The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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While the news cycle is currently centered around the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, it is important we remember and shed light on other potentially devastating issues that impact our nation. Aside from the pandemic, the United States is in the middle of a serious public health crisis that is hurting communities of all sizes. Hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost due to opioid addiction and abuse in recent years. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, nearly 70,000 people...
Each September, National Suicide Prevention Month is recognized as we draw attention to the causes, warning signs, and treatment options for those affected by this tragedy. You may think to yourself that this annual campaign is certainly important, but how does it impact you? The truth is, we can all help to reduce and prevent suicide. As you know, the Second District is home to thousands of veterans. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, an average of 20 veterans die by suicide...
In Congress, I consider it a tremendous privilege and responsibility to represent a district that is home to two of our country’s finest military installations – Fort Rucker down in the Wiregrass and Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery. Even beyond the Second District, Alabama as a whole has a significant military footprint, and we should all be very proud of our state’s role in defending our freedom. I just recently had the opportunity to attend the Change of Command ceremony at Fort Ru...
While Congress was out of session for the April district work period, I had the opportunity to spend time on the road, traveling throughout Alabama’s Second District, meeting with constituents, businesses, industries, and local leaders. As I always say, I appreciate every chance I get to hear directly from the people I represent, and I believe our interactions enable me to be a stronger advocate for our shared beliefs in Congress. During the April district work period, I spent time in P...
One of the most rewarding parts of my job as the representative for Alabama’s Second District is representing a large veteran population and advocating for their proper treatment and care. As a nation, it is critically important that we do all we can to care for our veterans and ensure the integrity of their service and sacrifice. When it comes to VA care, the very best is the only acceptable standard, and we have a very long way to go before this is achieved. Improving services for Alabama v...
Here in Alabama’s Second District, we are fortunate to share our portion of the state with two of our nation’s finest military installations: Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base in Montgomery and Fort Rucker down in the Wiregrass. I’m honored to serve our district that is home to these installations, thousands of active duty and reserve personnel, and more than sixteen thousand military retirees. In fact, according to last year’s federal statistics, our district has the thirteenth largest populat...
On the afternoon of Saturday, January 19, a powerful tornado hit the City of Wetumpka in Elmore County, ripping through the beautiful downtown area and inflicting heartbreaking and significant damage. By the grace of God, no lives were lost, and only minor injuries have been reported. Still, the destruction is extreme, and the road to recovery is long. The Monday following the tornado, I joined Governor Kay Ivey and other local officials to spend time on the ground with those impacted. I had the...
Did you know that more than 64,000 Americans died of a drug overdose last year? The majority of those were heroin or opioid overdoses. Our country is in the midst of a heroin and opioid epidemic, with 91 Americans dying every day from an overdose. The problem is particularly acute in Alabama, where opioid drugs are prescribed at a higher ratio than any other state in the nation. Alabama averages an alarming 1.2 opioid prescriptions per person, according to the Centers for Disease Control....
For two years now, a partnership consisting of unit commanders, community and state leaders, local business leaders, and Alabama’s congressional delegation have been working together to bring the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to the 187th Fighter Wing at Dannelly Field in Montgomery. The 187th is one of five Air National Guard units on the short list being considered, and the Air Force is expected to make its final decision in the coming weeks. The F-35 is the military’s most cutting-edge war mac...
I’m a big believer in helping our students prepare for the careers of tomorrow. I’ve had a lot to say about the great work our state is doing to promote career and technical education and how Congress is supporting those efforts through funding and policy improvements. Wherever there is an emerging industry with the opportunity for job growth, we need to be helping students develop the skills to compete for those jobs. With industries like auto manufacturing and aerospace, Alabama has pro...
U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-Ala.) hosted the Chairwoman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee in Montgomery on Sunday, July 23, 2017 for visits to the area's military installations. Representative Kay Granger (R-Texas), who chairs the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, will tour the 187th Fighter Wing at Dannelly Field and Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base. Roby serves on the Subcommittee, which is responsible for crafting legislation to fund the military. "I frequently brag...
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-Ala.) today, Friday, July 28th, expressed her strong disappointment with the Senate's failure to pass an Obamacare repeal bill, saying Senate Republicans should keep working to reach an agreement. Earlier this year, House Republicans overcame legislative obstacles to pass a bill repealing and replacing Obamacare. Appearing on local Alabama morning shows Friday, Roby said Senate Republicans should not allow initial setbacks to cause them to a...
WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Donald Trump today signed into law the Department of Veterans Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017, historic VA reform legislation. The new law expands the 2014 VA reform law by granting VA Secretary Dr. David Shulkin increased flexibility to fire, suspend, or demote any VA employee – regardless of rank – for poor performance or misconduct. The law also contains increased protections for whistleblowers who expose wrongdoing within the V...
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-Ala.) joined a group of national leaders and lawmakers, including Ivanka Trump, at the White House for a listening session on human trafficking. Since her recent assignment to the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Roby has made it a priority to address the growing problem of human trafficking. Last month the Committee approved Roby's bill, the Global Child Protection Act, which seeks to close loopholes in the law and crack down on global sex t...
U.S. Representative Martha Roby’s (R-Ala.) bill to provide greater choice and increased time flexibility in the workplace passed through committee Wednesday. This was a key legislative step toward full House passage. H.R. 1180, the Working Families Flexibility Act, would give private sector employees the option to convert their accrued overtime into paid time off. This compensatory time, or “comp time,” would be completely voluntary for the employer and employee with strong worker prote...
When Jeff Sessions was selected to lead as Attorney General, I was hopeful that he would make defunding sanctuary cities a priority. I’m pleased to report that some of last week’s policy discussion in Washington focused on this issue. Sanctuary cities are municipalities that have implemented policies designed to help illegal immigrants avoid deportation. For instance, the city of San Francisco prohibits its police force from complying with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) age...
With February being National Career and Technical Education Month, last week I visited two emerging career tech programs in different corners of Alabama’s 2nd District. Career tech programs help prepare students for a smooth transition from the classroom to the workplace, empower young men and women from all backgrounds to find good jobs, and support local economies throughout Alabama - all at the same time. Alabama is home to a solid network of community colleges, industries and facility partne...
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-Ala.) today praised House passage of H.R. 7, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2017, saying the bill’s passage is a victory for American taxpayers and the pro-life community. “Since the infamous Roe v. Wade decision 44 years ago, nearly 60 million unborn children in this country have had their lives ended by abortion,” Roby said. “I believe in order to build a culture that truly values li...
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-Ala.) was sworn in for her fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday, vowing to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States... bear true faith and allegiance to the same... and faithfully discharge the duties of the office." As the 115th Congress begins, Roby said she would continue to prioritize issues of particular importance to Alabama's Second District, including properly funding the military, improving v...
As more details surface about the Obama Administration’s decision to pay Iran $1.7 billion in settlement money, arguments that it was anything less than an ill-conceived ransom deal are becoming pretty flimsy. In January, President Obama announced the United States had reached a settlement with Iran over a decades-long arms deal dispute, in which $1.7 billion would be transferred from a Treasury fund set up to cover court judgments and settlements. Even though the deal directly coincided with Ir...
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House of Representatives took an important first step to mitigate the national security risks presented by President Obama’s plan to allow as many as 10,000 Syrian refugees to resettle in the United States in 2016. H.R. 4038, the American Security Against Foreign Enemies (SAFE) Act of 2015, seeks to ensure ISIS terrorists cannot infiltrate the country through the refugee resettlement program. ISIS has said it would use refugee resettlements to infiltrate western cou...
This week marked a significant turning point in Congress as Paul Ryan was elected to be the new Speaker of the House. Of course, outside of his service in Congress, Paul Ryan is best known as Mitt Romney’s running mate in the 2012 presidential election. He has spent this year as Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee and was previously Chairman of the Budget Committee, both important positions with considerable influence on fiscal policy. He has been a leading voice for supply-side, c...
Thomas Jefferson once wrote, “To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.” This simple principle explains why I have fought alongside fellow pro-life colleagues for years to prohibit federal funding from going to organizations that perform abortions, including Planned Parenthood. Not everyone is pro-life like I am, but those who are should not be forced to have their tax dollars fund an org...
Maxwell Air Force Base is taking its reputation as the “Intellectual and Leadership Center of the Air Force” to the next level as it expands into the realm of cyber warfare. U.S. Representatives Martha Roby and Mike Rogers, whose districts include parts of Montgomery, visited Maxwell on Friday for a briefing from Lt. Gen. Steve Kwast, Commander and President of Air University, on plans to establish the Air Force Cyber College on campus. Gen. Kwast’s vision for the new college is bringing the b...
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A bill to finally replace the "No Child Left Behind" education law passed the House Wednesday putting Congress one step closer to ending burdensome federal education mandates and returning more authority to the state and local level. H.R. 5, the Student Success Act, was approved by a vote of 218-213. U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-AL), who strongly supports state and local control of education policy, praised the bill's passage. "This 'Washington knows best' approach to e...
