{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://susanwbrooks.house.gov//media-center/in-the-news/brooks-gop-must-show-it-can-govern", "Brooks: GOP must show it can govern", "2014-11-24", "2014", "2014-11", "Republican", "House", "IN", "Susan Brooks", "B001284", "susanwbrooks.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "ANDERSON \u2014 Republicans have to demonstrate to the American people that they can govern in a manner that will benefit all Americans, according to U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks, R-5th District.\nBrooks won election to a second term in the U.S. House on Nov. 4 with 65 percent of the vote in the 5th District, which includes all of Madison County.\nDuring the off-year election, the Republican Party strengthened its majority in the U.S. House and gained control of the U.S. Senate.\nDuring a telephone interview with The Herald Bulletin, Brooks said that the GOP-controlled Congress has to remind the American people that they are not going to give in to everything requested by President Barack Obama.\n\u201cThere will be tension because of the significant oversight of the executive branch by the Congress,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have to make sure that the administration through the federal agencies doesn\u2019t pass rules and regulations that are hurting America.\u201d\nBrooks said what legislation is passed through 2016 will depend on how willing Obama is to work with the Republican Party.\n\u201cWe are preparing for next year,\u201d she said of when the GOP takes control of both houses of the Congress. \u201cWe\u2019re on the same calendar as the Senate. The leadership is working together, which is good for the American people.\u201d\nShe said bills passed in the House will get a hearing in the Senate and won\u2019t be delayed as has been the case in the past few years.\nLegislation that Brooks expects to be considered early in 2015 is the Keystone Pipeline, which she said has bipartisan support in the House. The bill was defeated in the Senate last week by one vote.\n\u201cThis is a pro-jobs, pro-economy bill,\u201d she said.\nBrooks expects the Republican-controlled Congress to tackle tax reform, with Rep. Paul Ryan leading the effort.\n\u201cHe (Ryan) brokered the deal with the Senate Democrats that ended the government shutdown,\u201d she said. \u201cHe has a good track record.\u201d\nBrooks said one area of tax reform that will benefit Indiana is the repeal of the medical device tax, a part of the Affordable Care Act.\nShe expects changes in the Affordable Care Act but was unsure if there would be one bill to repeal Obamacare or individual bills making changes to the law.\n\u201cWe will try to repeal it again,\u201d Brooks said. \u201cBut we have to have a replacement plan attached to it.\u201d\nBrooks said people are starting to see increases in health insurance premiums.\n\u201cThis was not a good piece of legislation for the American people,\u201d she said of the president\u2019s landmark legislation.\nBrooks said a change will be a return to the 40-hour, full-time work week, which she said cost people money by employers cutting their hours to 30 hours a week.\nAny replacement legislation has to include provisions for people with pre-existing conditions and for allowing a child to stay on their parents' insurance until the age of 26, she said.\n\n\tBrooks said a high priority will be national security with the continued growth of the Islamic State terrorist group, Ebola and the nuclear capabilities of Iran.\n\t\u201cWe\u2019re still waiting on the president to conclude negotiations with Iran,\u201d she said. \u201cThere is also concern about Russian aggression in the Ukraine.\n\t\u201cThis is serious times for national security,\u201d Brooks said. \u201cWe want to have a strong military and no terrorists in our midst.\u201d\n\tFollow Ken de la Bastide on Twitter @KendelaBastide, or call 640-4863.", 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://susanwbrooks.house.gov//media-center/in-the-news/brooks-gop-must-show-it-can-govern"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.458670012652874, "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"}