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| This week proved a very busy week in my committees, from hearings on the overreach of the National Labor Relations Board to the abuses of the Freedom of Information Act by federal agencies. In this email you’ll find an update from the committees that I am a part of. As your congressman I’m committed to holding government accountable and making it more efficient for you. |
| Committee on Oversight and Government Reform |
| In Oversight and Government Reform, we questioned individuals from various agencies and media outlets on their experience filing and fulfilling Freedom of Information Act requests. Those from the media spoke to the fact that it takes a very long time to receive any information back when they’ve filed a request with an agency. And on the other hand we questioned officials from the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department, the Department of Justice, IRS and the Department of Treasury regarding their incredibly delayed action in processing the requests. The backlog is unacceptable and President Obama’s claim that his administration would be the most transparent in history is a flat out lie. |
| Committee on Education and the Workforce |
| The hearing in the Education and Workforce committee was on the NLRB’s attack on right to work. In 1947, Congress passed the Taft-Hartley Act, which amended the National Labor Relations Act to allow states to prohibit compulsory union membership. Known as a “right-to-work” law, this state-based policy ensures union membership cannot be a condition of employment and employees cannot be required to pay union dues and fees. Twenty-six states and territories have passed right-to-work laws, including Wisconsin. I worked on similar legislation as a State Senator and as your Congressman I will work to rein in the NLRB and stop their attacks on American businesses. |
| We have a responsibility in the House Budget committee to exercise oversight over the Congressional Budget Office. The committee discussed the effects of debt and the benefits of deficit reduction as well as growth projections and the budget outlook. |
During a hearing of the Joint Economic Committee Wednesday, top economist, Dr. Casey Mulligan, economics professor at the University of Chicago, agreed with me that the marriage penalty in Obamacare needs to be fixed. The current law incentivizes individuals to remain unmarried or to divorce in order to receive larger health care premium subsidies. I recently introduced the “Obamacare Marriage Penalty Elimination Act” (H.R. 2306), which eliminates the marriage penalty by calculating the subsidies based on individuals income rather than by household income, as Dr. Mulligan suggested. Click here to watch the video.
Thanks for taking time to read my Capitol Committee Update! As your Congressman me and my staff are here to serve you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Fond du Lac and Washington offices.
Sincerely,
Glenn Grothman
United States Representative |
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