Doug Jones weighs in on long-term, bipartisan Senate budget compromise
The cycle of budgetary showdowns may soon be a a thing of a the past — Senate leaders struck a long-term, bipartisan agreement on Wednesday that would lift strict budget caps on defense and domestic spending, imposed during sequestration. The budget compromise also invests additional resources to tackle the opioid crisis and closes loopholes in the law that will reduce drug prices for seniors. Alabama’s newly elected Senator, Democrat Doug Jones called the deal “a very encouraging step forward.” “After months of careening from one short-term budget to another, this long-term compromise reached in the Senate today is a very encouraging step forward,” Jones said in a statement. “It funds important health care priorities for Alabama, including renewed investment in our vital Community Health Centers. It also provides an additional four years of funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, bringing the total funding commitment to 10 years.” Jones continued, “This bipartisan agreement also paves the way for Congress to consider long-term funding for our military, which will give our Defense Department leadership the certainty that it needs. This is a big step in the right direction. I encourage my colleagues in the House to support this robust bipartisan bill so we can get back to working on the many other important policy challenges we face.” Earlier this week, Jones joined a bipartisan group of senators to to call on Senate leadership to extend community health center funding. On Tuesday, he met with the Alabama Primary Health Care Association to listen to their concerns about how a lapse in funding would impact the roughly 350,000 Alabamians who rely on community health centers to access care. As a result of this deal, the Senate is also poised to reject a House Defense funding bill that does not support important Alabama projects, and will instead take steps this week toward passing an alternative bill that Jones says “better serves Alabama’s military communities and strengthens the United States military overall.”
Martha Roby: From government shutdown to district travel
As you are all too aware by now, our federal government shut down for three days recently because Senate Democrats refused to support a reasonable funding bill over their unreasonable immigration demands. We should never be in a position where one party is allowed to hold our military and government hostage over an unrelated policy issue. This government shutdown was completely unnecessary and should not have happened. Before the shutdown occurred, the House had passed all twelve of our government funding bills and voted four times to reauthorize funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), known as All Kids here in Alabama. All of these bills were blocked repeatedly by Senate Democrats, which led to this pattern of short-term funding resolutions and ultimately the government shutdown. I have serious concerns with short-term funding measures and firmly believe that this is no way to govern. It is irresponsible to run the government for a few weeks or months at a time. Despite this, I supported the short-term bill in the House because I believe it is critical that we support our men and women in uniform and fund CHIP. While short-term funding measures are bad, government shutdowns are much worse – especially as it relates to our military. Fortunately, Senate Democrats decided to end the irresponsible government shutdown, and I was able to get out of Washington to travel throughout the Second District as planned. During this first district travel week of the year, I visited with constituents, local leaders, and business owners. From Autauga County to the Wiregrass and many places in between, it was a busy week! I had the opportunity to speak to the Brundidge and Ozark Rotary Clubs at their weekly meetings. We had productive conversations about some of the things our unified government accomplished in 2017, and I shared with them some of my policy priorities for 2018, including rebuilding our nation’s aging infrastructure and working to craft a farm bill that treats our Alabama commodities fairly. I visited my friends at the International Paper facilities in Dothan and Prattville to tour their sites and learn more about the many details that go into their operations. One day, I stopped by Troy Cable to learn about some of their upcoming projects and discuss recent rural broadband initiatives. I have said several times that one of my top priorities for 2018 is rebuilding our infrastructure, and an important part of that is expanding access to broadband. This month President Donald Trump signed two executive orders to expand broadband access in rural America, demonstrating commitment to building more broadband availability throughout our nation. There’s no doubt that areas in our community will greatly benefit from enhanced broadband capacity and efficiency. Also while in Troy, I had the privilege of speaking to seventh graders at Charles Henderson Middle School about what it’s like to be a member of Congress. I told them how important it is to set goals for yourself but also to keep your eyes wide open and be willing to take opportunities that aren’t necessarily part of your plan. I always enjoy talking to students about our government – the more they know, the stronger our country will be when they are leading it one day. I am so glad that the gridlock in Washington didn’t impact my plans to visit with so many people. I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for me to hear directly from you. Hearing firsthand the concerns and issues that are important to those I represent enables me to be a better representative for you in Washington. I really appreciate everyone who took the opportunity to talk with me, and I am looking forward to continuing to fight for issues that are important to the people who live and work in Alabama’s Second District. ••• Martha Roby represents Alabama’s Second Congressional District. She lives in Montgomery, Alabama with her husband Riley and their two children.
Alabama kids no longer in danger of losing coverage after CHIP, All Kids funding restored
Due to a lapse in federal funding the Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP), known as ALL Kids in Alabama, recently found itself in jeopardy. The program, which acts as a safety net for roughly 150,000 children across the state became an important bargaining chip in the government shutdown when it came to negotiations over the federal budget and immigration. But the tide turned in CHIP’s favor early Monday afternoon, when members of the U.S. Senate agreed to pass a bill extending the federal budget for an additional three weeks — and CHIP’s budget for an additional six years. Across the state, Alabama officials applauded the extension of the program. “I am thankful that Congress has finally passed a continuing resolution to fund the Federal Government, including a six-year reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP),” said Gov. Kay Ivey. “I have continually supported CHIP funding because approximately 159,000 Alabama children depend on it for their health insurance. Caring for our children and meeting their healthcare needs is a bipartisan issue; I appreciate Alabama’s Congressional Delegation for playing a key role in ensuring continued funding for CHIP.” President of the Alabama Public Service Commission (PSC) and Lieutenant Governor candidate Twinkle Andress Cavanaugh said funding is “vital for Alabama.” “Great to hear that the #SchumerShutdown is about to end and the government will reopen. #CHIP funding is vital for Alabama, and a continuing resolution protects our military families and many hardworking federal employees and contractors (like those at @TeamRedstone),” Cavanaugh tweeted. More than 83,000 children in the state are covered by All Kids program. Meanwhile, another 75,000 are covered by an Alabama Medicaid component of CHIP. “Families across Alabama deserve to breathe a sigh of relief, but it never should have come to this. CHIP funding deserved a quick, straightforward renewal before it expired nearly four months ago. Delaying the renewal and tying it to other important issues was unnecessary and irresponsible,” said Jim Carnes, policy director for the Arise Citizens’ Policy Project. “CHIP, known as ALL Kids in Alabama, is a proven success story that played a big part in cutting our state’s uninsured rate for children from 20 percent to just 2.4 percent over the last two decades. Other states have seen similar improvements. Kathy Caldwell, Director of the Bureau of Children’s Health Insurance at the Alabama Department of Public Health confirmed those statistics. Since its inception in 1998, ALL Kids has helped reduce the number of uninsured children in Alabama from 20 percent to 2.4 percent. With such a success story, state legislators had worried how the state would fund the much-needed program should Congress fail to reauthorize the program since the legislative session began. Ozark-Republican and House Ways and Means Chairman Steve Clouse had gone on record saying that if the state has to pick up even a fraction of the cost of program, it will cast a “shadow” over the entire budget. Now, he tells the AP, the state can “breathe a collective sigh of relief here.” But ALL Kids future isn’t set in stone. While Congress has funded the program through 2023, the funding rates will decrease over time. For the first two years, federal money will pay for at least 88 percent of the program’s expenses in the state. In 2020, the federal share will decrease and the state will have to pick up some of the costs.
Bradley Byrne: A senseless shutdown
Since coming to Washington, there have been several times when it felt like I was banging my head against the wall in frustration. One of those times was during the recent, senseless government shutdown. Last Friday at midnight, the entire federal government shutdown after the Senate failed to pass a bill to continue government funding. The bizarre thing was that Democrats did not disagree with a single provision in the bill. Instead, Senate Democrats wanted a provision included in the bill to effectively grant amnesty to individuals in our country illegally under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. Now, President a has indicated he wants to see a long-term solution on how to handle those in the DACA program, and Congress has been in negotiations for weeks over a bill to address DACA and other border security issues. Those talks had been productive, but differences remained. The good news was that the deadline to handle DACA is not until mid-March. Sadly, Senate Democrats refused to wait and demanded an illegal immigration provision be passed right away. When they did not get their way, they refused to vote for the funding bill and caused the entire federal government to shut down. Government shutdowns have a lot of dire consequences, especially when it comes to our nation’s military. For example, all active duty military personnel continue to work during a shutdown, but they cannot be paid. Ridiculously, during a shutdown, one of the few people in the federal government who continue to get paid are Members of Congress. I think that is wrong, so I immediately sent a letter to the Chief Administrative Officer of the House requesting that my pay be withheld until the shutdown ended. If our military was not getting paid, I did not think I should get paid either. President Trump made clear that he would not negotiate with Democrats on immigration issues until they ended their silly government shutdown. So, for a while, it seemed Democrats were going to hold the line and keep the federal government shuttered. Things seemed to change over the weekend when news headlines started to show that Democrats were getting the brunt of the blame for the shutdown. Even liberal-leaning national newspapers like the New York Times ran headlines showing that Democrats were the ones who shut down the government. So, on Monday, Senate Democrats agreed to end their senseless shutdown and vote to reopen the government. To be clear, they have absolutely nothing to show for their shutdown. Not a single promise was made in the House regarding a path forward on immigration issues. The shutdown was a total failure and nothing more than an irresponsible political stunt. There was one good piece of news to come out of the whole ordeal. The final funding bill included six years of funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which is known as AllKids in Alabama. The program helps provide health insurance to over 150,000 children right here in Alabama, and the funding will help eliminate uncertainty for the families who use the program. I am a huge supporter of CHIP, so I was proud to preside over the House when we voted to reopen the government and provide long-term funding for CHIP. At the end of the day, the government shutdown was just another example of how Washington is broken in so many ways. In the coming weeks, I will continue pushing for a long-term government funding bill that responsibly funds our military, as well as for commonsense immigration policies that punish those who break the law and help keep our borders secure. • • • Bradley Byrne is a member of U.S. Congress representing Alabama’s 1st Congressional District.
Congress approves plan to reopen government after three-day shutdown
Congress has passed a bipartisan stopgap spending bill to reopen the federal government after a three-day partial shutdown. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted 266-150 to reopen the government and extend funding through Feb. 8, hours after the Senate voted in favor of the measure, 81-18. The bill also provides money for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for six years, including Alabama’s ALLKids program. President Donald Trump is expected to quickly sign the measure to resume government operations, allowing hundreds of thousands of federal workers to resume working on Tuesday. The measure had the support of the entire Alabama delegation, in both chambers. Here’s what Alabama’s Congressional delegation had to say about the shutdown and their votes: U.S. Senate Sen. Richard Shelby: No official statement released. Sen. Doug Jones: The Senate still needs to pass a long-term funding plan that addresses the many critical issues facing our nation, but I’m pleased to announce we were able to rise above partisan politics and find consensus. U.S. House of Representatives Alabama 1st District U.S. Rep. Bradley Byrne: This shutdown was meaningless and petty. Senate Democrats shut down the federal government over illegal immigration, but thankfully they caved after realizing the blame was squarely on their shoulders. To make clear, there was no agreement made in the House about any issues relating to illegal immigration. This #SchumerShutdown accomplished absolutely nothing. I hate that this whole ordeal even occurred, but I am glad the federal government can now return to business. Alabama 2nd District U.S. Rep. Martha Roby: I am pleased to report that Senate Democrats have finally come around and decided to end the #SchumerShutdown. The House just passed a bill to reopen the government. I’m glad it’s over, but it never should’ve happened. Senate Democrats held funding for our military and children’s health insurance hostage over an unrelated immigration issue that doesn’t have an immediate deadline. Alabama 3rd District U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers: No official statement released. Alabama 4th District U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt: By voting to end their shutdown and allowing the government to reopen, the Senate Democrats folded on what the rest of America knew to be a losing position. I am proud that Speaker Ryan and Leader McCarthy stood firm on our conservative principles and did not reward legislative hostage–taking. Let me be clear, House Members do not feel bound to resolve the differences in DACA and immigration enforcement before the next funding deadline. House leadership has been consistent in their belief that these are two separate issues that will be resolved on two separate legislative tracks. Alabama 5th District U.S. Rep Mo Brooks: No official statement released. Alabama 6th District U.S. Rep Gary Palmer: No official statement released. Alabama 7th District U.S. Rep Terri Sewell: Today’s vote to reopen the government and fund CHIP was an important bipartisan step forward. I am disappointed that it took as long as it did for Republicans to work with Democrats, but I am hopeful that today’s deal lays the groundwork for both parties to address some of our nation’s biggest challenges, from healthcare to immigration to care for our veterans. For Alabama families who depend on ALL Kids, for the men and women in the Armed Forces, for federal health researchers, for Alabama’s hospitals, and for all of my constituents, this legislation is a step towards future cooperation. Today’s agreement is far from perfect. Congress must pass a budget with long-term funding that gives our federal agencies the certainty they need.
Gary Palmer: What the Schumer Shutdown is really about
If you had to make a choice between funding our military and protecting the healthcare of America’s most vulnerable children or funding an unconstitutional program for people here illegally, which would you choose? Democrat senators were faced with that choice last night and they made the wrong choice. By opposing passage of a reasonable continuing resolution (CR) to extend funding for the United States government, the Democrats in the Senate led by Sen. Chuck Schumer further endangered the safety and security of the men and women who serve in the United States military forces. The Schumer Shutdown increases the potential for serious injury and death for the men and women who risk their lives in their training, in their operation of aircraft, ships and land equipment that are outdated and lacking adequate maintenance and for those serving in combat operations. The CR included six years of funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), something Democrats traditionally support, that millions of low income Americans depend on for their children’s health care. Literally, the Schumer Shutdown has tied opposition to funding our military and CHIP to an attempt to force amnesty for the people, most of whom are now adults, who are in this country illegally. This is not only compromising our national security, it is compromising the health and safety of millions of American children and potentially causing resentment among American citizens against those who are here illegally as a result of the Obama Administration’s unconstitutional action called the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). In general, I believe a majority of Republicans in the House and Senate are sympathetic to the plight of these young and older adults who were brought into the United States illegally as children. My colleagues and I want to provide a remedy that resolves the legal issue and helps them get right with the law and have an opportunity to earn the right to stay. As their vocal and disruptive demonstrations on Capitol Hill visibly show, they are not children anyone more, but adults who being used, not for their best interests, but as political pawns of the Democrat Party. By attaching their demand for full amnesty and citizenship in order to fully and adequately fund our military and CHIP, the Democrats in both the House and Senate have made hostages of our service men and women and children in low-income families. Literally, the Democrats are encouraging and supporting the disruptive demonstrations by illegal aliens at our nation’s Capitol while our soldiers and sailors go wanting for the support they desperately need and potentially leaving millions of children without health insurance in midst of the most dangerous flu epidemic in America. This is not only dangerous, it is shameful. If it was not already apparent, by now it should be to every American that by refusing to pass the CR, Sen. Schumer and the Democrats callously using the unconstitutional DACA program people in their quest for political power with a stunning reckless disregard for our military and the well-being of Americans families and their children. And whether the DACA demonstrators realize it or not, the Schumer Shutdown could make matters worse by diminishing their cause and their future acceptance among millions of otherwise sympathetic American people. Finally, as if it is not evident enough that what the Schumer Shutdown is really all about then consider this. The Democrats ensured that funding for our military, CHIP, and other government programs ended at the precise second that marked the first anniversary of Donald Trump taking office as President of the United States. There is a disturbing and obsessive inability of the Democrats in both the House and Senate to accept the will of the people who elected President Trump. It appears to me that the Schumer Shutdown is simply the latest attempt to bring down the Trump presidency and halt the amazing success President Trump has achieved in his first year. The Democrats have literally come to the point where they are not only compromising our military and the health and well-being of American children, they are compromising the cause of DACA recipients and their own legitimacy as well. ••• Gary Palmer represents Alabama’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. Congress.
Alabama lawmakers begin 2018 legislative session
Alabama’s thirty day lawmaking session began Tuesday. State legislators have a some tough budgetary issues to tackle this legislative session, including prison reform and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, before they adjourn to hit the campaign trail ahead of the June primaries. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey will give her first State of the State address on Tuesday night. During her address to a Joint Session of the Alabama Legislature, Ivey will discuss her legislative priorities for the year, which includes a proposal for a pay raise for teachers and state employees.
Mike Rogers: The House has done its job
Washington has been a busy place this year. As folks across East Alabama may have seen in the news, time and time again, legislation passes in the House and either stalls or fails in the Senate. It makes it tough to get things done around here. A prime example occurred earlier this year. The House kept President Donald Trump’s promise to repeal and replace Obamacare. Unfortunately, the legislation did not pass in the Senate when they could not get to 50 votes. Vice President Mike Pence was ready to break the tie. The House also recently passed a bill that would reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). This important bill extends funding for CHIP and other programs low-income children rely on. The House passed legislation has not yet reached the Senate Floor. This summer, the House worked hard to pass legislation that included $1.6 billion in funding to help build the wall on the Southwest border to help fulfill one of President Trump’s top priorities. The House also passed two bills addressing illegal immigration. The first would help keep Sanctuary Cities from protecting illegal immigrants who’ve committed crimes and the second would impose tougher penalties on illegal immigrant criminals who have come in to the country. These bills have since stalled in the Senate. The House passed comprehensive tax reform just before Thanksgiving. As of writing, the Senate is working on their version. Let’s hope they can pass it so we can get closer to delivering one of the largest tax cuts for hard-working families. The momentum we have created in the House for President Trump’s agenda just has not carried over to the Senate. The House has done its job, now I hope our colleagues in the upper Chamber will begin to put America first. As always, I want to hear from you on this or any issue. ••• Mike Rogers is a member of U.S. Congress representing Alabama’s 3rd Congressional District. Sign-up for his e-Newsletter by visiting www.mikerogers.house.gov. To stay up to date, you can also like him on Facebook at Congressman Mike D. Rogers, follow him on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram at RepMikeRogersAL, on Tumblr at www.repmikerogersal.tumblr.com.
83k Alabama children may lose health insurance due to missed deadline by Congress
On September 30, federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) expired. Across the country, states are readying themselves for what happens when their current funds run out. In Alabama, funds for ALL Kids — the state’s CHIP that is administered by the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) — is poised to be depleted in February should Congress not reauthorize funding for the program. Meaning the 83,000 families who rely on the service will lose access to health care. “Our best estimates indicate that we will exhaust CHIP funds in February,” Cathy Caldwell, Director of the Bureau of Children’s Health Insurance at the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) told Alabama Today. More than 83,000 children in the state are covered by All Kids program. Meanwhile, another 75,000 are covered by an Alabama Medicaid component of CHIP. ALL Kids covers eligible children that live in Alabama whose households make up to 312 percent of the poverty line — up to $51,481 a year for a household of two, up to $64,732 for a household of three, and up to $77,982 for a household of four. Qualifying families pay premiums, which range from $52 to $104 per child per year, depending on income, along with co-pays Children must also: Be under age 19 Be a U.S. citizen or an eligible immigrant Not be covered by other insurance Not be a resident in an institution Not be covered by or eligible for Medicaid At the moment Alabama has no set plans when to warn families the program is ending. “We have not yet finalized a date,” added Caldwell. On Nov. 3, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to reauthorize CHIP by a 242 to 174 vote, largely along party lines with Republicans overwhelming supporting the legislation and Democrats against it. The bill advanced to the U.S. Senate, which has yet to take up its own version that passed out of committee last month. It remains unclear if, and when, CHIP will be reauthorized.
Alabama’s rate of uninsured children plunged to 2.4 percent in 2016
Things are looking up for children in Alabama. According to new U.S. Census data released this week, nearly 49 of every 50 children in the Yellowhammer State had health coverage in 2016. The rate of uninsured children to dropped to 2.4 percent, from 2015’s 3.1 percent — far below below the national average. A huge piece of the credit for those recent coverage gains belongs to Medicaid and ALL Kids, Arise Citizens’ Policy Project executive director Kimble Forrister said Thursday. Combined the programs cover nearly 800,000 Alabama children who live in households with low or moderate incomes. “All children deserve consistent, appropriate health care, and Alabama does a good job of helping them get it,” said Forrister. “Medicaid and ALL Kids help kids stay healthy so they can learn, play and thrive. It’s essential to ensure these programs have the funding they need to continue providing health coverage for our most vulnerable residents.” The new figures are particularly incredible for the state’s children considering nearly one in four kids, 24.3 percent, in the state lived in poverty in 2016. Congress is currently set to debate federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which is known as the ALL Kids in Alabama, as it is set to expire Sept. 30 unless it is renewed. “Children’s health care is too important to be left up to chance,” Forrister added. “We urge Congress to protect Medicaid and ALL Kids and work together in a bipartisan way to make health care more accessible and more affordable for all Americans.”
