Written by:
Shawn Jester, Constituent Liaison, Representative Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01)
The United States Congress experienced major changes as a result of the November elections. In the House of Representatives, Republicans have increased their majority from 33 to 56 seats. This gives Republicans their largest majority in the House since World War II. In the Senate, Republicans will reclaim the majority after adding at least eight members, and may add a ninth after the Louisiana run-off election.
Incoming House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have spoken publically about their goals for the upcoming Congress. Their hopes are to pass bills that can find support from President Barack Obama and be signed into law. These include action on trade bills, reform of the tax code, and authorizing construction on the Keystone XL pipeline. Other areas of interest for Republican members of Congress include entitlement reform and an overhaul or scrapping of the Affordable Care Act and the so-called Obamacare. It is more likely that any action on these areas would be vetoed by the White House.
However, recent Presidential action on immigration may disrupt these goals. President Obama announced plans for executive actions to address what he called a “broken immigration system” in his November 20 prime-time address. In that address, President Obama announced a plan where undocumented immigrants who had been in the United States for five years, had children who are citizens or legal residents, and pass a background check and pay their “fair share of taxes” can stay in the country temporarily.
Republican members of the House and Senate roundly criticized the move, and claimed the President was seizing authority reserved for Congress. At writing, Congressional leaders planned to pass short-term funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which controls the American immigration system. The next congress could then pass a budget for Homeland Security that dealt with the President’s amnesty decision.
The 114th Congress of the United States will be sworn in on January 6, 2014. Over the next two years, they will face many issues, some long-standing and some completely unknown to us now. As legislative proposals move forward, do not hesitate to make your voices heard by your representatives as they vote and debate issues that matter to you. The Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce stands ready to serve as a resource to our membership, by disseminating information regarding legislative actions and by communicating the positions of our members to our federal elected officials.
Be sure to stay informed!
