Dear Friend,

I’m disappointed that the Do Our Job Act, the bill I introduced to keep us in DC until our budget work is completed, did not get the support it needed and deserved to make it to a committee hearing. But I’ve learned that many ideas need to be introduced many times before they get traction. Fixing how Washington works will not be easy, so I am undeterred, and I’ll continue to push for this reform.

While I enjoy time in the district with my constituents, I would rather be in DC passing the rest of our appropriations bills and avoiding the threat of another government shutdown or continuing resolution.

The Do Our Job Act would have made sure that Congress did not leave for this district work period unless the House passed all 12 annual appropriations bills. While the House Appropriations Committee, which I am a member of, passed all 12 spending bills to be considered by the House, the House has only passed five of these 12 spending bills.

In the nearly five decades that our current appropriations process has been in place, Congress has only passed all 12 bills four times. Four times in almost 50 years. Western North Carolinians and the American people deserve better than an 8 percent success rate for funding our government.

The American people have been far too generous with us, and it is high time that we fix how Washington works.

Increased health costs, decreased quality of care

Western North Carolina is no stranger to high healthcare costs, and as a member of the House Budget Committee, I want to share what we learned from the committee hearing that evaluated the budgetary effects of healthcare consolidation.

The hearing discussed the unsustainable trajectory of federal health spending and policy opportunities to combat consolidation and enhance free market competition; or to put it simply, how to make health care more affordable and more accessible for the American people.

The U.S. is seeing a surge in hospital mergers, resulting in increased federal health spending and higher patient costs. Simultaneously, patients have been experiencing lower quality of care, which is a less easily quantifiable but arguably worse consequence than dealing with high costs.

This is the reality right here in our mountains following the Mission HCA Healthcare acquisition in 2019. That is why I have demanded the Federal Trade Commission, the agency responsible for all acquisitions and mergers, re-review the Mission/HCA deal and take action to overturn the acquisition if malfeasance is found.

It is my mission as a member of the House Budget Committee and House Appropriations Committee to promote policies and funding that deter consolidation and promote greater choice, affordability, and quality of care for the citizens of NC-11 and beyond.

Revitalizing communities in WNC

During my time in our mountains, I continuously hear from constituents who are interested in developing environmentally challenged properties in Western North Carolina but decide not to because of the significant cleanup, redevelopment costs and time delays that are often required from environmental contamination.

The Economic Opportunity for Distressed Communities Act that I introduced would provide a tax incentive for those who decide to redevelop Superfund and brownfield areas by designating such environmentally challenged properties as Opportunity Zones. By incentivizing cleanup and development of brownfield and Superfund sites, we can create jobs, business opportunities and increase property values for Western North Carolina and nationwide.

Regulations backed by science

As a small business owner, I have experienced the real-life consequences of new government regulations imposed by Washington bureaucrats who do not understand the implications of their misguided rules.

The Show Me the Science Act that I introduced would require federal agencies to publish the data that they use to inform decisions behind new rules. If a federal agency cannot prove that the benefits of a new rule outweigh the costs, then we should not burden the American people and Main Street businesses with unnecessary regulations.

Federal agencies make legally binding requirements on the public, often with an inability or unwillingness to share the information that they use to form the basis of their rules and fail to calculate the costs and benefits of those rules for American taxpayers.

We need to fix how Washington works by requiring more transparency in federal rulemaking and improving congressional and public oversight of the rulemaking process.

“Unplugged” town hall series is coming to Macon County

Join my next in-person town hall in Macon County on Thursday, August 15. The town hall will take place from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the Robert C. Carpenter Community Building, 1288 Georgia Rd., Franklin, NC.

I’m looking forward to sharing an update about the latest legislative opportunities and challenges in Congress and answering questions about the issues that matter to you. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect with fellow Western North Carolinians who care deeply about our district and nation.

With my warmest regards,

Chuck Edwards
Member of Congress