U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, in Montgomery for meetings, was invited to attend this week’s Business Council of Alabama’s Tuesday Briefing. Rep. Aderholt, R-Haleyville, is in his 10th term and serves on the important House Appropriations Committee and chairs the subcommittee on agriculture.
Bringing the Tuesday Briefing audience up to speed on current political and practical issues in Congress, Rep. Aderholt said Washington, D.C., is talking about the presidential primaries and is working to avoid another omnibus budget bill that contains one or more of the 12 appropriation bills that must pass each year.
He said the Republican primary looks to be a two-person race between candidates Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas.
Rep. Aderholt said GOP primary voting indicates that “American people want someone as their president who is outside the political process,” which explains support for businessman Trump and even Cruz, “who is viewed as someone who has been from the outside and someone who picks on the establishment.”
Rep. Aderholt noted that all congressional candidates on the ballot last Tuesday won their primaries and will be on the general election ballot this fall. “That tells me that we are not part of the problem but are trying to find answers,” Aderholt said.
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Capital Insights – Episode 6: Featuring U.S. Representative Robert Aderholt
U.S. Rep Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, spoke about his recent bill that would make it easier for states to drug test food stamp recipients, and he and his wife’s recent experience of teaching their daughter to drive.[/box]
GET READY FOR MORE EPA REGULATIONS
Manufacturers are wary of new regulations coming down the pike from the Environmental Protection Agency concerning methane gas from existing oil and gas wells.
NAM Vice President of Energy and Resources Policy Ross Eisenberg issued a statement after the EPA announced it would regulate source-produced methane:
“Manufacturers have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 10 percent since 2005, while our value to the economy has increased by 19 percent over the same time period. Our ability to produce more and grow the economy while lowering emissions is dependent on access to reliable and affordable energy. The shale revolution has served as a major bright spot for manufacturers and has been a key driver in new investments across the country that have added hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs,” Eisenberg said.
“New technologies and efforts already being deployed are allowing for more oil and gas production with fewer emissions. Meanwhile, manufacturers continue to lead in developing new solutions that allow for greater energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. The NAM strongly urges the administration to avoid issuing any unnecessary or duplicative regulations that would limit manufacturers’ access to critical energy resources.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Capitol Dome Scaffolding Starts Coming Down
Roll Call (Akin 3/1) “Scaffolding that’s part of the Capitol Dome Restoration Project has started coming down, a turning point in the multi-million dollar project. The top portion of the scaffolding covering the Capitol Dome should be removed by the end of the month as construction wraps up on one of the most iconic government buildings in the country, Architect of the Capitol Stephen T. Ayers said Tuesday.
“‘The Dome will look brighter and more detailed than ever thanks to the removal of 13 layers of lead paint, Ayers testified at a hearing of the House Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee. ‘I’m really excited about taking the scaffold down and sort of unveiling it for the country, if not the world to see. There’s a renewed sense of beauty, and a renewed sense of the incredible detail that went into building this dome’.
“The rest of the work, including restoration to the interior of the rotunda, will be completed before the 2017 presidential inauguration, Ayers said. The project, the most visible of multiple construction projects on the Hill scheduled for completion in 2016, is on track to come in under its $126 million budget. The Rotunda has been repainted five times since the 1860s, he said. This time, a color scheme from the 1970s will be re-coated with a more historically accurate palette, he said.”