Congressman Patrick McHenry

November 22, 2015

Congressman McHenry Weekly Update

Tragedy Strikes France

The tragedy that struck our friends in France last week was shocking and appalling. The loss of innocent lives at the hands of radical Islamic extremists was horrifying but stood as a vivid reminder of the dangerous world in which we live. I join with all Americans in praying for our ally and all those lost in the attacks on Paris.

In the days following the attacks, we learned the troubling news that one of the attackers might have come to Europe posing as a Syrian refugee. In the days following this news, many governors including North Carolina's Pat McCrory called for a stop to the resettlement of Syrian refugees in our states. On Tuesday, I joined with nine other members of North Carolina's U.S. House of Representatives delegation in supporting Governor McCrory's call to stop refugee resettlments in North Carolina. In light of the Paris attacks, we agree with Governor McCrory that this is a sensible step to protect the citizens of our state. You can read our full statement below.

A Common Sense Step to Protect Our Homeland

Throughout our history, no country has done more than the US to assist innocent bystanders of war. However, last Friday's terrorist attacks in Paris highlighted the need for increased vigilance of who we allow into our country. In response to the potential dangers posed the House acted quickly to pass H.R. 4038, the American Security Against Foreign Enemies or SAFE Act of 2015. This legislation would require that all refugees from Syria or Iraq be certified as safe for entry by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI Director, and the Director of National Intelligence. This common sense measure to protect all Americans passed with wide-bipartisan support. I strongly encourage the Senate to act on this bill immediately. You can read my full statement on passage of the SAFE Act below.

A Week of Bad News for Obamacare

As Americans enter year two of purchasing health insurance through the Obamacare exchanges, the law is not getting better. This week we saw a rash of bad headlines for Obamacare. There was the New York Times story on how shopping for health insurance has become a seasonal stress for many. I saw the Wall Street Journal story on how many shoppers are finding significantly higher insurance rates on the exchanges. Kaiser Health News reported that cancer medications are bringing large out-of-pocket costs for patients. Gallup had two polls showing the majority of Americans do not see their insurance having improved after Obamacare. Finally we learned the nation's largest insurer, UnitedHealth Group Inc., may exit the individual insurance exchanges. All together this proves again that Obamacare is broken and the best way to improving healthcare for Americans would be a full repeal of this law.


	What I Have Been Reading
	Obama administration delays Gitmo closure plan *Politico* Positive news this week as we learned President Obama is delaying plans to attempt to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay. While I am glad to see the President will not attempt to bring these hardened terrorists to our homeland, I do not understand why it is even considered an option. It is codified in to law that the President does not have the authority to close Guantanamo, something Attorney General Loretta Lynch acknowledged at a Congressional hearing just this week. Speaker Moore honored by county, colleagues on Thursday *Gaston Gazette* Great to see my good friend, Speaker of the House Tim Moore honored by the Cleveland County Chamber recently. Tim has done a tremendous job representing Kings Mountain throughout his time in the House. While I was disappointed work in Washington kept me from the ceremony, I heard it was a wonderful event and I was pleased to send my regards via video remarks. Democrats vs. Bureaucrats *The Wall Street Journal* As the editorial above highlights, recent efforts by the CFPB to target auto dealers is based on deeply flawed rules and has led to increased costs for all Americans trying to buy cars. This week, the House passed H.R. 1737 with significant bipartisan support to reform the CFPB's broken rules and rein in these unchecked bureaucrats.

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