John,
I hope you and your loved ones had a very nice and peaceful Christmas. Despite Congress being home for the holidays, there is a lot to cover from the work we did last week: permitting reform, stopping WOKE gender transitions on children, and new guidance preventing taxpayer dollars from being used for abortions. Here is what you need to know.
Two major pieces of permitting reform legislation—the Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development (SPEED) Act and the Promoting Efficient Review for Modern Infrastructure Today (PERMIT) Act—passed the House last week. I vote AYE on both because Washington bureaucrats buried critical infrastructure under red tape that increased energy costs. Utilities need the freedom to maintain and upgrade their systems so families, farmers, and small businesses can count on reliable, affordable power. The reforms cut duplicative bureaucracy, provide certainty for job-creating projects, and curb abuse of the permitting process that drives up costs without improving outcomes. This is about making government work efficiently and predictably. When projects stall, Minnesotans pay the price through higher energy bills. The Senate should take up this legislation and pass it quickly so we can build, maintain, and innovate without unnecessary federal interference. Reliable energy and smart regulation should not be partisan issues.
I voted to stop federal Medicaid dollars from being used to fund irreversible gender transition procedures on children. Medicaid exists to provide essential, medically necessary care for vulnerable U.S. citizens. It does not exist to pay for experimental and life-altering interventions, especially on minors. That is why I voted for the Do No Harm in Medicaid Act, which passed the House last week and prohibits federal Medicaid funding for specified gender transition procedures for individuals under 18. This bill protects children, respects parents, and ensures taxpayer dollars are used responsibly. It also helps preserve Medicaid’s long-term integrity by keeping limited resources focused on legitimate medical needs. Washington should not be pushing ideology on our kids or overriding common sense with gender nonsense. I urge the Senate to pass this legislation and put the health of children first.
As Co-Chair of the Pro-Life Caucus, I applaud the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for issuing guidance that firmly blocks taxpayer dollars from being funneled—directly or indirectly—into elective abortion. This clarification guarantees that states cannot repurpose or seize funds collected by health plans for abortion coverage to expand abortion access or related programs. It shuts down efforts to turn leftover funds into abortion slush accounts and restores a clear firewall between federal healthcare dollars and the abortion industry. Americans have unanimously agreed for decades that taxpayers should not subsidize procedures that end innocent human life. CMS’s action reinforces that principle and pushes against attempts to erode it through bureaucratic loopholes. This guidance respects both the law and the conscience of millions of Americans. I will continue fighting to ensure federal programs protect life and do not finance abortion in any form.
