I also continued serving on the House Budget Committee, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform this year.

At the end of January, President Trump tapped Judge Neil Gorsuch as his Supreme Court nominee. Gorsuch’s education and track record as a conservative voice on the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Colorado made him a worthy choice to inherit the seat left by Justice Scalia. Justice Gorsuch was confirmed by the Senate and took his oath of office on April 10, 2017. My full statement from the day President Trump nominted Justice Gorsuch. 

February

I introduced a bill suspending U.S. Foreign Aid to countries that deny or delay accepting their criminal aliens that have been ordered removed from the United States. The U.S. has tens of thousands of criminal immigrants that are ordered deported, yet their home countries refuse to take them back. Instead, these criminal immigrants are released back into the U.S., posing a dangerous threat to American citizens. We shouldn't continue to send foreign aid dollars to countries that are actively putting Americans at risk by refusing to accept their criminal aliens, especially when our own country is so deeply in debt.

I also introduced a bill to eliminate work waivers for non-disabled, working age adults without dependents who receive food stamps.Work requirement waivers are part of an unfortunate trend of government laws and regulations that create disincentives for individuals to work.This bill is an important step in reforming welfare programs to help free capable individuals from government dependence and empower them to achieve the American Dream.

April

My Fond du Lac office moved and we held an open house at our new location. My staff and I had a great time meeting members of the public and giving tours of the office!
 
May

I was proud to cosponsor the Working Families Flexibility Act, a common-sense bill that allows private-sector employers to give hourly workers the option of either monetary compensation or additional paid time off for any overtime hours worked. I spoke in support of it on the House floor.

June

The Financial CHOICE Act, which protects small, community banks from shutting their doors because of often-times overlapping government regulations forced onto them by Dodd-Frank, was passed by the House of Representatives. Read my statement in support of the passage.

Career and technical education is so important to manufacturing and Wisconsin's economy. I voted in favor of the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, which gives states more flexibility when using federal funds to support career and technical education programs. I also wrote an op-ed encouraging young adults to choose higher education paths that best suit their needs, while incurring the least amount of student debt and learning skills that are always in demand. Employers in construction, manufacturing and health care are always in need of skilled employees.

Two years ago, Kate Steinle was randomly gunned down in the sanctuary city of San Francisco by a criminal illegal immigrant with seven prior felony convictions and five deportations. I supported Kate's Law and the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act to ensure that no more Americans die because politicians refuse to enforce our immigration laws. Read more about these bills here. 

Congratulations again to Sedona Spaeth of Two Rivers! She was the Sixth District's winner of the Congressional Art Competition. Her work is currently on display in the U.S. Capitol.

July

For years, the EPA has held Sheboygan County responsible for ozone pollutants that come from outside Wisconsin. This "nonattainment designation" given to Sheboygan County hits existing manufacturers with penalties, and discourages new businesses and families from moving into the area. I wrote an op-ed in the Sheboygan Press about how the EPA is unfairly targeting Sheboygan.

The House passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act to provide more resources to our military and raise pay for our troops. Included in the bill was my amendment to transfer $30 million in funding from the Department of Defense’s Operations and Maintenance account to the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program. The JLTV program will increase troops’ effectiveness in the field, support American jobs and, quite simply, save lives.

I joined Republican and Democrat Members of Congress in sending a letter President Trump asking him to delay lifting sanctions against Sudan. He listened and took action.

The Hmong community has such cultural significance in Wisconsin. I joined Congressman Sean Duffy to cosponsor a resolution honoring Hmong Freedom Fighters who helped the U.S. military in southeast Asia. 

If you've visited our D.C. office, chances are you've meet everyone's favorite office dog, Todd. Todd took home a top-five finish in the Independent Journal Review's Cutest Dogs of Capitol Hill contest.

August

My office hosted a job fair in Fond du Lac with more than 40 businesses from across the Sixth District hoping to fill open positions. We helped many individuals find employment in areas like engineering, welding and customer service.

I held six town halls in River Hills, Mequon, Cedarburg, Port Washington, Fall River and Portage on Aug. 28-29. My staff also held listening sessions in Mt. Calvary and Beaver Dam on Aug. 27. Once again, it was wonderful to have the opportunity to meet with so many people from across the district!

September

I held two town halls in Beaver Dam and Mt. Calvary on Sept. 17, so that constituents could express concerns and ask questions.

Industrial hemp plays a large part in Wisconsin's agricultural history, and legalizing it now can only benefit the state. I joined a bipartisan group of my colleagues to co-sponsor a bill to allow U.S. farmers to legally grow industrial hemp. 

October

I voted in favor of the bipartisan Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act to prevent late-term abortions on unborn babies who are capable of feeling pain. This bill is similar to Wisconsin's Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, which was signed into law by Governor Scott Walker in 2015.

The House Committee on Education and the Workforce passed the Save Local Business Act to roll back the Obama-era joint-employer standard that allowed businesses to be classified as a joint employer even if their relationships to employees were indirect. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) acted in conjunction with the committee and overturned the rule in early December. 

One of the greatest honors of this job is nominating young people to attend our nation's service academies. When my office put out the application for nominees in October, we received some inredibly qualified candidates with a heart for serving our country.

After the horrific shooting in Las Vegas, I joined a bipartisan letter, co-led by fellow Wisconsinite Rep. Mike Gallagher, asking the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to reevaluate bump stocks. The ATF recently responded by beginning to change certain regulations concering bump-stock devices.

Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick was a psychologist at the Tomah VA Medical Center who committed suicide after he was fired for raising concerns about the facility's over-medication of veterans.The House passed the Dr. Chris Kirkpatrick Whistleblower Protection Act with my support to help prevent federal agencies from retaliating against whistleblowers.

I introduced a House Resolution celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, a milestone that transformed the culture, political structures, economics and education of Western civilization.

November

Student loan debt in our country is a mess. I signed on to Rep. Mark Pocan's bill to allow student loan borrowers to refinance their loans. Read more about our bipartisan effort to tackle this growing problem in our country. 

I also worked with Rep. Pocan on an amendment included in the Hydropower Policy Modernization Act asking federal decision-makers to consider the threat of invasive species before ordering installations of fishways. In Wisconsin, invasive species could have a devastating effect on the Great Lakes, which is why my colleagues in the delegation, including Rep. Gwen S. Moore, also spoke out in favor of this amendment.

I rounded out my town halls for the year with five meetings in Two Rivers, Oostburg, Plymouth, Randolph and Fairwater on Nov. 19 and 20. I've now held 45 town halls in every county of the Sixth District since I was elected to Congress. A special thanks to students from Sheboygan County Christian High School for attending my town hall in Oostburg -- it's always great to see young people engaged in the political process.

Oshkosh High/West Veterans Honor Wall is a beautiful, moving tribute to former students of the school who have served in the military. It was an honor to speak at the wall's dedication during the weekend before Veteran's Day. 

I enjoyed participating in the University of Wisconsin-Madison Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership kick-off panel discussing congressional leadership.

The opioid crisis is a public health emergency. I joined my colleagues on the House Oversight Committee for a field hearing at Johns Hopkins Hospital to discuss what can be done to combat the opioid epidemic. Read about what we discovered.

Congress has long-supported, in a bipartisan manner, recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital and moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem from Tel-Aviv. I applauded President Trump’s decision to send a strong message of support for Israel by recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.

December

Sexual harassment is never acceptable. I was proud to co-sponsor a resolution requiring all members of Congress, congressional staffers and officers and employees of Congress to complete sexual harassment training. Additionally, I led a bipartisan letter requesting the Committee on House Administration and the Office of Compliance disclose the members of Congress who have settled sexual harassment claims using taxpayer dollars. We want to increase government transparency for taxpayers, create a safer work environment in the legislative branch and hold these perpetrators accountable for their actions.

Men and women in our communities who live with significant disabilities, including intellectual or developmental disabilities, have a right to choose meaningful paid work over day programs or volunteer work. I wrote an op-ed based on an Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development hearing to promote meaningful work for disabled individuals. Thank you to the Kerzan family of Pardeeville for their help in writing this op-ed.

Sometimes it's nice to take a break from politics and spin some tunes! Thanks to WORT FM in Madison for letting me guest DJ. I played some of my favorite songs from my youth and time at UW-Madison, ranging from Bob Dylan to the Four Tops to Deep Purple. Take a listen!

My bipartisan resolution condemning the global persecution of Christians passed the House unanimously. As Christians in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Americas are killed, abducted, trafficked and prevented from practicing their faith by extremist groups and government officials, this becomes a larger and larger global human rights issue. H. Res. 407 calls for all discriminatory countries and extremist groups to cease their persecution of religious minorities and force leaders to uphold universal religious freedom. Read more about how the House is defending religious freedom. 

Congress passed sweeping tax reform last week that will benefit Wisconsin taxpayers by modernizing the tax code, making America’s business climate more competitive and delivering tax relief to American families and workers.The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act now heads to the president's desk to become law. Click here to see what the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act does for you!

(Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

It's been a productive 2017, and I thank you all for your support. It's truly an honor to serve you in Congress. Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Glenn Grothman
Member of Congress