Friends,
I invite you to read this newsletter to learn about several issues I am working on for Kentuckians. If you're short on time, here's a top line summary of some of my activities this month:
- Led sixteen of my colleagues in a lawsuit challenging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) illegal mask mandate for air travel.
- Voted against an open-ended House Resolution that might green-light the deployment of American soldiers to fight in Ukraine.
- Appeared on "The Absolute Truth with Emerald Robinson" to explain why high fertilizer prices could lead the United States into a "food selection crisis."
- Discussed the two-year anniversary of the first $2 trillion coronavirus package and the inflation crisis it has caused.
- Grilled witnesses in the House Judiciary Committee on the tragic impact COVID school shutdowns have had on children.
- Invited 4th District high school students to participate in the Congressional Art Competition.
- Introduced Stephen Willeford, a "good guy with a gun," to members of the Second Amendment Caucus.
Here are the in-depth articles:
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Seventeen Congressmen File Lawsuit Against CDC to End Mask Mandate for Air Travel
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not have the legal authority to force people traveling on commercial airlines to wear masks. Congress never passed a law requiring masks on commercial flights. My lawsuit, Massie et al v. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, targets the faceless bureaucrats who are behind the CDC's unscientific regulation so that this illegal mask mandate can be brought to a permanent end.
Massie et al v. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention contains two primary claims:
First, none of the statutes or regulations cited by the CDC for the authority to mandate that individuals wear masks on commercial airlines, conveyances, and at transportation hubs, permit the CDC to implement or enforce this mandate.
Second, even if Congress had granted the CDC the authority to promulgate the mask mandate, the granting of this authority would violate a principle known as the "non-delegation doctrine." The co-plaintiffs and I are asking a federal court to declare that "the mask mandate is beyond the CDC’s statutory authority or is unconstitutional." Further, we seek an injunction that prohibits the CDC, or anyone acting on the CDC's behalf, from enforcing the mask mandate.
Sixteen of my colleagues have signed on to Massie et al v. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as co-plaintiffs. They are: Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC), Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA), Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV), Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL), Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL), Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT), and Rep. Chip Roy, (R-TX).
You can read more about our lawsuit in the Daily Caller piece linked here. I also discussed the lawsuit with Kennedy on the Fox Business Network. The video of our conversation is included below:
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Massie Votes Against Sending American Troops to Fight in Ukraine
I fully support the right of the people of Ukraine to self-determination. However, there are many reasons I could not vote for the seven page resolution that passed the House of Representatives. The resolution contains an open-ended call for additional and immediate “defensive security assistance.” This term is so broad that it could include American boots on the ground or, as some of my colleagues have already requested, US enforcement of a no-fly zone.
It expands the geographic scope of the US commitment to the conflict in Ukraine by condemning the country of Belarus. We should not be seeking to name new enemies or committing to overturning other governments.
It calls for “fully isolating” Russia economically. This would hurt low-income US citizens who are already reeling from inflation. Innocent people in Russia, many of whom oppose Putin’s aggression, would suffer under crippling sanctions, possibly turning them against us.
Crippling sanctions could also drive Putin to become more desperate, inciting him to resort to drastic measures such as escalating the weapons employed or the people targeted.
The resolution contains a gratuitous statement that Ukraine and NATO will determine the relationship between the two of them. Of course this is true, but why should Congress assert this now when the goal is to de-escalate the conflict?
It calls for continuing support “as long as the Russian Federation continues to violate Ukraine’s sovereignty.” Depending on the definition of “violate,” this could be a US commitment to forever be actively engaged in a conflict with another nuclear country.
As I told Glenn Beck, the resolution was so broad, it's like a piece of bubble gum that was rolled through cat hair. They stuck EVERYTHING on it.
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Massie: Surging Fertilizer Prices May Cause a "Food Selection Crisis" in the United States
I appeared on "The Absolute Truth with Emerald Robinson" this month to discuss the impact that rising fertilizer prices may have on food supplies in America as a consequence of the war between Russia and Ukraine. I think we're going to be facing a food selection crisis. You're going to go to the supermarket and the things you want to buy aren't going to be there. Will you be able to get enough protein? Yes, but it might not be the protein you want. Right now, farmers are making decisions about which crops to grow based on how sensitive they are to fertilizer applications.
Let me give you an example. A lot of farmers can raise corn or soybeans, and in a single year they might raise both, but they are deciding to raise soybeans now, more so than corn, because corn is very fertilizer intensive. Emerald mentioned that fertilizer's gone up 40 percent in the last month or so. Well, actually year-over-year or compared to a couple of years ago, it's 300 percent more and in some cases, 500 percent more, if you can get the fertilizer.
The video of our entire conversation is included below:
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‘You were right.’ Rep. Thomas Massie says GOP shares blame on inflation
Two years ago, I attempted to force a roll-call vote on the first of a series of spending bills that caused the inflation we suffer today. My effort to force my colleagues to adhere to the Constitution was recently profiled in an article appearing in the Lexington Herald Leader entitled "‘You were right.’ Rep. Thomas Massie says GOP shares blame on inflation."
Republicans share some blame for the current inflation spike as a result of their support of the first $2 trillion coronavirus package signed into law two years ago. The blame belongs on Congress, under both Biden and Trump.
An excerpt from the article:
"In late March of 2020, the northern Kentucky congressman earned the ire of both parties and then-President Trump for trying to force a recorded vote on the Cares Act, rather than to expedite the funding through a voice vote.
Massie opposed the bill’s cost and believes the U.S. has spent far too much money on relief measures. He lost out at the time and the pandemic funding sailed through Congress, but the 4th District Republican congressman now claims the inflation crisis validates his lonely position.
“Now I have Republicans coming up to me in the House and say, ‘I should’ve stood with you then. You were right,’” Massie said. “I prefer to be right in the long run than be right in the moment.”
U.S. inflation has hit a 40-year high, increasing nearly 8% over the past year, sending the price of gas, food and housing higher just as the country looks to emerge from a two-year pandemic. But at the advent of the coronavirus outbreak, a broad swath of lawmakers, including Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, characterized the Cares Act as a necessary tool to keep the economy afloat through rolling shutdowns and widespread uncertainty."
As is said on social media, I bring receipts:
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Interested in following me on Twitter? My official account is @RepThomasMassie.
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Massie: COVID School Shutdowns Have Deprived Our Children of Future Opportunity
I am a member of the House Judiciary Committee, and sit on the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. On March 8, the Subcommittee held a hearing entitled "Reimagining Public Safety in the COVID-19 Era." I used the five minutes allotted to me for questions to grill the witnesses on the tragic impact COVID school shutdowns have had on children.
One of the worst policies that was adopted during the last two years, in terms of trying to mitigate COVID, was taking a set of our citizens, our kids, and depriving them of educational opportunities, in some cases for two years. This is going to have a long tail. This will affect crime. This is going to create a pandemic of lack of opportunity, because a lot of these kids have dropped out. They're not going to be literate, they're going to be behind in every category. I think it's a tragedy. I think the people who caused this need to be called to answer, and they need to own up for what they've created in their contribution to crime in this country by depriving our kids of an education.
Video of my questioning of the witnesses is included below:
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Massie Invites 4th District High School Students to Participate in the Congressional Art Contest
I am pleased to invite all high school students from Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District to participate in the 2022 Congressional Art Competition. The winning piece of art from each of the nation's Congressional Districts will be displayed in a yearlong exhibit within a U.S. Capitol corridor.
Interested artists can submit their artwork to my Northern Kentucky District Office in Crescent Springs beginning March 30, 2022 through 5:00 p.m. on April 29, 2022. A physical address and phone number for this office can be found here.
Further information about the program, including the competition's rules and the student information and release form, is located on my official website here.
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives have sponsored the annual "An Artistic Discovery" contest since 1982 to encourage talented high school students throughout the nation to further develop their talents. Kentucky's winning entries for 2021 may be seen at this link.
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Massie, Boebert Introduce Stephen Willeford to the Second Amendment Caucus
Stephen Willeford is a "good guy with a gun." On Nov. 5, 2017, Willeford used his AR-15 rifle to confront an active shooter at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Willeford hit the shooter with all six shots he took, stopping a mass murder in progress.
Congresswoman Lauren Boebert and I introduced Mr. Willeford to members of the Second Amendment Caucus we co-chair. Mr. Willeford's first-hand account of the events of that day had us on the edge of our seats. It was clear that were it not for his heroism, many more of the church's congregants would have died that day.
I asked Stephen what advice he could offer to those who carry a firearm. A former competitive shooter, he emphasized the importance of regular training. Willeford believes his training regimen helped develop the mindset he needed to react appropriately to the tragedy unfolding at the First Baptist Church.
It was wonderful to have Stephen Willeford, the hero of the tragic Sutherland Springs shooting, as our guest speaker for the Second Amendment Caucus meeting!
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Representatives Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO) stand with Stephen Willeford after the March meeting of the Second Amendment Caucus
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Thomas Massie Member of Congress
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