BY REP. PHIL ROE

All too frequently, I hear concerns from East Tennesseans that Congress is not accomplishing enough on their behalf. In the previous administration, while Congress would often pass good proposals, we didn’t have a partner in the White House working with us to get bills across the finish line. I’m pleased that already under President Trump, this trend is quickly being reversed. In the first 100 days, the House and Senate have passed 175 bills and 35 have already been signed into law.
The work being done doesn’t dominate the headlines, but we’ve already accomplished a great deal on behalf of the American people. We’ve started by trying to undo some of the previous administration’s regulatory agenda, passing Congressional Review Act resolutions that overturned 14 separate major regulations that will save taxpayers roughly $3.7 billion in regulatory costs, and 4.2 million hours in paperwork. We’ve improved veterans’ health care and continued funding government operations. We’ve still got a lot of work to do, but I’m proud of what we’ve achieved so far.
To put these accomplishments in perspective, during the George W. Bush administration, 42 bills were passed out of the House within the first 100 days with only seven bills signed into law. Similarly, the House passed 94 bills under President Obama, and he only signed 11 bills into law. The House had been more productive in the first 100 days of President Trump’s first term than any House of Representatives in nearly 30 years; and the president has signed more bills into law in that time than any president since Harry Truman.
Furthermore, the House has already started acting on some of our biggest goals for this Congress. As you likely have heard, we passed the American Health Care Act, our proposal to repeal the worst parts of Obamacare and replace it with patient-centered, free-market reforms. The Ways and Means Committee has held hearings on tax reform, which will leave taxpayers with more of their hard-earned dollars. The Veterans Affairs Committee, which I chair, has held hearings on improving veterans’ health care. These proposals will significantly improve the lives of the American people.
President Trump campaigned on the promise of change, and change is occurring. Through the legislation being passed through and considered by the House, we will put power back in the hands of the American people and our free enterprise system, which will lay the groundwork for more jobs and innovation while preserving the accountability needed to protect our nation. With the help of President Trump and the 115th Congress, I am confident our economy will excel, and I will continue to push for the solutions outlined in our bold agenda.
East Tennesseans want and deserve a government that works. They deserve to know that they can trust their members of Congress to represent their views and interests each time they vote in Congress, and they deserve to know that real progress is being made on their behalf. Thank you for allowing me to represent you in the First District.
As always, feel free to contact my office if I can be of assistance to you or your family.