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U.S. Congressman Thomas Massie
October 5, 2019

Friend, 

Although the weather outside is cooling down, things in Washington, D.C. are heating up now that August recess has ended. Below, I've included highlights from the month of September.

In case you didn't know, you can follow me on Facebook and Twitter for more updates. 

                                                                                        
 

Northern Kentucky Celebration of Life Rally


I was honored to speak at the Northern Kentucky Right to Life (NKRTL) Celebration of Life in Erlanger, Kentucky. It was encouraging to be among so many Kentuckians working together to protect the right to life.

According to some in the media, the biggest abortion battle is happening in the Supreme Court. In reality, most of the action is happening at the state level, where pro-life battles are being won. Things are better in the pro-life movement now, not because ofCongress but because of groups like NKRTL.

When I entered Congress in 2012, I wasn’t sure how long it would be until I had to vote on a bill that challenged the right to life of the unborn. I didn’t expect that it would be just a few weeks, let alone in the National Defense Authorization Act, a bill supposedly intended to provide funding for the military and defense. Therefore, I had to vote no. Since then, I’ve co-sponsored many pro-life bills, including Representative Hartzler’s Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2019 (H.R. 369), Representative King’s Heartbeat Protection Act (H.R. 490), Representative Mooney’s Life at Conception Act (H.R. 616), Representative Smith’s No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act of 2019 (H.R. 20), and the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (H.R. 784).

I’m also encouraged that the Trump Administration has announced new guidelines for fetal tissue research and that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is ending its use of fetal tissue in research projects. There is more work to be done to completely end this heinous practice, which is why my colleagues and I are sending a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar. Our letter asks HHS to provide more information on the guidelines in order to determine whether they go far enough to protect the dignity of the unborn.

Just societies and cultures protect the most innocent and vulnerable among us. Thank you to Bernie Kunkel and NKRTL for inviting me to the celebration. It was great seeing Governor Matt Bevin, Kentucky’s most pro-life governor, Kentucky State Senator John Schickel, and Kentucky State Representatives Savannah Maddox and Joe Fischer. Together we will work toward the day when our nation’s laws once again protect each and every human being, born and unborn.


                                                                                             
 

Congressman Thomas Massie Speaks at a Second Amendment Press Conference


2010 is the last year that the Department of Justice produced a report on prosecutions of those who allegedly tried to buy a gun illegally and were denied by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS).

“This report shows there were 72,000 denials. How many people were prosecuted? Thirty! 30 prosecutions out of 72,000 denials and 13 convictions. What does that tell you? It tells you one of two things. Either the people in this capital are not serious about prosecuting law offenders or—which is what we all actually know—those 72,000 denials, a vast majority of them, were false denials where law-abiding citizens were denied their constitutional right to keep and bear arms. Why in the world would we expand something that doesn't work?”

Thank you Tea Party Patriots and Congressman Steve Scalise for inviting me to speak about the importance of protecting our Second Amendment rights!

Click here to watch my full speech.



  Rep. Massie visits iLead Academy students   
 


It was an honor to visit the iLead Academy in Carrollton, Kentucky last month. iLead Academy is an alternative to the normal high school experience for students from Carroll, Gallatin, Henry, Owen, and Trimble counties. At this school they are taught to solve problems by understanding how what they are learning applies in the real world. Moreover, iLead Academy students often earn their first college degree at the same time they graduate high school.

I enjoyed speaking with the students about my life before Congress when I founded and ran a company that manufactured hardware and developed software for 3D computer aided design (CAD) and virtual reality. Most of my 30 patents are in 3D CAD, robotics, and virtual reality, but I told the students about inventions I’ve been working on to automate activities on my farm. Serving in Congress means I am away from my farm during the week, so I’ve had to build a few machines to feed and water my animals while I am in Washington, D.C.

I explained to the students that it is important to keep our U.S. patent system strong, so private industry is adequately incentivized to discover and develop new innovations, technologies, products, and medicines. I have noticed this is an issue people often overlook but in which I am excited to lead because, in our Constitution, the Founding Fathers entrusted Congress "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries."

The sophomores at iLead are working on building a “tiny house” and asked questions about my off-the-grid house, where I use solar panels and repurposed Tesla batteries. They wondered how effective solar power is for operating high-voltage appliances like dryers, if solar panels ever need to be replaced, and if solar energy is a realistic energy solution for every house. I explained the major pitfalls of solar energy lie mainly in the ability to store the collected energy and that the future of alternative energy relies on improving the way we store energy for future use—you need to store energy collected during the day for use at night.

Thank you to Jenna Gray, Director of iLead Academy, and Alicia Sells, Director of Innovation at the Ohio Valley Electic Corporation, for inviting me. I enjoyed meeting so many students with a passion for engineering and invention. It was incredible to see how much iLead has achieved in the five short years the academy has been in operation. It was great to see Dr. Robert Stafford, Owen County Superintendent; Dr. Ron Livingood, Carroll County Interim Superintendent; Larry Hammond, Gallatin County Superintendent; Jessica Wilcoxson, Trimble County Superintendent; and Terry Price, Henry County Superintendent. Keep up the good work!



  100th Year Celebration for the Kenton County Farm Bureau  
 


I was honored to speak to Kentucky farmers at the 100th Year Celebration for the Kenton County Farm Bureau in Morning View, Kentucky in early September. This celebration was a great event to attend before I made my way back to Washington, D.C.

It’s always exciting to see how the new industrial hemp industry is impacting the economy in Kentucky—especially when I hear how much opportunity it has offered farmers. I spoke about my sponsorship of the Industrial Hemp Farming Act, and my amendment to the 2014 Farm Bill that legalized industrial hemp projects. Congressman Ron Paul was the original sponsor of the Industrial Hemp Farming Act, and when he retired in 2012, I was honored to pick up where he left off. Bipartisan allies in Congress and in the grassroots worked hard for many years to pass this bill and amendment, and their efforts paved the way for last year’s hemp legalization in the 2018 Farm Bill. In its first year, Kentucky’s industrial hemp industry added hundreds of new jobs and $100 million to the state’s economy!

I told the farmers in attendance about a bill I recently re-introduced, the PRIME (Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption) Act. Fittingly, my friend Senator Angus King introduced companion legislation in the Senate. Current law requires farmers and ranchers to send their animals to one of a limited number of USDA-authorized slaughterhouses. All slaughterhouses are inspected, but only those limited few facilities that have a full time USDA employee on site can process beef, lamb, and pork for public sale as individual cuts of meat. This bill will make it easier for consumers to purchase food from trusted, local farmers, using trusted, local slaughterhouses to process the meat. The PRIME Act gives individual states freedom to permit intrastate distribution of custom-slaughtered meat such as beef, pork, or lamb to consumers, restaurants, hotels, boarding houses, and grocery stores.

It was great seeing Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles, Kentucky State Representative Savannah Maddox, State Senator Damon Thayer, and Kenton County Judge Executive Kris Knochelmann. Special thanks to Mark Haney, President of the Kentucky Farm Bureau and to Art and Becky Darnell of Honey Locust Farms for inviting me and hosting the celebration.

 

  Massie on Kennedy: What's Next for Congress  
 


“There are only 13 legislative days left until the government is not funded. Yet when I look at the list of committee hearings this week, it looks like a list of paybacks for all the August fundraisers the Democrats did.”

Click here to watch the full interview.

 


Transparency in Afghanistan: O&R Government Operations Subcommittee
 


Inspector General (IG) Michael Horowitz and other IGs testified last month in front of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform about the effectiveness of the 74 IGs who audit all aspects of our federal government.

During my questioning, I highlighted an instance where the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) helped Congress save $200 million by exposing a program that was wasting taxpayer dollars. I also called attention to a disturbing new trend towards a lack of transparency in our spending in Afghanistan.

Vital information about the effectiveness of the billions of dollars we provide to the Afghan security forces is either not collected or is “classified.” For instance, the United States government no longer reports Afghan soldier desertion rates, the amount of territory Afghanis control, the proportion of the population that is under Taliban control, the casualties of Afghan soldiers, and the capabilities of the Afghan military. The SIGAR needs access to this information so the American people can know if their money is being wasted or embezzled.

I hope we end the war in Afghanistan soon. Regardless of when we end the war in Afghanistan, as long as taxpayer dollars are flowing to the government of Afghanistan, we need transparency and accountability in the spending.

Click here to watch the full video.

 

Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter. 

In Liberty, 

Thomas Massie
Member of Congress
Kentucky's 4th District

 

 
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