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Congressman McHenry weekly update
Story Date: 2/17/2015
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Source: US Rep. Patrick McHenry, (NC-10)
Sending Keystone Pipeline to President's Desk
On Wednesday the House passed S. 1, the Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act. This legislation was the Senate-passed bill to approve the Keystone Pipeline which is estimated to create thousands of jobs in the United States and further enhance our nation's energy security. In passing the bill, the Senate voted on over 40 amendments and final passage enjoyed bipartisan support both in the Senate and then again Wednesday in the House as 29 Democrats supported passage of the bill.
This bipartisan Congressional support is in addition to the vast public support the project enjoys from the American people and labor unions. And yet President Obama has threatened to veto this bipartisan infrastructure project. After Wednesday's vote, I released this statement imploring President Obama to reconsider his veto threat. Additionally the video below, which can be viewed by clicking the image, highlights past occasions when Mr. Obama pledged to work across the aisle. Mr. President, signing this bipartisan infrastructure and jobs bill into law would be a great first step to fulfill that commitment.
In addition to approving the Keystone XL pipeline the House passed two bills to help reduce the tax burden on small businesses and individuals. The first was H.R. 636, America's Small Business Tax Relief Act. This bill makes permanent a portion of our tax code allowing small businesses to deduct expenses used to purchase new equipment and makes it easier for small businesses to raise capital without tax penalties. Estimates show the policies included in this bill could create as many as 200,000 jobs and increase economic output by nearly $20 billion.
The second bill passed with bipartisan support was H.R. 644, the Fighting Hunger Incentive Act. This legislation permanently extends a number of tax breaks and incentives including those encouraging businesses to donate excess inventory to local food banks and encouraging ranchers to set aside land for conservation. Both of these bills passed with wide bipartisan support but regrettably President Obama has threatened vetoes for each. I sincerely hope Mr. Obama rethinks these veto threats and signs these important bills reducing Washington's burden on small business
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