url,title,date,year,month,party,chamber,state,member_name,bioguide_id,domain,scraper,source,date_source,text,has_text,collected_at,updated_at http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/congress-could-reconsider-military-pension-cut-january,Congress could reconsider military pension cut in January,2013-12-29,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"A cut to military retirement pay in the budget signed Thursday by President Obama has already triggered such a backlash that Congress may vote in January to toss it out. Some lawmakers who represent districts with a military presence — and who voted for the overall budget — are vowing to overturn the pension change as soon as the House and the Senate reconvene Friday. Several House and Senate lawmakers in both parties, responding to heavy lobbying from advocates for service members and veterans, already have introduced bills that would restore full cost-of-living increases for military retirees of working age. Reps. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) and Michael G. Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) have introduced a bill that would restore the annual cost-of-living adjustment for about 800,000 enlisted troops and officers who retire in their early 40s, then take other jobs outside the military. In the budget passed this month, the COLA for working-age retirees was reduced by 1 percentage point; once the retirees turn 62, they go back to receiving the full increase. The cut is expected to save the government about $6 billion over 10 years, and it is set to be phased in over three years. Davis and Fitzpatrick’s bill would find the savings instead by asking the Internal Revenue Service to crack down on Americans who file fraudulent claims for child tax credits. “I think we need to make the fix right now,” said Davis, whose Illinois district includes many former service members and employees at nearby Scott Air Force Base. At a meet-and-greet with constituents in his district recently, many voters were livid at the pension cut, Davis said. To them and him, he said, the federal government is unfairly breaking a promise it made to service members. “A lot of people joined the military and made huge sacrifices because they were promised a benefit,” he said. “To go back on that is wrong.” Rep. Martha Roby (R-Ala.) said she is partnering with Fitzpatrick on the legislation. “I believe that this is a fix the Republican conference can rally around,” she said in a statement one day after the budget was approved. “In my opinion, it should be the first item on the docket for 2014.” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), who is up for reelection next year, has introduced a bill to replace the $6 billion saved by the COLA cut by instead “eliminating a tax loophole for offshore corporations,” a news release from her office said. Republican Sens. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), James M. Inhofe (Okla.), Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.) and others also have come out against the COLA cut. On Dec. 23, Reps. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.) and Ted Poe (R-Tex.) introduced similar measures that would repeal the provision. “As a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, I believe our servicemembers, veterans, and their families must receive the benefits they have earned and deserve,” Brownley said in a statement. “These benefits are owed to them without equivocation. That is why I have introduced legislation to repeal the military retiree COLA reduction.” It is unclear whether either proposal includes cuts to offset the elimination of the COLA savings. Even lawmakers who support the COLA cut agree that the provision should be changed to exempt at least disabled veterans who were forced to retire for medical reasons, as well as survivors. The budget legislation also requires newly hired civilian federal employees to contribute more to their pensions. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/press-release/roby-moves-protect-military-pensions,Roby Moves To Protect Military Pensions,2013-12-19,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"Just one day after Congress passed a landmark budget agreement to control spending for the next two years, U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-AL) is moving to replace one of the plan’s least popular provisions and ensure that military retirees are not unfairly penalized under the new law. Rep. Roby is partnering with Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and other lawmakers to repeal a provision that reduces working-age military pensions beginning in 2015 and replace it with a measure to prevent illegal aliens from receiving fraudulent cash payments from the government in the form of the Refundable Child Tax Credit. “There are many good things in the budget agreement passed by Congress: setting a sustainable path of controlled federal spending, preventing some of the harmful sequestration cuts to our military, and returning Congress to regular order to end the days of massive temporary spending bills passed at the last minute. I applaud the negotiators for tackling a difficult challenge and producing the first compromise budget in a divided government in 27 years,"" Rep. Roby said. “However, the final product was not what I would have drafted, and House members were not given the opportunity to improve the bill through amendments on the floor. One provision that is particularly troublesome is the one percent reduction in the cost of living adjustment for working age military retirees beginning in 2015. Just look at the vast federal government that is rife with waste. Are reductions to military benefits really the best place for Congress to make cuts? I don’t think so, and I that’s why I believe that provision should be removed.” The legislation introduced today in the House – H.R. 3788 – is a compliment to an amendment offered by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) during debate on the budget plan in the Senate. It removes the cost-of-living increase reduction and replaces it with a measure closing a tax loophole that allows ineligible, non-citizens to receive fraudulent cash payments in the form of a Refundable Child Tax Credit. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that closing this loophole by simply requiring the recipients of this taxpayer-funded credit to be eligible citizens would save as much as $7 billion, more than enough to offset the $6 billion gleaned from altering military retiree pensions. “Today I am joining Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick and others in the House to offer a companion bill to Sen. Sessions’ commonsense amendment. I believe that this is a fix the Republican Conference can rally around. I have personally contacted the House leadership this morning to give voice to the concerns of military retirees in my district who feel singled out by the budget agreement. I am strongly encouraging our leaders to use the Christmas week as an opportunity to build support for this or similar legislation so that we can pass it upon our return in January. In my opinion, it should be the first item on the docket for 2014. ""I greatly appreciate Sen. Sessions' leadership in crafting and fighting for this amendment, which was only denied because Majority Leader Harry Reid used procedural tactics to block it. ""We need to make this right. In the coming weeks, we will try to use our position of strength in the House majority to improve upon the budget agreement and better prioritize our budget savings.” Closing the gaping loophole the Refundable Child Tax Credit is more than justifiable, particularly given the budget situation.   According to a 2011 report form the Treasury Inspector General, “Millions of people are seeking this tax credit who, we believe, are not entitled to it. We have made recommendations to the IRS as to how they could address this, and they have not taken sufficient action in our view to solve the problem.” The Treasury Inspector General went on to say that “the payment of Federal funds through this tax benefit appears to provide an additional incentive for aliens to enter, reside, and work in the United States without authorization, which contradicts Federal law and policy to remove such incentives.” Read the full report from the Treasury Inspector General here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/house-republicans-revive-effort-stop-vet-benefit-cuts-closing-tax-credit-loophole,House Republicans revive effort to stop vet benefit cuts by closing tax credit loophole,2013-12-19,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"Alabama Republican Rep. Martha Roby and Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick are attempting to revive an effort to prevent cuts to military retirement benefits by closing a loophole that has allowed illegal immigrants to unlawfully obtain welfare benefits. Earlier this week during Senate debate on the two-year budget deal — which cuts military pensions by $6 billion over 10 years — Senate Democrats foiled Alabama Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions’ attempt to halt the cuts by closing the same loophole. The loophole in question allows tax filers without a Social Security number to claim Additional Child Tax Credits by filing returns with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, a policy the Treasury inspector general for tax administration reported cost taxpayers $4.2 billion in 2010. While Senate Republicans were unable to prevent the cuts to military retirement benefits contained in the budget deal brokered by Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray and House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, concerns remain about the House- and Senate-passed cuts. Thursday, Fitzpatrick and Roby introduced a companion to Session’s amendment, which would close the loophole by requiring people to have a Social Security number to obtain Additional Child Tax Credits and halt the cuts to military retirement benefits. “We need to make this right. In the coming weeks, we will try to use our position of strength in the House majority to improve upon the budget agreement and better prioritize our budget savings,” Roby said, commending Sessions’ earlier effort and adding that she spoke to House leadership this morning to highlight the proposal. Fitzpatrick and Roby’s bill currently has 45 co-sponsors — including one Democrat, Rep. John Barrow from Georgia. “The non-partisan Joint Tax Commission reported last year that by closing the loophole for fraudulent payments, the taxpayer could save nearly $7 billion over 10 years,” Fitzpatrick said. “That’s enough to remove the need to make any changes to military benefits.” One GOP aide added that the hope is to push Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senate Democrats in the right direction. “Hopefully Ryan will join with conservatives to change the Ryan-Murray plan and put pressure squarely on the shoulders of Harry Reid and his loyal band of Senate Democrats to make this right,” the aide said. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/rep-martha-roby-joins-fight-protect-military-retirees-house-bill-designed-stop-pension,"Rep. Martha Roby joins fight to protect military retirees, House bill designed to stop pension cuts",2013-12-19,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"Just one day after the Senate's passage of a two-year budget agreement, Montgomery Republican Martha Roby is joining with other representatives to try and change one of its most controversial provisions. Roby, along with Rep. Mike Fitzgerald, R-Penn., is joining with other lawmakers to repeal a provision that reduces pensions for working age military retirees beginning in 2015. Roby said she'd like to see the cuts replaced with a measure to prevent illegal aliens from receiving payments through the Refundable Child Tax Credit. Roby, who voted for the budget plan in the House, said it does set a sustainable path for controlled federal spending and lessens the impact sequestration will have on the military. However, she said House members were not allowed to present amendments to the bill once it was on the House floor. ""One provision that is particularly troublesome is the one percent reduction in the cost of living adjustment for working age military retirees beginning in 2015. Just look at the vast federal government that is rife with waste. Are reductions to military benefits really the best place for Congress to make cuts? I don't think so, and that is why I believe that provision should be removed,"" Roby said. The bill is the House version of one introduced earlier by Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-AL. A vote on Sessions measure was blocked, however, and lawmakers have vowed to repeal the measure. The House bill introduced today would require recipients of the Refundable Child Tax Credit to be eligible citizens. The change could save as much as $7 billion a year as compared to the $6 billion in savings over the next decade from the cuts to cost-of-living adjustments for retired veterans younger than age 62. Roby said she is working to have the measure come before the House when it returns in 2014. ""We need to make this right. In the coming weeks, we will try to use our position of strength in the House majority to improve upon the budget agreement and better prioritize our budget savings,"" Roby said. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/fort-rucker-army-officials-talk-sequester-lawmakers,"Fort Rucker, Army officials talk sequester with lawmakers",2013-12-17,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"Predictability and flexibility. That’s what top Fort Rucker and Army officials told members of Congress they need to ensure the future of Army aviation at a panel discussion held Tuesday on post. Rep. Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, and Rep. Michael Turner, R-Ohio, met with military officials to discuss the impact of sequestration on Fort Rucker and Army aviation. Sequestration refers to a series of mandatory cuts legislators agreed to enact if they were unable to agree upon a budget. The mandatory cuts were meant to encourage lawmakers to work toward passing a budget. They failed, and as a result, these automatic cuts went into effect in March. Maj. Gen. Kevin Mangum, Fort Rucker commanding general, said the cuts had severely impacted the post’s mission of training new pilots. Mangum said the post has seen about $250 million in cuts over the past year and, as a result, fewer pilots are being trained. Mangum said the post went from training 1,300 pilots last year to less than 1,200 this year and will train around 899 pilots next year. “We’re not changing the standard, but we are changing the student load,” Mangum said. Maj. Gen. William Crosby, Program Executive Officer, PEO-Aviation, told Roby and Turner that one of the most detrimental aspects of the sequester and federal budget wrangles was that it made it difficult to plan and to sign long-term contracts with contractors. Crosby said being unable to plan is counterproductive to actually saving money, as unexpected cuts led to expensive program changes and cancellations. Being unable to sign multi-year contracts robs the military of the ability to lock in cost savings through bargains from contractors, Crosby said. Crosby told the lawmakers that military leaders need stability in the budgeting process and the flexibility to prioritize what cuts need to be made when funding reductions are necessary. Crosby said a steady revenue stream and the ability to plan is necessary to provide military contractors with the business they need to stay afloat and invest in further developments to provide the military with what it needs when it needs it. When asked about flight simulator training, Mangum said about 38 percent of flight instruction occurs on flight simulators. These simulators take up only about 8 percent of the training budget, which Mangum said is an excellent return on investment. Mangum also expressed excitement about the opportunities provided by pairing unmanned and manned aircraft. Mangum said a 60/40 split on manned and unmanned aircraft on missions appears to be the best formula. Roby now sits on the House Appropriations Committee while Turner chairs the House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee. Roby said a bill to stop the sequester for the military for two years had recently passed the House and has a good chance of passing the Senate. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/rep-martha-roby-hosts-panel-about-army-aviation,Rep. Martha Roby hosts panel about army aviation,2013-12-17,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"A panel discussion with Representative Martha Roby and Fort Rucker officials was held today. The main topic of concern was the future of army aviation in the midst of sequestration. Ohio representative, Michael Turner is the chairman of the House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces subcommittee. As chairman of the committee that oversees important Army and Air Force programs, he wanted to learn more about army aviation. Representative Martha Roby saw the request as an opportunity for Fort Rucker officials to explain issues they're facing to the key policy maker. ""It's extremely important for him to have a front row seat as to what our commanders are doing here at Rucker and how important that is for the future and army aviation,"" said Roby. She says meetings like today are vital to understanding and later lobbying for army program funding during budget cuts. ""Whenever we go to someone to try to advocate, another member of congress or a committee chairman or we're trying to make changes of bills, our ability to cite specifics really enhances success,"" said Turner. Many specific examples were given today; officials say the hardest hit area is training. Just in flight training this upcoming year at Fort Rucker almost 30 percent less trainees were able to be accepted. Not only are the amount of students cut, the complexity of situations given to the trainees are being limited. ""The issue of training is the most important topic because it goes to how do we keep out service members ready for the challenges that they absolutely are going to face and here at this facility you have both hands on training and simulated training and they had a great discussion to make sure our service members get both,” said Turner. Officials say that without proper training, when the nation calls on them they'll be assuming some risk.A budget deal that passed in the House is likely to pass in the senate in a final vote sometime this week. If it does pass through the Senate and later the president, it would ease some of those spending cuts. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/roby-turner-discuss-budget-concerns-post-leaders,"Roby, Turner discuss budget concerns with post leaders",2013-12-17,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"As a two-year, bipartisan budget agreement for fiscal year 2014 and 2015 continues to make its way through Congress, United States Rep. Martha Roby and Chairman of the House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee Rep. Michael Turner sat down with Fort Rucker leaders Dec. 17 at the post’s Headquarters Building to discuss the impacts of sequestration and the future of Army aviation. The panel discussion included Maj. Gen. Kevin Mangum, commander of the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence; Maj. Gen. William Crosby, program executive officer of the Program Executive Office of Aviation; Col. Frank Tate, director of aviation for the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff; and Col. John Lindsay, director of Army Aviation for the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff. “I take every opportunity I can to share with my colleagues in Washington the great things that are happening right here at Fort Rucker, as well as Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, but there’s no better way for you (Turner) to understand what we have here than to see it,” Roby said. During the past year, the Department of Defense has seen its fair share of budget constraints due to cuts and sequestration, but this past summer Fort Rucker leaders were able to avert the cuts on flight training hours and the student load thanks to cost efficiencies and savings. However, as the Department of the Army continued to make tough budget decisions for fiscal year 2014, the DOA recently announced Fort Rucker will experience a reduction in the number of aviation soldiers trained by the post. Mangum described to Roby and Turner the effects the post has felt the past year with sequestration and the fiscal restraints it expects to see with proposed cuts in the two-year budget plan. In fiscal year 2013, Mangum said the post saw a $138 million decrement and trained less than 1,200 students. For fiscal year 2014, Mangum said Fort Rucker will see a $112 million decrement and will reduce its flight-training load to 899 students. “Over the past year we’ve realized a $250 million cut to our program here, which equates to about a 28 percent reduction of our flight-hour program,” he said. Assessing the future challenges for Army aviation, Mangum said his greatest concern with further budget cuts and end strength reductions is readiness. “We can tinker a bit with modernization, readiness or manning. My concern is that of those three, readiness is the piece that will take the hit in the near term,” he said. “Based on the fact that we’ve extended most of our modernization programs as far as we can… and we can’t bring down our forestructure as quickly as we’d like to or need to to be able to balance all of those priorities.” In the short term, Mangum said the biggest challenge is going to be readiness and how to give the crews and units the best resources they need to maintain their training. “(With budget decrements), not only will we cut the size of the team, we’ll potentially give them less time to practice,” he said.  “So that really is the concern. Do they have the resource they need to be as highly trained regardless of how large our team is?” Looking at the road ahead, Mangum said the post will need to learn how to balance Army aviation’s forestructure, modernization and readiness to meet global demands. “We must now seize the opportunity to sustain the best force we can afford to ensure that enthusiasm and expectations do not exceed capabilities and future first battles,” he said. “Throughout this difficult process, we must also honor the sacrifice and commitment that are our soldiers and their families.” Fortunately for the post, Roby said there is a key provision in the recently-passed National Defense Authorization Act, the major funding measure for the U.S. military, that will turn the sequester off for the military for the next two years. The House passed the NDAA for fiscal year 2014 Dec. 12. “The agreement that the House voted on last week, part of that agreement was that the defense sequester — the additional $20 billion in cuts that would have gone into effect in the beginning of January — is turned off,” Roby said. “So spending levels will remain for the military where they are now, and I believe that’s about $520 billion.” Roby said she and Turner supported the agreement with hopes it would better protect and help the nation’s Armed Forces. “The funding level is not where our commanders want it to be, but at least for the next two years they will have the potential for the flexibility and the certainty associated with those dollars going to what they need to prioritize those dollars to go to and that’s readiness,” Roby said. “It’s having a prepared force.” Through his visit, Turner said he gained a lot of insight he plans to take back with him to Washington. “I appreciate Martha Roby inviting me so that I can get firsthand from leadership here a perspective, but also to get to see what we need to do in the future,” he said. “I think the issue of training is the most important topic because it goes to how do we keep our services members for the challenges that they are absolutely going to face. Here at this facility, you have both real hands-on training and simulated training, and they had a great discussion of the need to make sure our services members get them both.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140222045906/http://www.sessions.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=127c89c8-d033-ff80-1a1b-7e191c7b922d,"Sessions, Vitter Demand Accounting Of Taxpayer Funds Wasted On EPAs Unnecessary Ozone Proposal",2013-12-17,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Jeff Sessions,S001141,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee and Senate EPW Committee Ranking Member David Vitter, joined by all Republican members of the Senate EPW Committee, wrote EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy today to renew a longstanding, unanswered request for an accounting of taxpayer funds wasted during EPA’s unnecessary, and ultimately abandoned, reconsideration of the ozone standard in the 2010-2011 timeframe. The text of the letter follows: To view it as a PDF, please click here:   December 17, 2013   “The Honorable Gina McCarthy Administrator U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington DC 20460   Re:      Taxpayer Funds Expended on Reconsideration of Ozone NAAQS   Dear Administrator McCarthy: We are writing to renew a longstanding, unanswered request for data related to federal funds and resources expended as part of EPA’s unnecessary reconsideration of the national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) for ground level ozone in the 2010-2011 timeframe. As you know, ozone attainment status significantly impacts state and local transportation planning, energy production and use, and economic development. EPA’s reconsideration of the ozone standard in 2010-2011, years ahead of the regularly-scheduled review process established in the Clean Air Act (CAA), caused economic and regulatory uncertainty throughout the United States. Private businesses and organizations as well as federal, state, and local agencies incurred significant expenses analyzing EPA’s proposal as well as participating in the public comment process. As the Assistant Administrator with responsibility for EPA’s Office of Air & Radiation at the time, you led this ozone reconsideration effort and, as the Administrator, you are responsible for overseeing the current ozone review. Many recognized EPA’s reconsideration initiative as lengthy and unnecessary. For example, a recent report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) suggests that the reconsideration was done as a political, rather than legal, matter and notes that the process took over a year and a half. Specifically, CRS explains: With the change of Administrations in 2009, EPA agreed to reconsider the 2008 [ozone] standard. As a result, a more stringent primary standard and a different version of the secondary standard were proposed in January 2010. After a year and a half of public comment and review, EPA sent what it considered a final set of standards to OMB for interagency review. The process was short-circuited, however, by a Presidential decision to await conclusion of the next regular review—the review now nearing completion—before promulgating any change.  Moreover, as outlined in the recent Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee Minority Report entitled “Neglecting a Cornerstone Principle of the Clean Air Act: President Obama’s EPA Leaves States Behind,”  many states commented about the adverse impacts of the ozone reconsideration proposal. For instance, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency commented: The timing of the proposal, i.e., reopening the standard just two years after it was set, is ill-considered and inconsistent with the schedule for review of NAAQS contained in the Clean Air Act... Attempting to implement a new standard while the previous standard is still being implemented has consistently caused strain, redundancy and inefficiency in the process and has led to seemingly endless rounds of litigation that takes the focus away from the important task at hand--real air quality improvements... U.S. EPA...should not add to the uncertainty and strain generated by the existing Clean Air Act obligations for attaining the ozone standard and generated by the five-year review of that NAAQS by prematurely reevaluating and reestablishing the ozone standard when neither law nor science requires it.  Similarly, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources commented: [I]t cannot be overemphasized how much of an impact the reconsidered standard will have on limited resources at the state level... [T]he statewide public outreach effort required to provide information and notice to all affected areas will be unprecedented.   Other states commented as well, as discussed in the aforementioned EPW minority report. Additionally, a bipartisan coalition of concerned members of Congress urged EPA to forego the unnecessary reconsideration process.  Finally, even the President of the United States stepped in and recognized that this effort had to stop. In August 2011, when President Obama directed EPA to not proceed with the ozone reconsideration process, he explained that he “did not support asking state and local governments to begin implementing a new standard that will soon be reconsidered.” In other words, following 18 months of an unnecessary federal regulatory process that was not mandated by the CAA, the President ordered EPA to stand-down.  Soon after the President’s decision, Senator Sessions wrote EPA in September 2011 inquiring about the “total costs incurred or expended by [EPA] … on efforts related to reconsideration of the 2008 [ozone standard].” However, ever since that request, EPA has evaded providing a response. At your confirmation hearing, in April of this year, Senator Sessions asked you if you would respond to his questions for the record. You responded: “I absolutely will.”  In those questions, you were specifically asked: “Did EPA incur significant costs as part of the ozone reconsideration process; if so, how much?""  You wholly ignored the question in your response to the Committee, violating your pledge before the Committee. Again, in May of this year, EPA staff wrote Senate staff: “We haven’t tracked down a response but are working on it.” To date, no official EPA response has been provided. It has now been 26 months since the initial request. We can only conclude, in the face of repeated refusals to respond to or acknowledge a legitimate question about how taxpayer money has been spent by EPA, that EPA either seeks to thwart our oversight role in this matter or cannot answer the question. Either explanation is deeply troubling. As Members of the Senate Committee with direct jurisdiction over EPA and the CAA, we have a responsibility to oversee Agency actions, including how it expends the resources made available to it by Congress. Our request is neither overly complex nor burdensome. Again, we request that EPA provide to the Committee an accounting of EPA expenses incurred as part of its abandoned 2010-2011 ozone NAAQS reconsideration including the total costs incurred or expended by EPA from January 21, 2009 through August 31, 2011 on efforts related to the Agency’s reconsideration of the 2008 NAAQS for ground level ozone. The estimate should account for EPA staff time (including salaries and benefits); expenses associated with the public hearings in Arlington, Virginia; Houston, Texas; Sacramento, California; as well as any other public hearings or meetings; third-party expenses for consultants, scientists, or other persons; and any other expense incurred by the Agency as part of this effort. In addition to the monetary costs of these efforts, please also provide the total man-hours expended by EPA staff on this effort during the stated timeframe. We look forward to your prompt and thorough response by January 7, 2014. Sincerely, U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions, U.S. Senator David Vitter, U.S. Senator James Inhofe, U.S. Senator John Barrasso, U.S. Senator Mike Crapo, U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, U.S. Senator John Boozman, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer”   BACKGROUND: The Clean Air Act (CAA) authorizes EPA to establish national ambient air quality standards for ground level ozone—an air pollutant formed by nitrogen oxide and volatile organic compounds reacting in the presence of sunlight and heat. EPA set the ozone standard of 125 parts per billion (ppb) in the 1970s and, by the 1990s, the ozone standard was set at 84 ppb. In 2008, after a review process that took eight years, EPA further tightened the ozone standard to 75 ppb. Importantly, under the CAA, EPA must complete a “thorough review” of the ozone standard “at 5-year intervals.” As a result, the next ozone review process should have commenced five years after the 2008 standard was put in place—i.e., the 2013-2014 timeframe. However, in January of 2010, less than two years after issuing the 2008 standards, the current EPA, under the leadership of Lisa Jackson, decided to commence a costly, unnecessary, and premature consideration of EPA’s 2008 ozone decision several years ahead of schedule. EPA’s ozone proposal was widely viewed as one of the most expensive environmental regulations ever proposed. More troubling, this was a voluntary decision by EPA that was neither ordered by the courts nor mandated by law. In response, Sen. Sessions sent a bipartisan letter signed by 34 U.S. Senators urging EPA to not finalize its proposed ozone standards at that time. Ultimately, President Obama agreed with Senator Sessions' request and directed EPA to not move forward with the ozone reconsideration process. Immediately after the President’s decision, Sen. Sessions wrote EPA inquiring about the “total costs incurred or expended by [EPA] … on efforts related to reconsideration of the 2008 [ozone standard].” Notwithstanding efforts to obtain that information since then, EPA has so far dodged responding to this congressional request for an accounting of expenses incurred in the unnecessary ozone reconsideration process. Today’s letter renews Sen. Sessions’ longstanding request for an accounting of taxpayer funds expended as part of the unnecessary and wasteful ozone reconsideration. As Sen. Sessions explained in a September 2011 editorial, “…EPA's proposal would have drained as much as $90 billion annually from the U.S. economy-earning distinction as the most expensive environmental regulation ever proposed. According to the Manufacturers Alliance, this proposal would have put over 7 million jobs at risk by 2020. Under the EPA ozone proposal, many Alabama counties, including Mobile, Baldwin, Montgomery, Shelby, Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, Madison, and several others would have been at serious risk of becoming ‘non-attainment’ for ozone—a designation that can stymy economic growth and industrial development.” Sen. Sessions serves as the Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee and also serves as the Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety, which has oversight jurisdiction for EPA’s air program.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/press-release/roby-hosts-armed-services-committee-leader-fort-rucker,Roby Hosts Armed Services Committee Leader at Fort Rucker,2013-12-16,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-AL) will host the Chairman of the House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, Rep. Michael Turner (R-OH), for a visit to the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker on Tuesday, December 17. The visit will include a panel discussion on the future of Army aviation and the ongoing impact of budget cuts known as sequestration. Following the panel, Rep. Roby will accompany Chairman Turner on a tour of the post and meetings with other Fort Rucker officials. ""I look forward to visiting Fort Rucker and discussing the future of Army Aviation,"" Rep. Turner said. ""I appreciate Martha hosting this panel discussion and the post leadership at Fort Rucker for having us."" ""I'm grateful to Chairman Turner for taking time out of his busy schedule to come visit Fort Rucker,"" Rep. Roby said. ""While recent developments make the budget outlook more promising, the impact of sequestration is still very real. Tuesday we'll have an opportunity to discuss what lies ahead for Army aviation, and there's no better place for that discussion than Fort Rucker. I look for opportunities to share with my fellow Members of Congress the value Fort Rucker adds to the U.S. Armed Forces. This visit will offer Chairman Turner a chance to meet post and community leaders and gain first-hand knowledge of the unique mission at Fort Rucker."" The panel will include: •         Major General Kevin Mangum, Commander, U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence, •         Major General William Crosby, Program Executive Officer, PEO-Aviation, •         Colonel Frank Tate, Director of Aviation, Office of the Deputy COS, G8, •         Colonel John Lindsay, Director of Army Aviation, Office of the Deputy COS, G3. The Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces conducts oversight of ammunition programs, Army and Air Force acquisition programs, Navy and Marine Corps aviation programs, as well as National Guard and Army and Air Force National Guard and Reserve. The subcommittee also authorizes procurement and research and development programs to ensure that America’s soldiers and airmen are fully equipped to carry out their mission.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/roby-hosts-armed-services-committee-leader-fort-rucker,Roby Hosts Armed Services Committee Leader at Fort Rucker,2013-12-14,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-AL) will host the Chairman of the House Armed Services Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, Rep. Michael Turner (R-OH), for a visit to the U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence at Fort Rucker on Tuesday, December 17. The visit will include a panel discussion on the future of Army aviation and the ongoing impact of budget cuts known as sequestration. Following the panel, Rep. Roby will accompany Chairman Turner on a tour of the post and meetings with other Fort Rucker officials. ""I look forward to visiting Fort Rucker and discussing the future of Army Aviation,"" Rep. Turner said. ""I appreciate Martha hosting this panel discussion and the post leadership at Fort Rucker for having us."" ""I'm grateful to Chairman Turner for taking time out of his busy schedule to come visit Fort Rucker,"" Rep. Roby said. ""While recent developments make the budget outlook more promising, the impact of sequestration is still very real. Tuesday we'll have an opportunity to discuss what lies ahead for Army aviation, and there's no better place for that discussion than Fort Rucker. I look for opportunities to share with my fellow Members of Congress the value Fort Rucker adds to the U.S. Armed Forces. This visit will offer Chairman Turner a chance to meet post and community leaders and gain first-hand knowledge of the unique mission at Fort Rucker."" To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://mike-rogers.house.gov/press-release/rogers-passage-2014-defense-bill,Rogers on Passage of 2014 Defense Bill,2013-12-13,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Mike Rogers,R000575,mike-rogers.house.gov,,,legacy,"(WASHINGTON, DC)—Congressman Mike Rogers made the following statement today after voting in support of the Fiscal Year 2014 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which passed the House of Representatives today after being negotiated between the House and the Senate Armed Services Committees.   “The NDAA is critical to our national security.  The world remains a dangerous place and this bill plays a vital part in guiding our military. I am pleased to see passage of this important bill after a lot of hard work and many long hours,” Rogers said.  “When it comes to our nation’s defense, so many of the President’s policies have been a disaster– from his kowtowing to Russia to his interim deal with Iran, which will guarantee that state obtains a nuclear weapon.  Our defenses and deterrent are more important than ever.”   As Chairman of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, Rogers worked to ensure the ongoing modernization of our missile defense, as well as our nuclear and space forces. In addition, he continued his longstanding efforts to help strengthen vital military facilities across East Alabama like the Anniston Army Depot, Maxwell Air Force Base, and Fort Benning.   Within the Strategic Forces subcommittee’s jurisdiction, the bill includes provisions authored by Rogers to ensure the United States is not relying on the space capabilities of China and to prohibit Russia from using U.S. soil for Russian satellite ground stations.  Additionally, the bill prohibits the exchange of sensitive U.S. missile defense technology with Russia and prohibits the integration of Chinese missile defense technology with U.S. missile defenses, as could be the result of the proposed procurement of such technology by the Republic of Turkey.   In addition, it fully funds the B61 Life Extension Program which is vital to our national security and an important component of both the U.S. strategic deterrent and the extended deterrence guarantees we provide to our allies in Europe and Asia.  The bill also makes clear that Congress will not provide any funding to implement nuclear force reductions under the New START Treaty unless Congress is fully briefed on the Administration’s plans.  The legislation increases funding for missile defense by $358 million above the President’s request, including $188 million for Israeli cooperative missile defense programs, including Iron Dome, to ensure the security of our most important allies.  The bill also provides the continued support and advancement of key national security space programs.                                                                                                  -###-",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/house-defense-bill-gets-unanimous-support-alabama-delegation-proposal-includes-1-percent,"House defense bill gets unanimous support from Alabama delegation, proposal includes 1 percent military pay raise",2013-12-13,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"Alabama's House delegation threw its full support behind the compromise version of this year's defense authorization bill, setting the stage for the measure to go before the Senate just before its end-of-year break. All of Alabama's House delegation voted for the National Defense Authorization Act, which passed on a 350-69 vote after members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committee hammered out an agreement earlier in the month. Alabama Reps. Martha Roby, Mike Rogers and Mo Brooks all serve on the HASC. The Senate will take up the measure Wednesday in an effort to avoid failing to pass an appropriations bill for the first time in more than 50 years. The bill includes $552.1 billion for the Department of Defense base budget and $80.7 billion - about $7.8 billion less than last year -for Overseas Contingency Operations. Roby, R-Montgomery, said the House's success in passing a final bill is ""critical to ensuring the nation's military is properly equipped and postured in 2014. ""Providing for the common defense is our fundamental duty as the Congress,"" Roby said. ""I'm proud to represent two distinguished military installations in Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery and Fort Rucker in the Wiregrass. These installations and others like them around the world will be better able to prepare our men and women in uniform thanks to this year's NDAA."" Rogers, R-Saks, said the bill is critical to national security. ""The world remains a dangerous place and this bill plays a vital part in guiding our military. I am pleased to see passage of this important bill after a lot of hard work and many long hours,"" said Rogers, whose district includes Anniston Army Depot. Brooks, whose district includes Redstone Arsenal, said the passage of the bill gives the military a needed dose of stability in the wake of a year of across-the-board cutbacks due to sequestration. ""I voted for the National Defense Authorization Act because it provides our troops with the resources they need to carry out today's missions and prepare for future threats. In the wake of sequestration, now more than ever, our warfighters recognize the value of every taxpayer dollar and the need to be good stewards with our resources,"" Brooks said. Key provisions of the bill include: Allows the president to continue with a plan for a 1 percent pay raise for military personnel but rejects increases to Tricare fees. Directs the military to set gender-neutral occupational standards to be used to incorporate women in combat roles. Prohibits the transfer of missile technology to Russia, something Brooks has championed in the budget process. Stops the Russians from installing ground satellite stations in the U.S. Rogers authored the legislation to prevent the stations from being located in the U.S. Prohibits the Pentagon from pursuing another round of Base Realignment and Closure. Stops the transfer of detainees from Guantanamo Bay to the U.S. and prohibits the construction of detainee facilities in the country. Includes funding for the deployment of an East Coast missile defense site. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/roby-applauds-passage-ndaa,Roby Applauds Passage of NDAA,2013-12-13,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R) from Montgomery applauded Thursday’s House passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).  Rep. Roby said that the bill ensures that the military will proper support in the coming year. The annual bill authorizes funding for military programs and sets policy for the Department of Defense. Representative Roby said, ""Providing for the common defense is our fundamental duty as the Congress.  I’m proud to represent two distinguished military installations in Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery and Fort Rucker in the Wiregrass. These installations and others like them around the world will be better able to prepare our men and women in uniform thanks to this year’s NDAA."" Also on Thursday, House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Chairman Buck McKeon (R) announced that Rep. Roby will be transitioning onto the House Committee on Appropriations and will no longer serve on the House Armed Services Committee. Chairman McKeon said in a written statement, “Last January, when it came time to do our subcommittee assignments, Martha was an obvious choice. As Chairman of the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee, she wasted no time becoming one of my most trusted and valued members. I entrusted her with critical assignments, including assessing how the Department of Defense responded to the Benghazi terrorist attacks and other important ongoing matters.  With that said, I am very pleased to hear her talents will be put to good use on the Appropriations Committee. I know the people of Alabama appreciate her as much as I do, and I know Appropriations will find her national security prowess as valuable as I do."" As the Chair of the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee, Rep. Roby held hearings on: the future of women and girls in Afghanistan and on better posturing of military assets to respond to global threats, such as the terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya last year. Yesterday’s NDAA authorizes funding and gives special guidance to these important areas of focus. The NDAA was passed after negotiators from the House and Senate reached a bipartisan agreement on a final version. The House version of the NDAA in June was passed back in June. The annual bill authorizes funding for military programs and sets policies for the Department of Defense.  This is the 52nd consecutive NDAA to be passed by Congress. The budget deal passed late on Thursday means that defense will be spared from a second round of crippling sequestration cuts that would have slowed new weapons programs and led to a further hollowing out of American military capabilities. The bill passed the House in a bipartisan vote of 350 to 69. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.shelby.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ContentRecord_id=f43929fd-a9a6-40cf-836e-baec729c4ee3,Shelby Ensures No Taxpayer $ Used for War on Coal in AL,2013-12-13,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Richard Shelby,S000320,www.shelby.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Shelby to Energy Dpt: Ensure No Taxpayer Funds Used for War on Coal in AL   WASHINGTON, DC, Friday, December 13, 2013 – Amid multiple media reports that the San Francisco-based Energy Foundation funded environmental groups waging a stealth “War on Coal” in Alabama, U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) today wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of Energy, Ernest Moniz, requesting an accounting of taxpayer funds provided to these same groups through federal grants.  The groups bankrolled by the Energy Foundation have disrupted several Alabama Public Service Commission hearings regarding utility rate structures under the pretext of protecting consumers in Alabama.  “While independent organizations are free to spend their money and advocate in whatever manner that they wish, my concern is that some of the organizations now waging a war against coal in Alabama are also receiving federal funds in the form of grants from your department,” Shelby wrote to Moniz.  “Accordingly, I ask that you investigate these organizations’ use of the grant funding that they have received from your department to ensure that they are spending their federal grant dollars in accordance with the law and their intended purpose.  I also further ask that you write back to me with your findings in this regard.  To assist you in this undertaking, I have enclosed a letter I received from a group of my constituents more fully describing these concerns.”   The text of Shelby’s letter to Moniz is below.  A PDF copy is attached.    ***   December 13, 2013   The Honorable Ernest Moniz Secretary U.S. Department of Energy 1000 Independence Avenue SW Washington, DC  20585 Dear Mr. Secretary: I write to express my concern that federal grant funds awarded by the Department of Energy may have been misallocated to improper political advocacy by special interest groups seeking to undermine the coal industry in my home state of Alabama. Recently, it has come to light that these groups, who previously claimed to be operating at the behest of the people of Alabama, actually received millions of dollars in funding from the San Francisco-based Energy Foundation, which is a “clean energy” advocacy organization that is actively seeking to undermine our domestic coal industry.  Not coincidentally, it would seem, these organizations have actively pursued the same anti-coal agenda in Alabama. Aside from the thousands of jobs that the coal industry provides in my state, it is also instrumental in supplying affordable electricity to all of Alabama’s citizens and businesses.  The link between affordable electricity and economic growth and job creation is undeniable.  Thus, it is of great concern to me when large out-of-state organizations seek to impose their detrimental agenda on the people of the State of Alabama.  It is even more concerning still that these organizations could possibly be using taxpayer dollars to do so. While independent organizations are free to spend their money and advocate in whatever manner that they wish, my concern is that some of the organizations now waging a war against coal in Alabama are also receiving federal funds in the form of grants from your department.  Accordingly, I ask that you investigate these organizations’ use of the grant funding that they have received from your department to ensure that they are spending their federal grant dollars in accordance with the law and their intended purpose.  I also further ask that you write back to me with your findings in this regard.  To assist you in this undertaking, I have enclosed a letter I received from a group of my constituents more fully describing these concerns. I thank you for your time and attention to my request.  Should you need any further information please feel free to call upon me at any time.   Sincerely,   Richard Shelby United States Senator",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://brooks.house.gov/media-center/news-releases/brooks-opposes-additional-60-billion-debt-increase,Brooks Opposes Additional $60 Billion Debt Increase,2013-12-13,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,brooks.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-5) concurred with the views of Alabama Senators Richard Shelby 1 and Jeff Sessions 2 and voted against the Murray-Ryan spending bill that busts spending cap agreements and worsens America's projected two-year $1.5 trillion deficit by another $60 billion. Congressman Brooks stated, While parts of the Murray-Ryan spending deal are attractive, its two-year effects are financially irresponsible. America suffers from a $17 trillion debt and five years of deficits averaging more than $1 trillion/year. Interest on America's debt exceeds $250 billion/year and is projected by the CBO to reach $800 billion/year within a decade, thus jeopardizing our ability to pay for national security, Social Security, and every other federal program. Over the next two years, America's projected deficit approximates $1.5 trillion. The Murray-Ryan spending deal piles another $60 billion in debt onto an already bad deficit situation, making America's finances worse, not better. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen warns that debt is our greatest national security threat. America's Comptroller General Gene Dodaro warns that America's deficit and debt path is unsustainable'. Prudence and common sense dictate that America heed these warnings and act responsibly. The Murray-Ryan spending deal does neither and is the wrong path to follow. Congressman Brooks concluded, The financially irresponsible policies that drove Detroit into bankruptcy run wild in Washington. America can and must do better. For example, the Murray-Ryan spending bill could be fully funded without borrowing a dime if Washington instead cut tens of billions/year in foreign aid, stopped giving illegal aliens more than $4 billion/year in fraudulent tax refunds,3 and stopped making as much as $14 billion/year in unemployment compensation overpayments.4 Other information about the Murray-Ryan spending deal: It unfairly singles out retired military personnel for disproportionate COLA retirement cuts that no other federal employees must accept. Military personnel who have risked their lives serving America for twenty years should be treated the best, not the worst. The Veterans of Foreign Wars, Marine Corps League, Association of the U.S. Navy, AMVETS, Gold Star Wives, Military Order of the Purple Heart, National Assoc. for Uniformed Services, Vietnam Veterans of America, National Guard Assoc. of the U.S., and 18 other veterans organizations oppose the Murray-Ryan spending deal.It rescinds all funds appropriated for replenishment of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, thus cutting America's oil reserves and jeopardizing our economy and country, should America face another 1973-style oil embargo.It raises taxes that hurt America's economy and undermine jobs. For example, it raises $1.2 billion/year in taxes on air travel alone, costing air travel jobs.It raises $790 million/year in taxes on pension benefit plans, thereby decreasing pension funds available for payment to America's retirees. 1 Senator Richard Shelby is the ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Committee. 2 Senator Jeff Sessions is the ranking member on the Senate Budget Committee and served on the conference committee that drafted the Murray-Ryan spending deal (which was presented to Congress despite the absence of a concurring vote by the conference committee). ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140228104300/http://brooks.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=1095,Brooks Opposes Additional $60 Billion Debt Increase,2013-12-13,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. –Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-5) concurred with the views of Alabama Senators Richard Shelby 1 and Jeff Sessions 2 and voted against the Murray-Ryan spending bill that busts spending cap agreements and worsens America’s projected two-year $1.5 trillion deficit by another $60 billion.    Congressman Brooks stated, “While parts of the Murray-Ryan spending deal are attractive, its two-year effects are financially irresponsible.  America suffers from a $17 trillion debt and five years of deficits averaging more than $1 trillion/year. Interest on America’s debt exceeds $250 billion/year and is projected by the CBO to reach $800 billion/year within a decade, thus jeopardizing our ability to pay for national security, Social Security, and every other federal program. Over the next two years, America’s projected deficit approximates $1.5 trillion.  The Murray-Ryan spending deal piles another $60 billion in debt onto an already bad deficit situation, making America’s finances worse, not better.  Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen warns that debt is our greatest national security threat.  America’s Comptroller General Gene Dodaro warns that America’s deficit and debt path is ‘unsustainable’.  Prudence and common sense dictate that America heed these warnings and act responsibly.  The Murray-Ryan spending deal does neither and is the wrong path to follow.”   Congressman Brooks concluded, “The financially irresponsible policies that drove Detroit into bankruptcy run wild in Washington.   America can and must do better.  For example, the Murray-Ryan spending bill could be fully funded without borrowing a dime if Washington instead cut tens of billions/year in foreign aid, stopped giving illegal aliens more than $4 billion/year in fraudulent tax refunds,3 and stopped making as much as $14 billion/year in unemployment compensation overpayments.4 ”   Other information about the Murray-Ryan spending deal:    It unfairly singles out retired military personnel for disproportionate COLA retirement cuts that no other federal employees must accept.  Military personnel who have risked their lives serving America for twenty years should be treated the best, not the worst.  The Veterans of Foreign Wars, Marine Corps League, Association of the U.S. Navy, AMVETS, Gold Star Wives, Military Order of the Purple Heart, National Assoc. for Uniformed Services, Vietnam Veterans of America, National Guard Assoc. of the U.S., and 18 other veterans organizations oppose the Murray-Ryan spending deal. It rescinds all funds appropriated for replenishment of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, thus cutting America’s oil reserves and jeopardizing our economy and country, should America face another 1973-style oil embargo. It raises taxes that hurt America’s economy and undermine jobs.  For example, it raises $1.2 billion/year in taxes on air travel alone, costing air travel jobs.  It raises $790 million/year in taxes on pension benefit plans, thereby decreasing pension funds available for payment to America’s retirees.     1 Senator Richard Shelby is the ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Committee. 2 Senator Jeff Sessions is the ranking member on the Senate Budget Committee and served on the conference committee that drafted the Murray-Ryan spending deal (which was presented to Congress despite the absence of a concurring vote by the conference committee).    ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/press-release/roby-applauds-house-passage-national-defense-authorization-act,Roby Applauds House Passage of National Defense Authorization Act,2013-12-12,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"The annual bill authorizes funding for military programs and sets policy for the Department of Defense.   ""Providing for the common defense is our fundamental duty as the Congress,"" Rep. Roby said. ""I’m proud to represent two distinguished military installations in Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery and Fort Rucker in the Wiregrass. These installations and others like them around the world will be better able to prepare our men and women in uniform thanks to this year’s NDAA.""   It was a bittersweet moment for the second term lawmaker from Montgomery, as House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Chairman Buck McKeon pointed out that Rep. Roby is transitioning onto the House Committee on Appropriations and will no longer serve on the House Armed Services Committee.   “Last January, when it came time to do our subcommittee assignments, Martha was an obvious choice. As Chairman of the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee, she wasted no time becoming one of my most trusted and valued members. I entrusted her with critical assignments, including assessing how the Department of Defense responded to the Benghazi terrorist attacks and other important ongoing matters,” Chairman McKeon said in a statement. “With that said, I am very pleased to hear her talents will be put to good use on the Appropriations Committee. I know the people of Alabama appreciate her as much as I do, and I know Appropriations will find her national security prowess as valuable as I do.""   Rep. Roby also highlighted two of the NDAA contributions made by her Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations: the future of women and girls in Afghanistan and better posturing of military assets to respond to global threats, such as the terrorist attacks in Benghazi, Libya last year. The NDAA authorizes funding and gives special guidance toward these important areas of focus.   The bill's passage comes after House and Senate negotiators reached an agreement this week on a final version. The House originally passed its version of the NDAA in June. The success of moving a final bill forward is critical to ensuring the nation's military is properly equipped and postured in 2014.   This is the 52nd consecutive NDAA to be passed by Congress. Detailed information can be found online here.   The bill passed the House by a vote of 350 to 69.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://brooks.house.gov/media-center/news-releases/national-defense-authorization-act-passes-house-brooks-support,National Defense Authorization Act Passes House with Brooks' Support,2013-12-12,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,brooks.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Today Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05) voted for H.Res. 441, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2014, which includes two provisions previously offered by Brooks. The NDAA passed by a vote of 350 to 69. The first Brooks amendment helps keep America's missile defense program secrets safe, and the second ensures the fair evaluation of competing contractors for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program. The FY14 NDAA authorizes $552.1 billion for the Department of Defense base budget and $80.7 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations to support current law on troop pay and restore vital readiness accounts to cover underfunded combat operations, among other priorities. Congressman Brooks said, I voted for the National Defense Authorization Act because it provides our troops with the resources they need to carry out today's missions and prepare for future threats. In the wake of sequestration, now more than ever, our warfighters recognize the value of every taxpayer dollar and the need to be good stewards with our resources. I'm pleased the FY14 NDAA includes a provision I offered to protect America's $175 billion dollar missile defense program from being irresponsibly used as a bargaining tool. This Administration has proven time and again that they are willing to trade our defense secrets for diplomacy, specifically in regards to Russia. My amendment protects our critical missile defense technologies and strengthens congressional oversight of the Administration to ensure America's classified information is kept safe. My second NDAA amendment ensures there is a fair evaluation of all contractors who wish to compete for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicleprogram. The amendment requires that the Air Force develop and implement a plan to make certain competing contractors are treated fairly in their bidding for the EELV program. It also helps level the playing field for the United Launch Alliance in Decatur by prohibiting ULA competitors from competing with subpar performance records. Congressman Brooks is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, sitting on the Strategic Forces and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittees. He is the founder and co-chair of the Army Aviation Caucus. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140222044959/http://www.sessions.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=e8b7e712-a34b-7cea-97e0-e2ab54795963,Sessions Comments On Boeings Decision To Open A New Research Center In Huntsville,2013-12-12,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Jeff Sessions,S001141,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement today after Boeing announced they will be locating a new research and technology center in Huntsville:   “I am gratified to hear that Boeing is expanding its commitment to the Huntsville area by developing a new research and technology facility in the community. This will add over 300 jobs by 2015. A top flight work force with great technical skill continues to draw world class businesses. I salute the local leaders in all areas where hard work made this possible.”   BACKGROUND: The Boeing research and technology facility in Huntsville will be comprised of: The Center for Simulation and Decision Analytics and The Center for Metals and Chemical Technology. In the restructuring of the company’s Research and Development, Boeing plans to hire 200 people in 2014 and 150-200 in 2015. Huntsville is 1 of 5 new centers along with the states of Washington, South Carolina, California, and Missouri.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140228104501/http://brooks.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=1093,National Defense Authorization Act Passes House with Brooks' Support,2013-12-12,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C.– Today Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05) voted for H.Res. 441, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2014, which includes two provisions previously offered by Brooks. The NDAA passed by a vote of 350 to 69. The first Brooks amendment helps keep America’s missile defense program secrets safe, and the second ensures the fair evaluation of competing contractors for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program. The FY14 NDAA authorizes $552.1 billion for the Department of Defense base budget and $80.7 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations to support current law on troop pay and restore vital readiness accounts to cover underfunded combat operations, among other priorities.   Congressman Brooks said, “I voted for the National Defense Authorization Act because it provides our troops with the resources they need to carry out today’s missions and prepare for future threats. In the wake of sequestration, now more than ever, our warfighters recognize the value of every taxpayer dollar and the need to be good stewards with our resources.”   “I’m pleased the FY14 NDAA includes a provision I offered to protect America’s $175 billion dollar missile defense program from being irresponsibly used as a bargaining tool. This Administration has proven time and again that they are willing to trade our defense secrets for diplomacy, specifically in regards to Russia. My amendment protects our critical missile defense technologies and strengthens congressional oversight of the Administration to ensure America’s classified information is kept safe.”   “My second NDAA amendment ensures there is a fair evaluation of all contractors who wish to compete for the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicleprogram.  The amendment requires that the Air Force develop and implement a plan to make certain competing contractors are treated fairly in their bidding for the EELV program. It also helps level the playing field for the United Launch Alliance in Decatur by prohibiting ULA competitors from competing with subpar performance records.”   Congressman Brooks is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, sitting on the Strategic Forces and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittees. He is the founder and co-chair of the Army Aviation Caucus.   ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://mike-rogers.house.gov/press-release/giving-back-across-east-alabama-0,Giving Back Across East Alabama,2013-12-11,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Mike Rogers,R000575,mike-rogers.house.gov,,,legacy,"(WASHINGTON, DC)—The Christmas season is in full swing and across East Alabama the giving spirit is alive and well.   Each year around the holidays, I like to take the opportunity to highlight a few of the great works going on across our area.  The following examples are just a sampling of people giving of their time and gifts this year.   As anyone can see from this sampling, folks across our state are always willing to help their neighbor all year long.     This November, Yarbrough Elementary School students in Auburn spent their afternoon making decorations for East Alabama Medical Center’s Pediatric Unit. Students hoped to bring some joy to the patients with their cheerful decorations.   In Pell City, the Leadership St. Clair Class of 2013 and the Pell City Garden Club joined forces this Spring to obtain and dedicate a Blue Star Marker for the Col. Robert L. Howard Veterans Home. The Blue Star Marker is a tribute to all those who serve in the Armed Forces.    In LaFayette, Ms. Carolyn Edge Wheeler has dedicated herself to the upkeep of the town’s historic Square and City Cemetery. She and her team of volunteers have selflessly maintained LaFayette and collected donations for its upkeep.    In St. Clair County, 55 Gorbel employees sent heartfelt Holiday cards to unknown soldiers and Veterans. These warm messages thank the troops for their sacrifices while wishing them Happy Holidays.   And in Macon County, I had the unique opportunity to present a Congressional Gold Medal to Mr. Robert Freeman, a surviving member of the Montford Point Marines. His service and sacrifice is something we all can admire.      May these selfless acts be examples of how we should live all year long. Merry Christmas to you and your families!   Contact me on this or any issue at mike-rogers.house.gov, like me on Facebook at Congressman Mike D. Rogers, follow me on Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram at RepMikeRogersAL and subscribe to my YouTube page at MikeRogersAL03.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://mike-rogers.house.gov/press-release/rogers-no-us-ground-stations-russia,Rogers: No U.S. Ground-Stations for Russia,2013-12-11,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Mike Rogers,R000575,mike-rogers.house.gov,,,legacy,"(WASHINGTON) – U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces, announced today legislation was included in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 (Section 1602) to impose new restrictions on President Obama to limit his ability to approve locating ground-stations for Russia’s GLONASS system in the United States, as the State Department had reportedly proposed to do.               GLONASS is a Russian competitor to the U.S. Air Force’s Global Positioning System (GPS) and is known to be a personal priority of Russian President Vladimir Putin.  Locating Russian-controlled global satellite ground monitoring stations in the United States creates the risk that Russia could locate electronic intelligence gathering equipment in those ground stations.  This Russian proposal is reportedly backed by the State Department but has drawn the concerns of the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Intelligence Community (IC).               Rogers was the first Member of Congress to challenge this Russian proposal when he sent a letter in early November to Secretary Hagel, Secretary Kerry and General Clapper expressing his concerns over this issue and referencing the concerns of the DOD and IC.                 “It is unconscionable to me that the State Department would consider allowing Russia to locate these capabilities on our soil.  Any one of my kids would have no problem seeing the risks.  I am pleased I was able to ensure this legislation included in the NDAA,” Rogers said.               The provision would be in effect until 2019, ensuring this protection lasts until President Obama leaves office.  The House is expected to take up the NDAA this week.                                                                         -###-",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/press-release/alabama-delegation-backs-bentley-proposal-lure-new-aerospace-jobs,Alabama Delegation Backs Bentley Proposal to Lure New Aerospace Jobs,2013-12-11,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"The Alabama Congressional delegation today issued a bipartisan statement of support for Governor Robert Bentley's proposal to Boeing Chairman, President and CEO, James McNerney, Jr., to build the aerospace giant's planned 777X aircraft in the state.  Huntsville, Alabama is among the locations currently under consideration by Boeing.  Today is the submission deadline for competing bids by states in the running to land the work. Joining Senators Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) on the following statement were Congressmen Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville), Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville), Spencer Bachus (R-Vestavia Hills), Mike Rogers (R-Saks), Martha Roby (R-Montgomery), and Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham): “Huntsville is a world leader in aerospace and aviation innovation, and Alabama’s workforce is second to none.  There is simply no better place for Boeing to locate its new 777X design, manufacturing, fabrication, and assembly operations.  We commend the city and state for so aggressively pursuing this economic development opportunity and stand ready to support these efforts in any way possible.” On November 22, 2013, the Alabama delegation wrote a letter to McNerney detailing the state's strong case as the prime location to build the 777X.  The delegation highlighted Boeing’s significant existing footprint in North Alabama, which boasts a business-friendly environment that includes decades of high-tech aerospace expertise, low taxation and cost-of-living, a rational regulatory regime, right-to-work laws, low utility rates, and excellent infrastructure.  The letter also points to world-class engineering and science facilities at Alabama’s universities statewide that are producing an abundance of highly skilled workers that would be required to fill the jobs created.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.shelby.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ContentRecord_id=31fad212-7a26-48d4-ae41-86969339636b,AL Delegation Backs Bentley Proposal to Lure New Aerospace Jobs,2013-12-11,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Richard Shelby,S000320,www.shelby.senate.gov,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON, D.C., Tuesday, December 10, 2013 -- The Alabama Congressional delegation today issued a bipartisan statement of support for Governor Robert Bentley's proposal to Boeing Chairman, President and CEO, James McNerney, Jr., to build the aerospace giant's planned 777X aircraft in the state.  Huntsville, Alabama is among the locations currently under consideration by Boeing.  Today is the submission deadline for competing bids by states in the running to land the work. Joining Senators Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) and Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) on the following statement were Congressmen Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville), Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville), Spencer Bachus (R-Vestavia Hills), Mike Rogers (R-Saks), Martha Roby (R-Montgomery), and Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham): “Huntsville is a world leader in aerospace and aviation innovation, and Alabama’s workforce is second to none.  There is simply no better place for Boeing to locate its new 777X design, manufacturing, fabrication, and assembly operations.  We commend the city and state for so aggressively pursuing this economic development opportunity and stand ready to support these efforts in any way possible.” On November 22, 2013, the Alabama delegation wrote a letter to McNerney detailing the state's strong case as the prime location to build the 777X.  The delegation highlighted Boeing’s significant existing footprint in North Alabama, which boasts a business-friendly environment that includes decades of high-tech aerospace expertise, low taxation and cost-of-living, a rational regulatory regime, right-to-work laws, low utility rates, and excellent infrastructure.  The letter also points to world-class engineering and science facilities at Alabama’s universities statewide that are producing an abundance of highly skilled workers that would be required to fill the jobs created.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://brooks.house.gov/media-center/news-releases/brooks-bill-protect-funding-key-nasa-programs-passes-committee-bipartisan,Brooks' Bill to Protect Funding for Key NASA Programs Passes Committee with Bipartisan Support,2013-12-11,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,brooks.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Today the Science Space and Technology Committee passed H.R. 3625, a bill introduced by Congressman Mo Brooks (R-AL), on a bipartisan, unanimous vote, thus clearing the way for full House consideration of the bill. H.R. 3625 prohibits the Administration from canceling the Space Launch System (SLS), Orion Crew Capsule, International Space Station, or the James Webb Space Telescope without congressional consent. In addition, H.R. 3625 frees up over a half a billion dollars in already appropriated funding for work on the Space Launch System, Orion Crew Capsule, International Space Station, and James Webb Space Telescope.Watch video of Brooks' committee remarks here.Congressman Brooks said, According to the latest report from NASA, as of October 2013, SLS, Orion, Space Station and James Webb Space Telescope contractors are required to withhold $589 million in appropriated funding to cover potential termination costs should NASA unilaterally terminate these programs. H.R. 3625 frees up that $589 million for productive work on SLS, Orion, the Space Station, and James Webb Space Telescope. Brooks added, I'm pleased the Committee chose to move forward with a full committee vote and passage of this important legislation. In a time of budget constraints, passage of this bill is one way to help ensure that vital NASA work stays on schedule. I'm also pleased the Committee agreed to the request of Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD) to add the James Webb Space Telescope to our list of high priority protected programs. Rep. Edwards stated, I want to thank my colleague Mr. Brooks for his graciousness in working with me to come to an agreement on the language of this amendment and to clarify our intent. She continued, In fact, bipartisanship as we know takes effort, it takes a willingness to compromise, and I am really encouraged by the outcome of the collaborative discussions we have had over this last week between members and their staff as well as between the majority and the minority committee staff."" Brooks concluded, Rather than withholding scarce funds for termination liability, which creates delays that drive up long-term costs, H.R. 3625 frees up these vital resources to help ensure that the Orion Crew Capsule, Space Launch System, International Space Station, and James Webb Space Telescope will all move forward on schedule, thereby helping to preserve and promote American exceptionalism in space. Click here to read a copy of H.R. 3625. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140222050013/http://www.sessions.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=e2624772-ba49-9cdf-b723-7e0f3886ec1f,Sessions Leads Bipartisan Effort To Protect Victims Of Child Abuse,2013-12-11,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Jeff Sessions,S001141,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today after joining Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) to introduce a bill to reauthorize the Victims of Child Abuse Act (VOCAA):   “As a former prosecutor and Attorney General, I have seen firsthand the dramatic impact that Children’s Advocacy Centers have made in improving our nation’s response to these terrible crimes. Since the Victims of Child Abuse Act was introduced more than two decades ago we have seen substantial improvements in the investigation of these heinous acts and the vital care provided to child victims. Protecting our children is the highest moral duty we have. I am proud that the first Children’s Advocacy Center is in Huntsville—this amazing organization does such crucial work on behalf of our nation’s children.   The Victims of Child Abuse Act plays a critical role in protecting our nation’s children and we must reauthorize it. I am grateful to Senators Coons, Hirono, and Blunt for joining in this effort.”   BACKGROUND: The Victims of Child Abuse Act provides funding to local Child Advocacy Centers (CAC) across the nation, as well as the Regional Children’s Advocacy Center programs, the National Children’s Alliance, the National Children’s Advocacy Center and other programs serving child abuse victims. The Congressional Budget Office released an informal overview stating that it would not have a budgetary impact on spending or revenue. CACs take a multi-disciplinary approach to responding to child abuse by coordinating the efforts of medical, mental health, victim advocacy, law enforcement, and prosecutorial agencies. In the 1980s, former Congressman Robert “Bud” Cramer, Jr. of Alabama recognized the urgent need for improved responses to child abuse and Cramer (then a District Attorney) helped found the first CAC in Huntsville. Due to the enormous difference they’ve made, CACs have expanded to over 850 locations across the county.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140228104706/http://brooks.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=1092,Brooks' Bill to Protect Funding for Key NASA Programs Passes Committee with Bipartisan Support,2013-12-11,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C.– Today the Science Space and Technology Committee passed H.R. 3625, a bill introduced by Congressman Mo Brooks (R-AL), on a bipartisan, unanimous vote, thus clearing the way for full House consideration of the bill. H.R. 3625 prohibits the Administration from canceling the Space Launch System (SLS), Orion Crew Capsule, International Space Station, or the James Webb Space Telescope without congressional consent. In addition, H.R. 3625 frees up over a half a billion dollars in already appropriated funding for work on the Space Launch System, Orion Crew Capsule, International Space Station, and James Webb Space Telescope. Watch video of Brooks’ committee remarks here. Congressman Brooks said, “According to the latest report from NASA, as of October 2013, SLS, Orion, Space Station and James Webb Space Telescope contractors are required to withhold $589 million in appropriated funding to cover potential termination costs should NASA unilaterally terminate these programs. H.R. 3625 frees up that $589 million for productive work on SLS, Orion, the Space Station, and James Webb Space Telescope.” Brooks added, “I’m pleased the Committee chose to move forward with a full committee vote and passage of this important legislation. In a time of budget constraints, passage of this bill is one way to help ensure that vital NASA work stays on schedule. I’m also pleased the Committee agreed to the request of Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD) to add the James Webb Space Telescope to our list of high priority protected programs.” Rep. Edwards stated, “I want to thank my colleague Mr. Brooks for his graciousness in working with me to come to an agreement on the language of this amendment and to clarify our intent.” She continued, “In fact, bipartisanship as we know takes effort, it takes a willingness to compromise, and I am really encouraged by the outcome of the collaborative discussions we have had over this last week between members and their staff as well as between the majority and the minority committee staff."" Brooks concluded, “Rather than withholding scarce funds for termination liability, which creates delays that drive up long-term costs, H.R. 3625 frees up these vital resources to help ensure that the Orion Crew Capsule, Space Launch System, International Space Station, and James Webb Space Telescope will all move forward on schedule, thereby helping to preserve and promote American exceptionalism in space.” Click here to read a copy of H.R. 3625. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140307163951/http://www.shelby.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsarticles?ContentRecord_id=a9441a7f-91d7-4c5e-9bf7-e9ad9dd53cea,Yellowhammer: Congressional delegation sends message to Boeing: 'Alabama is second to none',2013-12-11,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Richard Shelby,S000320,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"Cliff Sims The Alabama Congressional delegation has issued a bipartisan statement of support for Gov. Robert Bentley’s proposal to Boeing Chairman, President and CEO, James McNerney, Jr., to build the aerospace giant’s planned 777X aircraft in the state. ""Huntsville is a world leader in aerospace and aviation innovation, and Alabama’s workforce is second to none. There is simply no better place for Boeing to locate its new 777X design, manufacturing, fabrication, and assembly operations. We commend the city and state for so aggressively pursuing this economic development opportunity and stand ready to support these efforts in any way possible."" Signing on to the statement were Senators Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, and Jeff Sessions, R-Mobile, along with Reps. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville, Spencer Bachus, R-Vestavia Hills, Mike Rogers, R-Saks, Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, and Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham. The statement comes just weeks after the delegation wrote a letter to Boeing’s CEO touting Alabama’s “high-tech aerospace expertise, low taxation and cost-of-living, rational regulatory regime, right-to-work laws, low utility rates, and excellent infrastructure.” Alabama submitted its proposal to Boeing on Monday, a day ahead of the submission deadline. Huntsville, Ala. is one of at least 15 locations currently being considered by Boeing.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140307164009/http://www.shelby.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsarticles?ContentRecord_id=ddc4e8ea-903c-4dae-8ba5-cd2630fb1e85,AL.com: Washington lawmakers ramp up the pressure to keep Boeing in the state,2013-12-11,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Richard Shelby,S000320,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"In a Dec. 9 letter to Boeing leadership, the bipartisan delegation that includes Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and 10 Representatives touts the state's history with Boeing and its plans for the future. ""Washington is the aerospace capital of the world, and our delegation is committed to ensuring that the aerospace industry can continue to grow in Washington state,"" the lawmakers wrote. ""While we recognize that the Boeing Company faces an increasingly competitive environment and must undertake a thorough process to determine where to place production, we are confident that a full analysis of options will show that Washington state stands apart from the competition."" The delegation - which refers to itself as the ""aerospace industry's strongest allies and loudest advocates in Congress"" - said the state has proven its commitment to Boeing despite the recent contract rejection by a machinists union that has led the union to shop around production of the next-generation 777X. Alabama is one about 15 states vying for the facility. Boeing has met with Alabama officials about locating the plant in Huntsville, where is already has a sizeable engineering presence. The Herald of Everett, Wash. said the following states had publicly announcedthey would make a bid for Boeing: Alabama, Arizona, California, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin. The Washington lawmakers point to their work on behalf of Boeing in the fight to land the Air Force's KC-46A Refueling Tanker contract, the 2012 reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank and their work to land a $20 million federal workforce grant to train more than 2,600 workers in advanced aerospace assembly. ""As our delegation's support illustrates, support for aerospace manufacturing in Washington is not just statewide, it is miles wide and miles deep,"" lawmakers wrote. Washington lawmakers aren't the only ones courting the aerospace giant. Alabama lawmakers sent their second letter yesterday touting the benefits of bringing the plant to Huntsville. Sens. Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions and Reps. Robert Aderholt, Mo Brooks, Spencer Bachus, Mike Rogers, Martha Roby and Terri Sewell issued the following statement Tuesday: ""Huntsville is a world leader in aerospace and aviation innovation, and Alabama's workforce is second to none. There is simply no better place for Boeing to locate its new 777X design, manufacturing, fabrication, and assembly operations. We commend the city and state for so aggressively pursuing this economic development opportunity and stand ready to support these efforts in any way possible."" The battle for Boeing has emerged to the forefront in states hoping to land the facility.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/alabama-lawmakers-continue-push-attract-boeing-huntsville,Alabama lawmakers continue push to attract Boeing to Huntsville,2013-12-10,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"With Alabama's offer to Boeing reportedly in the company's hands, the state's Congressional delegation is continuing its push to land the 777X production plant for Huntsville. The delegation issued a bipartisan statement of support today for Gov. Robert Bentley's proposal to Boeing Chairman, President and CEO James McNerney Jr. Details of the plan have not been released and Alabama is reportedly among 15 states vying for the $10 billion facility and its 8,500 jobs. The statement was issued by Sens. Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions and Reps. Robert Aderholt, Mo Brooks, Spencer Bachus, Mike Rogers, Martha Roby and Terri Sewell. The lawmakers said: ""Huntsville is a world leader in aerospace and aviation innovation, and Alabama's workforce is second to none. There is simply no better place for Boeing to locate its new 777X design, manufacturing, fabrication, and assembly operations. We commend the city and state for so aggressively pursuing this economic development opportunity and stand ready to support these efforts in any way possible."" The statement comes on the heels of a Nov. 22 letter from the delegation which highlighted Boeing's existing footprint in North Alabama and the area's business-friendly environment. The letter also pointed to the available workforce in the Huntsville area and the available training programs. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://brooks.house.gov/media-center/news-releases/brooks-questions-sec-kerry-iran-nuclear-weapons-and-israels-security,Brooks Questions Sec. Kerry on Iran Nuclear Weapons and Israel's Security,2013-12-10,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,brooks.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Today Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05), at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, questioned U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry concerning America's nuclear agreement with Iran and its impact on Israel's security. After citing the desire of Iran's President to wipe Israel off the page of time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's comment that the Iran agreement is not an historic agreement; it is an historic mistake, and America's need to avoid repeating the 1930's Neville Chamberlain-like pattern of appeasement and retreat that helped trigger World War II and the deaths of tens of millions of people around the world, Congressman Brooks asked Secretary Kerry what can you say to Israel and the rest of our allies in the Middle East to convince them that America is still a reliable ally and that America will enforce agreements with Iran. Secretary Kerry answered Congressman Brooks by reminding the Committee of everything America has done in the Middle East, and elsewhere, on behalf of our allies that justifies their continued reliance on America. Congressman Brooks concluded by thanking Secretary Kerry and stating, In April 2009, President Obama said in Prague, Rules must be binding. Violations must be punished. Words must mean something.' If there's anything I can do to assist you in that regard with respect to these agreements, please let me know.For video of the Q&A, clickHERE. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140222045025/http://www.sessions.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=dd0a2c31-9f65-2074-bc9e-4e1c2ee80e62,"Sessions Issues Statement On States Boeing Proposal, Praises Huntsvilles World Renowned Workforce",2013-12-10,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Jeff Sessions,S001141,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement today after Governor Robert Bentley submitted a proposal to Boeing to build the 777x twin-engine jet in Huntsville:   “I am pleased to hear that Governor Bentley has submitted Alabama’s proposal to build the Boeing 777x jetliner in Huntsville. Huntsville has an exceptional workforce and is rightfully on Boeing’s short list of destinations. The Huntsville region is already a leader in our nation’s defense and has the capable engineers, analysts, and production workers necessary to be a world renowned center for aerospace aviation. Boeing has a solid foundation and established partnership in Huntsville and I am proud of the hard work by state and local officials to push for the 777x facility which will reportedly add 8,500 jobs and serve as an important pillar of the economy in north Alabama.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/roby%E2%80%99s-move-appropriations-committee-popular-alabama-constituents,Roby’s Move to Appropriations Committee Popular with Alabama Constituents,2013-12-09,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"On Thursday, Representative Martha Roby's (R) from Montgomery office released quotes from officials and residents from across Alabama’s Second Congressional District reacting to the conservative congresswoman's move to the Appropriations Committee, which is charged with overseeing federal spending. Mayor Todd Strange of Montgomery said, ""I was delighted to hear Rep. Roby will be joining the Appropriations Committee. Her influence and access to decision makers has been a tremendous help to Montgomery, and I know that will only increase with her new role on the Appropriations Committee.” Mayor Strange continued, ""Her work was instrumental for Maxwell maintaining the 908th Airlift Wing. And this coming Monday we'll have a high-ranking and influential Member of the Armed Services Committee in town to tour Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, a visit Martha arranged. That just shows how well she utilizes her influence to help the community,. I'm confident she will bring her proactive attitude and initiative to the Appropriations Committee working to do what is best for Montgomery, but also what's best for America."" The President of the Alabama Farmers Federation, Jimmy Parnell said, ""Congressman Roby has done an outstanding job representing Alabama farmers on the Ag Committee for the past three years. Her work on the farm bill and other issues important to our members has been extremely valuable. While we regret losing such a strong advocate on the Ag Committee, we are very pleased she will be joining Congressman Robert Aderholt [R-Ala.] on the House Committee on Appropriations. I'm convinced serving on this committee will allow Congressman Roby to continue to be a great champion of Alabama farmers. Her common-sense approach to reducing deficit spending, while recognizing the important role farmers play in feeding our nation, makes her a perfect fit for this important new committee assignment.” The Chairman and CEO of AAA Cooper Transportation Inc. and Member of Friends of Fort Rucker Mack Dove said, “Representative Roby’s move to the Appropriations Committee is a major win for Fort Rucker and the entire Wiregrass community. It’s important to note that Fort Rucker has never had Congressional representation on the House Appropriations Committee. Roby understands how important Fort Rucker is to our local economy, and she has continually worked with military officials in Washington to protect Fort Rucker. With her new seat on the Appropriations Committee, Rep. Roby will be even better positioned to look out for Fort Rucker and our local communities.” Troy Mayor Jason Reeves said, ""The news of Rep. Roby's appointment to the House Committee on Appropriations is great for the city of Troy, the Second Congressional District, and our nation as a whole. Rep Roby’s commitment to public service and her strong conservative fiscal principals are a perfect fit on this vitally important committee. Her service will greatly benefit our district and the diverse issues that impact it. I'm grateful for Martha's willingness to serve us in this key role."" The President of the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce Matt Parker said, “We are extremely pleased with Representative Roby's move to the Appropriations Committee. We could not be more proud of Representative Roby for her continued success and work to provide leadership that will contribute greatly to sound policies that are in the best interest of the United States and our area.” The Mayor of Eufaula Jack Tibbs said, “Rep. Roby has been of great assistance to the City of Eufaula during her term of office. We are excited about her new appointment to the Appropriations Committee. She has proven time and time again she can get the job done. Martha has been influential in Eufaula on several occasions and we always know we can turn to her if needed. She takes a common-sense approach to matters at hand, and is a proven leader. The City of Eufaula congratulates her on this critical assignment.” Alabama Farmers Federation Southeast Area Vice President and Houston County Farmer, George Jeffcoat said, “Rep. Roby has been a great friend to farmers while serving on the Agriculture Committee. Knowing her conservative values, I look forward to Roby serving on the House Appropriations Committee. This prestigious committee appointment will provide Roby with the opportunity to still represent farmers and to guide this nation to a time of responsible funding of government programs.” Rep. Roby is also popular with her Republican Congressional colleagues. The Chairman of the House Armed Service Committee, Representative Buck McKeon (R) from California said, “Last January, when it came time to do our subcommittee assignments, Martha was an obvious choice. As Chairman of the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee, she wasted no time becoming one of my most trusted and valued members. I entrusted her with critical assignments, including assessing how the Department of Defense responded to the Benghazi terrorist attacks and other important ongoing matters.  With that said, I am very pleased to hear her talents will be put to good use on the Appropriations Committee. I know the people of Alabama appreciate her as much as I do, and I know Appropriations will find her national security prowess as valuable as I do.” The Chairman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Representative John Kline (R) from Minnesotta said, “Martha Roby has been a valuable member of the Education and the Workforce Committee. From leading Republican efforts to promote work-life balance to helping us successfully advance legislation to restore state and local control in education, Martha has been a champion for families, businesses, and schools. I know she will continue to promote the best interests of students, workers, job creators, and taxpayers in her new role as a member of the House Appropriations Committee.” Rep. Roby said that, “Congress is working in a budget-constrained environment for the foreseeable future, and we must make sure every dollar spent is spent wisely,"" she said. ""After numerous discussions with senior colleagues in Congress and stakeholders in my state, I’m convinced having a seat on the Appropriations Committee will afford me more– not less – influence on issues that matter to the people of Alabama’s Second District.” Congresswoman Roby is seeking a third term representing Alabama's Second District next year.  At this point, it appears that she will not face serious opposition.  Montgomery City Councilwoman Martha Roby narrowly unseated incumbent Democratic Congressman Bobby Bright in 2010, but crushed her poorly funded Democratic opponent in 2012. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/press-release/what-theyre-saying-officials-local-residents-weigh-roby%E2%80%99s-move-appropriations,"What They're Saying: Officials, Local Residents Weigh-in on Roby’s Move to Appropriations Committee",2013-12-06,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"Officials and residents from across Alabama’s Second Congressional District are reacting to U.S. Representative Martha Roby’s (R-AL) move to the Appropriations Committee – and the response is overwhelmingly positive.     It was announced yesterday that Rep. Roby will serve on the House Committee on Appropriations, which is charged with overseeing federal spending. Here’s what they're saying about Rep. Roby’s new committee post:   Representative Buck McKeon (R-CA), Chairman, House Armed Services Committee “Last January, when it came time to do our subcommittee assignments, Martha was an obvious choice. As Chairman of the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee, she wasted no time becoming one of my most trusted and valued members. I entrusted her with critical assignments, including assessing how the Department of Defense responded to the Benghazi terrorist attacks and other important ongoing matters.   “With that said, I am very pleased to hear her talents will be put to good use on the Appropriations Committee. I know the people of Alabama appreciate her as much as I do, and I know Appropriations will find her national security prowess as valuable as I do."" Representative John Kline (R-MN), Chairman, House Committee on Education and the Workforce “Martha Roby has been a valuable member of the Education and the Workforce Committee. From leading Republican efforts to promote work-life balance to helping us successfully advance legislation to restore state and local control in education, Martha has been a champion for families, businesses, and schools. I know she will continue to promote the best interests of students, workers, job creators, and taxpayers in her new role as a member of the House Appropriations Committee.” Todd Strange, Mayor of Montgomery ""I was delighted to hear Rep. Roby will be joining the Appropriations Committee. Her influence and access to decision makers has been a tremendous help to Montgomery, and I know that will only increase with her new role on the Appropriations Committee.   ""Her work was instrumental for Maxwell maintaining the 908th Airlift Wing. And this coming Monday we'll have a high-ranking and influential Member of the Armed Services Committee in town to tour Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base, a visit Martha arranged. That just shows how well she utilizes her influence to help the community,. I'm confident she will bring her proactive attitude and initiative to the Appropriations Committee working to do what is best for Montgomery, but also what's best for America."" Mike Schmitz, Mayor of Dothan ""Dothan and the Wiregrass should be very proud of Martha Roby.  Because of her hard work and dedication, her move to the Appropriations Committee will help during these difficult times not only at Fort Rucker, which is essential, but in areas that affect all of us."" Jason Reeves, Mayor of Troy ""The news of Rep. Roby's appointment to the House Committee on Appropriations is great for the city of Troy, the Second Congressional District, and our nation as a whole. Rep Roby’s commitment to public service and her strong conservative fiscal principals are a perfect fit on this vitally important committee. Her service will greatly benefit our district and the diverse issues that impact it. I'm grateful for Martha's willingness to serve us in this key role."" Jack Tibbs, Mayor of Eufaula “Rep. Roby has been of great assistance to the City of Eufaula during her term of office. We are excited about her new appointment to the Appropriations Committee. She has proven time and time again she can get the job done. Martha has been influential in Eufaula on several occasions and we always know we can turn to her if needed. She takes a common-sense approach to matters at hand, and is a proven leader. The City of Eufaula congratulates her on this critical assignment.” Jimmy Parnell, Alabama Farmers Federation President ""Congressman Roby has done an outstanding job representing Alabama farmers on the Ag Committee for the past three years. Her work on the farm bill and other issues important to our members has been extremely valuable. While we regret losing such a strong advocate on the Ag Committee, we are very pleased she will be joining Congressman Robert Aderholt [R-Ala.] on the House Committee on Appropriations. I'm convinced serving on this committee will allow Congressman Roby to continue to be a great champion of Alabama farmers. Her common-sense approach to reducing deficit spending, while recognizing the important role farmers play in feeding our nation, makes her a perfect fit for this important new committee assignment.” Matt Parker, President of the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce “We are extremely pleased with Representative Roby's move to the Appropriations Committee.  We could not be more proud of Representative Roby for her continued success and work to provide leadership that will contribute greatly  to sound policies that are in the best interest of the United States and our area.”   Mack Dove, Chairman and CEO of AAA Cooper Transportation Inc. and Member of Friends of Fort Rucker “Representative Roby’s move to the Appropriations Committee is a major win for Fort Rucker and the entire Wiregrass community. It’s important to note that Fort Rucker has never had Congressional representation on the House Appropriations Committee. Roby understands how important Fort Rucker is to our local economy, and she has continually worked with military officials in Washington to protect Fort Rucker. With her new seat on the Appropriations Committee, Rep. Roby will be even better positioned to look out for Fort Rucker and our local communities.”   George Jeffcoat, Houston County Farmer and Alabama Farmers Federation Southeast Area Vice President “Rep. Roby has been a great friend to farmers while serving on the Agriculture Committee. Knowing her conservative values, I look forward to Roby serving on the House Appropriations Committee. This prestigious committee appointment will provide Roby with the opportunity to still represent farmers and to guide this nation to a time of responsible funding of government programs.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/defense-intelligence-heavyweight-coming-alabama-monday,Defense & Intelligence heavyweight coming to Alabama Monday,2013-12-06,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"Alabama’s Maxwell Air Force base will play host to one of the country’s top defense and intelligence leaders next week in House Armed Service Committee Vice Chairman Mac Thornberry. Reps. Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, and Mike Rogers, R-Sachs, recently invited Thornberry to visit Alabama. At the time, both Roby and Rogers were members of the Armed Services Committee. Roby has since then landed a spot on the coveted Appropriations Committee, which has broad oversight over government spending levels for the military as well as all other areas of the federal government. In taking that position, Roby gave up her spot on Armed Services and a couple of other committees. The visit from Thornberry, which is a big deal for Alabama’s military installations, is even more important now as Thornberry is well-positioned to take over as the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Current chairman Buck McKeon, R-CA, is nearing retirement and has publicly backed Thornberry as his successor. Yellowhammer caught up with Thornberry this morning by phone to hear why it was important for him to schedule a time to visit Alabama. “I’m coming, first of all, because Martha and Mike invited me, and they’re important to me. I’ve been hearing about Maxwell for years, but you can’t have a full appreciation for some things without seeing them first hand,” Thornberry said. “I want to learn how sequestration and other budget cuts are effecting Maxwell specifically. The military has been through a lot recently, and I need to see how things are going on the ground.” The Armed Services Committee writes the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) every year, which authorizes the budget authority of the Department of Defense and the national security programs of the Department of Energy. That makes Thornberry a particularly important player when it comes to Alabama’s military bases and the economic impact they have on the state. “I’m currently vice chairman on the committee, so I work in partnership with the chairman on everything the committee does. He’s been great about making it a true partnership. I’m also chairman of the subcommittee that oversees military intelligence, special operations, research and development, cyber security and a lot of things that focus on the future. Space and other things are important to me — the present and future domain of warfare, as well as cyber. In addition to that, I’m the second ranking member of the Intelligence Committee. Having all of those responsibilities helps me get a full picture of everything that’s going on.” Thornberry said that he was disappointed to lose Roby as a member of Armed Services, but believes her transition to Appropriations will allow her to play and even bigger role in supporting Alabama’s military mission. “I’m sorry to lose her. I was in the room when they voted her in as a new member of Appropriations and I almost had a ‘speak-now-or-forever-hold-your-peace’ moment,” Thornberry joked. “But Appropriations plays a key role in Armed Services. It’s great to have someone who really understands national security issues on the Appropriations committee, and Martha definitely does. On top of that, Mike Rogers is still on Armed Services. He’s really a key player. He’s not shy about speaking up for Maxwell and the other military installations in Alabama.” Rep. Thornberry will be in Montgomery on Monday. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/roby-accepts-position-house-committee-appropriations,Roby accepts position on House Committee on Appropriations,2013-12-06,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"Local U.S. Representative Martha Roby accepted an assignment to the House Committee on Appropriations Dec. 4. Roby said the position will be a challenging responsibility but one that provides a unique opportunity for Alabama's Second Congressional District. ""I am honored to accept a position on the House Committee on Appropriations, and I appreciate the confidence my colleagues have placed in me by selecting me to serve in this capacity,"" Roby said. ""Appropriations has oversight on the whole range of government spending. This new role provides a unique opportunity to push for the kind of conservative spending priorities that will put us on a sustainable financial path for future generations."" Roby's assignment became official after it was approved by the House Republican Steering Committee on Dec. 4. Two other members of Congress Reps. Mark Amodei, of Nev.; and Chris Stewart, of Utah; also received assignments to the committee. The vacancies were created by the resignations of Reps. Jo Bonner, of Ala.; Rodney Alexander, of La.; and the death of Rep. Bill Young, of Fla. Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, of Ky., welcomed the new members in a statement. ""I am pleased to welcome representatives Amodei, Roby and Stewart to the committee and look forward to working side-by-side with them as we tackle our formidable work ahead. Member of the Appropriations Committee have tough jobs to do, and have a great responsibility to properly fund the federal government and support the well-being of the nation,: Rogers said. ""These dedicated public servants have proven their commitment to the responsible shepherding of federal tax dollars, to the regular appropriations process, and to both the people of their districts and the American people as a whole."" With this move, Roby will no longer serve on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Agriculture Committee, or the House Education and the Workforce Committee. Roby said, however, she remains committed to supporting the district's unique military, agriculture and educational interests. ""Congress is working in a budget-constrained environment for the foreseeable future and we must make sure every dollar is spent wisely,"" she said. ""After numerous discussions with senior colleagues in Congress and stakeholders in my state, I'm convinced having a seat on the Appropriations Committee will afford me more, not less, influence on issues that matter to the people of Alabama's Second District."" Mack Dove, chairman and chief executive officer for AAA Cooper Transportation and member of Friends of Fort Rucker called her appointment to the Appropriations Committee a major win for Fort Rucker. ""It's important to not that Fort Rucker has never had congressional representation on the House Appropriations Committee,"" he said. ""Roby understands how important Fort Rucker is to our local economy, and she has continuously worked with military officials in Washington to protect Fort Rucker. With her new seat on the Appropriations Committee, Rep. Roby will be even better positioned to look out for Fort Rucker and our local communities."" To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/rep-roby-joins-appropriations-committee,Rep. Roby joins Appropriations Committee,2013-12-05,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"U.S. Rep. Martha Roby, who represents Covington County as part of Alabama’s Second Congressional District, on Wednesday accepted an assignment to the House Committee on Appropriations. “I am honored to accept a position on the House Committee on Appropriations, and I appreciate the confidence my colleagues have placed in me by selecting me to serve in this capacity,” Rep. Roby said. “Appropriations has oversight on the whole range of government spending. This new role provides a unique opportunity to push for the kind of conservative spending priorities that will put us on a sustainable financial path for future generations.” Rep. Roby’s assignment became official after it was approved by the House Republican Steering Committee. Two other Members of Congress – Rep.. Mark Amodei (R-NV) and Chris Stewart (R-UT) – also received assignments to the committee. The vacancies were created by the resignations of Reps. Jo Bonner (R-AL) and Rodney Alexander (R-LA), and the death of Rep. Bill Young (R-FL). With this move, Rep. Roby will no longer serve on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Agriculture Committee, or the House Education and the Workforce Committee. Rep. Roby said, however, that she remains committed to supporting the district’s unique military, agriculture, and educational interests. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/roby-gets-seat-influential-appropriations-committee,Roby gets seat on influential Appropriations Committee,2013-12-05,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"Republican Rep. Martha Roby was named to the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, continuing Alabama’s long history of having multiple members on the influential panel that decides where federal taxpayer money is spent. “Members of the Appropriations Committee have tough jobs to do and have a great responsibility to properly fund the federal government and support the well-being of the nation,” said Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., the committee’s chairman. Roby and two other GOP lawmakers who received seats on the committee are replacing two members who resigned — including Rep. Jo Bonner of Mobile — and one who died. Rep. Mark Amodei of Nevada and Rep. Chris Stewart of Utah are the other two new members. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, is the other Alabama lawmaker on the committee. He chairs the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies. On the Senate side, Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, is vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Other recent appropriators from Alabama include former Rep. Bud Cramer of Huntsville, former Rep. Sonny Callahan of Mobile, former Rep. Jack Edwards of Mobile and former Rep. Tom Bevill of Jasper. Alabama’s history on the House and Senate committees has given the state a prominent role in writing legislation that allocates taxpayer dollars across nearly every aspect of the federal government. For years, the job let appropriators send money for special projects, or earmarks, to their home states or districts. Earmarking was banned in 2010, but the House and Senate Appropriations panels still wield considerable influence over which federal agencies see spending cuts and which see increases. Under House rules, Roby must give up her seats on the Armed Services Committee, the Education and the Workforce Committee and the Agriculture Committee in order to take the seat on the Appropriations Committee. Roby is in her third term representing Alabama’s 2nd District, which covers the southeastern part of the state and includes Montgomery. The district’s exact boundaries have changed over the decades, but the general area has not been represented by an appropriator in at least 75 years. “Congress is working in a budget-constrained environment for the foreseeable future, and we must make sure every dollar spent is spent wisely,” Roby said in a prepared statement. “After numerous discussions with senior colleagues in Congress and stakeholders in my state, I’m convinced having a seat on the Appropriations Committee will afford me more — not less — influence on issues that matter to the people of Alabama’s Second District.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/vice-chairman-armed-services-committee-tour-maxwell-air-force-base-monday,Vice chairman of Armed Services Committee to tour Maxwell Air Force Base on Monday,2013-12-05,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"A high-ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee will be in Montgomery on Monday to tour Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex. The military community in Montgomery hopes the visit by Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, vice chairman of the committee, will help insulate the base against future budget cuts as the Pentagon downsizes over the next several years. “We have some national treasures here in terms of capabilities, and it’s always helpful when someone that senior on Armed Services understands what goes on here at Maxwell and Gunter,” said Joe Greene, vice president for military and governmental affairs at the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. The Armed Services Committee oversees the Defense Department and writes the annual bill detailing defense policy. Thornberry is considered a contender to chair the committee if Rep. Buck McKeon, R-Calif., retires. Thornberry was invited to Maxwell-Gunter by Reps. Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, and Mike Rogers, R-Saks. “It allows Vice Chairman Thornberry to gain first-hand knowledge of the work being done on base, meet our commanders and community leaders, and hopefully come away with a better understanding of the value Maxwell-Gunter adds to the United States military,” said Roby’s spokesman, Todd Stacy. Thornberry will spend the day touring the facilities and attending briefings from all of the commanders, Greene said. Air University, the Business and Enterprise Systems Directorate, and the Core Data Center of the Defense Information Systems Agency are among the highlights. “We want him to see what it is we do here and the impact that budget cuts could have on these operations,” Greene said. Congress failed to reach a long-term deal to cut the federal deficit, so another round of sequestration spending cuts is scheduled to begin next year. Military leaders have warned those cuts will damage military readiness. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh told the Senate last month that the cuts could force the Air Force to reduce flying hours by up to 15 percent. “As a result, many of our flying units will be unable to fly at the rates required to maintain mission readiness for three to four months at a time,” he said. “We’ll cancel or significantly curtail major exercises, and we’ll reduce our initial pilot production targets.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/press-release/roby-accepts-position-house-committee-appropriations,Roby Accepts Position on House Committee on Appropriations,2013-12-04,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-AL) today accepted an assignment to the House Committee on Appropriations, a development Rep. Roby called a challenging responsibility, but a unique opportunity on behalf of Alabama's Second Congressional District. ""I am honored to accept a position on the House Committee on Appropriations, and I appreciate the confidence my colleagues have placed in me by selecting me to serve in this capacity,"" Rep. Roby said. ""Appropriations has oversight on the whole range of government spending. This new role provides a unique opportunity to push for the kind of conservative spending priorities that will put us on a sustainable financial path for future generations."" Rep. Roby's assignment became official after it was approved by the House Republican Steering Committee on Wednesday. Two other Members of Congress - Reps. Mark Amodei (R-NV) and Chris Stewart (R-UT) - also received assignments to the committee. The vacancies were created by the resignations of Reps. Jo Bonner (R-AL) and Rodney Alexander (R-LA), and the death of Rep. Bill Young (R-FL). Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) welcomed the new Members today in a statement. “I am pleased to welcome Representatives Amodei, Roby, and Stewart to the Committee, and look forward to working side-by-side with them as we tackle our formidable work ahead. Members of the Appropriations Committee have tough jobs to do, and have a great responsibility to properly fund the federal government and support the well-being of the nation,” Chairman Rogers said. “These dedicated public servants have proven their commitment to the responsible shepherding of federal tax dollars, to the regular Appropriations process, and to both the people of their districts and the American people as a whole.” With this move, Rep. Roby will no longer serve on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Agriculture Committee, or the House Education and the Workforce Committee. Rep. Roby said, however, that she remains committed to supporting the district’s unique military, agriculture, and educational interests. ""Congress is working in a budget-constrained environment for the foreseeable future, and we must make sure every dollar spent is spent wisely,"" she said. ""After numerous discussions with senior colleagues in Congress and stakeholders in my state, I’m convinced having a seat on the Appropriations Committee will afford me more – not less – influence on issues that matter to the people of Alabama’s Second District.""",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/purse-strings-passed-different-sort-republican,Purse Strings Passed to a Different Sort of Republican,2013-12-04,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"Three weeks ago, and thanks mainly to the seniority system, an unusual midyear rearrangement of the House Appropriations power structure produced promotions for a quartet of relatively moderate and old-school Republicans. But on Wednesday, when three vacancies were filled on the committee that decides where the money goes, the winners were a decidedly different sort: Martha Roby of Alabama, Mark Amodei of Nevada and Chris Stewart of Utah are all small-government conservatives from the legion of tea-party-inspired newcomers who have secured control over the House GOP’s ideological center of gravity. All of them voted against Speaker John A. Boehner’s wishes on both of the most politically important spending votes of this year. Each not only opposed the January legislation delivering an expansive (but not offset) package of recovery and reconstruction aid to Hurricane Sandy victims but also voted against the October bill ending the partial government shutdown and raising the debt ceiling with no anti-Obamacare strings attached. Yet all have remained in decent favor with their GOP elders, because they’ve steered clear of the boldest confrontational tactics espoused by their most tea-party-infused colleagues. At the same time, they’ve all branded themselves back home — where their districts are deep red — as so reliably conservative that they have no worries about primary challenges from the right. For all those reasons, the selection of the trio suggests the Republican leadership is looking to cultivate a different breed for the next generation of appropriators: members with unimpeachable but not melodramatic commitments to fiscal discipline, with enough insider savvy to compensate for a bit of an independent streak, and with a willingness to devote their House careers to the tough trade-offs required in thinning both domestic and defense programs. It’s quite a different model from even a few years ago, when voting to defeat both of the year’s most consequential spending bills would have been an automatic disqualifier for an Appropriations spot, even on the GOP side. The prerequisites for membership have clearly changed since the Republicans took back the House three years ago. A majority of the panel’s GOP seats, 16 of 29, are now held by members who have won their appointments since the 2010 elections — everyone, in fact, who doesn’t hold some sort of chairmanship on the panel. And of those conservatives, a majority of nine voted “no” on the continuing resolution that reopened the government. But so too, of course, did three out of four members of the GOP conference, meaning the era has clearly ended when Republican appropriators were more willing than the rank and file to cut a deal that spent more money. It’s also the case that a posting to Appropriations is much less the holy grail of insiders’ accomplishments than it once was. With overt earmarking disallowed, spending levels stuck near neutral and the budget process struggling to emerge from years of total breakdown, an assignment to tug on the purse strings does not automatically present itself as a ripe plum in either party — especially since taking the job requires saying goodbye to accrued seniority on all other committees. The frustration was such that Republican Cynthia M. Lummis of Wyoming, after just one term as an appropriator, took the essentially unprecedented step of getting off the committee this year. The assignments announced this week suggest the status gap and the relevancy anxieties might be easing a bit. All signs had pointed to the GOP waiting until the new year to fill the vacancies; doing so now underscores the growing expectation that a modest budget deal will be sealed in the next week providing some relief from the sequester — and allowing appropriators about four weeks to reorder spending priorities for the remaining two-thirds of the fiscal year. There would be no rush to fill out the Appropriations roster if the only impending assignment was to write another CR. Roby, a 37-year-old former Montgomery City Council member who’s particularly popular with her colleagues in the class of 2010, was willing to give up her new chairmanship of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations to join Appropriations. “There is no better place to address our nation’s spending addiction,” she said in an email to constituents explaining the switch, which also made clear a top priority would be protecting the interests of Fort Rucker and Maxwell Air Force Base in her home state. Amodei, who won a 2011 special election after Dean Heller was appointed to the Senate, spent 14 years as a state legislator and two more as Nevada’s GOP chairman. The federal government is the biggest landowner in his 56,000-square-mile district north and east of Reno, which means he’ll naturally be drawn to programs governing water resources and energy. Stewart, a freshman elected to a newly created seat taking in most of Salt Lake City and half of the state’s rural expanse, is unlike the others in having held no prior public office. He’s the former CEO of an environmental compliance company and a sharp critic of many federal regulations, but he’s better known as a prolific author of works including the best-seller “The Miracle of Freedom: Seven Tipping Points That Saved the World.” All three open seats had been held by Southerners: C.W. Bill Young of Florida, who died, and Rodney Alexander of Louisiana and Jo Bonner of Alabama, each of whom resigned. But even though almost half of the GOP’s House seats are in the South, the region lost two of its Appropriations seats to the fast-growing West. And there remain four states — North Carolina, Indiana, Illinois and New York — with six or more Republicans in their delegations but no representation on the committee. The formula for finding just the right members to hold the purse strings, it appears, can only be refined so much.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/three-republicans-join-house-appropriations-committee,Three Republicans join House Appropriations Committee,2013-12-04,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"Three new Republicans on Wednesday were named to the powerful House Appropriations Committee ahead of work on a possible omnibus spending package for fiscal 2014.   Reps. Mark Amodei (Nev.), Martha Roby (Ala), and Chris Stewart (Utah) were given their new assignments by the Republican steering committee. The appointments bring to 29 the number of Republicans serving under Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), and the move could increase his say over how a final budget deal for 2014 turns out.   ADVERTISEMENT Appropriators are generally united in wanting sequester cuts shifted to entitlement cuts and could oppose any budget deal that leaves all the sequester cuts in place.   “These dedicated public servants have proven their commitment to the responsible shepherding of federal tax dollars, to the regular Appropriations process, and to both the people of their districts and the American people as a whole,"" Rogers said in a statement.   The three vacancies were caused by the sudden death of Rep. Bill Young (R-Fla.) and retirements of Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-La.) and Jo Bonner (R-Ala.). To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://brooks.house.gov/media-center/news-releases/brooks-house-floor-speech-emphasizes-healthcaregov-cyber-security-risks,Brooks House Floor Speech Emphasizes HealthCare.Gov Cyber-Security Risks,2013-12-04,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,brooks.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Standing before the U.S. House this morning, in an effort to protect hardworking Americans, who may unknowingly subject themselves toidentity theft and cyber-attack risks, Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05) emphasized Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Committee hearing testimony that warns the public of the ObamaCare website, HealthCare.Gov, cyber-security risks. During his remarks, Congressman Brooks emphasized three written statements by the committee's bipartisan expert panel. First, that there are clear indicators that even basic security was not built into the HealthCare.Gov website. Second, that the vast amount of [HealthCare.Gov computer program] code also means applying industry standards security practices is a task that can have no real chance of success. And, third, that HealthCare.Gov creates massive opportunity for fraud, scams, deceptive trade practices, identity theft, and more. Brooks added that the reply from the bipartisan panel of experts, when asked whether they could recommend the public use HealthCare.Gov given its cyber security weaknesses, was a stunning and unanimous no, do not use HealthCare.Gov because the security risks associated with the website are simply too great. Brooks warned that, HealthCare.Gov, is the mother load for identity theft, internet fraud and other criminal activity, and that, based on their expert advice, I encourage all Americans to avoid HealthCare.Gov, the ObamaCare website, in any way, shape or form until its cyber-security risks are fixed. Brooks concluded by noting that, If these experts are right, and if you are an American citizen who obeys ObamaCare dictates and you suffer from identify theft or other financial losses, the White House response is essentially, Tough luck.You are on your own.' Video of Congressman Brooks' remarks is available HERE. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://brooks.house.gov/media-center/news-releases/brooks-house-floor-speech-emphasizes-healthcaregov-cyber-security-risks-0,Brooks House Floor Speech Emphasizes HealthCare.Gov Cyber-Security Risks,2013-12-04,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,brooks.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Standing before the U.S. House this morning, in an effort to protect hardworking Americans, who may unknowingly subject themselves toidentity theft and cyber-attack risks, Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05) emphasized Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Committee hearing testimony that warns the public of the ObamaCare website, HealthCare.Gov, cyber-security risks. During his remarks, Congressman Brooks emphasized three written statements by the committee's bipartisan expert panel. First, that there are clear indicators that even basic security was not built into the HealthCare.Gov website. Second, that the vast amount of [HealthCare.Gov computer program] code also means applying industry standards security practices is a task that can have no real chance of success. And, third, that HealthCare.Gov creates massive opportunity for fraud, scams, deceptive trade practices, identity theft, and more. Brooks added that the reply from the bipartisan panel of experts, when asked whether they could recommend the public use HealthCare.Gov given its cyber security weaknesses, was a stunning and unanimous no, do not use HealthCare.Gov because the security risks associated with the website are simply too great. Brooks warned that, HealthCare.Gov, is the mother load for identity theft, internet fraud and other criminal activity, and that, based on their expert advice, I encourage all Americans to avoid HealthCare.Gov, the ObamaCare website, in any way, shape or form until its cyber-security risks are fixed. Brooks concluded by noting that, If these experts are right, and if you are an American citizen who obeys ObamaCare dictates and you suffer from identify theft or other financial losses, the White House response is essentially, Tough luck.You are on your own.' Video of Congressman Brooks' remarks is available HERE. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140222050719/http://www.sessions.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=bf6769a5-d606-3704-2fcd-ae1a3787888b,Sessions: Presidents Rhetoric On Wages Undermined By Immigration Plan That Will Hammer American Workers,2013-12-04,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Jeff Sessions,S001141,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today regarding President Obama’s speech on the decline in economic conditions for U.S. workers:   “It is shocking for the President to give a speech about income disparity and falling wages while pushing an immigration plan that will hammer American workers and widen the disparity. The Congressional Budget Office confirms the White House-backed plan would reduce wages, reduce per capita GNP, and increase unemployment. The President says people are worried ‘the system is rigged’ and yet it is the President who has teamed up with a small cadre of CEOs to double the flow of immigrant workers when these exact same companies are laying off American workers in droves.   Wages for American workers are lower today than they were more than a decade ago—and take-home pay has fallen each year since the President came into office. A recent study demonstrated that all net job growth since 2000 has gone to immigrant workers while the number of U.S.-born Americans working has declined by 1.3 million.   The President’s policies also threaten college students who are about to enter a difficult economy. His plan would more than double the number of temporary foreign workers for wealthy tech companies. As Professor Ron Hira, a leading expert on H-1B visas, has noted, the visas are being used for ‘facilitating offshoring and providing employers with cheap, temporary labor—while reducing job opportunities for American high-tech workers in the process.’   Harvard professor Dr. George Borjas found that high levels of immigration between 1980 and 2000 caused the wages of lower-skilled American workers to drop nearly 8 percent. He also found current immigration levels have resulted in a $402 billion annual wage loss for workers but a $437 billion increase in profits for business owners.   It is time to have an open and honest conversation about our shrinking middle class and the consequences of our immigration policies on American workers and their wages. Unfortunately, that is not what we got from the President today.   The truth is that the policy formula favored by President Obama—more regulation, hostility to American energy, anti-growth taxation, surging debt, bigger government, more federal interference, government-run healthcare, and mindless immigration policies—are the cause, not the cure, for growing middle class distress.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140923132223/http://brooks.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=1089,Brooks House Floor Speech Emphasizes HealthCare.Gov Cyber-Security Risks,2013-12-04,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C.– Standing before the U.S. House this morning, in an effort to protect hardworking Americans, who may unknowingly subject themselves to identity theft and cyber-attack risks, Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05) emphasized Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Committee hearing testimony that warns the public of the ObamaCare website, HealthCare.Gov, cyber-security risks.   During his remarks, Congressman Brooks emphasized three written statements by the committee’s bipartisan expert panel.  First, that “there are clear indicators that even basic security was not built into the HealthCare.Gov website.”  Second, that “the vast amount of [HealthCare.Gov computer program] code also means applying industry standards security practices is a task that can have no real chance of success.”  And, third, that HealthCare.Gov “creates massive opportunity for fraud, scams, deceptive trade practices, identity theft, and more.”    Brooks added that the reply from the bipartisan panel of experts, when asked whether they could recommend the public use HealthCare.Gov given its cyber security weaknesses, “was a stunning and unanimous no, do not use HealthCare.Gov because the security risks associated with the website are simply too great.”   Brooks warned that, “HealthCare.Gov, is the mother load for identity theft, internet fraud and other criminal activity,” and that, “based on their expert advice, I … encourage all Americans to avoid HealthCare.Gov, the ObamaCare website, in any way, shape or form until its cyber-security risks are fixed.”   Brooks concluded by noting that, “If these experts are right, and if you are an American citizen who obeys ObamaCare dictates and you suffer from identify theft or other financial losses, the White House response is essentially, ‘Tough luck. You are on your own.’”      Video of Congressman Brooks’ remarks is available HERE.   ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://brooks.house.gov/media-center/news-releases/brooks-bill-protects-funding-key-nasa-programs,Brooks' Bill Protects Funding for Key NASA Programs,2013-12-03,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,brooks.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05) has introduced H.R. 3625, a bill that frees up half a billion dollars in funding for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS), Orion Crew Capsule, and the International Space Station. Congressman Brooks stated, Congress has designated the Space Launch System, Orion Crew Capsule, and International Space Station as priority investments that should be properly funded. H.R. 3625 reflects congressional priorities. Brooks continued, H.R. 3625 is multi-faceted. It bars NASA from unilaterally canceling SLS, Orion, or the Space Station without express congressional consent. As of October 2013, NASA forces SLS, Orion, and Space Station contractors to withhold and not use $507 million in appropriated funding to cover potential termination costs should NASA unilaterally terminate these programs. H.R. 3625 frees up that $507 million for productive work on SLS, Orion and the Space Station. Brooks added, Withholding scarce funds for termination liability slows development and hence increases the total cost of a project. This in turn makes it even more likely that a program could be terminated. According to NASA reports to Congress, as of October 2013, $192 million from SLS, $226 million from Orion, and $89 million from the Space Station are being held to cover termination liability costs that would otherwise be used to timely complete these scientific efforts. Brooks concluded, The issue of limiting funding to account for potential termination liability costs contributed to the Obama Administration's decision to cancel the Constellation program. Regardless of whether Constellation should, or should not, have been cancelled, I believe it unwise to subject America's Space Launch System, Orion Crew Capsule, and International Space Station to similar risks. Click here to read a copy of H.R. 3625. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140923195924/http://brooks.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=1088,Brooks' Bill Protects Funding for Key NASA Programs,2013-12-03,2013,2013-12,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C.– Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05) has introduced H.R. 3625, a bill that frees up half a billion dollars in funding for NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), Orion Crew Capsule, and the International Space Station. Congressman Brooks stated, “Congress has designated the Space Launch System, Orion Crew Capsule, and International Space Station as priority investments that should be properly funded.  H.R. 3625 reflects congressional priorities.”    Brooks continued, “H.R. 3625 is multi-faceted. It bars NASA from unilaterally canceling SLS, Orion, or the Space Station without express congressional consent. As of October 2013, NASA forces SLS, Orion, and Space Station contractors to withhold and not use $507 million in appropriated funding to cover potential termination costs should NASA unilaterally terminate these programs. H.R. 3625 frees up that $507 million for productive work on SLS, Orion and the Space Station.” Brooks added, “Withholding scarce funds for termination liability slows development and hence increases the total cost of a project. This in turn makes it even more likely that a program could be terminated. According to NASA reports to Congress, as of October 2013, $192 million from SLS, $226 million from Orion, and $89 million from the Space Station are being held to cover termination liability costs that would otherwise be used to timely complete these scientific efforts.” Brooks concluded, “The issue of limiting funding to account for potential termination liability costs contributed to the Obama Administration's decision to cancel the Constellation program.  Regardless of whether Constellation should, or should not, have been cancelled, I believe it unwise to subject America’s Space Launch System, Orion Crew Capsule, and International Space Station to similar risks.” Click here to read a copy of H.R. 3625. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/rep-martha-roby-appears-headed-seat-powerful-appropriations-committee,Rep. Martha Roby appears headed for seat on powerful Appropriations Committee,2013-11-25,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"U.S. Rep. Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, appears headed for a slot on the influential House Appropriations Committee. The appointment would be a plum assignment for the second-term congresswoman. “I am being encouraged by my colleagues to accept an assignment on House Appropriations Committee. This is so important to the Second District because this is the committee that holds the purse strings and controls federal spending, including funding for all military programs,"" Roby wrote in an e-mail to supporters obtained by Al.com. “A spot on this committee will allow me a more direct role in fighting wasteful spending and pushing for the kind of conservative spending priorities that will put us on a sustainable financial path for future generations. There is no better place to address our nation's spending addiction than on the Appropriations Committee,” Roby wrote. She said the move would likely mean giving up seats on the Armed Services Committee, the Education and the Workforce Committee, and the Agriculture Committee. “That said, the Appropriations Committee has jurisdiction over each of those areas and more. I will remain a conferee on the Farm Bill as we work out the differences between the House and Senate Farm Bills. I will obviously also continue to fight for Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base and Fort Rucker in this new role.” There are three GOP vacancies on the committee. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/roby-expected-land-spot-powerful-house-appropriations-committee,Roby expected to land spot on powerful House Appropriations Committee,2013-11-25,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"Rep. Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, has been offered a coveted spot on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, the panel that determines how the federal government will spend the people’s money. Yellowhammer originally broke the news on social media over the weekend, but Rep. Roby has since confirmed what sources close to House leadership told us late last week. “I am being encouraged by my colleagues to accept an assignment on the House Appropriations Committee,” Roby said in the email to Yellowhammer. “This is so important to the Second District because this is the committee that holds the purse strings and controls federal spending, including funding for all military programs.” Roby will join fellow Alabamian Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, on the committee, but it won’t come without some tradeoffs. Roby told a small group of her close supporters in the second district over the weekend that she would likely have to give up her seats on the Armed Services Committee, the Education and Workforce Committee, and the Agriculture Committee. She believes, however, that the move will be worth it because the Appropriations Committee has jurisdiction over those areas, as well as many others. “The Appropriations Committee has oversight on the whole range of government activities,” Roby said. “It provides a unique opportunity to fight wasteful spending, hold the line on the budget, and push for the kind of conservative spending priorities that will put us on a sustainable financial path for future generations. Congress is working in a budget-constrained environment for the foreseeable future, and we must make sure every dollar spent is spent wisely. There is no better place to influence that process and to advocate for the people of my district than on the Appropriations Committee. It is an honor to be considered for such a prestigious position, which generally is available only to more senior members.” Roby’s appointment to the committee comes at a time when both sides of the aisle in D.C. are hoping to return to so-called “regular order.” That means funding the government through appropriations bills rather than “continuing resolutions” — short-term measures that fund the government at previous levels. For the past several years, gridlock in D.C. has left Appropriations Committees in both chambers with little to do. Roby will be well positioned to play a significant role once Congress returns to the traditional appropriations process. The Republican Steering Committee chaired by House Speaker John Boehner is expected to vote on Roby’s appointment after Thanksgiving. “For the time being, I remain fully devoted to my current committees, including the House Agriculture Committee, where we are engaged in critical conference negotiations with the Senate on the Farm Bill,” Roby said. “I look forward to continued discussions with my colleagues in the coming weeks.” To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140222045032/http://www.sessions.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=90abec74-94e2-f048-383c-0662f06627d5,"Sessions Joins Bipartisan Letter To Commerce Department To Ensure Fair Trade For Alabama, U.S. Steel Workers",2013-11-25,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Jeff Sessions,S001141,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) signed a bipartisan letter sent to the Department of Commerce regarding antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders on oil country tubular goods (OCTG) from China:   A full text of the letter follows. To view it as a PDF, please click here:   November 25, 2013   “The Honorable Penny S. Pritzker Secretary of Commerce U.S. Department of Commerce 1401 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20230   Dear Secretary Pritzker:   We are writing to follow up on an issue that continues to be of vital importance to our constituents – namely, the need for continued strong enforcement of the existing antidumping (“AD”) and countervailing duty (“CVD”) orders on oil country tubular goods (“OCTG”) from China.  The orders have provided much needed relief to our industry and workers, who were subjected to massive injury from the influx of dumped and subsidized OCTG from China in 2008 and 2009.   We understand that within a few weeks the Department of Commerce intends to issue the final results of a scope inquiry to determine whether minor finishing (such as heat treating) of OCTG from China in third countries is enough to change its ""country of origin"" for purposes of the AD/CVD orders and to exempt it from trade relief.  In May, the Department preliminarily determined that such minor finishing is not enough to change the country of origin of Chinese OCTG.  We applaud that ruling and greatly appreciate the hard work and extensive fact-finding and analysis that went into it.  While the preliminary scope determination was focused specifically on the finishing of Chinese OCTG in Indonesia, it nevertheless is a critical determination that confirms the original intent of the orders and has broad applicability to all potential third country processing of Chinese-origin OCTG.    As it prepares its final results, we urge the Department to keep in mind the critical importance of this issue for our workers and the U.S. industry as a whole.  The U.S. OCTG  industry believes that any finding that minor finishing of Chinese OCTG in third countries is enough to alter its country of origin would be unsupported by the evidence and would open a  large loophole in the AD and CVD orders and encourage rampant circumvention and evasion.  In this regard, we understand that it would be a relatively simple matter for Chinese producers to take advantage of the numerous finishing operations that exist around the world, or to set up new operations to evade the existing trade relief.  That outcome would be inconsistent with the purpose and scope of the existing trade orders on China, and would threaten the U.S. OCTG industry and workers with enormous additional harm.   As you know, these orders have been vitally important to the U.S. industry and American steel workers.  After being devastated by a massive wave of dumped and subsidized Chinese imports that negatively impacted this market in a matter of months, the U.S. industry is now in a fragile recovery.  Opening a new path to circumvention of the orders would severely threaten that recovery and the relief from unfair trade that our companies and workers fought so hard to achieve.   Accordingly, we urge you to make sure that the Department is interpreting these orders as intended and as needed to ensure that they are effective.   Sincerely,   U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown, U.S. Senator Rob Portman, U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, U.S. Senator Carl Levin, U.S. Senator Al Franken, U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, U.S. Senator Bob Casey, U.S. Senator Dan Coats, U.S. Senator Mark Pryor, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow”   BACKGROUND: Senator Sessions signed a letter to the Department of Commerce expressing concerns with Chinese efforts to avoid U.S. antidumping and countervailing duties on oil country tubular goods (OCTG). In May 2013, the Department of Commerce issued a preliminary ruling that minor finishing of Chinese OCTG in Indonesia is not enough to change the OCTG’s Chinese country of origin label. The Department of Commerce’s final ruling on this matter is expected within the next few weeks.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140222050731/http://www.sessions.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=90be56b7-f985-bcc2-dcb7-49c9a7841a86,Sessions Comments Ahead Of Presidents Immigration Address,2013-11-25,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Jeff Sessions,S001141,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee, issued the following statement today as President Obama was set to deliver remarks on immigration:   “House leaders must lay out clearly to the American people the President’s dismal record on immigration. During his time in office, the President has systematically dismantled interior enforcement, handcuffing immigration officers and bypassing Congress. These facts—drawn from the testimony of immigration officers themselves—should be clearly documented before the whole nation. No agreement should be entered into while such lawlessness continues.   Secondly, the President must be asked—by media and lawmakers alike—how he can possibly justify a plan that will double the flow of immigrant workers at a time when 91.5 million Americans are outside the labor force? Indeed, as the President makes his immigration remarks he is preparing to hold a fundraiser with Silicon Valley executives, a group clamoring for more guest workers at a time when nearly half of recent college grads are underemployed. Wages are flat and falling for U.S. workers—the clearest evidence that there is not a labor shortage, but a jobs shortage.   America is not an oligarchy. Congressional leaders must forcefully reject the notion, evidently accepted by the President, that a small cadre of CEOs can tailor the nation’s entire immigration policy to suit their narrow interests. A Republic must answer to the people.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://mike-rogers.house.gov/press-release/rogers-reacts-pushback-2015-obamacare-enrollment,Rogers Reacts to Pushback of 2015 Obamacare Enrollment,2013-11-22,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Mike Rogers,R000575,mike-rogers.house.gov,,,legacy,"(WASHINGTON, DC)—Congressman Mike Rogers is objecting to an expected announcement today by the Administration that would delay the open enrollment date of Obamacare for 2015 by a month.  Rogers pointed out it just happens the delay will push the current 2014 deadline from October 15 to November 15, just after the midterm elections. “President Obama continues to play shameful political games with his failing healthcare law.  This most recent move could keep the American public from fully seeing the financial impact of Obamacare on their lives at an important time. Rogers said an American Enterprise Institute (AEI) study estimates that up to 100 million Americans employed by small businesses could lose their coverage during open enrollment in 2014 as a result of Obamacare and the loss of the special exemption for businesses given by the Administration for this year. “By delaying the next enrollment date, I believe President Obama is intentionally trying to deny Americans adequate information about their health insurance to keep his flawed law in place.  As we have seen already this year, Obamacare is a monumental disaster and should be repealed before it imposes even more damage to American citizens and our nation's economy. “We have seen this type of alarming behavior by the Obama Administration before. The failure of Administration officials to come clean with the American people in the aftermath of the murder of the American Ambassador and staff by terrorists in Benghazi, Libya is one example. Another is the targeting of Tea Party groups by IRS officials. Both demonstrate the willingness of the Administration to use their powers to withhold information from the American people for what appears to be for political purposes. The American people and our nation deserve much better,"" Rogers said. Rogers serves as Chairman of the Strategic Forces subcommittee on the Armed Services Committee and is a senior member of the Homeland Security and Agriculture committees.                                                 -###-",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/alabama-delegation-lays-out-case-boeing-locate-facility-alabama,Alabama delegation lays out case for Boeing to locate facility in Alabama,2013-11-22,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"On Friday, the Alabama congressional delegation sent a letter to Boeing Chairman, President and CEO, James McNerney, Jr., touting Alabama as a potential location for its 777X aircraft manufacturing facility. Huntsville is among the finalists for the coveted facility, along with Charleston, S.C., Long Beach, Calif., Philadelphia and St. Louis. The letter points out Boeing’s existing footprint in north Alabama and also touts the state’s “high-tech aerospace expertise, low taxation and cost-of-living, rational regulatory regime, right-to-work laws, low utility rates, and excellent infrastructure.” All of Alabama’s congressional delegation signed the letter, including Sens. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, and Jeff Sessions, R-Mobile, along with Reps. Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, Spencer Bachus, R-Vestavia Hills, Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville, Mike Rogers, R-Saks, Martha Roby, R-Montgomery and Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/alabamas-congressional-delegation-sends-clear-message-we-want-boeing,Alabama's Congressional delegation sends a clear message: We want Boeing,2013-11-22,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"Alabama's Congressional delegation is joining in the state's push to land a new Boeing production facility in Huntsville. In a Nov. 22 letter sent to Boeing CEO W. James McNerney Jr., Sens. Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby and Reps. Robert Aderholt, Mo Brooks, Spencer Bachus, Mike Rogers, Martha Roby and Terri Sewell made the case for North Alabama as ""the best choice"" for a new production plant for Boeing's next-generation 777X. ""Given that Boeing already has such a significant presence in Huntsville, including performing much of its 787 and future 777X engineering work there, you are already familiar with the large, skilled, and reliable workforce that the area provides. All of Alabama's universities offer top-notch engineering and science programs with state-of-the-art facilities that can provide the skilled personnel that your expanded presence in Huntsville would require. Locally, the University of Alabama in Huntsville offers one of the nation's best aerospace engineering programs, while the Alabama Aviation Center, in partnership with the state's two-year college system, is also committed to providing large numbers of well-educated and trained aerospace workers,"" lawmakers wrote. ""We also hope you will remember that North Alabama's hospitable business environment includes decades of high-tech aerospace expertise, low taxation and cost-of-living, a rational regulatory regime, right-to-work laws, low utility rates, and excellent infrastructure."" State and city officials met with Boeing Tuesday after reports surfaced Huntsville was one of several locations in the running to potentially produce the 777X. Boeing is considering the move after the International Association of Machinists in Washington state rejected an eight-year labor contract extension that would have kept production there. Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said the plant could bring as many as 4,800 high-paying jobs to the area and Boeing already owns about 300 acres between the two runways at the Huntsville International Airport. That site is large enough to accommodate the company's need for about 1 million square feet of production space and also provides important access to transportation. That location could be ideal for the company, lawmakers said in their letter. ""We want to underscore that Huntsville is not a landlocked location. It provides immediate access to an international airport with tremendous available capacity, the interstate highway system, the national rail system, and the inland waterway system. In fact, United Launch Alliance, Boeing's joint venture with Lockheed Martin, has been manufacturing large Atlas and Delta rocket stages in nearby Decatur and shipping them via inland waterways to the Gulf of Mexico and on to Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg Air Force Base for many years,"" they wrote. Officials in California, Kansas, South Carolina and Utah have also talked to the company and Georgia and Texas have expressed interest in the project. Boeing officials said they would make an announcement about the plant's location within three months. The letter also includes an invitation for Boeing officials to meet with Sen. Shelby and other delegation members after the Thanksgiving break. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.shelby.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ContentRecord_id=008c1cba-3165-4a77-9cc4-e06b26f9f27b,Shelby Makes Case for More AL Aerospace Jobs,2013-11-22,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Richard Shelby,S000320,www.shelby.senate.gov,,,legacy,"AL Delegation Makes Powerful Case for More Aerospace Jobs  “It has recently come to our attention that Boeing is considering locations for its planned 777X fuselage manufacturing, composite wing fabrication, and final assembly operations.  We are pleased to hear reports that Huntsville is in contention as a location for this expansion.  Thus, we write to tell you why North Alabama is the best choice.” WASHINGTON, D.C., Friday, November 22, 2013 – Amid news reports that aerospace giant Boeing is considering Huntsville, Alabama, among sites to build its planned 777X aircraft, U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) today led the Alabama Congressional delegation in sending a letter to Boeing Chairman, President and CEO, James McNerney, Jr., underscoring the state’s very strong and unique case as the prime location to do the work.  The delegation highlighted Boeing’s significant existing footprint in North Alabama, which boasts a business-friendly environment that includes decades of high-tech aerospace expertise, low taxation and cost-of-living, a rational regulatory regime, right-to-work laws, low utility rates, and excellent infrastructure.  The letter also points to world-class engineering and science facilities at Alabama’s universities statewide that are producing an abundance of highly skilled workers that would be required to fill the jobs created. Signing the letter with along with Senator Shelby were Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and Congressmen Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville), Mo Brooks (R-Huntsville), Spencer Bachus (R-Vestavia Hills), Mike Rogers (R-Saks), Martha Roby (R-Montgomery), and Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham).  The full text of the letter is below.   ***  November 22, 2013   W. James McNerney, Jr. Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer The Boeing Company 100 North Riverside Chicago, IL  60606   Dear Jim,             It has recently come to our attention that Boeing is considering locations for its planned 777X fuselage manufacturing, composite wing fabrication, and final assembly operations.  We are pleased to hear reports that Huntsville is in contention as a location for this expansion.  Thus, we write to tell you why North Alabama is the best choice.             Given that Boeing already has such a significant presence in Huntsville, including performing much of its 787 and future 777X engineering work there, you are already familiar with the large, skilled, and reliable workforce that the area provides.  All of Alabama’s universities offer top-notch engineering and science programs with state-of-the-art facilities that can provide the skilled personnel that your expanded presence in Huntsville would require.  Locally, the University of Alabama in Huntsville offers one of the nation’s best Aerospace Engineering programs, while the Alabama Aviation Center, in partnership with the state’s two-year college system, is also committed to providing large numbers of well-educated and trained aerospace workers. When determining where to locate these new operations, we also hope you will remember that North Alabama’s hospitable business environment includes decades of high-tech aerospace expertise, low taxation and cost-of-living, a rational regulatory regime, right-to-work laws, low utility rates, and excellent infrastructure. Finally, we want to underscore that Huntsville is not a landlocked location.  It provides immediate access to an international airport with tremendous available capacity, the interstate highway system, the national rail system, and the inland waterway system.  In fact, United Launch Alliance, Boeing’s joint venture with Lockheed Martin, has been manufacturing large Atlas and Delta rocket stages in nearby Decatur and shipping them via inland waterways to the Gulf of Mexico and on to Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg Air Force Base for many years. We are very pleased to learn of Boeing’s interest in expanding its already significant footprint in Alabama and thus request an opportunity to meet with you to discuss this possibility during the second or third week of December.  Please contact Senator Shelby’s office at your earliest convenience for scheduling purposes.   Sincerely,   Richard Shelby                                                    Jeff Sessions United States Senator                                          United States Senator                                                                                                                                  Robert Aderholt                                                   Mo Brooks                               United States Congressman                                 United States Congressman                                                                                                                                 Spencer Bachus                                                   Mike Rogers United States Congressman                                  United States Congressman                                                                                                                                 Martha Roby                                                         Terri Sewell United States Congressman                                   United States Congressman",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://brooks.house.gov/media-center/news-releases/brooks-president-violates-constitutions-separation-powers-clause,Brooks: President Violates Constitution's Separation of Powers Clause,2013-11-22,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,brooks.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. - President Obama has repeatedly rewritten the Affordable Care Act by ""executive decree"" without constitutional authority to do so. In response, CongressmanMo Brooks (AL-05) has co-signed House Resolution 425 expressing congressional disapproval of President Obama's violation of Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution to take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed (the ""Take Care Clause""). Brooks stated, ""The notion that a president can unilaterally alter duly-enacted legislation by executive fiat is unconscionable and violates more than two centuries of established constitutional law. America's Founding Fathers established a system of separation of powers and checks and balances because they feared dictatorial power resting in the hands of one or few persons. History has proven those fears justified, as time after time around the world, power resting in the hands of one or few has been abused, thus causing loss of civil liberties among the general populace, civil strife,and war."" Brooks continued, ""President Obama's amending federal statutes by executive fiat is a direct attack on the rule of law and a Constitution that has served America so well for so long. In short, President Obama's executive power overreach is unparalleled in American history and shows a blatant disregard for basic constitutional principles."" Brooks added, ""The Constitution empowersCongress, the American people's most direct representatives, to enact laws (subject to presidential signature or veto). The President has a dutyunder the Constitution's ""Take Care Clause"" to obey and enforce laws properly enacted. Given President Obama's power overreach, it is Congress's duty to defend the Constitution."" Brooks concluded, ""For more than two centuries, Senate filibuster powers forced presidents to nominate centrist, unbiased judges to interpret laws and the Constitution. Yesterday, Senator Harry Reid and the Democrat majority destroyed minority rights, thus empowering presidents to nominate extremist judges who can, because of partisanship, preconceived bias,or other extremist views, disregard the Constitution and established law. The net result: there is now nothing any Senate minority can do to stop President Obama from nominating federal judges whose sole function is to undermine theConstitutionand ratify presidential powers unrivaled in American history. Yesterday the Senate stripped Lady Justice of her blindfold and dangerously tipped the scales of justice out of balance."" This resolution: Disapproves of the President's failure to take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed as required by the Constitution;Disapproves of the President's usurpation of the legislative power of Congress through the rewriting of key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; andReaffirms that the preservation of the Constitution's separation of powers is essential for the protection of individual liberty and the maintenance of the rule of law. *Click here to read H.Res. 425. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140307164034/http://www.shelby.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsarticles?ContentRecord_id=52d440c8-4fbc-41c7-8697-6df98ceb926d,AL.com: Alabama's Congressional delegation sends a clear message: We want Boeing,2013-11-22,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Richard Shelby,S000320,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"Leada Gore | lgore@al.com Alabama's Congressional delegation is joining in the state's push to land a new Boeing production facility in Huntsville. In a Nov. 22 letter sent to Boeing CEO W. James McNerney Jr., Sens. Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby and Reps. Robert Aderholt, Mo Brooks, Spencer Bachus, Mike Rogers, Martha Roby and Terri Sewell made the case for North Alabama as ""the best choice"" for a new production plant for Boeing's next-generation 777X. ""Given that Boeing already has such a significant presence in Huntsville, including performing much of its 787 and future 777X engineering work there, you are already familiar with the large, skilled, and reliable workforce that the area provides. All of Alabama's universities offer top-notch engineering and science programs with state-of-the-art facilities that can provide the skilled personnel that your expanded presence in Huntsville would require. Locally, the University of Alabama in Huntsville offers one of the nation's best aerospace engineering programs, while the Alabama Aviation Center, in partnership with the state's two-year college system, is also committed to providing large numbers of well-educated and trained aerospace workers,"" lawmakers wrote. ""We also hope you will remember that North Alabama's hospitable business environment includes decades of high-tech aerospace expertise, low taxation and cost-of-living, a rational regulatory regime, right-to-work laws, low utility rates, and excellent infrastructure."" State and city officials met with Boeing Tuesday after reports surfaced Huntsville was one of several locations in the running to potentially produce the 777X. Boeing is considering the move after the International Association of Machinists in Washington state rejected an eight-year labor contract extension that would have kept production there. Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said the plant could bring as many as 4,800 high-paying jobs to the area and Boeing already owns about 300 acres between the two runways at the Huntsville International Airport. That site is large enough to accommodate the company's need for about 1 million square feet of production space and also provides important access to transportation. That location could be ideal for the company, lawmakers said in their letter. ""We want to underscore that Huntsville is not a landlocked location. It provides immediate access to an international airport with tremendous available capacity, the interstate highway system, the national rail system, and the inland waterway system. In fact, United Launch Alliance, Boeing's joint venture with Lockheed Martin, has been manufacturing large Atlas and Delta rocket stages in nearby Decatur and shipping them via inland waterways to the Gulf of Mexico and on to Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg Air Force Base for many years,"" they wrote. Officials in California, Kansas, South Carolina and Utah have also talked to the company and Georgia and Texas have expressed interest in the project. Boeing officials said they would make an announcement about the plant's location within three months. The letter also includes an invitation for Boeing officials to meet with Sen. Shelby and other delegation members after the Thanksgiving break.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140307164046/http://www.shelby.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsarticles?ContentRecord_id=26720943-319d-4fc3-a019-4592529888ca,"Yellowhammer: Shelby, Sessions rail against ""dictator"" Harry Reid and Dems for ending filibuster",2013-11-22,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Richard Shelby,S000320,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON – On Thursday, Senate Democrats voted to do away with the filibuster as a method to block presidential judicial appointments, delivering a blow to minority party rights on nominations within Congress’ upper chamber. (Above: Sen. Jeff Sessions blasts Senate Democrats for destroying the rights of the minority party) WASHINGTON – On Thursday, Senate Democrats voted to do away with the filibuster as a method to block presidential judicial appointments, delivering a blow to minority party rights on nominations within Congress’ upper chamber. Among those who opposed Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s move on the filibuster were both Alabama Sens. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, and Jeff Sessions, R-Mobile. Shelby castigated Senate Democrats and warned it would lead to President Barack Obama appointing radicals to the bench. “Senate Democrats voted to force ObamaCare on the American people,” Shelby said in a statement provided to Yellowhammer. “Despite that disastrous exercise of power, they have now voted to give themselves even more of it. If Democrats think that they deserve more power, they should earn it from voters at the polls in 2014, not swipe it with a drastic rule change in the Senate today.” “Unfortunately, this radical move will allow President Obama to stack the executive and judicial branches with radical individuals who will do anything to preserve the terrible legislation that bears his name,” he continued. “And make no mistake; today’s power grab is just the beginning.” Sessions took to the Senate floor to voice his opposition. Alabama’s junior senator declared Reid’s rule change one of the most historically significant in the history of the body. “I think it’s fair to say, without dispute, that the significance of this rule change today dwarfs any other appeal of the ruling of the chair that we’ve seen, maybe in the history of the republic,” Sessions said. “This is a big event and it changes what goes on here because we deal with power and the exercise of power. And this whole thing is simply Majority Leader Reid… but he’s not a dictator. He does not get to dictate how this Senate is operated.” “He does not have the right to come in and change the rules because he wants to fill three judgeship slots that are not needed — no way close,” he continued. “There is no way you can justify filling these court slots, as based on simple need, caseload, or judge. So he’s unhappy about that. Maybe he wants to change the mood of the country from ObamaCare and the overreach that was executed here to pass that bill on December 24, to ram it through the Senate on a straight party-line vote. I suspect that’s part of it. But this is not the way to do business here.” Sen. Reid and President Obama have argued that new judicial appointees are critical to accomplishing the work of the American people. Sessions responded to that argument directly, saying that Republicans were holding up the appointments of D.C. circuit because they would be a waste of money due to the D.C. circuit’s small caseload. “The only reason those judges were blocked — the only reason they did not get a confirmation — was because we didn’t need them,” Sessions said. “This country is going broke. There are districts in America that need judges. The D.C. Circuit does not need more judges. It doesn’t need the eight they have. Yes, they have three vacancies, but with the current eight judges, their average caseload per judge was 149. And they’ve been continuing to drop. My circuit, the 11th circuit, madam president, you’d be interested to know, has an average caseload per judge of 740. The next-lowest caseload per circuit is twice 149.” “The average is well above that per circuit,” he added. “Well above twice that. The judges themselves say they don’t need any more judges. They take the whole summer off. These judges would not have been rejected if we’d needed them. But the president is so determined to try to leave a legacy of friends on that court, that he just shoved them anyway and demanded that the Senate pass them. And Sen. Reid demanded that we confirm these judges. The judges say they don’t need any more judges on that court. They don’t need them, whether they say they need them or not.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140923132427/http://brooks.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=1087,Brooks: President Violates Constitution's Separation of Powers Clause,2013-11-22,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. - President Obama has repeatedly rewritten the Affordable Care Act by ""executive decree"" without constitutional authority to do so.  In response, Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05) has co-signed House Resolution 425 expressing congressional disapproval of President Obama’s violation of Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed” (the ""Take Care Clause""). Brooks stated, ""The notion that a president can unilaterally alter duly-enacted legislation by executive fiat is unconscionable and violates more than two centuries of established constitutional law.  America's Founding Fathers established a system of separation of powers and checks and balances because they feared dictatorial power resting in the hands of one or few persons.  History has proven those fears justified, as time after time around the world, power resting in the hands of one or few has been abused, thus causing loss of civil liberties among the general populace, civil strife, and war."" Brooks continued, ""President Obama’s amending federal statutes by executive fiat is a direct attack on the rule of law and a Constitution that has served America so well for so long.  In short, President Obama's executive power overreach is unparalleled in American history and shows a blatant disregard for basic constitutional principles."" Brooks added, ""The Constitution empowers Congress, the American people’s most direct representatives, to enact laws (subject to presidential signature or veto).  The President has a duty under the Constitution's ""Take Care Clause"" to obey and enforce laws properly enacted.  Given President Obama's power overreach, it is Congress's duty to defend the Constitution."" Brooks concluded, ""For more than two centuries, Senate filibuster powers forced presidents to nominate centrist, unbiased judges to interpret laws and the Constitution.  Yesterday, Senator Harry Reid and the Democrat majority destroyed minority rights, thus empowering presidents to nominate extremist judges who can, because of partisanship, preconceived bias, or other extremist views, disregard the Constitution and established law.  The net result:  there is now nothing any Senate minority can do to stop President Obama from nominating federal judges whose sole function is to undermine the Constitution and ratify presidential powers unrivaled in American history.  Yesterday the Senate stripped Lady Justice of her blindfold and dangerously tipped the scales of justice out of balance.""   This resolution: Disapproves of the President’s failure to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed” as required by the Constitution; Disapproves of the President's usurpation of the legislative power of Congress through the rewriting of key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; and Reaffirms that the preservation of the Constitution’s separation of powers is essential for the protection of individual liberty and the maintenance of the rule of law. *Click here to read H.Res. 425. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/capitol-hill-mom-caucus-growing,"On Capitol Hill, the Mom Caucus Is Growing",2013-11-21,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"At a press conference last year, Luke Russert asked House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi why, at 72, she didn’t pass the torch to a younger Democrat. He then received a televised schooling in man years and woman years. While the other Democratic women of the House booed Russert, Pelosi explained that her male colleagues had gotten a jump-start on her, since she waited until her youngest child was headed to college to run for office. “You gotta take off 14 years off [my age] because I was home raising a family,” she said, adding that she had worked throughout her career to bring younger candidates — and especially younger women — into the fold. To a certain extent, she’s succeeded. Where the previous generation of women arrived on Capitol Hill empty-nesters (Dianne Feinstein) or child-free (Barbara Mikulski), the rising class includes a number of younger women with school-age children. Legislators like Kirsten Gillibrand, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, and Kelly Ayotte are in the throes of motherhood’s most hectic years — the days of sleepovers and permission slips, memorably detailed by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in the New York Times’ Motherlode blog last year. And that cohort may soon be joined by more moms. Stephanie Schriock, president of the Democratic women’s recruitment and fundraising group EMILY’s List, called the 2014 slate a “sea change” for women. “We’ll see more moms of young children run and we’ll elect more moms of young children and we’ll have more policy outcomes that are reflective of women and families,” she said. “It’s a set of voices we desperately need.” In Georgia, there’s Michelle Nunn: After announcing her bid for retiring Senator Saxby Chambliss’s seat, she traveled around the state in her minivan with her husband and her sons, ages 8 and 10. In Iowa, former State Senator Staci Appel, a mother of six famous for campaigning pregnant, will make a run for the House. West Virginia’s Secretary of State Natalie Tennant — mom to Delaney — will run for senator. Wyoming hopeful Liz Cheney has two children under the age of ten, among more vocal family members. These women stand to close the fourteen-year baby detour that has kept women from ascending to leadership positions until they’re old enough to elicit Luke Russert’s shade. “The more compressed your career is, the harder it is to reach a position of power,” said Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz. The Democratic National Committee chair is still grateful she had the guts to run for the state house at 26, against the recommendation of the “good old boys” who told her it wasn’t her turn. “It gave me the opportunity to have a much longer ramp than women generations before me, who typically made those decisions when their kids were older and less dependent on mom,” she said. Mothers of young children are just one segment of the gradually diversifying legislature, but their early and sustained presence has the potential for long-term consequences. Democratic New York Representative Grace Meng, whose sons are 5 and 4, first assumed being the mom who couldn’t go to weekend conferences would put her at a competitive disadvantage. Now, though, she thinks it gives her a valuable political perspective. “People like to talk about children, but it’s hard to get at the substantive issues,” she said. “Kids don’t have an advocate or a lobbyist helping them.” The influence of those with immediate firsthand knowledge of children spans from straightforward practical matters (like bills banning expired baby formula and drop-side cribs) to high-profile legislative battles, like sequestration cuts that directly affect children in WIC and Head Start programs, Meng explained. Republican moms — though less numerous than Democrats — show how a maternal perspective can be marshaled for conservative politics, too. Last spring, Alabama Representative Martha Roby proposed the Working Families Flexibility Act, a bill that would allow private employers to pay employees for overtime hours in comp time instead of time-and-a-half — and opened up a Congressional theater in the mommy wars. Republicans said that Democrats who opposed the bill didn't care about working mothers in ads on mommy blogs; Democrats called the bill a “deplorable,” “shameful,” “appalling” Mother’s Day gift that would weaken labor laws. As for Roby, she said the bill stems from her personal experience with the push and pull of being a working mom. “I understand that time is far more valuable than the cash dollars for overtime,” she said. Like any career, legislative success depends on finding a roadmap to navigate the logistics of Congressional motherhood. Wasserman Schultz’s youngest was 1 when she was sworn in as a U.S. Representative in 2005, and since then she’s become House Democrats’ unofficial mom adviser, sought by Congressional hopefuls (including a pre-Senate appointment Kirsten Gillibrand) and dispatched by EMILY’s List to assuage recruits. “Moms have a whole lot of questions about how you make it work, particularly when they’re the primary caretaker, as most women are,” she said. As a strain of work-life balance, holding federal legislative office presents unique challenges. The late-night votes and cross-country commutes preclude the Sheryl Sandberg method of ducking out at 5:30 for homework help and dinner before logging back on remotely after bedtime. And nor is electoral politics — with the constant pressures of fundraising and re-election — fit for the fluid “see-saw marriages” prescribed by Hanna Rosin, in which partners trade off years as caretaker and breadwinner. (Unless you’re a Clinton.) The first thing, Wasserman Schultz says, is to make sure the candidate’s spouse, partner, parents, and in-laws are wholly on board. “The last thing you want is to come home on the weekend and have to deal with stress raining down from your family because they haven’t bought into your decision to make this career move,” she said. Then there’s the question of where to live. For some parents of young children, like Roby, keeping their families in their home district is a way of drawing a line between work time and family time. “If they were here I would feel so pulled away from them during the week,” Roby said of her daughter and son, ages 8 and 4, who live in Alabama with her husband, the babysitter, and plenty of grandparents. Rather than feel conflicted about each working dinner or nighttime speech, she can fly home on Fridays in full mom-mode. Some of the challenges, finally, are devilishly mundane. Wasserman Schultz says parents must train their young, childless staffers to respect family responsibilities, like the fax- and iPad-enabled homework review time she had put on her daily schedule. Roby lives in weeklong crusades, using weekends to strategize. “I go to the grocery store on the weekends, and I cook for the week — just fill the refrigerator — so it’s one less thing my husband has to worry about,” she said. Meng takes the opposite tack. From fellow delegation moms Sen. Gillibrand and Rep. Carolyn Maloney she gets practical tips — “teaching your husband to cook more, for example” — and big-picture encouragement. When she misses her kids, which is more often now that they’re talking, she says, “They remind me that I’m making a long-term investment in our country.” To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://www.shelby.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ContentRecord_id=26610db1-33e4-4ba1-b80b-fa3318af4919,Shelby Opposes Senate Democrats' Power Grab,2013-11-21,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Richard Shelby,S000320,www.shelby.senate.gov,,,legacy,"Shelby Opposes Senate Democrats' Power Grab WASHINGTON, DC – Thursday, November 21, 2013 -- U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) today firmly opposed adoption of the so-called nuclear option, a blatant power grab by Democrats that changes Senate rules for the consideration of most executive and judicial branch nominations. The rule change allows for the approval of objectionable presidential nominees on a simple majority vote instead of the 60-vote threshold long respected by both parties when in power.  This drastic move sets a dangerous precedent that could later be expanded to speed passage of expansive and controversial legislation. “Senate Democrats voted to force Obamacare on the American people,” said Shelby.  “Despite that disastrous exercise of power, they have now voted to give themselves even more of it.” “If Democrats think that they deserve more power, they should earn it from voters at the polls in 2014, not swipe it with a drastic rule change in the Senate today.” “Unfortunately, this radical move will allow President Obama to stack the executive and judicial branches with radical individuals who will do anything to preserve the terrible legislation that bears his name. “And make no mistake; today’s power grab is just the beginning.” ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140307164100/http://www.shelby.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsarticles?ContentRecord_id=9fbbec9a-d9a7-4124-8cf6-888eebddfead,AL.com: Sen. Shelby votes against Janet Yellen for Fed chief: 'No confidence she will change course',2013-11-21,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Richard Shelby,S000320,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"Leada Gore | lgore@al.com Sen. Richard Shelby votes against Janet Yellen for Fed chief: 'No confidence she will change course' The nomination of Janet Yellen to be the next leader of the Federal Reserve cleared the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday without the support of Alabama Senator Richard Shelby. Shelby, former chairman and current member of the Banking Committee, joined six fellow Republicans and one Democrat voting against Yellen. The committee approved the nomination 14-8. It now heads to the full Senate where the recent rules change would allow it to proceed with only a majority vote. Shelby, who met with Yellen for almost an hour in late October, said his vote reflects a lack of confidence she will reverse the Obama administration's current fiscal policies. ""Since 2008, the Fed's printing presses have generated a backdoor stimulus nearly four times greater than the $787 Obama stimulus,"" Shelby said. ""The Fed is the world's largest holder of U.S. Treasury bonds and the biggest enabler of our exploding debt. These actions also present massive risks for sharp price increases on every single product that Americans buy. ""I voted against President Obama's nominee because I have no confidence that she will change course."" In previous testimony, Yellen said she supported the administration's stimulus policy, despite criticism it artificially inflates stock prices. The Fed is now faced with tapering off the stimulus while trying to hold down long-term interest rates and keeping economic growth moving. In a July 17 speech, Shelby said the stimulus process is being used to ""prop up markets since the financial meltdown of 2008. The implied message is striking: The Fed is taking big risks through monetary policy because administration policy is not helping the economy."" Shelby said the Federal Reserve's balance sheet now stands at $3.5 trillion and continues to grow by $85 billion a month. Among those assets are $2 trillion in U.S. Treasury securities and $1.2 trillion in federal agency mortgage-backed securities. ""To put the acceleration of the Fed's balance sheet into perspective, it took 95 years from the Fed's creation in 1913 to reach $1 trillion,"" Shelby said. ""The Fed then added the second trillion in just six weeks, followed by the third trillion this past January. Under the current quantitative easing program, the Fed's balance sheet will reach $4 trillion in less than six months. ""Where does it end? $5 trillion? $6 trillion? $10 trillion?"" Six Senate Republicans have said they support Yellen's nomination to succeed Ben Bernanke which would give the current Fed vice chair enough for confirmation. If approved, she will become the first women to lead the Federal Reserves.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/houses-passes-keep-your-health-plan-act,Houses Passes Keep Your Health Plan Act,2013-11-19,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"On Friday, H.R. 3350, the Keep Your Health Plan Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives with bipartisan support. The bill would allow Americans who want to keep their non-Affordable Care Act insurance to keep their plans. Congressman Mike Rogers (R) from Saks joined the other four Republicans in Alabama's Congressional Delegation voted for the Keep Your Health Plan Act. Rogers said, “This legislation, introduced by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), would allow health care plans on the individual market to remain available so people could have the option to keep their current health care plans.” “Although this bill would help in the short term, there is no substitute for getting rid of Obamacare altogether.” Congresswoman Martha Roby (R) from Montgomery said in a written statement “Today the House acted in a bipartisan way to protect hard-working Americans from unfair rate hikes and plan cancellations. The President made a promise to the American people, and now the House of Representatives has moved to provide legislative reassurance that if Americans like their health care plans, they will truly be able to keep them.” Representative Mo Brooks (R) from Huntsville said, ""President Obama promised Americans that ‘Yes We Can’ keep our health insurance when, in fact, the President meant ‘No We Can't.’ It's been one month since the Affordable Care Act opened for enrollment, and, contrary to the President's false promise, millions of Americans' health plans have been canceled, thus putting hard-working American family finances, health care, and lives at risk. I cosponsored the Keep Your Health Plan Act to guarantee that those enrolled in a health plan as of January 1, 2013, may remain enrolled on that plan regardless of Obamacare mandates. Hopefully, President Obama will stop blocking health insurance providers from providing affordable health care and insurance that has served so many Americans so well for so long. It is time for Big Brother to step aside and let Americans have the freedom to control their own fate."" Rep. Roby said, “This is an issue on which many Republicans and Democrats can find common ground. The ‘Keep Your Health Plan Act’ won’t fix every problem with ObamaCare, but it will offer real choices and peace of mind to Americans affected by these changes. Similar legislation also has broad bipartisan support in the Senate, and I urge Majority Leader Harry Reid to bring the bill forward for a vote right away.” The Republican members of Alabama's congressional delegation have been highly critical of President Barack Obama's controversial healthcare reform proposal. Rep. Rogers said in his monthly column, “America is over six weeks in to the Obamacare rollout, and things are still a mess. People are still having problems signing up, but even more painful are the letters folks are receiving about the changes to their current health care plans. Every day we are hearing more and more about people’s current health care plans being dropped completely. Because of this, families and individuals are now being forced into different and often times much more expensive health care plans....Many folks across East Alabama may have to make the tough decision to forego their health insurance because of unforeseen increases in the cost of their health care premiums and deductibles. Yet under Obamacare, folks are required to purchase health insurance by March of 2014 to avoid paying a penalty. They just cannot afford any of it.” Rep. Brooks said, ""With respect to health insurance policies that have been canceled because of the President’s healthcare law, I urge President Obama to change his mantra from ‘No We Can't’, to ‘Yes We Can' keep our health care and health insurance. The Keep Your Health Plan Act does exactly that. Congress should, and must, force the President to keep his promises. Quite frankly, hardworking Americans deserve no less."" The website to sign up for Obamacare, Healthcare.gov, still is not working. Millions of Americans have lost their coverage and millions more will when the employer mandate goes into effect this time next year. Some estimates claim that as many as 90 million Americans will be forced off of their current coverage as more of the Affordable Care Act goes into effect. Americans are losing their coverage due to Obamacare legislating their old coverage out of existence or their employer moving them to part time to avoid the high cost of insuring full time employees. Many are finding that they either can't afford the costly new healthcare insurance if and when the President is finally able to get his website to even accept their application. Even though President Obama promised all Americans that if they like their healthcare insurance they could keep it when he was promoting the legislation, President Obama has vowed to veto the bill if it is passed by the Senate. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://brooks.house.gov/media-center/news-releases/bi-partisan-cyber-security-experts-unanimously-agree-healthcaregov-unsafe,Bi-Partisan Cyber-Security Experts Unanimously Agree HealthCare.gov Unsafe for Americans to Use,2013-11-19,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,brooks.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Today, the Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing titled Is My Data on Healthcare.gov Secure? According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the ObamaCare website, HealthCare.gov, was not fully security tested before it went public last month, thus exposing Americans who use HealthCare.gov to identity theft and other cyber-attack risks.Today, Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05) pressed a bi-partisan panel of cyber-security experts to state whether they would personally advise Americans to use, or not use, HealthCare.gov in light of its security flaws.They unanimously agreed that they would not advise Americans to use HealthCare.gov because the cyber-security risks could result in identity theft or other financial losses for HealthCare.gov users. The witnesses who testified today were: Mr. Morgan Wright, Chief Executive Officer, Crowd Sourced Investigations, LLC Dr. Fred Chang, Bobby B. Lyle Centennial Distinguished Chair in Cyber Security, Southern Methodist University Dr. Avi Rubin, Director, Health and Medical Security Laboratory Technical Director, Information Security Institute, Johns Hopkins University (JHU) Mr. David Kennedy, Chief Executive Officer, TrustedSEC, LLC Congressman Brooks said, By coercing Americans into using HealthCare.gov, regardless of cyber-security threats, this Administration puts the political need for a successful rollout of socialized medicine ahead of hardworking Americans who will suffer the consequences. Brooks concluded, I find it appalling and outrageous that this Administration desperately persists in coercing American citizens into using a website that does not work while exposing users to unlimited identity theft and financial loss risks. At a minimum, this Administration should reimburse American citizens for cyber-security losses incurred by their having done nothing more than obey ObamaCare law. To date, this Administration has not offered to compensate American citizens for identity theft and other financial losses caused by HealthCare.gov cyber-security failings. No words can adequately express the depth of concern I have about a Big Brother' policy that forcibly puts so many American families at risk for uncompensated financial loss. For video of the Q&A, click HERE. Partial Transcript: Congressman Brooks: Given healthcare.gov security issues and assuming for the moment that you would be personally responsible for all damages incurred, if any, from your advice, would any of you advise an American citizen to use this website as the security issues now exist? Yes or No. Mr. Kennedy: No sir not at this time. Mr. Wright: Same answer. Dr. Chang: Same answer. Dr. Rubin: Yeah I wouldn't, yeah. Congressman Brooks: So it is a unanimous no- don't use the website because of the security risk? Dr. Rubin: I would say that the security would have to be studied a lot more carefully before I would agree to that. Congressman Brooks: Thank you for your insight. I hope the American people are listening, and with that Mr. Chairman, thank you for the time. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140923132729/http://brooks.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=1086,Bi-Partisan Cyber-Security Experts Unanimously Agree HealthCare.gov Unsafe for Americans to Use,2013-11-19,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. – Today, the Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a hearing titled “Is My Data on Healthcare.gov Secure?”  According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the ObamaCare website, HealthCare.gov, was not fully security tested before it went public last month, thus exposing Americans who use HealthCare.gov to identity theft and other cyber-attack risks.Today, Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05) pressed a bi-partisan panel of cyber-security experts to state whether they would personally advise Americans to use, or not use, HealthCare.gov in light of its security flaws.They unanimously agreed that they would not advise Americans to use HealthCare.gov because the cyber-security risks could result in identity theft or other financial losses for HealthCare.gov users.   The witnesses who testified today were:   Mr. Morgan Wright, Chief Executive Officer, Crowd Sourced Investigations, LLC   Dr. Fred Chang, Bobby B. Lyle Centennial Distinguished Chair in Cyber Security, Southern Methodist University   Dr. Avi Rubin, Director, Health and Medical Security Laboratory Technical Director, Information Security Institute, Johns Hopkins University (JHU)   Mr. David Kennedy, Chief Executive Officer, TrustedSEC, LLC   Congressman Brooks said, “By coercing Americans into using HealthCare.gov, regardless of cyber-security threats, this Administration puts the political need for a successful rollout of socialized medicine ahead of hardworking Americans who will suffer the consequences.”   Brooks concluded, “I find it appalling and outrageous that this Administration desperately persists in coercing American citizens into using a website that does not work while exposing users to unlimited identity theft and financial loss risks.  At a minimum, this Administration should reimburse American citizens for cyber-security losses incurred by their having done nothing more than obey ObamaCare law. To date, this Administration has not offered to compensate American citizens for identity theft and other financial losses caused by HealthCare.gov cyber-security failings.  No words can adequately express the depth of concern I have about a ‘Big Brother’ policy that forcibly puts so many American families at risk for uncompensated financial loss.”   For video of the Q&A, click HERE.   Partial Transcript:   Congressman Brooks:  “Given healthcare.gov security issues and assuming for the moment that you would be personally responsible for all damages incurred, if any, from your advice, would any of you advise an American citizen to use this website as the security issues now exist? Yes or No.”   Mr. Kennedy: “No sir not at this time.”   Mr. Wright:  “Same answer.”   Dr. Chang:  “Same answer.”   Dr. Rubin: “Yeah I wouldn’t, yeah.”   Congressman Brooks:  “So it is a unanimous no- don’t use the website because of the security risk?”    Dr. Rubin: “I would say that the security would have to be studied a lot more carefully before I would agree to that.”   Congressman Brooks:  “Thank you for your insight. I hope the American people are listening, and with that Mr. Chairman, thank you for the time.”     ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://brooks.house.gov/media-center/news-releases/brooks-broken-promises-hurt-americans,Brooks: Broken Promises Hurt Americans,2013-11-18,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,brooks.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05) addressed the U.S. House early this afternoon to share accounts from families in Alabama's 5th District impacted by the failed promises of ObamaCare. Congressman Brooks also expressed his support for the American Health Care Reform Act, a positive alternative to ObamaCare, that would give American taxpayers back their right to choose healthcare policies best tailored to their needs. Congressman Brooks said, ObamaCare has caused millions of Americans to receive health insurance cancellation letters, leaving them struggling with how to protect their families. Unfortunately, President Obama's recent apology for his deception has not stopped these cancellation notices, nor slowed skyrocketing health insurance costs for countless families in North Alabama and across the country. Brooks continued, The fact remains, ObamaCare is dysfunctional and threatens American lives, but there is a better way. The American Health Care Reform Act, which I have cosponsored, unleashes the power of free enterprise competition to deliver quality health care at prices Americans can better afford.Text of Congressman Brooks' remarks: Mr. Speaker, On June 15, 2009, in order to get ObamaCare passed, President Obama promised America, If you like your health care plan, you'll be able to keep your health care plan, period. No one will be able to take it away, no matter what.' On June 28, 2012, in order to get reelection votes, President Obama promised, If you're one of the more than 250 million Americans who already have health insurance, you will keep your health insurance this law will only make it more secure and more affordable.' President Obama's recent apology for his deception has not stopped cancellation of millions... millionsof American health insurance plans nor slowed the ObamaCare-caused skyrocketing health insurance costs. ObamaCare forces families to, on the one hand, pay higher ObamaCare health insurance costs and cut spending for food, shelter, and clothing or, on the other hand, go without health insurance and pay tax penalties while risking health care caused bankruptcy. Montana Democrat Senator Max Baucus, the Senate sponsor of ObamaCare, warned us earlier this year that ObamaCare was a train wreck waiting to happen. Well, the verdict is in. ObamaCare is dysfunctional and threatens the lives and finances of millions of real hardworking Americans. Mark Templeton of Huntsville, Alabama writes: I just received a notice from [BlueCross BlueShield of Alabama] yesterday indicating my Total Blue plan was no longer available due to the [Affordable Care Act]. My family coverage increased from $450 dollars per month to $1187 per month for similar coverage. They were kind enough to offer the more affordable and considerably worse Silver plan for only $937 dollars per month. I don't qualify for any subsidies, so this will directly hit my household finances. Please make every effort to stop the [Affordable Care Act] from affecting any more Tennessee Valley families and businesses.' Jessica Moore of Ardmore, Alabama writes: I am writing about the not so Affordable Healthcare Act. My health insurance premiums are going up by 118% with Blue Cross Blue Shield. The Healthcare Marketplace will be of no help to me, as I make ""too much"" money. I am a single Iraq veteran. I am my sole income. I am perfectly healthy. The amount in which my premium was raised is how much money I have left in the bank at the end of the month. I do not live beyond my means. I am a faithful taxpayer. The [Affordable Care Act] premium hikes are not affordable to me, nor to many other honest taxpayers. Please help the already taxed to the max middle class on this issue.' ObamaCare has caused millions of Americans to receive health insurance cancellation letters, leaving them struggling with how to protect their families. Thanks to ObamaCare, a year from now, tens of millions more Americans risk losing their health insurance once ObamaCare's employer mandate kicks in. Mr. Speaker, while ObamaCare is dysfunctional and threatens American lives, there is a better way. The American Health Care Reform Act, which I have cosponsored, unleashes the power of free enterprise competition to deliver quality health care at prices Americans can better afford. Among other things, this bill: First, forces lower health care costs by legalizing interstate competition among insurance companies.Second, reforms medical malpractice laws so that health insurance is paying for health care, not frivolous lawsuits.Third, lets Americans deduct health care costs and gives Americans a standard deduction for health insurance costs.Four, protects Americans with pre-existing conditions by bolstering state-based high risk pools. ""Mr. Speaker, health care decisions should be made by doctors and patients, not Washington bureaucrats. Quite frankly, Big Brother bureaucrats have no business butting in and forcing Americans to buy health insurance Americans cannot afford or do not want. ObamaCare denies hardworking American taxpayers their right, yes, their right, to choose the healthcare policy best tailored to their needs. Mr. Speaker, ObamaCare should be repealed and America should debate health care solutions based on truth, not deception. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140923132933/http://brooks.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=1085,Brooks: Broken Promises Hurt Americans,2013-11-18,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. – Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05) addressed the U.S. House early this afternoon to share accounts from families in Alabama’s 5th District impacted by the failed promises of ObamaCare. Congressman Brooks also expressed his support for the American Health Care Reform Act, a positive alternative to ObamaCare, that would give American taxpayers back their right to choose healthcare policies best tailored to their needs.  Congressman Brooks said, “ObamaCare has caused millions of Americans to receive health insurance cancellation letters, leaving them struggling with how to protect their families. Unfortunately, President Obama’s recent apology for his deception has not stopped these cancellation notices, nor slowed skyrocketing health insurance costs for countless families in North Alabama and across the country.” Brooks continued, “The fact remains, ObamaCare is dysfunctional and threatens American lives, but there is a better way. The American Health Care Reform Act, which I have cosponsored, unleashes the power of free enterprise competition to deliver quality health care at prices Americans can better afford.” Among other things, theAmerican Health Care Reform Act: First, forces lower health care costs by legalizing interstate competition among insurance companies. Second, reforms medical malpractice laws so that health insurance is paying for health care, not frivolous lawsuits. Third, lets Americans deduct health care costs and gives Americans a standard deduction for health insurance costs. Four, protects Americans with pre-existing conditions by bolstering state-based high risk pools.   Video of Congressman Brooks’ remarks is available HERE. Text of Congressman Brooks’ remarks: “Mr. Speaker, On June 15, 2009, in order to get ObamaCare passed, President Obama promised America, ‘If you like your health care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health care plan, period. No one will be able to take it away, no matter what.’         “On June 28, 2012, in order to get reelection votes, President Obama promised, ‘If you’re one of the more than 250 million Americans who already have health insurance, you will keep your health insurance – this law will only make it more secure and more affordable.’ “President Obama’s recent apology for his deception has not stopped cancellation of millions... millionsof American health insurance plans nor slowed the ObamaCare-caused skyrocketing health insurance costs.               “ObamaCare forces families to, on the one hand, pay higher ObamaCare health insurance costs and cut spending for food, shelter, and clothing or, on the other hand, go without health insurance and pay tax penalties while risking health care caused bankruptcy.              “Montana Democrat Senator Max Baucus, the Senate sponsor of ObamaCare, warned us earlier this year that ObamaCare was a train wreck waiting to happen.  Well, the verdict is in.  ObamaCare is dysfunctional and threatens the lives and finances of millions of real hardworking Americans.                “Mark Templeton of Huntsville, Alabama writes:               ‘I just received a notice from [BlueCross BlueShield of Alabama] yesterday indicating my Total Blue plan was no longer available due to the [Affordable Care Act]. My family coverage increased from $450 dollars per month to $1187 per month for similar coverage. They were kind enough to offer the more affordable and considerably worse Silver plan for only $937 dollars per month. I don't qualify for any subsidies, so this will directly hit my household finances.  Please make every effort to stop the [Affordable Care Act] from affecting any more Tennessee Valley families and businesses.’        “Jessica Moore of Ardmore, Alabama writes:               ‘I am writing about the not so Affordable Healthcare Act. My health insurance premiums are going up by 118% with Blue Cross Blue Shield. The Healthcare Marketplace will be of no help to me, as I make ""too much"" money. I am a single Iraq veteran. I am my sole income. I am perfectly healthy. The amount in which my premium was raised is how much money I have left in the bank at the end of the month. I do not live beyond my means. I am a faithful taxpayer. The [Affordable Care Act] premium hikes are not affordable to me, nor to many other honest taxpayers. Please help the already “taxed to the max” middle class on this issue.’ “ObamaCare has caused millions of Americans to receive health insurance cancellation letters, leaving them struggling with how to protect their families.           “Thanks to ObamaCare, a year from now, tens of millions more Americans risk losing their health insurance once ObamaCare’s employer mandate kicks in.              “Mr. Speaker, while ObamaCare is dysfunctional and threatens American lives, there is a better way.           “The American Health Care Reform Act, which I have cosponsored, unleashes the power of free enterprise competition to deliver quality health care at prices Americans can better afford.  Among other things, this bill: First, forces lower health care costs by legalizing interstate competition among insurance companies. Second, reforms medical malpractice laws so that health insurance is paying for health care, not frivolous lawsuits. Third, lets Americans deduct health care costs and gives Americans a standard deduction for health insurance costs. Four, protects Americans with pre-existing conditions by bolstering state-based high risk pools.               ""Mr. Speaker, health care decisions should be made by doctors and patients, not Washington bureaucrats.                 “Quite frankly, Big Brother bureaucrats have no business butting in and forcing Americans to buy health insurance Americans cannot afford or do not want.              “ObamaCare denies hardworking American taxpayers their right, yes, their right, to choose the healthcare policy best tailored to their needs.             “Mr. Speaker, ObamaCare should be repealed and America should debate health care solutions based on truth, not deception.” ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://mike-rogers.house.gov/press-release/rogers-praises-passage-%E2%80%9Ckeep-your-health-plan-act%E2%80%9D,Rogers Praises Passage of “Keep Your Health Plan Act”,2013-11-15,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Mike Rogers,R000575,mike-rogers.house.gov,,,legacy,"(WASHINGTON, DC)—Congressman Mike Rogers said he was pleased to see the passage of H.R. 3350, the Keep Your Health Plan Act of 2013, in the House of Representatives today. This bill, if passed by the Senate and signed by the president, would allow health care plans on the individual market to remain available so people across East Alabama can have the option to keep their current health care plans. Rogers was a cosponsor of the legislation introduced by Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI). “The passage of the Keep Your Health Plan Act could help remedy a huge problem with Obamacare. Although the President promised time and time again Americans could keep their health plans, on October 1st, many people received letters from their health plan providers that stated the opposite. This bill will help fix that problem by allowing people to keep their current plans. “Americans are suffering because of the Obamacare disaster and I will continue to work to repeal it. Since the Senate refuses to accept reality that the law is broken, I hope they will quickly act on this bill to help bring some relief to hard-working Americans being hurt by rising healthcare premiums and the loss of their health plans,” Rogers said. Rogers serves as Chairman of the Strategic Forces subcommittee on the Armed Services Committee and is a senior member of the Homeland Security and Agriculture committees.                                                                              -###-",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/press-release/roby-bipartisan-%E2%80%9Ckeep-your-health-plan-act%E2%80%9D-will-hold-obama-his-promise,Roby: Bipartisan “Keep Your Health Plan Act” Will Hold Obama to His Promise,2013-11-15,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-AL) today applauded the bipartisan passage of the “Keep Your Health Plan Act” which would hold President Obama to his promise that “if you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health plan. Period.”   “Today the House acted in a bipartisan way to protect hard-working Americans from unfair rate hikes and plan cancellations. The President made a promise to the American people, and now the House of Representatives has moved to provide legislative reassurance that if Americans like their health care plans, they will truly be able to keep them. “This is an issue on which many Republicans and Democrats can find common ground. The ‘Keep Your Health Plan Act’ won’t fix every problem with ObamaCare, but it will offer real choices and peace of mind to Americans affected by these changes. Similar legislation also has broad bipartisan support in the Senate, and I urge Majority Leader Harry Reid to bring the bill forward for a vote right away. President Obama announced Thursday he would pursue an ""administrative"" change that would allow insurers to continue offering canceled insurance plans for another year even though they may not comply with the Affordable Care Act. “The good news is the President is finally waking up and acknowledging that people are hurting because of this law. And there’s no question our efforts to tell the stories of what real people are going through put pressure on the Administration to act. “The problem is ObamaCare can’t be fixed through executive orders. What you’re seeing now is just the beginning. It’s going to get worse. We need to start over and build a health care system that isn’t run by the government and can actually focus on the needs of patients. “I recently reached out to Alabamians asking those who have experienced health plan cancellations or rate increases because of ObamaCare to tell me their stories. The response has been overwhelming, and I shared a handful of them on the House floor yesterday.” The “Keep Your Health Plan Act” passed 261 to 157. Complete text of the legislation can be found here. Constituents can still share their ObamaCare stories with Rep. Roby on Facebook or Twitter, by email, or by calling Rep. Roby’s Washington, D.C. office at 202-225-2901.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/alabama-congressional-republicans-united-yes-vote-keep-your-healthcare-act,Alabama congressional Republicans united in 'yes' vote for Keep Your Healthcare Act,2013-11-15,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"Alabama's five Republican representatives all voted in favor Friday of a plan allowing insurers to continue to offer existing health coverage even if they don't meet the standards of the Affordable Care Act. The Keep Your Healthcare Act passed on a vote of 261-157 with 39 Democrats joining all but four Republicans supporting the bill introduced by Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich. Reps. Martha Roby, Mo Brooks, Mike Rogers, Spencer Bachus and Robert Aderholt voted in favor of the bill. Alabama's only Democratic representative, Terri Sewell, voted against the measure that would allow insurance providers to continue to offer cheaper plans purchased or substantially altered since the ACA was passed three years ago. President Obama warned he would veto the bill if it reaches his desk. On Thursday, the president said an administrative fix allowing a one-year grace period in which people will be able to keep their existing insurance coverage will solve the issue of policy cancellations that has plagued the ACA since its Oct. 1 rollout. Roby said the bipartisan passage of the bill would ""hold the president to his promise that 'if you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health plan. Period."" ""This is an issue on which many Republicans and Democrats can find common ground. The 'Keep Your Health Plan Act' won't fix every problem with Obamacare, but it will offer real choices and peace of mind to Americans affected by these changes,"" she said. Bachus said the bill provides relief to people in danger of losing their current coverage but emphasized the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, is fundamentally flawed and needs to be replaced. ""Obamacare is one of the biggest political fiascos that I have ever seen. It was always a big government 'solution' and we know those do not work,"" Bachus said. ""The basic structure of Obamacare is unsound and the lasting answer is to replace it with common sense reforms that will improve affordability and accessibility without putting federal bureaucrats in Washington in charge of your private health care."" The Senate will now take up its version of the bill. Introduced by Sen. Ron Johnson, of Wisconsin, the bill has garnered support from several Democratic senators. The bill has 43 co-sponsors, including Alabama Sens. Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions. Rogers called on the Democratic-controlled Senate to pass the bill and send it to the president. ""Americans are suffering because of the Obamacare disaster, and I will continue to work to repeal it. Since the Senate refuses to accept reality that the law is broken, I hope they will quickly act on this bill to help bring some relief to hard-working Americans being hurt by rising healthcare premiums and the loss of their health plans,"" Rogers said. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/alabama-republicans-unanimous-support-%E2%80%98keep-your-health-plan-act%E2%80%99,Alabama Republicans unanimous in support of ‘Keep Your Health Plan Act’,2013-11-15,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"On Friday afternoon, the U.S. House passed the Keep Your Health Plan Act, allowing individuals to keep their private health insurance plans even if those plans don’t meet the ObamaCare coverage requirements. Every Republican in Alabama’s congressional delegation voted in favor of the bill, which ultimately passed with bipartisan support by a 261-157 vote. “America is over six weeks into the ObamaCare rollout and things are just a mess,” Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, said on the House floor prior to the vote. “Families are being forced into different and oftentimes more expensive plans… One person contacted me and said their premiums went up $200 a month. Another family contacted me and their policy premiums are going up $740 per month. The president promised from the beginning, quote, ‘If you like your health care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health care plan, period,’ closed quote. But that’s turned out not to be the case and he knew it all along.” Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Vestavia Hills, called ObamaCare “one of the biggest political fiascos that I have ever seen.” “The President made a promise to the American people,” Rep. Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, added. “And now the House of Representatives has moved to provide legislative reassurance that if Americans like their health care plans, they will truly be able to keep them.” Support for the GOP’s bill was so overwhelming that even some Democrats — 39 to be exact — were eager to go on record voting in favor of it. But President Obama had already issued a veto threat before the vote, meaning the legislation is very unlikely to become law. The president has proposed a “fix” that would allow only individuals whose health insurance was cancelled this year to re-enroll in their plans next year. But the GOP’s bill, sponsored by Rep. Fred Upton, R-MI, allows insurers to continue offering the same plans that were available before ObamaCare rules went into effect. Upton’s bill is also not only limited to a single year. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, was the only member of the Alabama delegation to vote against Upton’s bill. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://brooks.house.gov/media-center/news-releases/americas-veterans-deserve-more-obamacares-broken-promises,America's Veterans Deserve More than Obamacare's Broken Promises,2013-11-15,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,brooks.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. This morning Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05) addressed the U.S. House of Representatives, standing up for America's Veterans, who deserve more than the failed promises of the President's healthcare law.Video of Congressman Brooks' remarks is available HERE.Text of Congressman Brooks' remarks: Mr. Speaker, America's veterans protect America and our liberties. Which begs the question, does Obamacare keep our promises and obligations to veterans? Marcus Langford, a veteran from Huntsville, Alabama wrote me the following: I am a married father of two and a disabled vet after three tours in Iraq and over two years in Afghanistan supporting our military. My healthcare costs are $399 a month, but because of the Affordable Healthcare Act my bill will go up to $741 a month as of January 2014.' Mr. Speaker, America's veterans deserve better than the 60 percent increase in healthcare costs that the White House and its democrat congressional allies obstinately impose on hardworking Americans like Marcus Langford. The way to do better is to repeal Obamacare so that America can debate healthcare solutions based on truth not deception. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140923133134/http://brooks.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=1084,America's Veterans Deserve More than Obamacare's Broken Promises,2013-11-15,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. – This morning Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05) addressed the U.S. House of Representatives, standing up for America’s Veterans, who deserve more than the failed promises of the President’s healthcare law. Video of Congressman Brooks’ remarks is available HERE. Text of Congressman Brooks’ remarks: “Mr. Speaker, America’s veterans protect America and our liberties. Which begs the question, does Obamacare keep our promises and obligations to veterans? “Marcus Langford, a veteran from Huntsville, Alabama wrote me the following: ‘I am a married father of two and a disabled vet after three tours in Iraq and over two years in Afghanistan supporting our military.  My healthcare costs are $399 a month, but because of the Affordable Healthcare Act my bill will go up to $741 a month as of January 2014.’  “Mr. Speaker, America’s veterans deserve better than the 60 percent increase in healthcare costs that the White House and its democrat congressional allies obstinately impose on hardworking Americans like Marcus Langford. The way to do better is to repeal Obamacare so that America can debate healthcare solutions based on truth not deception.” ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/press-release/video-roby-shares-constituent-health-care-stories-house-floor,VIDEO: Roby Shares Constituent Health Care Stories on the House Floor,2013-11-14,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-AL) today shared personal stories from local Alabama residents about the impact that the Affordable Care Act is having on their families’ health insurance. Rep. Roby also highlighted her support for the “Keep Your Health Plan Act,” which is due for a vote in the House on Friday. After reports surfaced of thousands of Alabama health insurance policyholders seeing plan cancellations or rate hikes, Rep. Roby reached out to constituents asking those who experienced such difficulties to share their personal stories.  After receiving hundreds of responses, Rep. Roby shared a handful of health care stories from constituents in Dothan, Montgomery, Greenville, and Prattville. On Friday, the House is expected to vote on the “Keep Your Health Plan Act,” authored by Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI). The bill would ensure individual policy holders who like their healthcare are truly allowed to keep it as the President originally promised. Constituents can still share their ObamaCare stories with Rep. Roby on Facebook or Twitter, by email, or by calling Rep. Roby’s Washington, D.C. office at 202-225-2901. Below is the complete transcript of Rep. Roby’s floor speech.   Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share some of the stories of Alabamians who are being negatively affected by implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Over the last several weeks, thousands of health insurance policy-holders in Alabama have received notice that their plans have been cancelled or altered, and their costs have risen – some quite dramatically. This despite President Obama’s often-repeated and unmistakable promise to the contrary. He promised of the Affordable Care Act, quote: “If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period. If you like your health care plan you be able to keep you health care plan. Period. No one will take it away, no matter what.” Mr. Speaker, we now know that this wasn’t true. To make matters worse, the disastrous roll out of the ObamaCare website has made it nearly impossible for those affected to search for alternatives. The president didn’t tell the truth, and Americans who took him at his word are paying the price. I recently reached out to Alabamians asking those who have experienced health plan cancellations or rate increases because of ObamaCare to tell me their stories. The response has been overwhelming, and Mr. Speaker, I would like to share just a few stories here in the House this morning. Allyson Strickland, a wife and homeschooling mother of four from Dothan, writes: “We are a family of six with one income, and our premiums doubled from $420-$940 a month. We are already under great financial strain and this is not helping relieve any of the tension. At this point we are very unsure what we are going to do. With 4 growing children we know insurance is vital but at what cost to the daily needs of our family? We are very disappointed in the Obama administration.” Shaun Cunningham of Montgomery writes: “I am a married father of 2 beautiful little girls. My jaw dropped when I found out my family's premium was going from $400 a month to $722. I called Blue Cross first thing Monday morning but was told I needed to contact Healthcare.gov for assistance. After 6 hours on the phone with them trying to apply for a subsidy, I did manage to find out that there was a cheaper premium. I could choose the Blue Saver Bronze at a rate of $545 per month, which was still an increase over the plan I liked. The other problem? My individual deductible would be $6,350 and my family deductible would be $12,700. “I fail to see anything ‘affordable’ about this.” Chris Vuccovich of Montgomery: “Was notified that my policy was not ACA compliant. Paying $390 for family coverage, just found out comparable plan, ""Silver"", would be $704, my out of pocket went up, so did deductibles and copays. We make too much money and will not qualify for, nor do I want, a subsidy.” Leigh Hayes Wiatt of Montgomery: “Our premium went up to $1374 a MONTH” Angela Zacchini of Greenville: “Our family of 4 is paying $417 a month and it is going to $765 a month.” Jim Harrell of Prattville: “My doctor retired and told me that he was not going to deal with all the changes in the Affordable Care Act. So, I could not keep my doctor. Both of my adult daughters got letters indicating their policies were cancelled due to not meeting all the requirements of the new law. New policies being issued will be about 33 percent more expensive. One has a specialist doctor who is now going to charge patients a costly fee up front each year, and then pay for services rendered All these affects are negative to my family.” Mr. Speaker, these individuals and families aren’t statistics. They are real people from Alabama’s Second Congressional District whose lives are being made more difficult because of ObamaCare.   I don’t know why the president repeatedly misled the country about the true implications of his healthcare law. This is the kind of Washington political doublespeak people are so fed up with – and this time it is hurting people in a very real way. We have an opportunity here in the House this week to make it right by acting to protect Americans from these rate hikes and plan cancellations. That’s why I’m co-sponsoring the “Keep Your Health Plan Act,” which will allow health care plans currently being offered to continue next year, just like the president promised. This bill also ensure that Americans choosing to maintain their health plans will not face a tax penalty under ObamaCare. I appreciate the leadership of Chairman Fred Upton of Michigan in bringing forth this legislation. The “Keep Your Health Plan Act,” won’t fix every problem with ObamaCare, but it will offer real choices and peace of mind to Americans affected by these changes. Mr. Speaker, this isn’t a partisan issue. Republicans and Democrats alike recognize the basic unfairness that has occurred here. So I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the “Keep Your Health Plan Act.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/alabama-lawmakers-blast-obamacare-change-its-last-minute-so-called-fix,"Alabama lawmakers blast Obamacare change: It's a 'last-minute, so-called fix'",2013-11-14,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"Alabama lawmakers are blasting the President's announcement that insurance companies will be allowed to offer health policies cancelled under Obamacare for another year, saying the change is only the latest effort to fix a fundamentally flawed system. ""Obamacare is hurting hard-working families across the country,"" Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, said. ""Folks in East Alabama have contacted me about the changes in their current healthcare policies and the increase in their premium costs. ""The best path forward is to get rid of Obamacare altogether, and I am deeply skeptical of this most recent last-minute, so-called fix."" Rogers, along with Rep. Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, and Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Huntsville, are among the 88 co-sponsors of the ""Keep Your Health Plan Act,"" that allows people to keep their existing health insurance, a promise made by President Obama during his efforts to pass the Affordable Care Act. The president later apologized for those comments. The House is set to vote on the bill Friday. ""This bill has bipartisan support and is the legislation the president should sign into law, not some last minute, politically-motivated administrative move overseen by Washington bureaucrats,"" he said. Roby, who presented ACA stories from her constituents on the House floor Thursday, said the disastrous rollout of the Obamacare website has made it impossible for those affected by the changes to search for alternatives. Roby said her office received feedback from one Montgomery resident who said her family's premiums were increasing from $400 to $722 a month. The woman said she spent more than six hours on healthcare.gov trying to get more information only to find her deductibles were now much higher, Roby said. ""The president didn't tell the truth, and Americans who took him at his word are paying the price,"" Roby said. ""I don't know why the president repeatedly misled the country about the true implications of his healthcare law."" A similar bill has also been introduced in the Democrat-controlled Senate. That bill has picked up 43 co-sponsors, including Alabama Sens. Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions. Shelby, who is also collecting ACA stories, said constituents have reported cancelled plans and rates that have skyrocketed by as much as 202 percent. ""These are real stories about the real pain that Obamacare is inflicting on families in Alabama. I will continue to fight to dismantle Obamacare as I have from the beginning and replace it with something that actually works,"" Shelby said. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/house-gop-pounces-bad-obamacare-news,House GOP pounces on bad ObamaCare news,2013-11-14,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"House Republicans on Thursday kept up pressure on finding a legislative fix to ObamaCare, a day after the administration announced that just 27,000 people were able to buy insurance through the federal government in October. That announcement came after several weeks of reports that millions of people who had health insurance are being told their plans will be canceled because those plans don't measure up to ObamaCare's new health insurance standards. That combination led Rep. John Duncan (R-Tenn.) to argue on the floor today that the key promises of ObamaCare have failed to materialize. ""One of leading supporters of the act was famously quoted as saying we would have to pass the law before we could find out what was in it,"" Duncan said, referring to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). ""Now we're finding out all the promises, about keeping your plan if you like it, keeping your doctor if you like him, premiums would go down as much as $2,500 a year, were all false, exaggerated or at least incorrect."" Rep. Martha Roby (R-Ala.) called on members to support the Keep Your Health Plan Act, which the House will vote on and likely pass on Friday. That bill would allow insurance companies to continue to offer plans that would otherwise have to be canceled under the law. ""This bill also ensures that Americans choosing to maintain their healthcare plans will not face a tax penalty under ObamaCare,"" Roby said. Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) noted a new legal challenge that could result in a finding that ObamaCare is unconstitutional. That challenge, now in the DC Court of Appeals, says the bill violates the Constitution because it was a revenue bill that did not originate in the House. Last week, 40 Republicans filed a brief in support of that challenge. ""If these judges will put their partisanship and egos aside, if these judges will apply the Constitution as it is written and intended, if these judges will simply honor their oath of office, then ObamaCare will be declared unconstitutional because it violates the Origination Clause,"" he said. Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) read a letter from a constituent who said his health plan has been canceled and that he can't afford a new plan. The constituent said he thought government was for the people, which prompted Poe to reply, ""Well, Billy, apparently the government is for the government, and not the people."" After today's votes, House Republicans are expected to offer more stories from constituents who have lost their health coverage, in a series of one-minute speeches on the House floor. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/roby-shares-alabamians%E2%80%99-obamacare-horror-stories-floor-us-house,Roby shares Alabamians’ ObamaCare horror stories on floor of US House,2013-11-14,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"After asking constituents to send her their ObamaCare horror stories last week, Rep. Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, this morning took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives and detailed some of the stories to her colleagues. Roby began by recounting some of the promises that President Barack Obama has failed to deliver on. “If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor, period. If you like your healthcare plan, you will be able to keep your healthcare plan, period. No one will take it away no matter what,” Roby said, quoting the president. “Mr. Speaker, we now know this wasn’t true.” She then offered proof from Alabama’s second congressional district. “Allison Strickland, a wife and homeschooling mother of four writes: We are a family of six with one income, and our premiums doubled from $420 to $940 a month. We are already under great financial strain, and this is not helping relieve any of the tension. At this point, we are unsure about what we are going to do. With four growing children we know insurance is vital, but at what cost to the daily needs of our family? We are very disappointed in the Obama administration.” “Sean Cunningham of Montgomery writes: I am a married father of two beautiful little girls. My jaw dropped when I found out my family’s premium was going from $400 a month to $722. I called Blue Cross first thing Monday morning, but I was told I needed to contact healthcare.gov for assistance. After six hours with them on the phone trying to apply for a subsidy, I did manage to find out that there was a cheaper premium. I could choose the ‘blue-saver bronze at a rate of $545 per month, which was still an increase over the plan I liked. The other problem? My individual deductible would be $6,350. And my family deductible would be $12,700. I fail to see anything affordable about this.” “Chris Dukovich of Montgomery was notified that my policy was not ACA compliant. Paying $390 for family coverage. Just found out comparable plan, silver, would be $704. My out-of-pocket went up, so did deductibles and co-pays. We make too much money and will not qualify for, nor do I want, a subsidy.” “Lee Hayswhite of Montgomery: Our premium went up to $1,374 a month.” “Angela Zacchini of Greenville: Our family of four is paying $417 a month and it is going to $765 a month.” “Jim Harroll of Prattville: My doctor retired and told me that he was not going to deal with the changes in the Affordable Care Act. So I could not keep my doctor. Both of my adult daughters got letters indicating their policies were canceled due to not meeting all the requirements of the new law. New policies being issued will be will 33 percent more expensive. One has a specialist doctor who is now going to charge patients a costly fee upfront each year and pay for services rendered. All of these effects are negative to my family.” To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/senate-gop-supports-robys-comp-time-bill,Senate GOP supports Roby's comp-time bill,2013-11-14,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"Senate Republicans are promoting a comp-time proposal by GOP Rep. Martha Roby of Alabama as a way to bring more flexibility to the workplace. Roby’s bill would let hourly employees in the private sector choose time off instead of overtime pay. Sens. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Mike Lee of Utah recently introduced similar versions of the legislation, which passed the House in May. It would make comp time a voluntary option for employees who have worked overtime, just like in the public sector. “While Congress can’t legislate another hour in the day, we can help working Americans better balance the demands of work and family,” said McConnell, the Senate’s minority leader. Lee said the idea is part of an overall GOP strategy to address issues important to the middle class. “For many families, especially with young children, their most precious commodity is time,” Lee said. Despite the interest from the Republican senators, the bill appears unlikely to become law. House Democrats strongly opposed Roby’s bill, and Democrats in charge of the Senate are raising the same objections. “Working families are desperate for more flexibility at work and more time with their families,” said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. “Unfortunately, I have concerns about this bill and whether it will deliver what it promises and in a way that protects workers from being pressured into making choices that will actually hurt their families.” Harkin is chairman of the Senate committee that will review the proposals from McConnell and Lee. Almost all House Democrats voted against Roby’s bill. They said it would prompt employers to pressure workers to take comp time instead of overtime pay in order to cut payroll costs. They also said it doesn’t guarantee that comp time could be taken when an employee needed it. Harkin said he prefers his proposed Healthy Families Act, which would provide a “more definite” benefit, such as allowing workers to earn up to seven paid sick days a year. He called the GOP comp-time bills “the wrong approach to the very critical problem of helping workers balance job responsibilities with family and caregiving.” The Fair Labor and Standards Act of 1938 states hourly employees in the private sector who work more than 40 hours a week must be paid for their extra time at one-and-a-half times their regular hourly wage. Comp time is an option only in the public sector. Roby’s bill would make it legal for a private-sector employer and an employee to agree in writing that the employee will take an hour-and-a-half of comp time for every hour of overtime worked. For those in a union, the option would be available only as allowed by the collective-bargaining agreement. And it would allow employees to file a complaint under federal labor law if an employer coerces workers into choosing comp time. Roby said her bill is gaining traction in the Senate. “To have so many influential conservatives behind this bill sends a powerful message about our commitment to empowering Americans with more freedom and more flexibility in the workplace,” she said. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://brooks.house.gov/media-center/news-releases/brooks-encourages-appellate-court-find-affordable-care-act-violates,Brooks Encourages Appellate Court to Find that Affordable Care Act Violates the Constitution's Origination Clause,2013-11-14,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,brooks.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. Standing before the U.S. House this morning, Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05) discussed the case of Sissel v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which challenges the constitutionality of roughly 20 tax increases that fund the President's healthcare law.Congressman Brooks and thirty-nine other Members of Congress joined to file a friend of the court brief this week that urges the Court of Appeals to obey the Constitution and declare Affordable Care Act taxes unconstitutional because they violate the Origination Clause. Congressman Brooks stated, Constitution Article 1, Section 7 is the Origination Clause. It states, in part, that, All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House.' Brooks continued, The Senate took a House passed bill that raised no taxes, deleted its substantive provisions, and substituted a six page House bill with a 2,074 page Senate bill commonly referred to as ObamaCare that raised roughly $50 billion dollars a year in new taxes. None of the ObamaCare tax increases were in the original House bill. Hence, all of these tax increases originated in the Senate, not the House, thereby violating the Origination Clause requirement that tax increases originate in the House. Brooks concluded, No American court in history has ever upheld the Constitutionality of taxes under the circumstances presented by ObamaCare. Doing so now would undermine and nullify the letter and spirit of the Origination Clause in a Constitution that has served America so well for so long.Mr. Speaker, in a bold and agile display of legal sophistry, United States Supreme Court Justice John Roberts upheld the Affordable Care Act by declaring it a tax while failing to address whether the tax complied with the Origination Clause of our Constitution. The case of Sissel v. the United States Department of Health and Human Services is pending before the D.C. Court of Appeals and headed to the Supreme Court. Sissel challenges the Constitutionality of roughly 20 tax increases that fund Government-Run Health Care. Constitution Article 1, Section 7 is the Origination Clause. It states, in part, that, All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House.' I have joined forty Members of Congress in a friend of the court brief' filed this week that urges the Court of Appeals to obey the Constitution and declare Affordable Care Act taxes unconstitutional because they violate the Origination Clause. On October 8, 2009, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3590, the Service Member's Home Ownership Tax Act,' a six page bill! H.R. 3590 raised NO taxes or revenue of any kind. To the contrary, H.R. 3590 cut taxes for veterans buying homes. The Senate took H.R. 3590, deleted its substantive provisions, and substituted a six page bill with a 2,074 page bill commonly referred to as ObamaCare that raised roughly $50 billion dollars a year in new taxes, making it one of the largest tax increases in the history of America None of these ObamaCare tax increases were in the original House bill. Hence, all of these new tax increases originated in the Senate, not the House, thereby violating the Origination Clause requirement that tax increases originate in the House. The Origination Clause was subject to significant debate during America's 1787 Constitutional Convention. Massachusetts Convention Delegate and America's fifth Vice-President, Elbridge Gerry, stated that the Origination Clause was the cornerstone of the accommodation' of the Great Compromise of 1787 that persuaded a majority of the states to ratify the Constitution. Stated differently, but for the Origination Clause, there would have been no Constitution and no United States as we know it. The Origination Clause was that important! Virginia Delegate and co-author of our Bill of Rights, George Mason, explained opposition to Senate tax originations when he declared: The Senate did not represent the people, but the States in their political character. It was improper therefore that it should tax the people . . . Again, the Senate is not like the House of Representatives chosen frequently and obliged to return frequently among the people. They are chosen by the States for 6 years, will probably settle themselves at the seat of Government, will pursue schemes for their aggrandizement will be able by [wearing] out the House of Representatives, and taking advantage of their impatience at the close of a long Session, to extort measures for that purpose.' Mr. Speaker, America's founding fathers did not trust the Senate to originate and raise taxes because Senators sat unchallenged for six years, the greater part of a decade, and were too insulated and unaccountable for the taxes they force on American citizens. Mr. Speaker, no American court in history has ever upheld the Constitutionality of taxes under the circumstances presented by ObamaCare. Doing so now would undermine and nullify the letter and spirit of the Origination Clause in a Constitution that has served America so well for so long. Mr. Speaker, every federal judge and justice took an oath to defend, protect, and uphold our Constitution. If these judges will put their partisanship and egos aside . . . If these judges will apply the Constitution as it is written and intended . . . If these judges will simply honor their oath of office . . . Then ObamaCare will be declared unconstitutional because it violates the Origination Clause and America's dangerous and failing experiment with Socialized Medicine will have ended. ObamaCare will be dead, and quality healthcare for Americans will survive. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140923133336/http://brooks.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=1083,Brooks Encourages Appellate Court to Find that Affordable Care Act Violates the Constitution's Origination Clause,2013-11-14,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. – Standing before the U.S. House this morning, Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05) discussed the case of Sissel v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which challenges the constitutionality of roughly 20 tax increases that fund the President’s healthcare law.Congressman Brooks and thirty-nine other Members of Congress joined to file a “friend of the court brief” this week that urges the Court of Appeals to obey the Constitution and declare Affordable Care Act taxes unconstitutional because they violate the Origination Clause. Congressman Brooks stated, “Constitution Article 1, Section 7 is the Origination Clause.  It states, in part, that, ‘All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House.’” Brooks continued, “The Senate took a House passed bill that raised no taxes, deleted its substantive provisions, and substituted a six page House bill with a 2,074 page Senate bill – commonly referred to as ObamaCare – that raised roughly $50 billion dollars a year in new taxes.  None of the ObamaCare tax increases were in the original House bill.  Hence, all of these tax increases originated in the Senate, not the House, thereby violating the Origination Clause requirement that tax increases originate in the House.” Brooks concluded, “No American court in history has ever upheld the Constitutionality of taxes under the circumstances presented by ObamaCare.  Doing so now would undermine and nullify the letter and spirit of the Origination Clause in a Constitution that has served America so well for so long.” Video of Congressman Brooks’ remarks is available HERE.   Text of Congressman Brooks’ remarks:   “Mr. Speaker, in a bold and agile display of legal sophistry, United States Supreme Court Justice John Roberts upheld the Affordable Care Act by declaring it a tax while failing to address whether the tax complied with the Origination Clause of our Constitution.                 “The case of Sissel v. the United States Department of Health and Human Services is pending before the D.C. Court of Appeals and headed to the Supreme Court.  Sissel challenges the Constitutionality of roughly 20 tax increases that fund Government-Run Health Care.                  “Constitution Article 1, Section 7 is the Origination Clause.  It states, in part, that, ‘All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House.’                 “I have joined forty Members of Congress in a ‘friend of the court brief’ filed this week that urges the Court of Appeals to obey the Constitution and declare Affordable Care Act taxes unconstitutional because they violate the Origination Clause.                  “On October 8, 2009, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3590, the ‘Service Member’s Home Ownership Tax Act,’ a six page bill!  H.R. 3590 raised NO taxes or revenue of any kind.  To the contrary, H.R. 3590 cut taxes for veterans buying homes.                 “The Senate took H.R. 3590, deleted its substantive provisions, and substituted a six page bill with a 2,074 page bill – commonly referred to as ObamaCare – that raised roughly $50 billion dollars a year in new taxes, making it one of the largest tax increases in the history of America                 “None of these ObamaCare tax increases were in the original House bill.  Hence, all of these new tax increases originated in the Senate, not the House, thereby violating the Origination Clause requirement that tax increases originate in the House.                 “The Origination Clause was subject to significant debate during America’s 1787 Constitutional Convention. Massachusetts Convention Delegate and America’s fifth Vice-President, Elbridge Gerry, stated that the Origination Clause was ‘the cornerstone of the accommodation’ of the Great Compromise of 1787 that persuaded a majority of the states to ratify the Constitution.  Stated differently, but for the Origination Clause, there would have been no Constitution and no United States as we know it.  The Origination Clause was that important!                 “Virginia Delegate and co-author of our Bill of Rights, George Mason, explained opposition to Senate tax originations when he declared:   ‘The Senate did not represent the people, but the States in their political character.  It was improper therefore that it should tax the people . . .  Again, the Senate is not like the House of Representatives chosen frequently and obliged to return frequently among the people.  They are chosen by the States for 6 years, will probably settle themselves at the seat of Government, will pursue schemes for their aggrandizement – will be able by [wearing] out the House of Representatives, and taking advantage of their impatience at the close of a long Session, to extort measures for that purpose.’                 “Mr. Speaker, America’s founding fathers did not trust the Senate to originate and raise taxes because Senators sat unchallenged for six years, the greater part of a decade, and were too insulated and unaccountable for the taxes they force on American citizens.                 “Mr. Speaker, no American court in history has ever upheld the Constitutionality of taxes under the circumstances presented by ObamaCare.  Doing so now would undermine and nullify the letter and spirit of the Origination Clause in a Constitution that has served America so well for so long.                 “Mr. Speaker, every federal judge and justice took an oath to defend, protect, and uphold our Constitution.                  “If these judges will put their partisanship and egos aside . . .                 “If these judges will apply the Constitution as it is written and intended . . .                 “If these judges will simply honor their oath of office . . .                 “Then ObamaCare will be declared unconstitutional because it violates the Origination Clause and America’s dangerous and failing experiment with Socialized Medicine will have ended.                 “ObamaCare will be dead, and quality healthcare for Americans will survive.”   ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://mike-rogers.house.gov/press-release/obamacare-you-can%E2%80%99t-keep-your-health-plan,Obamacare: You Can’t Keep Your Health Plan,2013-11-13,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Mike Rogers,R000575,mike-rogers.house.gov,,,legacy,"(WASHINGTON, D.C.)—America is over six weeks in to the Obamacare rollout, and things are still a mess.  People are still having problems signing up, but even more painful are the letters folks are receiving about the changes to their current health care plans. Every day we are hearing more and more about people’s current health care plans being dropped completely.  Because of this, families and individuals are now being forced into different and often times much more expensive health care plans. Many folks across East Alabama may have to make the tough decision to forego their health insurance because of unforeseen increases in the cost of their health care premiums and deductibles.  Yet under Obamacare, folks are required to purchase health insurance by March of 2014 to avoid paying a penalty. They just cannot afford any of it. President Obama promised from the beginning that ‘if you like your health care plan, you'll be able to keep your health care plan, period,’ but that has turned out not to be the case. Obamacare has many flaws, but forcing people off their current plans when they were promised they could keep what they had has really hit home. That is why I recently cosponsored H.R. 3350, the Keep Your Health Plan Act. This legislation, introduced by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), would allow health care plans on the individual market to remain available so people could have the option to keep their current health care plans. This legislation would help ease some of the current pain and confusion across East Alabama for those hard-working families being forced into different health care plans. Although this bill would help in the short term, there is no substitute for getting rid of Obamacare altogether. I will continue to work toward that goal. As always, please feel free to contact me on this or any issue at mike-rogers.house.gov, like me on Facebook at Congressman Mike D. Rogers, follow me on Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram at RepMikeRogersAL and subscribe to my YouTube page at MikeRogersAL03.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140222045052/http://www.sessions.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=5386aa27-f408-53ee-517b-e3613f0c6512,"Sessions Writes EPA Regarding Regulatory Overreach Impacting Alabama, U.S. Jobs",2013-11-13,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Jeff Sessions,S001141,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions, Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Clean Air & Nuclear Safety, sent a letter today to the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expressing concerns about new EPA air regulations impacting brick manufacturing jobs in the United States. After sending the letter, Sen. Sessions stated:   A full text of the letter follows. To view it as a PDF, please click here:   November 13, 2013   “The Honorable Gina McCarthy Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington DC 20460   Dear Administrator McCarthy:   We are writing to express our views regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) upcoming Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) rule for brick and structural clay processes, which is scheduled for proposal by February 6, 2014, and finalization by December 18, 2014.[1] This “Brick MACT,” if crafted imprudently, could jeopardize the economic viability of brick manufacturers and distributors in our states and imperil hundreds of thousands of jobs nationwide. We urge you to exercise the discretion provided by Congress in the Clean Air Act (CAA) to minimize regulatory burdens on the brick industry that do not provide commensurate environmental benefit. We urge EPA to fully consider how such measures would affect public health and the economic vitality of brick manufacturers, distributors, and communities that rely on them for their livelihood.   The brick industry is in a unique situation. In 2003, EPA issued a Brick MACT (68 Fed. Reg. 26,689) that the brick industry implemented at a total compliance cost of approximately $100 million. Controls installed to comply with the 2003 MACT rule largely remain in operation. This 2003 MACT, however, was subsequently vacated by a federal court in 2007 due to no fault of the brick industry. As you can appreciate, it is highly problematic when an industry is subject to two consecutive rounds of technology-based MACT rules, particularly after compliance was attained with the first technology-based MACT. Moreover, we are concerned that the lower emission levels attained from controls installed to comply with the 2003 vacated rule may be used as the baseline for the second MACT and may result in an even more stringent rule than would have been imposed absent the first MACT. This “MACT on MACT” situation could require the costly removal and replacement of still-viable air pollution control devices without producing actual environmental or human health benefits.   On December 7, 2012, EPA published a proposed schedule for a new Brick MACT pursuant to efforts to negotiate a consent decree with the complainant in the case vacating the 2003 Brick MACT. We appreciate that EPA has amended this proposed consent decree to add an additional six months to the schedule for the proposed rule. This newly proposed schedule envisions a final rule issuance late December of 2014. We urge EPA to continue to review the schedule and identify if and when additional changes to the final schedule should be made.    We respectfully request that EPA use this time to take the steps necessary to promulgate a rule that protects public health and the environment, but does not impose unwarranted burdens on the brick industry. We believe such an approach would include the following:   1.      Consideration of Work Practice Standards and Accurate Regulatory Burden Estimates.  We urge EPA to use its authority in the CAA to consider work practice standards, wherever reasonable, including for the relatively small amount of metal HAP emissions, including mercury. This review should include an assessment of whether work practice standards are warranted for all pollutants not covered by a health-based standard. EPA is currently considering very expensive controls for the minimal amounts of mercury that the brick industry emits. The brick industry is on the list for MACT development because of acid gasses, not metal emissions, and to absorb crippling control costs to receive minor reductions in the amount of mercury and metals the industry emits may not be justified or even required to meet the requirements of the Clean Air Act. In addition, since EPA’s estimated annual compliance costs are significant (running well over $150,000,000 per year) and the rule will impact a substantial number of small businesses, thoughtful consideration of the additional reviews required to comply with the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) are critical. EPA must develop a thorough Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis that assesses the impacts on small businesses and examines less burdensome alternatives. EPA must also provide accurate estimates of the costs of the rule and a reasonable determination of the technical feasibility of control devices to meet the standard as an essential part of an initial RFA. We believe work practice standards could both protect the environment and eliminate unwarranted burdens.   2.      Health-based standard.  CAA Section 112(d)(4) allows for consideration of health-based thresholds when establishing MACT standards for a category. While this action is discretionary under the CAA, the unique MACT on MACT situation discussed above, as well as the limited quantity of emissions generated by brick manufactures justify full consideration of the health-based approach for standards set pursuant to this rule. If EPA chooses not to pursue a health-based approach to this regulation, we ask that EPA explain fully why this approach is not reasonable for this industry.    3.      Establish reasonable subcategories. The CAA provides ample authority for EPA to use its discretion to establish subcategories when evaluating MACT for an industry. We urge EPA to use this discretion to minimize unnecessary “MACT on MACT” impacts for this industry, including the removal of viable air pollution control devices installed in good faith to comply with the 2003 MACT. At a minimum, EPA should maintain the same subcategories as in the 2003 rule. However, EPA should fully explore all potential subcategorization options.   Thank you for considering the incorporation of these environmentally-responsible and cost-conscious approaches as EPA develops the proposed Brick MACT rule. A reasonable standard will ensure that human health and the environment are protected and that this essential industry can continue to thrive, generate jobs in our states, and help our struggling economy rebound.    Sincerely,   U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-LA), U.S. Senator John Thune (R-ND), U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK), U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI), U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS), U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR), U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-ID), U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R-PA), U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO), U.S. Senator Mike Johanns (R-NE), U.S. Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID)”   BACKGROUND: A proposed Brick MACT rule is scheduled for February 2014, with a final rule by December 2014. As explained in the letter, this rule, if crafted imprudently, could jeopardize the economic viability of many brick manufacturers and distributors in the US. For an example of impacts of this rulemaking on small businesses, please see this Selma Times Journal article. Senator Sessions also spoke about Brick MACT at a recent EPW hearing (video here). [1] This letter is being sent in coordination with a bipartisan group comprised of 53 members of the U.S. House of Representatives who wrote you with these same concerns in a letter dated November 6, 2013.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140222050026/http://www.sessions.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=52fc407b-b26c-ead1-38ca-7b0bdf196f03,Sessions Issues Statement On Passing Of State Director Chuck Spurlock,2013-11-13,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Jeff Sessions,S001141,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) released the following statement today after the passing of his State Director and longtime friend, Chuck Spurlock:   “I am heartbroken over the passing of my friend and State Director, Chuck Spurlock. Chuck loved life, had high ethical and moral standards, and always reflected the best qualities of public service. He was a loyal patriot and a truly loyal friend and confidant. We spent countless hours driving the state, often into the night, talking together. He was the first person named to my Senate staff.   Chuck was one of the most knowledgeable people, perhaps the most knowledgeable person concerning politics and government in Alabama over the past 25 years. Members of our delegation in Congress, friends, office holders, and candidates throughout Alabama regularly sought his opinion and insight. His judgment was highly favored.   He loved the practical aspects of politics while being an historian and intellectual. The state staff he supervised loved him and he loved them and was constantly supportive of their work.     Chuck loved his family dearly and they him. The constant support, encouragement, and affection Phyllis and the children showed him during this difficult time was inspiring to us all. I join Chuck’s friends across every corner of Alabama mourning the passing of a great man.”   BACKGROUND: Charles H. “Chuck” Spurlock was born in Nashville, Tennessee. He earned his B.A. in History and Religion at Duke University and his M.A. in European History from Vanderbilt University. Chuck was a renowned expert in politics and history and delivered lectures for many organizations throughout the state.   Mr. Spurlock served as the campaign manager to Sen. Sessions’ bid for Alabama Attorney General and later as his Press Secretary and Legislative Liaison in the Attorney General’s office. He was the Finance Director for Sessions’ first U.S. Senate race and was the first member named to Sen. Sessions’ staff.  Mr. Spurlock served for the past 17 years as Sessions’ state director.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140222050834/http://www.sessions.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=53468106-bec1-ef7f-6328-95aec6f65971,"Sessions Comments On Boehner Immigration Announcement, Sounds Note of Caution",2013-11-13,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Jeff Sessions,S001141,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"“Today’s announcement is an important and positive development… But a word of caution: the groups pushing for Gang of Eight-style legislation are well-financed and very powerful.”   WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL), a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement today after Speaker Boehner announced he would not agree to a Conference Committee with the Senate’s immigration bill. Sessions praised the House while also sounding a note of caution that the Gang of Eight’s powerful backers will keep pushing aggressively for their desired legislative outcome:   “Today’s announcement is an important and positive development for our nation, our people, and the Republican party. House Republicans are resisting an influence campaign and standing for the interests of the American people.   But a word of caution: the groups pushing for Gang of Eight-style legislation are well-financed and very powerful. The Gang of Eight bill’s fatal flaw was always that it answered to the special interests at the expense of the national interest. Arguably the single most destructive feature of the Senate’s immigration bill was the massive permanent surge in low-skill immigration that would reduce wages and increase unemployment. The White House and Senate Democrats shamelessly coordinated with a small cadre of CEOs to pressure House Republicans to yield.   It’s time for Republicans to tell these special interests to get lost and to be the one party that will defend the interests of the millions of Americans looking for better jobs and better wages. This is the moment for a vision to emerge centered on growth and prosperity for working Americans—not just the powerful and well-connected.”",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/press-release/constituent-shares-family%E2%80%99s-obamacare-impact-story-fox-news,Constituent Shares Family’s ObamaCare Impact Story on Fox News,2013-11-12,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"A Dothan, Alabama resident appeared on a national cable news show to share her family’s story about how implementation of the Affordable Care Act is making life difficult and more expensive. Allyson Strickland, a homeschooling mother of four whose husband works in the construction industry, appeared Friday on Fox News’ “On the Record with Greta van Sustren” program sharing that her family’s premiums had more than doubled from $440 to $920 because of plan changes forced by the healthcare law. Strickland was among the first to respond to a public request by U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-AL) for stories illustrating personal difficulties related to health care law changes. Rep. Roby said responses continue to pour in from Alabamians experiencing insurance plan cancellations and rate hikes, some of which she plans to highlight this week as legislative remedies to the issue gain traction. “I appreciate Allyson and all the others who have contacted my office for sharing personal stories about how ObamaCare is affecting their families,” Rep. Roby said. “Specific examples of how this law is harming people in a real way allow me to be a more powerful voice for positive change in Congress. I encourage anyone who hasn’t shared their story to go online and submit it. “I believe a majority of Republicans and Democrats support commonsense changes to the law, but we are fighting an uphill battle because this is President Obama’s signature law. The more real-world stories like Allyson’s we can share, the better we can demonstrate on a national level the compelling need to offer Americans relief from this law.” Despite President Obama’s well-publicized promise of “if you like your health plan, you will be able to keep your health plan,” thousands in Alabama and millions across the country are facing health insurance cancellations or skyrocketing costs. Rep. Roby is co-sponsoring the “Keep Your Health Plan Act,” which would ensure individual policy holders who like their healthcare plans are truly allowed to keep them. Similar proposals are surfacing in the Senate, and former President Bill Clinton said in a recent interview that “even if it takes a change to the law, the president should honor the commitment the federal government made to those people and let them keep what they got.” Rep. Roby on Thursday debuted a special online form to make it easy for constituents to share their personal stories. Additionally, individuals are invited to share their ObamaCare stories with Rep. Roby on Facebook or Twitter, by email, or by calling Rep. Roby’s Washington, D.C. office at 202-225-2901.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/press-release/roby-op-ed-hold-president-his-vow,Roby Op-Ed: Hold the president to his vow,2013-11-12,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"Remember when President Obama said over and over again that if you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan? Well, it turns out that wasn’t true, as thousands of Alabamians and millions across the country are facing health insurance cancellations or skyrocketing costs. To make matters worse, the disastrous roll out of the Obamacare website has made it nearly impossible for those affected to search for alternatives. I don’t know why the president repeatedly misled the country about the true implications of his healthcare law. This is the kind of Washington political doublespeak people are so fed up with — and this time it is hurting people in a very real way. We have to do more than complain about it. My responsibility as a member of Congress is to make it right by acting to protect Americans from these rate hikes and plan cancellations. That’s why I’m co-sponsoring the “Keep Your Health Plan Act,” which will allow health care plans currently being offered to continue next year, just like the president promised. The bill also ensures that Americans choosing to maintain their health plans will not face a tax penalty under Obamacare. The “Keep Your Health Plan Act” won’t fix every problem with Obamacare, but it will offer real choices and peace of mind to Americans affected by these changes. Time is of the essence, and I’m optimistic Congress will take this bill up as soon as this week. There is talk of similar legislation in the Senate. House and Senate members from both parties recognize the basic unfairness that has occurred here, and good faith efforts to remedy the situation are underway. However, even though Republicans and Democrats support fixing this problem, we are fighting an uphill battle because this is President Obama’s signature law. That’s why I need your help. I’m asking Alabamians who have been impacted by Obamacare to share their stories. If your rates increased, if the plan you like got cancelled or altered, if you won’t be able to see your doctor, tell me about it. Tell me your story so I can be your voice in Congress and push for change. The more we highlight specific examples that demonstrate the real-life consequences of Obamacare, the more pressure we can put on the White House to accept common-sense, bipartisan reforms. Over the last few weeks, a great many Alabamians have called, emailed or sent letters about the negative impact Obamacare is having on their families. Now it’s your turn, and I’m listening. To submit your story, click here or find me on Facebook and Twitter.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/alabamian-tells-her-family%E2%80%99s-obamacare-horror-story-fox-news,Alabamian tells her family’s ObamaCare horror story on Fox News,2013-11-12,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"Allyson Strickland, a homeschooling mother of four whose husband works in the construction industry, appeared Friday on Fox News’ “On the Record with Greta Van Sustren” program sharing that her family’s premiums have more than doubled from $440 to $920 because of plan changes forced by ObamaCare. “We’re not really sure right now what we’re going to do,” Strickland told Van Sustren. “The economic situation in our family’s finances has been extremely tight over the past year and insurance just wasn’t something I thought I would be concerned with. But now it has definitely become an issue to our family and we’re looking at different options — but frankly we don’t have very many options.” Strickland said they were prepared to receive a slight increase under ObamaCare, but were shocked when they received word from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama that their premiums were doubling. Strickland was among the first to respond to a request by Rep. Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, for stories illustrating personal difficulties related to health care law changes. Rep. Roby said responses continue to pour in from Alabamians experiencing insurance plan cancellations and rate hikes, some of which she plans to highlight this week as legislative remedies to the issue gain traction. “I appreciate Allyson and all the others who have contacted my office sharing personal stories about how ObamaCare is affecting their families,” Rep. Roby said. “Specific examples of how this law is harming people in a real way allow me to be a more powerful voice for positive change in Congress. I encourage anyone who hasn’t shared their story to go online and submit it. “I believe a majority of Republicans and Democrats support commonsense changes to the law, but we are fighting an uphill battle because this is President Obama’s signature law,” Roby continued. “The more real-world stories like Allyson’s we can share, the better we can demonstrate on a national level the compelling need to offer Americans relief from this law.” Despite President Obama’s well-publicized promise of “if you like your health plan, you will be able to keep your health plan,” thousands in Alabama and millions across the country are facing health insurance cancellations or skyrocketing costs. Rep. Roby is co-sponsoring the “Keep Your Health Plan Act,” which would ensure individual policy holders who like their healthcare plans are truly allowed to keep them. Similar proposals are surfacing in the Senate, and former President Bill Clinton said in a recent interview that “even if it takes a change to the law, the president should honor the commitment the federal government made to those people and let them keep what they got.” Rep. Roby on Thursday debuted an online form to make it easy for constituents to share their personal stories. Additionally, individuals are invited to share their ObamaCare stories with Rep. Roby on Facebook orTwitter, by email, or by calling Rep. Roby’s Washington, D.C. office at 202-225-2901. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/told-her-premiums-will-double-alabama-woman-shares-her-healthcare-story-fox-news-program,"Told her premiums will double, Alabama woman shares her healthcare story on Fox News program",2013-11-12,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"A Dothan woman who would see the cost of her family's healthcare coverage more than double under the Affordable Car Act was a guest Friday on the Fox News program ""On the Record with Greta Van Susteren."" Allyson Strickland, a homeschooling mother of four, said she has been notified her health insurance premiums will increase from $440 a month to $920 a month for comparable coverage. Strickland, whose husband works in the construction industry, said the increase is more than her family can afford. ""We're not really sure right now what we're going to do,"" Strickland said. ""Our economic situation and our family's finances have been extremely tight over the past year and insurance was just not something I thought I would be concerned with but it's definitely become an issue for our family. ""We're looking at different options but frankly, we don't have many options."" Strickland was one of the first responders to a request by Rep. Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, who asked constituents to share their experiences related to the Affordable Care Act. Roby sought the responses on an online form, as well as through social media and email. Responses have been pouring in, Roby said. ""Specific examples of how this law is harming people in a real way allow me to be a more powerful voice for positive change in Congress,"" Roby said. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/rep-martha-roby-blasts-report-montgomery-va-office-has-one-countrys-longest-waits-its,Rep. Martha Roby blasts report Montgomery VA office has one of country's longest waits: 'It's disgraceful',2013-11-11,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"Rep. Martha Roby is blasting reports Montgomery-area veterans seeking claim decisions from the Department of Veterans Affairs face one of the longest wait times in the country. ""It's disgraceful,"" said Roby, R-Montgomery. ""It is our collective duty as a nation to look out for the well-being of our veterans."" The report, released last week, showed the VA's regional office in Montgomery has the nation's sixth-highest number of pending claims at the appeals level. The office has more than 11,014 pending appeals, ranking just behind such larger cities such as St. Petersburg, Fla. (22,581), Houston (16,725) and Atlanta (14,334). Nationally, the VA has more than 900,000 backlogged claims with an average wait time of 273 days. VA officials have said they are making progress on the claims with a goal of eliminating the backlog by 2015 but Congress has kept up the heat on the VA and its Secretary Eric Shinseki. The analysis by Allsup, a provider of veterans' disability appeals, found that backlogged appeals claims have increased by more than 78 percent since 2008 with the average wait in 2012 for an appeals decision was 270 days. The Montgomery VA office has had a 35 percent increase in backlogged appeals since 2008, with its number of claims increasing by 14 percent between 2011-2012. Roby, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, said her offices in Montgomery, Dothan and Andalusia work with veterans everyday who are faced with delays at the VA. ""Many of these cases represent someone who has served his or her country only to be denied the benefits they earned because of bureaucratic red tape,"" she said. While the backlog has grown, VA officials have come under fire for spending multi-millions of dollars on employee bonuses. The VA paid senior executives a total of $2.8 million in bonuses in 2011, with three staff members receiving the top amount of $23,091 each. It paid $2.3 million in bonuses in 2012. Roby has introduced legislation that would prohibit bonuses being paid to VA executives until the backlog is eliminated. ""It is Congress' role to provide oversight and ensure accountability of executive agencies on behalf of the American people. I believe rewarding failure only leads to more failure, and I don't see how this agency can justify giving bonuses to high-ranking officials in the midst of such a massive backlog,"" Roby said. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://mike-rogers.house.gov/press-release/rogers-meets-veterans-tuskegee,Rogers Meets with Veterans in Tuskegee,2013-11-08,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Mike Rogers,R000575,mike-rogers.house.gov,,,legacy,"(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Congressman Mike Rogers met today with his Third District Veterans Advisory Committee in Tuskegee. This volunteer panel, made up of Veterans from across the Third District, advises Rogers on issues important to Veterans and their families. This meeting was held after Congressman Rogers presented the Congressional gold medal to Mr. Robert Freeman, a Veteran who earned the honor during his time as a Montford Point Marine. During the meeting, Rogers and the advisory committee listened to a presentation and update from Mr. James R. Talton, Director of the Central Alabama Veteran Health Care Systems (CAVHCS). “Monday we will honor and remember all who have served our country on Veteran’s Day.  I cannot think of a more appropriate time to host a meeting of some of Alabama’s finest Veterans to receive an update from Mr. Talton and to discuss ongoing issues Veterans are facing that need to be addressed in Washington. “The brave men and women in uniform who currently serve and have served sacrifice daily on our behalf.  I hope we will continue to honor them and remember the ones who have paid the ultimate sacrifice not only on Veteran’s Day, but every day.  Without their selfless willingness to serve, we would not have the same freedoms we enjoy today,” Rogers said.  Rogers thanked the Veterans for serving on his committee. “I appreciate these proud Veterans taking time out of their schedules to continue to help advise me on critically important issues to our Veterans across East Alabama.” The Veterans Advisory Committee meets several times each year across East Alabama and is made up of Veterans from the 13 counties in the Third District. Rogers serves as Chairman of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces subcommittee and is a senior member of the House Agriculture and House Armed Services Committees.                             -### -",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/roby-seeks-obamacare-horror-stories-alabamians,Roby seeks ObamaCare horror stories from Alabamians,2013-11-08,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"Rep. Martha Roby, R-Montgomery, is encouraging her constituent to tell their ObamaCare horror stories to her and her staff. In a release put out on Thursday, Roby laid out her view of the law and presented the challenge she and her colleagues face in fighting it. “House and Senate members from both parties recognize the basic unfairness that has occurred, and legislation to allow Americans to keep their health insurance is gaining traction,” Roby said in a release. “However, even though Republicans and Democrats support fixing this problem, we are fighting an uphill battle because this is President Obama’s signature law. Right now, the White House is still resisting the idea of actually allowing Americans to keep the health insurance they like, even though that is exactly what President Obama promised for years.” With that in mind, Roby is asking her constituents to send her office their personal problem stories so that she can use them to fight back. “I’m asking Alabamians who have been impacted by ObamaCare to share their stories. If your rates have increased, if the plan you like got cancelled or altered, if you won’t be able to see your doctor – tell me about it,” she continued in her release. “Tell me your story so I can be your voice in Congress and push for change. The more we highlight specific examples that demonstrate the real-life consequences of ObamaCare, the more pressure we can put on the White House to accept commonsense, bi-partisan reforms.” Roby’s office created a special online form to make it for constituents to share these stories. But her office also encourages individuals to tell their ObamaCare stories with on Facebook or Twitter, by email, or by phone to the Washington, D.C. office at 202-225-2901. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://brooks.house.gov/media-center/news-releases/brooks-helps-president-obama-keep-his-yes-we-can-promise-cosponsors-keep,"Brooks Helps President Obama Keep His ""Yes We Can"" Promise, Cosponsors ""Keep Your Health Plan Act""",2013-11-08,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,brooks.house.gov,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. This week CongressmanMo Brooks (R-AL), announced his co-sponsorship of H.R. 3350, the Keep Your Health Plan Act, which is scheduledfor a House Floor vote within the next two weeks. President Obama promised America that, ""If you like your health care plan, you'll be able to keep your health care plan, period. No one will take it away, no matter what.Contrary to President Obama's promise, millions of Americans are being forced off their health care plans by the President's socialized medicine policies, thus puttingfamily finances, health care, and lives at risk. Congressman Brooks said, ""President Obama promised Americans that Yes We Can' keep our health insurance when, in fact, the President meant No We Can't.' It'sbeen one month since the Affordable Care Act opened for enrollment, and, contrary to the President's false promise, millions of Americans' health plans have been cancelled, thusputting hard-working American family finances, health care, and lives at risk. I cosponsored the Keep Your Health Plan Act to guarantee thatthose enrolled in a health plan as of January 1, 2013, may remain enrolled on that plan regardless of Obamacare mandates. Hopefully, President Obama will stop blocking health insurance providers from providing affordable health care and insurance that has served so many Americans so well for so long. It is time for Big Brother to step aside and let Americans have the freedom tocontrol their own fate."" Brooks continued, ""It's frustrating that President Obama, for three years and despite knowing millions would be dropped from their existing healthcare plans, continued to adamantly and knowinglyrepeat false promises of continued coverage. With the disastrous rollout of the health insurance exchanges, we've seen many additional technical and fundamental flaws with the system. Until these flaws can be addressed, at a minimum, the American people deserve to keep their coverage as promised."" Brooks added, ""With respect to health insurance policies that have been cancelled because of the President's healthcare law, I urge President Obama to change his mantra from No We Can't', to Yes We Can' keep our health care and health insurance. The Keep Your Health Plan Act does exactly that. Congress should, and must, force the President to keep his promises. Quite frankly, hardworking Americans deserve no less."" Clickhereto read a copy of H.R. 3350, theKeep Your Health Plan Act. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140923133607/http://brooks.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=1073,"Brooks Helps President Obama Keep His ""Yes We Can"" Promise, Cosponsors ""Keep Your Health Plan Act""",2013-11-08,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"Washington, D.C. –This week CongressmanMo Brooks (R-AL), announced his co-sponsorship of H.R. 3350, the Keep Your Health Plan Act, which is scheduledfor a House Floor vote within the next two weeks. President Obama promised America that, ""If you like your health care plan, you’ll be able to keep your health care plan, period. No one will take it away, no matter what.”  Contrary to President Obama's promise, millions of Americans are being forced off their health care plans by the President's socialized medicine policies, thus puttingfamily finances, health care, and lives at risk. Congressman Brooks said, ""President Obama promised Americans that ‘Yes We Can’ keep our health insurance when, in fact, the President meant ‘No We Can't.’  It'sbeen one month since the Affordable Care Act opened for enrollment, and, contrary to the President's false promise, millions of Americans' health plans have been cancelled, thusputting hard-working American family finances, health care, and lives at risk.  I cosponsored the Keep Your Health Plan Act to guarantee that those enrolled in a health plan as of January 1, 2013, may remain enrolled on that plan regardless of Obamacare mandates.  Hopefully, President Obama will stop blocking health insurance providers from providing affordable health care and insurance that has served so many Americans so well for so long.  It is time for Big Brother to step aside and let Americans have the freedom to control their own fate."" Brooks continued, ""It's frustrating that President Obama, for three years and despite knowing millions would be dropped from their existing healthcare plans, continued to adamantly and knowingly repeat false promises of continued coverage. With the disastrous rollout of the health insurance exchanges, we've seen many additional technical and fundamental flaws with the system. Until these flaws can be addressed, at a minimum, the American people deserve to keep their coverage as promised."" Brooks added, ""With respect to health insurance policies that have been cancelled because of the President’s healthcare law, I urge President Obama to change his mantra from ‘No We Can't’, to ‘Yes We Can' keep our health care and health insurance.  The Keep Your Health Plan Act does exactly that.  Congress should, and must, force the President to keep his promises.  Quite frankly, hardworking Americans deserve no less."" Click here to read a copy of H.R. 3350, the Keep Your Health Plan Act. ###",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/press-release/roby-seeks-stories-those-personally-affected-healthcare-law,Roby Seeks Stories from Those Personally Affected by Healthcare Law,2013-11-07,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"As stories continue to surface about Americans experiencing insurance plan cancellations and rate hikes, U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-AL) is asking constituents who are experiencing drastic changes to their insurance plans to contact her and share their stories. Since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as ObamaCare, thousands in Alabama and millions across the country are facing health insurance cancellations or skyrocketing costs, despite President Obama’s well-publicized promise of “if you like your health plan you will be able to keep your health plan.” With legislative efforts underway to reconcile this problem, Rep. Roby said personal examples of the law’s impact can play an important role in achieving needed reforms. “House and Senate members from both parties recognize the basic unfairness that has occurred, and legislation to allow Americans to keep their health insurance is gaining traction. “However, even though Republicans and Democrats support fixing this problem, we are fighting an uphill battle because this is President Obama’s signature law. Right now, the White House is still resisting the idea of actually allowing Americans to keep the health insurance they like, even though that is exactly what President Obama promised for years. “I’m asking Alabamians who have been impacted by ObamaCare to share their stories. If your rates have increased, if the plan you like got cancelled or altered, if you won’t be able to see your doctor – tell me about it. Tell me your story so I can be your voice in Congress and push for change. “The more we highlight specific examples that demonstrate the real-life consequences of ObamaCare, the more pressure we can put on the White House to accept commonsense, bi-partisan reforms.” Rep. Roby is co-sponsoring the “Keep Your Health Plan Act,” which would ensure individual policy holders who like their healthcare plans are truly allowed to keep them. Similar proposals are surfacing in the Senate. Rep. Roby on Thursday debuted a special online form to make it easy for constituents to share their personal stories. Additionally, individuals are invited to share their ObamaCare stories with Rep. Roby on Facebook or Twitter, by email, or by calling Rep. Roby’s Washington, D.C. office at 202-225-2901.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/rate-increases-cancellations-rep-martha-roby-wants-hear-your-obamacare-story,Rate increases? Cancellations? Rep. Martha Roby wants to hear your Obamacare story,2013-11-07,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"Rep. Martha Roby is asking Alabamians to share their stories on how the Affordable Care Act is impacting their lives. Those real-life stories, she said, are the best way to achieve bi-partisan reform for what she calls the president's ""signature law."" Roby has set up a special online form (you can access it here) to hear from constituents. You can also share via Facebook, Twitter, email or by calling her office in Washington at 202-225-2901. ""I'm asking Alabamians who have been impacted by Obamacare to share their stories,"" she said. ""If your rates have increased, if the plan you like got cancelled or altered, if you won't be able to see your doctor – tell me about it. Tell me your story so I can be your voice in Congress and push for change."" Roby, R-Montgomery, said personal examples of the law's impact could play an important role in reforming the health plan. ""House and Senate members from both parties recognize the basic unfairness that has occurred, and legislation to allow Americans to keep their health insurance is gaining traction,"" Roby said. ""However, even though Republicans and Democrats support fixing this problem, we are fighting an uphill battle because this is President Obama's signature law. ""The more we highlight specific examples that demonstrate the real-life consequences of Obamacare, the more pressure we can put on the White House to accept commonsense, bipartisan reforms."" Roby's efforts come as more lawmakers question the viability of the law, especially after the troubled website rollout that's still not fixed. Roby, along with Alabama Reps. Spencer Bachus and Mike Rogers, are among the 88 co-sponsors of the""Keep Your Health Plan"" act that authorizes health insurance providers to continue to offer current individual health coverage. It would also grandfather those plans so they are considered to provide minimum essential coverage as required by the president's Affordable Care Act. The Republican-led House plans to vote on the bill next week. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/rep-martha-roby-talks-farm-bill-dothan-kiwanis-club,Rep. Martha Roby Talks Farm Bill at Dothan Kiwanis Club,2013-11-05,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"U.S. Representative Martha Roby made a pit stop at the Kiwanis Club on Tuesday. The Farm Bill is a main concern for the Congresswomen. Roby is part of a bi-cameral panel that is negotiating a final agreement. Representing an Ag-dependent state, Roby says she wants to make sure the country’s agriculture policy makes sense. One of her main focuses in the panel is regional equity, to allow the same protections for all types of commodities, not just in certain places. According to Roby, the House pushed an amendment that was not included in the Senate Bill regarding supply management. Roby says although there are some disparities between the House and Senate on the bill, she thinks they will be able to find common ground. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z http://roby.house.gov/roby-news/us-representative-martha-roby-visits-slocomb-high-school,US Representative Martha Roby Visits Slocomb High School,2013-11-05,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Martha Roby,R000591,roby.house.gov,,,legacy,"US Representative Martha Roby gives local students a glance into her everyday life. The Congresswoman visited Slocomb High School today. She talked to students about what she does in the state and in Washington. She also took questions from students. ""Any opportunity to spend time with young people and encourage them and talk to them about our government and how important it is, is a real treat and an honor for me,"" said Representative Martha Roby. Roby is speaking to the Dothan Kiwanis club today, as well. To read this article on the publication's website, click here.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://brooks.house.gov/media-center/news-releases/brooks-presents-prisoner-war-medal-wwii-veteran,Brooks Presents Prisoner of War Medal to WWII Veteran,2013-11-05,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,brooks.house.gov,,,legacy,"Huntsville, AL Today Congressman Mo Brooks (R-AL) presented World War II veteran Selwyn Lamberth, of Bryant, Alabama, with the Prisoner of War (POW) Medal in a special ceremony at his Huntsville District Office. Congressman Brooks said,I'm honored to present this medal to Mr. Lamberth, who served our nation with dedication and courage. He fought to preserve the freedoms that all Americans enjoy today, and the people of our state and our nation thank him for a job well done.Congressman Brooks presents Mr. Selwyn Lamberth with Prisoner of War Medal. The Prisoner of War Medal was created by Congress and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in November 1985. The POW Medal isauthorized for any person who, while serving in any capacity with the U.S. Armed Forces, was a prisoner of war after April 5, 1917. It is awarded to any person who was taken prisoner or held captive while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing Armed Force; or while serving with friendly forces engaged in armed conflict against an opposing Armed Force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.[1] Mr. Lamberth served in the 351st Infantry Regiment, 88th Division of the United States Army from 19431945. He was captured as a Prisoner of War in October 1944 near Bologna, Italy, by German soldiers. In addition to earning the POW Medal, Mr. Lamberth also received the following: Purple Heart Medal (1 bronze oak leaf cluster), Bronze Star Medal, Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-American-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (2 bronze service stars), World War II Victory Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Honorable Service Lapel Button, and the Sharpshooter Badge with Rifle Bar. ### [1] ""Prisoner of War Medal."" Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2013.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z https://web.archive.org/web/20140923211328/http://brooks.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25&itemid=1072,Brooks Presents Prisoner of War Medal to WWII Veteran,2013-11-05,2013,2013-11,Republican,House,AL,Mo Brooks,B001274,web.archive.org,,,legacy,"Huntsville, AL – Today Congressman Mo Brooks (R-AL) presented World War II veteran Selwyn Lamberth, of Bryant, Alabama, with the Prisoner of War (POW) Medal in a special ceremony at his Huntsville District Office. Congressman Brooks said, “I’m honored to present this medal to Mr. Lamberth, who served our nation with dedication and courage. He fought to preserve the freedoms that all Americans enjoy today, and the people of our state and our nation thank him for a job well done.” Congressman Brooks presents Mr. Selwyn Lamberth with Prisoner of War Medal.   The Prisoner of War Medal was created by Congress and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in November 1985. The POW Medal isauthorized for any person who, while serving in any capacity with the U.S. Armed Forces, was a prisoner of war after April 5, 1917. It is awarded to any person who was taken prisoner or held captive while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States; while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing Armed Force; or while serving with friendly forces engaged in armed conflict against an opposing Armed Force in which the United States is not a belligerent party.[1] Mr. Lamberth served in the 351st Infantry Regiment, 88th Division of the United States Army from 1943–1945. He was captured as a Prisoner of War in October 1944 near Bologna, Italy, by German soldiers. In addition to earning the POW Medal, Mr. Lamberth also received the following: Purple Heart Medal (1 bronze oak leaf cluster), Bronze Star Medal, Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, European-American-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (2 bronze service stars), World War II Victory Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Honorable Service Lapel Button, and the Sharpshooter Badge with Rifle Bar.   ###   [1] ""Prisoner of War Medal."" Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel Office. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Nov. 2013.",1,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z,2026-03-30T12:14:52Z