Government Shutdown and Threats to the Economy
Many Georgians are frustrated by the government shutdown and are concerned with the possibility that the government could default on paying US obligations. Congressman Scott opposes the shutdown and believes America must pay its bills.
How Did We Get Here?
The Republican-led House did not pass the majority of the federal spending bills, known as appropriations, for federal fiscal year 2014. At the beginning of the new fiscal year on October 1, a stop-gap budget, known as a Continuing Resolution, was required to continue operating the government at current levels. A Continuing Resolution (CR) can run for a couple of days to a few months and are used nearly every year. But this year, something changed. The newer Tea Party members of the Republican Caucus refused to pass a CR unless the Affordable Care Act was killed. So, now the government has closed and a lot of Americans are caught in the middle.
How to Move Ahead?
Quite simply, the House can pass a clean CR, with no preconditions, and the government would open today. The Republican Speaker will not allow a clean funding bill to come up for a vote since he has been threatened by the Tea Party Caucus that they will try to remove him from leadership if he does so. In their view, opening the government removes their political leverage to kill the Affordable Care Act. Congressman Scott has called for a vote on opening the full government at once. Many moderate Republicans are now asking for a bipartisan vote to open the government as well.
American Default?
The next power play for the Tea Party Republicans will be to refuse to pay all US obligations later this month when the federal borrowing authority needs to be adjusted. That action will cause America to default on many of its obligations to bondholders, Social Security annuitants, military retirees among others. The Treasury Secretary warns that the response could be a big hit for the economic recovery. The last time a voluntary default was threatened, the US credit rating dropped below AAA for the first time ever. Congressman Scott will work to find solutions on long term debt problems, improvements to the Affordable Care Act or other measures, but he strongly opposes holding the economic recovery hostage over killing the Affordable Care Act.
Military Academy Nominations Due October 25
Congressman Scott's office is accepting applications from students interested in receiving a nomination to attend one of our nation’s military service academies. Applicants will be evaluated on the basis of academic performance, leadership ability, moral character, adequacy of preparation, and commitment to attend a service academy. All completed applications must be mailed to or delivered by Friday, October 25, 2013 to Congressman David Scott’s Jonesboro or Smyrna District Office. For more information, visit Congressman Scott's page link for military academies.
US Mint Coins Commemorate "Four Little Girls
September 15, 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of the tragic deaths of Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley in Birmingham, Alabama. The four girls, aged 11-14, were entering a Sunday school class when a planted bomb exploded at the city’s historically African American 16th Street Baptist Church. This act of racially-motivated violence galvanized the Civil Rights Movement and sparked a surge of momentum that helped secure the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
To commemorate their lives, Congress posthumously awarded them with the Congressional Gold Medal, which along with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, is considered one of the highest civilian honors bestowed in the United States. The bill required the Secretary of the Treasury, and by extension, the United States Mint, to strike the gold medal, as well as bronze duplicates. President Obama signed the bill into law on May 24, 2013. The public can purchase these medals and other medals online at the US Mint.
Member of Congress App from GPO
The U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) has released the Mobile Member Guide app for the 113th Congress. The mobile Web app provides the public with quick, easy access to information on Members of the 113th Congress; the features include their picture, party affiliation, hometown, home state, and length of service. The app allows users to browse for Members of Congress by last name, state, chamber, or party. The public can take advantage of this free mobile Web app on major mobile device platforms. You can download the app here: http://m.gpo.gov/memberguide/
Ray Charles Stamp
The United States Postal Services is offering a Ray Charles stamp. If Georgia is on your mind as you are mailing an item, you may want to use one of these stamps.
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Thank you for taking time to read my newsletter. If I can be of assistance, please contact me through one of the addresses located at the end of this message. We can also connect via Facebook, YouTube, Twitter or LinkedIn.
Sincerely,
David Scott
Member of Congress
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