Congressman Johnson's Weekly Update

MARIETTA, OH — This is Congressman Johnson's weekly update. You can stay up to date with what's going on in Washington by following him on social media or signing up for his weekly email blast.

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Gen. Milley Must Answer to the American People

This week, reports surfaced alleging that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley may have taken steps to undermine President Trump as Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. military and colluded with China during the final weeks of the Trump administration.

General Milley’s decades of exemplary service have earned him the respect of at least knowing the truth before we jump to conclusions. And there’s an easy way to prove or disprove what was said on his call(s) to determine what he did and did not do: release the transcripts, so we can hear from General Milley himself. My sincere hope is that the transcripts of the calls and General Milley’s explanation will render this story “fake news,” like so much of what comes from Washington gossip-mongers.

I’m willing to give this top general who has served for over 40 years the benefit of the doubt, but we must know the truth and to do that we must hear from him. And if he DIDN’T undermine President Trump, lets move on quickly. But, if General Milley DID undermine President Trump, his actions would be seen as unprecedented, outrageous, and would be tantamount to treason. Then, and only then, after the facts are known, the appropriate actions regarding General Milley’s future can be taken.

As a 27 year U.S. Air Force veteran, I know firsthand there is nothing more sacred in the American system of government than the lines of authority, accountability, responsibility, and trust that exist between the military and the civilian authority. The President (regardless of party affiliation), in his role as Commander-in-Chief, is the sole head of the civilian authority, and the Constitution is clear that the military establishment is accountable directly to the President. If those clear and unambiguous lines were to ever break down, America would cease to exist as we know it today.

No matter what the truth is, the American people deserve to know it.

Standing Up for Law Enforcement

On Monday as the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee considered President Biden’s disastrous $3.5 trillion “Build Back Better” bill that’s full of far-left radical proposals, I offered an amendment that would withhold federal dollars for Next Generation 911 services to any jurisdiction that has attempted to defund or eliminate law enforcement. Next Generation 911 services are intended to make 911 services more accessible, effective, and resilient. But the American taxpayer should not be asked to provide additional funding to jurisdictions that have chosen to not provide critical funding for law enforcement. These jurisdictions can’t have it both ways. They can’t defund the police while asking you, the taxpayer, to help upgrade their 911 services to reach the very same first responders they are defunding.

You can view the clip here.

Don't Buy What the Radical Left is Selling on Climate

On Tuesday, the Washington Examiner published the latest op-ed I penned entitled, "Don't Buy What the Radical Left is Selling on Climate." Text of the op-ed is below and available here.

In the coming days and weeks, people will hear an awful lot from America’s political, media, Hollywood, and academic elites about the urgent need for Congress to pass President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion “Build Back Better” plan.

A centerpiece to Biden’s plan is the Green New Deal, the far-left’s effort to end the production and use of fossil fuels, which are critical to our nation’s economy. We’ll be lectured that “there’s no time to waste” and “the climate crisis is making hurricanes stronger and more deadly.” That assertion, like much of what we hear from radical environmentalists filtered through the liberal media, is flat-out wrong.

In recent days, we have seen far-left politicians directly blame Republicans for bad weather. Every time a tornado or hurricane hits, they claim that if Republicans would just go along with leftist climate policies, the flooding wouldn’t be as bad, and natural disasters (tornadoes, hurricanes, etc.) could somehow be prevented in the future. They expect us to shut up, comply, and let them jam their radical policies through Congress. I can’t, and won’t do that!

Read the full op-ed here.

The $3.5 Trillion Biden-Pelosi-Sanders Budget is Full of Leftwing Priorities

On Tuesday morning, I joined Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business to discuss President Biden’s so-called “Build Back Better” plan, which is $3.5 trillion worth of tax increases, massive taxpayer funded handouts to green energy special interests, and mandates that will effectively eliminate coal, oil and natural gas jobs and production, among many other dangerously flawed policies. This legislation will increase costs on everything from gasoline to groceries and fundamentally change America’s economy for the worse.

You can watch the interview here.

Columbiana Boiler Co.

Yesterday, I stopped by Columbiana Boiler Co (CBC). The company has been in business since 1894. CBC is a manufacturer of galvanizing kettles and related products to the continuous strip and hot-dip galvanizing industries. The main product for the company's Galvanizing Division is the galvanizing kettle...it’s a large steel tub made of special steel to withstand corrosion. These kettles range from 2 feet long to 80 feet long and weigh up to 150 tons. The main product for its Container Division is a Standard Pressure Vessel, which holds 2,000 lbs. of liquid chlorine for transport & storage for water purification. CBC is the sole supplier in the United States for both of these products.

The pride in quality workmanship and products, which existed when the company was founded, still remains today at CBC with an experienced and stable leadership team and workforce. It was a pleasure to visit this local Columbiana County job creator.

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This news release was issued by Congressman Bill Johnson's office. Any opinions expressed within are the author's own.

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