Barletta Bulletins
We May Have Lost a Battle, but We Haven't Lost the War
On March 3, the Supreme Court refused to hear the City of Hazleton’s case, which was in defense of an ordinance I passed while I was mayor. We said that if you are a landlord or employer, the city would suspend your business license if you knowingly rented to, or hired an illegal immigrant.
The State of Our Union
A week ago, President Obama tried to convince us that our economy is better off today than it was when he first took office. However, our national debt is 18 trillion dollars and growing, the roll-out of the Affordable Care Act has proven disastrous, and executive overreach has become the new normal in Washington.
As you may know, under the Employer Mandate Provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), employers with 50 or more employees must provide health insurance or pay penalties. I have been concerned that since the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) currently views volunteer firefighters as employees, fire companies and municipalities would be forced to provide health insurance or pay a fine, saddling t
We are already half way through the 113th Congress. This year, I remained focused on supporting legislation to help grow our economy, fix our broken health care system, and fight illegal immigration, among other things. As this year comes to a close, I’m writing to share a few highlights from 2013 and to gather your feedback on the issues affecting Pennsylvanians and our fellow Americans acro
The House Keeps the President's Broken Promise
For the last six weeks, Americans have been dealing with a broken website, and even worse, a broken promise. President Obama repeatedly pledged that “if you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan. Period.” That pledge turned out to be hollow as the cancellations began to mount.
As your Congressman, I want to remind you that Medicare open enrollment began on October 15, 2013. If you are pleased with your current Medicare plan, you do not need to take any additional steps. However, if you would like to adjust your Medicare participation plan, you can do this during the open enrollment period from October 15, 2013 through December 7, 2013.
As you know, the House has voted on multiple continuing resolutions (CRs) to fund the government for FY14, each time including a provision to delay, defund, or otherwise dismantle all or parts of Obamacare. For each subsequent vote, the bar for agreement was lowered, yet the Senate rejected each attempt to compromise. The Senate went so far as to refuse to subject themselves, the rest of Cong
On Monday night, I received a classified briefing on the facts of the situation in Syria. I learned about the chemical weapons attack and the possibilities of actions going forward. After reviewing and considering all of the facts, I cannot in good conscience vote in favor of an American military attack in Syria.
Like you, I am concerned about the direction of our country. We have foreign policy questions, as well as issues about our own economy at home. Over the last few weeks, I traveled across the district to meet with you and your neighbors to hear your important concerns and ideas for our nation. This time away from Washington was invaluable.