Friend,

I want to provide you with an update on issues that we are discussing in Congress.

In March, House Democrats advanced their gun control agenda by passing H. R. 8, a bill that makes it harder to purchase a gun. I participated in the floor debate to urge my colleagues to defeat this unconstitutional bill. I've included a video of my remarks below for your review. 

It was a pleasure to join the Cythiana Rotary Club to discuss some current topics of debate in Washington. We talked about the Democrats' push for gun control legislation, the importance of maintaining the Senate filibuster, and the political theatre that is the National Guard's continued deployment in Washington, D.C.

President Biden has halted border wall construction and ended President Trump's "Remain in Mexico" policy, thus creating a crisis at the border. I discussed this issue during my recent appearance on One America News Network, linked below. 

In March, I introduced legislation to end taxpayer-funded Congressional pensions. If congressmen want to save for retirement, they should do so with 401(k)-type plans rather than rely on taxpayers to take care of them even after leaving Congress. My bills are the End Pensions in Congress Act (EPIC Act) and the Member of Congress Opt-out Clarification Act. Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) has introduced companion legislation for both of these bills in the United States Senate.

To wrap up this month's newsletter, I've included a video of my recent appearance with Kennedy on Fox Business Network. We discussed the COVID spending bill and the Democrats' plan to vote on gun control legislation. I told her that the recent passage of the COVID spending bill reminded me of Groundhog Day. I invite you to watch the included video to find out why. 

For more details about these topics, please continue reading.

You can also keep track of my Congressional work on my regularly updated social media accounts. I hope you will consider following me on Facebook and Twitter. 

Massie: With H.R. 8, Democrats Tell Domestic Violence Victims to "Put Some Ice on It." 

I challenged the sponsors of H.R. 8 to consider whether it's fair to surround themselves with armed soldiers, Capitol Hill police, personal details, and bodyguards while making it even harder for citizens to exercise their basic right to self-defense. It’s not fair, and it’s not constitutional!

Massie Talks Guns, Senate Filibuster with the Cynthiana Rotary Club

I recently met with the Cynthiana Rotary Club at the request of my friend, Avi Bear. We discussed some current topics of debate in Washington, D.C.

Despite robust opposition during the debate on gun control, H.R. 8, a bill to make it harder to purchase a gun, passed the House. It may also pass the Senate if the Senators eliminate the 60 vote rule. When Republicans were in the majority, I upset many conservatives by arguing to preserve the 60 vote filibuster. If it were up to me, there would be a 99 vote rule! Regardless of which party is in the majority, no conservative should want to lower the threshold for spending money or passing regulations.

So who will these expanded background checks affect? Of 112,000 denials of firearm purchases, only TWELVE were prosecuted. I believe over 90% of these denials were actually law-abiding citizens wrongfully denied because their names were similar to others in the system--an avoidable error that disproportionately disenfranchises minorities with common surnames.

We also had a good discussion about whether Congress should take a more active role in directing the money it authorizes the government to spend. Since before I came to Congress, there's been an experimental ban on earmarks that was supposed to decrease spending and discourage politicians from selling out. But in that time, the national debt has skyrocketed from 14 trillion to 30 trillion, and politicians have found other excuses to sell out. Did the so-called earmark ban achieve the intended outcomes or did it simply empower unelected bureaucrats?

I received some great questions at this event, including one about the military occupation of the Capitol. I was one of the first to object to this political theatre and inappropriate engagement of our National Guard. To separate the people's House from the people with soldiers and barbed wire is to make Congress even less accessible and less relevant than it is now. We must open our doors.

Thank you to Dan Clifford, President of the Rotary Club, and other members and guests, including Kentucky State Rep. Mark Hart, Harrison County GOP Chairman Mike Fisher, Darwin Root, Chuck Duffy, Scott Hofmeister, Greg Wills, Linda Furnish, Yvette Yoho, Bill Selin, Les Waller, Jim Wilson, Howard Fryman, John Carter, and Steve Snapp. It was a pleasure to join you in Cynthiana at Biancke's. Their pies are out of this world!

Massie Discusses Biden Border Crisis on One America News Network

In case you missed it, I was a guest on One America News Network's "In Focus with Stephanie Hamill." We discussed the Biden border crisis.

As Stephanie pointed out, two of President Biden's earliest actions were to stop building the wall and to eliminate the "Remain in Mexico" policy. These Trump policies were bringing illegal immigration under control.

Meanwhile, while Biden shut down the border wall, Speaker Pelosi and the Democrats built a ten-foot wall, with razor wire, around Congress. They would probably claim those would be inhumane walls at the border, but they erected them around Congress. After they stopped building the border wall, the Democrats sent National Guard troops to Washington D.C. Why can't those troops be assisting at the border instead of being deployed in D.C.?

Massie Introduces Bills to End Taxpayer-Funded Congressional Pensions

I have introduced two pieces of legislation designed to put an end to taxpayer-funded Congressional pensions. The first bill is the End Pensions in Congress Act (EPIC Act). The second bill is the Member of Congress Opt-out Clarification Act. 

If congressmen want to save for retirement, they should do so with 401(k)-type plans rather than rely on taxpayers to take care of them even after leaving Congress. To tackle out-of-control federal spending, Congress must lead by example by ending defined-benefit pensions for Members of Congress.

The End Pensions in Congress Act (EPIC Act) excludes future Members of Congress from participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). In addition, the EPIC Act requires those Members currently enrolled in FERS or the Civil Service Retirement System to opt-in to continue their enrollment. This legislation would eventually end taxpayer-funded congressional pensions, helping to drain the swamp in Washington by removing a perk that provides a financial incentive for re-election to Congress.

My second bill addresses a bizarre quirk in the congressional pension rules that allows Senators, but not Representatives elected after 2003, to opt-out of enrollment in the congressional pension program. Although not as sweeping as the EPIC Act, this bill would be an important step in the right direction because even Representatives who do not wish to participate in the pension program are currently forced to contribute to the program.

The Member of Congress Opt-out Clarification Act would allow Members of the House of Representatives to opt-out of FERS. The ability to opt-out is currently only available to United States Senators and to Members of the House who began serving before September 30, 2003. The legislation would still permit Members of Congress who opt-out of FERS to continue to participate in the Thrift Savings Plan, which is the Congressional equivalent of a 401(k). This legislation passed the Senate last year, but not the House.

Under current law, Members of Congress are eligible for a federal pension after just five years of service. The amount of the pension depends on variables, including the number of years in federal service and the average of the highest three years of salary earned. For example, a member with ten years of service is eligible for a $29,580 per year pension upon reaching 62 years of age.

Companion legislation for both of these bills has been introduced in the United States Senate by Senator Mike Braun (R-IN).

Massie: COVID Bill is like Groundhog Day, "Shadowing Me with Mountains of Debt."

It feels like Groundhog Day because, last March, we were passing a two trillion dollar COVID bill. Now, instead of seeing my own shadow, I'm being shadowed by mountains of debt.

One new thing that's in this year's bill is all the bailouts to blue states. Something that bothers me about this bill is there's more money for the governors who did the worst jobs. The higher the unemployment the governors caused with their shutdowns and lockdowns, the more money they receive. This money incentivizes them to keep things closed for longer periods of time.

In liberty,