releases: https://www.isakson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-center?ContentRecord_id=f939919d-9526-400a-a5e8-71e926a76405
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| https://www.isakson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-center?ContentRecord_id=f939919d-9526-400a-a5e8-71e926a76405 | e-Newsletter for the week ending December 20, 2013 | 2013-12-20 | 2013 | 2013-12 | Republican | House | GA | Johnny Isakson | I000055 | www.isakson.senate.gov | legacy | Dear Friends, This week, the Senate finished its work for the calendar year. The Senate voted to confirm several nominations, including IRS commissioner, Federal Reserve chairman, assistant secretary of State, secretary and deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, as well as several judicial nominations for vacant seats around the country. The Senate also passed the Murray-Ryan budget deal, as well as the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2014, or H.R.3304. Murray-Ryan Budget Deal Last week, Senate Budget Committee chairman Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) proposed a two-year budget agreement in advance of the budget conference’s December 13 deadline to produce a budget. The House swiftly passed the Murray-Ryan budget by a vote of 332 to 94. The Murray-Ryan deal, the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, would reduce the deficit by $23 billion over the next decade and by $100 billion over the next two decades without raising taxes. I voted for the Murray-Ryan budget deal because it finally gives America a budget to operate under and averts government shutdowns through 2015. As a longtime advocate of biennial budgeting, I believe this bipartisan agreement is a good first step toward managing government spending and the fiscal policy of our country. While reforms included in the agreement are modest, most move America in the right direction. On Tuesday, I appeared on CNCB to discuss the budget. You can watch that interview here. The Budget’s Effects on the Military One of the most essential components of Senator Murray’s and Congressman Ryan’s deal is the avoidance of another devastating round of sequestration aimed squarely at our national defense capabilities. This agreement will help us avoid cuts that would have caused long-lasting damage to the readiness of our military and will help us provide the best support and tools possible to our men and women in uniform. While avoiding defense sequestration was key to gaining my support for this deal, I was very concerned to learn that disabled retirees and survivors were mistakenly included in the provisions slowing the growth of benefits over the coming years. I believe that this mistake must be corrected and my continued support for this budget agreement was predicated on the chairman’s commitment to correct this mistake.Additionally, this week, I joined Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., in co-sponsoring his “sense of the Senate” resolution to address the disproportionate military pay provision in the Murray-Ryan budget that would reduce the cost-of-living (COLA) adjustment for military retirees under the age of 62. The resolution states that retirees from the armed forces should not unfairly bear the burden of excessive government spending, and the Senate should seek alternatives to the current military retirement provisions in the budget legislation currently being considered. With this non-binding resolution, the Senate agrees to address the reduction of military retirement pension for retirees under age 62 before it goes into effect in December 2015. I am pleased to join Sen. Chambliss in this resolution because it is critically important that we not disproportionately burden those who have served in our armed forces. Our men and women in uniform have sacrificed greatly, and we wouldn’t be debating these important issues today on the Senate floor if it weren’t for our military. While we must address the difficult decisions on how to get our arms around our nation’s debt and deficits, we must all share the burden and we must not single our veterans or any segment of society in the process. I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues on this issue. On Thursday, I appeared on MSNBC to discuss my efforts to protect military retirement pay. You can watch the interview here. Army Cyber Command Moving to Fort Gordon On Thursday, I applauded the Army’s announcement that Fort Gordon, Georgia will become the headquarters for U.S. Army Cyber Command / 2nd Army (Cyber). This decision culminates a four year effort to select the best location to host the Army’s operational cyber capabilities. During that time, Sen. Chambliss and I have worked closely with senior leaders of the Army, including the Secretary of the Army, and the Chief of Staff of the Army, to advocate for Fort Gordon and Augusta. In addition to locating the headquarters of U.S. Army Cyber Command at Fort Gordon, the Army will establish a standing cyber joint task force headquarters. This command and control structure will dramatically improve the operational effectiveness of Army cyber capabilities. This basing decision brings approximately 700 new personnel to Fort Gordon, along with a three star commander. I am confident the Army made the right decision by selecting Fort Gordon as the new home for U.S. Army Cyber Command. Since the Army started considering a new location four years ago, I have engaged the Army and the Department of Defense to make it clear that Fort Gordon was the most capable and cost-effective option to handle the crucial mission of U.S. Army Cyber Command. The Army made the correct choice for our national security and for taxpayers. I know the city of Augusta and the people of the Central Savannah River Area will undoubtedly provide the community support necessary to keep this important mission at Fort Gordon for years to come. Stopping the Administration from Targeting Family Farms Today I joined 42 of my Senate colleagues, from both sides of the aisle, in a letter to the administration demanding the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) immediately stop its unlawful regulation of family farms. In our letter, we also directed OSHA to issue updated guidance correcting their misinterpretation of current law. Since 1976, Congress has exempted small, family-run farms from OSHA regulations, but in a 2011 memo OSHA asserted that on-farm grain storage and handling was not part of farm operations. The memo essentially expanded OSHA’s regulatory scope, in defiance of the law, to nearly every farm in the country without going through the established rule-making process that allows Congressional review and public comment. In our letter, we senators wrote, “OSHA’s interpretation defies the intent of Congress in exempting farming operations from the standards of the Occupational Safety and Health Act…Worker safety is an important concern for all of us—including the many farmers who probably know better than OSHA regulators how to keep themselves and their employees safe on farms. If the Administration believes that OSHA should be able to enforce its regulations on farms, it should make that case to Congress rather than twisting the law in the service of bureaucratic mission creep.” You can read the full text of the letter here. As the ranking Republican on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety, which oversees OSHA and labor issues, I will continue to fight to ensure that Georgia’s family farms are protected from unlawful regulations such as this. What’s on Tap? The Senate is not in session next week in observance of Christmas. During these past several months we have addressing variety of critically important issues, and now we welcome this holiday season and the spirit of Christmas. As we reflect on the things we have weathered through this past year, it is equally important to recognize our many blessings as a nation. In the spirit of this wonderful time of year, Dianne and I wish you a holiday filled with joy, happiness, and cheer. Merry Christmas! Sincerely, Johnny Isakson | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |