{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://hartzler.house.gov/newsletters/view-capitol-congresswoman-vicky-hartzlers-newsletter-week-december-8-12-2014", "View From the Capitol - Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler's Newsletter for the Week of December 8-12, 2014", "2014-12-12", "2014", "2014-12", "Republican", "House", "MO", "Vicky Hartzler", "H001053", "hartzler.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Good Day,\nFirst and foremost I want to say it was truly a blessing to meet and thank the families of the 442nd Fighter Wing of Whiteman Air Force Base this past weekend at their Welcome Home Celebration. Over 1,700 airmen and their families came out to celebrate the return of these brave men and women from tours of duty in Afghanistan. I am so proud to represent Whiteman and all of the noble heroes that serve there.\nOn another note, in DC this week, the House approved legislation to fund most federal government operations while protecting American taxpayers from federal overreach.\u00a0 This bill gives the American people access to essential government functions through the end of Fiscal Year 2015 while only funding the Department of Homeland Security through February of next year \u2013 allowing a wholly Republican-controlled Congress to address the president\u2019s executive actions on immigration at the beginning of the next session of Congress.\u00a0 Moreover, this legislation contains substantial spending cuts, translating to\u00a0$165 billion less than when George W. Bush was in office!\nI am pleased that this bill prioritizes many of the important items my colleagues and I have been working on for many months.\u00a0 This package provides for a strong national defense, works to protect Americans from overregulation, and keeps the Executive branch in check.\nSome key highlights impacting Americans and Missourians alike include:\nThis bill\u00a0protects our military and veterans\u00a0by:\n Prioritizing funding for essential readiness programs, ensuring maximum preparedness;\n\tIncluding funding to prevent the retirement of the A-10 and for the production of 15 new EA-18G electronic warfare aircraft made in St. Louis, Missouri; and\n\tProviding\u00a0$2.5 billion for processing VA disability claims\u00a0to end the backlog, and rescinding $41 million in performance bonuses at the VA.\n This bill\u00a0protects our farmers and small businesses from overregulation\u00a0by:\n Cutting EPA funding by $60 million \u2013 this is the fifth consecutive year of cuts, totaling a\u00a021% reduction since FY2010\u00a0\u2013 and prohibiting regulation of farm ponds and irrigation ditches through the Waters of the United States rule;\n\tCutting the IRS funding by $345.6 million, which is\u00a0$1.5 billion below the president\u2019s requested levels, and prohibiting the targeting of groups based on ideology\n\tReducing regulations on commercial trucking, weight limits, driver hours, and hazmat permitting.\n This bill\u00a0protects Missourians from big-government overreach\u00a0by:\n Providing\u00a0no new funding\u00a0for Obamacare and holds the line on those agencies tasked to implement Obamacare;\n\tKeeping\u00a0all\u00a0existing pro-life provisions and introducing three new provisions including requiring Obamacare plans to tell customers if they provide abortion services; and\n\tProhibiting the administration from using funds to limit gun owners\u2019 Second Amendment rights, providing\u00a0no money\u00a0for the UN arms trade treaty, and prohibiting the EPA from regulating the lead content in hunting and fishing tackle.\n As I mentioned earlier, this bill also allows the Congress to address the controversial immigration issue by funding the Department of Homeland Security only through the end of February.\u00a0 President Obama\u2019s executive order on immigration clearly violated the separation of powers by bypassing Congress.\u00a0This must be stopped.\u00a0 The new Congress that will be sworn-in next month will be in a position to enact strong border enforcement measures and to direct funding for immigration as it sees fit, ensuring the will of the people is respected.\u00a0 I look forward to that opportunity.\nFor the section-by-section summary of the funding bill, visit the Appropriations Committee website\u00a0here.\nFinally, Congress moved toward improving the lives of children with disabilities by approving the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act. Individuals with disabilities face severe financial struggles, yet they do not have access to the same financial planning tools available to other Americans.\u00a0 This legislation aims to lift this burden by allowing for the creation of tax-free savings accounts for children and family members with disabilities \u2013 empowering them to save for qualified expenses, such as college, health care, and housing.\u00a0 For millions of Americans growing up with disabilities, this will open the door to opportunities that may not have been viable otherwise.\u00a0 The ABLE Act is a real, common sense solution that will provide the opportunity for a better life for millions of Americans.\nHave a great week.\nVicky", 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": ["http://hartzler.house.gov/newsletters/view-capitol-congresswoman-vicky-hartzlers-newsletter-week-december-8-12-2014"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4746349770575762, "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"}