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Politics & Government

Congressman Johnson's Weekly Update

Here is the weekly update on what's happening in Washington D.C. and across Eastern and Southeastern Ohio.

An image of Congressman Bill Johnson's Marietta office
An image of Congressman Bill Johnson's Marietta office (Chris Schmitt, Patch Staff)

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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The Biden-Pelosi-Sanders $4.3 Trillion Budget Will Raise Taxes on EVERYONE

Find out what's happening in Mariettafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

If you think that the Biden-Pelosi-Sanders' far-left spending bill couldn't have gotten any more expensive, think again. What originally started as a $3.5 trillion spending bill (that’s really big!) has ballooned to $4.3 trillion dollars (that’s beyond huge!) following its approval by the Democrat-led House Budget Committee last weekend. The $4.3 trillion spending bill is a trojan horse filled with far-left policies that will fundamentally change our nation for the worse – policies like the Green New Deal and and new taxes. According to a new report by Congress' non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation, this spending spree will raise taxes on all Americans including the middle class. Rest assured, I will do everything I can to oppose and stop this disastrous legislation from becoming law.

Click here to view the report.

Find out what's happening in Mariettafor free with the latest updates from Patch.


A Visit with the Ohio Farm Bureau

This week, I spoke with Ohio Farm Bureau Foundation members from across Eastern and Southeastern Ohio. We had a great conversation about Farm Bureau priorities including rural broadband and tax provisions that keep family farms in business. Farmers feed America, and in Ohio, agriculture is the number one industry. Eastern and Southeastern Ohio is blessed with a diverse range of farms and farmers but unfortunately, Democrats in Washington want to ruin the family farm by taxing sons and daughters who inherit the family business. Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi’s far-left agenda would destroy family farms by forcing them into the hands of big corporations. This is shameful. Growing up on a farm, I know firsthand the positive impacts that family farms have on families and communities. I will always fight for family farmers who work their land to provide for their families and all of us.


U.S. House Honors Former Washington County Resident

This week, I joined WTAP to discuss the House's approval of my legislation, the SPC Christian Ward Act. This legislation, passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), will help bring closure to military families by ensuring that personal possessions of fallen service members are returned to their families.

In June of 2019, Army SPC Christian Ward of Washington County passed away following an accident while stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado. His family did not receive all of his possessions from the military contractor hired to send them home to Washington County. When the family inquired as to the whereabouts of their son’s possessions, they were told they needed to handle this themselves and file a claim with the contractor to reimburse them for the missing possessions.

Military families whose family members have made the ultimate sacrifice shouldn’t be burdened with worrying about whether or not they will receive their loved-one’s personal possessions. The SPC Christian Ward Act directs the Department of Defense to hold accountable contractors who have failed in their job to deliver the possessions of fallen soldiers to grieving families. No family should ever have to deal directly with a contractor who has misplaced or lost these items. Thanks to the Ward family bringing this issue to light, no military family will ever have to experience what they did after the loss of their son Christian.

Watch the full WTAP story here.


September is National Recovery Month

During National Recovery Month, we celebrated the millions of Americans in recovery from substance use disorder and mental health conditions. As a member of the House Addiction and Mental Health Task Force, I was proud to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to raise awareness and end the stigma surrounding addiction.

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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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