Recourses Committee held a hearing on reorganizing the Department of Interior. I support Secretary Zinke\u2019s view that the department can operate more efficiently and cost-effectively if key elements are located outside of Washington, DC. \u00a0I also support the President\u2019s decision, announced this week, to significantly reduce the size of national monuments in Utah.\u00a0While Wyoming is exempt from federal monuments declarations, many other states across the West suffered under the last eight years of Obama administration land grabs. \u00a0This week\u2019s decision by President Trump is an important step in beginning to undo the damage of those misguided policies. \u00a0\n House Armed Services Committee \nThis week we held several briefings and hearings in the Armed Services Committee covering topics including, developments in North Korea with the Commander of U.S. Forces Korea General Brooks and status of the administration\u2019s Nuclear Posture Review.\n Rules Committee \nIn addition to our work on bills headed to the floor, this week the Rules Committee met with Secretary of Labor Alex Acosta. \u00a0It was an excellent opportunity to discuss the major and historic progress that is being made in the Labor Department and across the government in the area of deregulation.\u00a0\nI also participated in a meeting with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to discuss a range of issues\u00a0including:\u00a0plans for moving the tax bill through the Senate, making progress on our appropriations bills, and ensuring our military is fully funded. \u00a0\nThursday was National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day and I had the privilege to speak on the House Floor honoring Mr. Clarence Varos, a WWII\u00a0vet\u00a0and Pearl Harbor survivor who will celebrate his 100th birthday this weekend.\nWatch my remarks here:\u00a0https://goo.gl/t1MBsj\n Around Town \n\u00a0\nThis week I met with Speaker of the Puerto Rican House of Representatives Johnny Mendez, Federal Affairs Committee Chair Rep. Jose Aponte, Rep. Jose Mendez, and Rep. Jose Perez. We discussed different strategies regarding ways we can improve and help rebuild Puerto Rico from the devastating damage from the hurricane.\nIt was great to join Senators Enzi and Barrasso at The Louisa Swain Foundation benefit. \u00a0Louisa Swain is a terrific non-profit organization committed to educating and preserving the legacy of the first democratically cast\u00a0electoral\u00a0ballot by a woman. The foundation is dedicated to promoting the importance of democracy and suffrage in our state\u2019s communities. I want to thank Executive Director Weldon Tuck and everyone for making this event possible. It\u2019s important to honor the women who made history in Wyoming. Read more about the foundation here:\u00a0https://goo.gl/z6b1UP\nI enjoyed meeting with Air Force Secretary Dr. Heather Wilson and several of my Republican women colleagues who serve on the Armed Services, Appropriations and\u00a0Ways\u00a0and Means Committees. \u00a0Secretary Wilson, a former member of Congress, is doing an excellent job for our Air Force and we look forward to hosting her soon at F.E. Warren Air Force Base. \u00a0\u00a0\nI enjoyed the opportunity to discuss Wyoming forest management issues with our state forester Bill\u00a0Crasper. I also had productive discussions with Bridger Teton Forest Supervisor Tricia O'Connor.\nMy district staff joined Commissioner Ellis, Commissioner Wolski, Chairman Rupp, Clerk Kenyon at the Goshen County Commissioner meeting on Tuesday. The meeting covered important topics such as the county's fiscal stewardship and the hard work of Goshen county residents who take care of their aging population and their hope to develop an independent living space.\nThis week I had an informative meeting with USDA Wyoming State Director for Rural Development Chad Rupe. We discussed the importance of the development and delivery of our state\u2019s programs.\nI was also able to meet with Millennium Bulk Terminals to discuss obstacles they are facing in securing permitting and local approval for coal export terminals in Washington state. \u00a0We need to ensure liberal local governments on the west coast can\u2019t continue to infringe on Wyoming\u2019s\u00a0interstate\u00a0commerce rights by prohibiting us from exporting our coal.\n Local Literary \nI\u2019m glad the EPA will be holding\u00a0an additional hearings\u00a0on repealing the Clean Power Plan in Gillette. This is an important and necessary step in reversing the harmful Obama-era policies that targeted our coal industry. \u00a0Read more about their plans below.\u00a0\n\u201cThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold three additional public listening sessions on the proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan in Gillette, Wyo. as well as in San Francisco, Calif. and Kansas City, Mo. Dates and specific locations will be released in coming weeks; please see the EPA's website for details. All persons wanting to speak are encouraged to register in advance.\n\u201cDue to the overwhelming response to our West Virginia hearing, we are announcing additional opportunities for the public to voice their views to the Agency,\u201d said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.\u201d\nRead more here:\u00a0https://goo.gl/tnEn1u", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://cheney.house.gov/media/newsletters/congressman-cheneys-december-8th-newsletter"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8340938948094845, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}