Source:US Rep. Walter B. Jones (NC-3rd), 4/17/15

March was budget season in Washington, making it a very busy month. I want to update you on my work for Eastern North Carolina.

Defending American Taxpayers and the Rule of Law
• Twice in less than 24 hours Congress tried to pull the wool over the eyes of the American people with the Fiscal Year 2016 budget and the so-called 'doc fix.' A majority of my colleagues have tried to convince the American people that these bills would save money in the long run, but this could not be further from the truth. The budget adds $346 billion to the already unsustainable $18 trillion debt, and the 'doc fix' adds $141 billion to the debt. I voted no on these deficit-financed bills. I suspect if a private accountant tried to pull some of the stunts used in this budget and the 'doc-fix,' they'd lose their credentials or be thrown in prison.
• In March I voted to rein in the out-of-control Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by voting for two bills that would require the EPA to keep lobbyists off the Science Advisory Board and require the EPA to make available the scientific studies and evidence behind new regulations. Both bills passed the House and now await consideration in the Senate. 

• I also cosponsored a bill that would block tax subsidies from being given to four million illegal aliens granted amnesty under President Obama's executive actions. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the bill would save American taxpayers $10.2 billion. President Obama's executive amnesty is an outrageous overreach of executive authority, and I'm doing everything I can to stop it.
• Last month the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) proposed rules that would largely ban ammunition currently being used by law-abiding Americans for legitimate purposes, such as the bullet used in the AR-15, the popular hunting rifle. I signed a letter to the ATF Director B. Todd Jones expressing concerns about these proposed rules and they were quickly withdrawn. 

Working for Eastern North Carolina
• In light of the fact that shellfish lease permitting policies in North Carolina are more restrictive than those in neighboring states like Virginia, which may be hurting efforts to grow the industry in North Carolina, I asked federal and state regulators to review these policies last month. Because of these restrictive policies, North Carolina must import 75 percent of oysters consumed in the state and only produces $1 million in cultured shellfish per year while Virginia produces $45 million in clams and oysters per year. Based on initial conversations with federal and state regulators, I am confident that these restrictive shellfish policies will be reviewed and reformed. 

• In January, my good friend Judge Randy Doub passed away. He was judge for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina and practiced law in private practice for nearly 26 years in Greenville, North Carolina. He was known for cherishing his faith and his family above all things. To honor his memory, I introduced a bill to rename the United States Courthouse in Greenville, North Carolina as the "Randy D. Doub United States Courthouse." Judge Doub is greatly missed in the community and his legacy of fairness and honesty should be commemorated. 

Fighting for Our Military and Veterans
On this month's edition of Washington Watch, I interviewed John Davis, legislative director for the Fleet Reserve Association, on the proposed reductions to military retirement benefits that Congress will address next year and I will oppose.