First and foremost, I want to take the opportunity to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving. This holiday can quickly get lost in food and football; it is important to pause and remember that we are truly blessed to live in the greatest country in the history of the world. We are also blessed with a future that looks brighter than ever as we work to get this country back on the right track.

Here is a quick update with the latest on what is happening in Washington and around Alabama's 4th District. As always, please let me know whenever I can be of assistance.

114th Congress

The voters have spoken: in the mid-term elections they sent a loud message to Washington that this administration has the country on the wrong track. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate in the new Congress to finally pass the bills necessary to enact the will of the people. For the last four years, the Senate has been the place where important initiatives have gone to die. From Obamacare to the EPA, the President has been shielded from bills landing on his desk and having to make the decision to work with Congress, or to veto bills. In January of next year, this is scheduled to change.

I am honored to be entrusted with another term to serve the Fourth District. I will work hard to live up to the confidence that the people of the Fourth District have displayed in me by working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to re-invigorate our economy to create the kind of environment that allows businesses to create jobs, and to continue to hold the Obama Administration accountable. Some of the ways we hope to help, specifically, are by providing relief from burdensome government regulations and by making the tax system more fair to all. Also crucial to a functioning economy and market stability will be a hardy transportation infrastructure.

Voters nationwide made it clear they want Washington to work. As the 114th Congress begins, I look forward to making the common sense progress that has been delayed for six years.

Immigration

It is deeply troubling that the President has not appreciated the lessons of the past election. His executive order to change the status for those unlawfully present here in the United States conveys a level of disregard for the rule of law and an overreach into the role of the legislative branch.

In the past, the President has publicly acknowledged that he could not unilaterally change the law by himself to the millions here illegally—absent action from Congress. But now he is acting as though Congress, and by extension, the American public, are irrelevant.

The last election was not lost on the Members in the House, and we look forward to working with our counterparts in the Senate in January.

Net Neutrality

I’ve heard from many constituents of the Fourth District recently about net neutrality and welcome the opportunity to continue to examine the details of the mechanics of the issue. In 2010, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) published a “net neutrality” rule that would, in effect, ensure that internet providers have to treat all websites the same and not charge any of them for special treatment, such as increased speed.

In January 2014, the Court of Appeals struck down the FCC’s net neutrality rule. The court ruled that the agency is allowed to regulate “common carriers” (companies that have to provide the same service, without discrimination, to everyone, such as gas, electricity, landline telephone services, etc), but it is not allowed to regulate “information services,” such as the Internet, in the same way.

In response to this ruling, the FCC recently proposed that internet providers be reclassified as “common carriers.”

Proponents of net neutrality are supportive of this reclassification, as it would enable the FCC to implement and enforce net neutrality rules, leveling the playing field for any company that wishes to have a presence on the Internet. With net neutrality, there would be no difference in the streaming speeds that Internet providers provide for websites, such as Netflix, compared to local chambers of commerce sites, for instance.

However, some people are wary that reclassifying Internet providers as “common carriers” will give the government too much power to regulate the Internet, potentially limiting free speech. Others oppose the rules on principle because they view them as interfering with the free market. Internet service providers are also opposed to net neutrality rules because these rules would deny them the profit gained from charging for Internet fast lanes.

On Monday, November 10, President Obama announced his support for the FCC's intent to reclassify Internet providers as common carriers. A number of bills have been introduced in the House of Representatives regarding net neutrality. As this issue moves forward, I will continue to keep an eye on the matter and work with my colleagues on a common-sense solution.

Appropriations

Each year Congress must pass legislation that appropriates money to the Executive Branch to fund the federal government. These bills are broken out in to 12 separate spending bills, largely divided by federal departments such as Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Agriculture and so forth. I am honored to chair the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture.

This year, the House passed eleven bills through committee and seven on the House floor before it became apparent that the Senate was not going to pass a single bill through their legislative chamber. This necessitated a “Continuing Resolution” where we continued last year’s level of spending on a temporary basis while Congress paused for the mid-term elections.

The Continuing Resolution runs out on December 11, 2014. As you know, the U.S. Senate is still governed by the Democrats (and their Majority Leader Harry Reid). Therefore, those of us in the House will do what we can to continue to press our Senate counterparts to enact common-sense spending bills that show fiscal restraint and discipline.

I am still hopeful that the Senate will be mindful of the message voters sent during the midterm elections and move away from gridlock and towards enacting effective spending legislation.

Sincerely,

Robert B. Aderholt

Member of Congress

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