Ken Buck Joins Letter Asking Speaker Ryan to Cancel August Recess

Washington, D.C. - August 1, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- Congressman Ken Buck signed a letter, with several of his colleagues, asking Speaker Ryan to cancel August recess unless the House can complete several vital legislative goals. Buck wants the House to complete the annual budget, the annual appropriations process, and to reform the tax code.

“If we can’t get our work done, we shouldn’t be going on recess,” Congressman Ken Buck stated. “Leaving for August recess before we’ve completed our appropriations bills and tax reform will fail to boost our economy and imperil the people’s trust in Republican governance.”

Republicans promised the American people that a unified government would allow for the achievement of several policy priorities, the letter notes. The Congressional Budget Act also requires the House to remain in session in July until all appropriations bills have been passed, meaning the House has a duty to follow the spirit of the rule by disallowing any recess.

The text of the letter is below:

June 30, 2017

The Honorable Paul Ryan
Speaker of the House
H-232 The Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Speaker Ryan,

We request that you cancel Congress’s current plans to recess for the month of August to ensure there is enough time to address the long list of pressing issues on our docket.

During the 2016 elections, President Trump and Republican candidates running for the House and Senate promised the American people that with unified Republican government we could achieve many of the policy priorities that have been mere wishes for the last several years. We vowed to repeal Obamacare, pass pro-growth tax reform, reign in federal spending, and work towards balancing the budget. The American people put their faith in us and are counting on us to carry out these goals.

Prior to September 30, we must also find a path forward on passing a federal budget and appropriating funding for fiscal year 2018, reviewing the federal debt limit, and consider reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the National Flood Insurance Program, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and more.

Our constituents expect us to work hard and will be disappointed if we shut down for four to five weeks when we could move our agenda forward. We have achieved some notable accomplishments you have rightly called singles and doubles, but working during August could facilitate hitting some home runs.

We are not under the illusion that any of these things will be easy to accomplish, but we fully intend to work in good faith to remain true to our constituents in our respective districts. We cannot afford to lose any of the momentum we have and therefore request that you cancel August recess.