{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.isakson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-center?ContentRecord_id=808b96eb-d996-46ee-92a4-c8f5a1a318fd", "e-Newsletter for the week ending December 5, 2014", "2014-12-05", "2014", "2014-12", "Republican", "House", "GA", "Johnny Isakson", "I000055", "www.isakson.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Dear Friends,\r\nBefore the Thanksgiving holiday, President Obama announced his proposed executive action on immigration that will grant legal status to millions.\r\nPresident Obama has once again chosen to circumvent Congress by executive order. This is the wrong way to govern. Bottom line, any attempt to circumvent Congress and grant legal status to millions is unacceptable. We must stop the president from executing bad policy and will consider all legislative and legal options, including limitations on funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, when determining the best course of action to do so.\r\nThis week, Georgia joined with 16 other states in a lawsuit challenging the president\u2019s action. I support this move and believe that our state is sending a strong message that we respect the U.S. Constitution and the rule of law. We demand that the president uphold the laws that he swore to protect when taking the oath of office.\r\nArmy Retirement Benefits\r\nOn November 19, 2014, Senator Patty Murray, D-Wash., and I led a bipartisan group of senators in sending a letter to U.S. Army Secretary John McHugh over the Army\u2019s treatment of a significant number of captains and majors who are former non-commissioned officers and are being forced to retire at their highest previous enlisted rank.\r\nThe Army\u2019s use of Enhanced-Selective Early Retirement Boards (E-SERB) will result in a significant decrease in lifetime retirement benefits for the impacted soldiers, for some as much as $1,000 per month or more, or just over $1 million over a 40 year retirement in the case of a captain forced to retire as a sergeant first class. \u00a0\r\nThese former non-commissioned officers answered the Army\u2019s call for volunteers to attend Officer Candidate School as the Army expanded its officer corps to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, despite having served for years as commissioned officers and rising through the ranks to become captains and majors, these dedicated soldiers will soon be forced to retire at their highest previous enlisted rank.\r\nTo demote these soldiers in retirement is an injustice that devalues their service and will materially disadvantage them and their families for the rest of their lives. In the letter, we strongly urged the secretary to take the necessary steps to rectify this situation in order to allow these soldiers to retire at the rank they have earned and appropriately honor their service to our nation.\r\nDefense Secretary Hagel\u2019s Resignation\r\nU.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel announced his resignation on November 24, 2014. Whether it was a resignation or a firing, the decision reflects the uncertainty of this administration as it relates to foreign policy in general, and in particular the destruction of ISIS. Given the crisis with ISIS, along with situations of unrest in the Ukraine, Iran, and west Africa, this president and his administration need to send a clear message of strength and commitment. The president has nominated Ashton \u201cAsh\u201d Carter, a theoretical physicist and former deputy defense secretary, to be the next defense secretary. I look forward to carefully reviewing Mr. Carter\u2019s qualifications as the Senate considers his nomination.\r\nAnd on that note, I believe the administration\u2019s agreement to extend negotiations with Iran on their nuclear program until mid-2015, following their failure to reach an agreement by the previous deadline of November 24, 2014, is further evidence of Iran\u2019s unwillingness to take the proper steps to dismantle its nuclear program. It is critical that we clearly demonstrate to Iran that we will not be lied to, we will not be misled, and that we expect it to honor its commitments. A nuclear program in Iran will fuel an arms race in the most unstable region of the world, and the United States will not stand for that. The United States must be firm, strengthen sanctions and reject any further delays. By accommodating Iran\u2019s request, the Obama administration is once again sending Iran the wrong message, and the rest of the world is watching with great interest.\r\nSunscreen Innovation Act\r\nI am so pleased to announce that the Sunscreen Innovation Act that I introduced with Senator Jack Reed, D-R.I., was signed into law by President Obama this week. This legislation improves the regulatory pathway for innovative sunscreens that are widely available in the rest of the world, as well as other over-the-counter drugs that also have been stalled at FDA under the current framework.\r\nSome of these sunscreen ingredients have been safely used overseas for years, but have had their applications pending before the FDA for a decade or more.\u00a0As a melanoma survivor, I believe it\u2019s essential that Americans have access to the most safe and effective sunscreen. Too often, technological advancements that have the ability to improve the quality of health care and prevent disease are held back by an overly rigid regulatory process. I am pleased that the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate and the president have now all agreed to tackle the bureaucratic hurdles that have stood between American consumers and the new and innovative sunscreen products that are already available in many other countries.\r\nIn Other News\r\nThis week, I was delighted to Skype with some of the best third graders in Putnam Co., Georgia. They had such fun and insightful questions for me. If you know of a school or a class that would like the opportunity to Skype with me from my office in Washington, please complete this form with your information and select \u201cScheduling Request\u201d in the topic area. I love speaking with Georgia\u2019s youth from right in their own classrooms!\r\nI also had the opportunity to speak with host Scott James on WDDQ, Talk 92.1 FM in Valdosta, Ga., on Thursday morning. We covered many of the topics I touched on here in my newsletter. To keep up-to-the-minute on my activities from Washington, D.C., and Georgia, follow me on Twitter!\r\nWhat\u2019s on Tap?\r\nNext week, the Senate is expected to take up House-passed legislation that would extend a number of tax provisions that expired last year and need to be addressed before the tax filing season begins. We are also expected to work on the 2015 defense authorization bill, which was passed by the House this week.\r\nWe must also come to an agreement on funding the government before December 11, 2014, when the current funding agreement is set to expire.\r\nSincerely,\u00a0\r\nJohnny Isakson", 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://www.isakson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-center?ContentRecord_id=808b96eb-d996-46ee-92a4-c8f5a1a318fd"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0480019263923168, "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"}