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Dear
Friends,
Thank
you
for
subscribing
to
my
weekly
e-newsletter,
and
please
remember
to
follow
me
on
Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram and YouTube!
Attacks
in
Brussels,
Belgium
It
is
heartbreaking
to
see
so
many
innocent
lives
taken,
and
we
stand
with
the
people
of
Belgium
today.
Terror
groups
and
Islamic
terrorists
value
death
above
life,
and
we
have
seen
the
manifestation
of
their
values
over
the
past
six
months
in
San
Bernardino,
Paris
and
now
Brussels.
We
must
redouble
our
efforts
to
build
partnerships
around
the
world
to
tackle
the
scourge
of
terrorism,
and
to
keep
innocent
people
everywhere
safe.
This
includes
looking
at
our
own
vulnerabilities,
and
improving
our
own
visa
and
refugee
systems
to
ensure
terror
groups
are
not
able
to
extend
their
footprint
in
America.
The
United
States
must
step
up
and
lead
–
we
are
seeing
the
tragic
consequences
of
what
happens
when
we
don’t.
Congressional
Civil
Rights
Pilgrimage
Over
the
weekend,
I
co-hosted
the
Faith
and
Politics
Institute’s
2016
Congressional
Civil
Rights
Pilgrimage
to
South
Carolina.
The
three
day
trip
across
the
state
included,
but
was
not
limited
to,
visits
to
the
Zion
and
Trinity
United
Methodist
Churches,
South
Carolina
State
and
Claflin
Universities,
and
Mother
Emanuel
in
Charleston.
Ahead
of
a
wonderful
service
at
Mother
Emanuel
yesterday
morning,
we
also
got
the
opportunity
to
spend
time
with
the
families
and
survivors
of
last
June’s
tragedy
in
Charleston.
They
spoke
with
us
at
Circular
Congregational
Church
about
how
this
past
year
has
affected
their
lives.
I
was
deeply
moved
by
their
courage
and
willingness
to
forgive.
Their
strength
is
admirable
and
has
touched
our
community
in
a
tremendous
way.
Without
a
doubt,
South
Carolina
has
a
provocative
history
and
the
pilgrimage
helped
to
highlight
it.
However,
instead
of
focusing
on
suffering,
the
pilgrimage
focused
on
the
indomitable
spirit
of
South
Carolinians.
A
community
comprised
of
lesser
people
would
have
allowed
these
incidents
to
break
them;
however,
instead
of
seeing
each
tragic
moment
in
history
as
an
impenetrable
wall,
the
people
of
South
Carolina
relied
on
their
faith
and
their
love
of
mankind
to
help
them
pick
up
the
pieces
and
move
forward.
Their
example
is
one
that
we
should
strive
to
imitate.
It
was
truly
a
blessing
to
be
part
of
such
a
momentous
occasion
and
I
hope
that
all
the
members
of
Congress
who
participated
in
the
pilgrimage
will
take
what
they
learned
here
back
to
Washington,
D.C.
Sixth
Anniversary
of
the
Not
So
Affordable
Care
Act
Last
week,
as
we
approached
the
sixth
Anniversary
of
the
Affordable
Care
Act,
I
questioned
witnesses
in
the
Senate
Finance
Committee
regarding
the
failures
of
Obamacare.
There
is
no
doubt
in
my
mind
that
this
act
has
been
detrimental
to
the
public
and
especially
hard
on
the
middle
class.
The
fact
that
many
Americans
have
lost
up
to
25%
of
their
income
due
to
the
reduction
of
their
work
hours
cannot
be
ignored.
Some
states
have
even
seen
an
increase
of
more
than
25%
in
healthcare
costs,
with
2
states
shouldering
the
burden
of
a
35%
increase
in
their
healthcare
costs.
To
me,
it
is
obvious
that
the
Affordable
Care
Act
has
failed
to
make
healthcare-as
its
name
implies-affordable.
It
is
not
right
that
Americans
will
have
to
accept
a
subpar
healthcare
system,
that
unashamedly
rations
healthcare,
and
pay
more
for
it.
I
will
continue
to
vote
to
repeal
the
Affordable
Care
Act
every
chance
I
get.
You
can
watch
the
full
video
here.
Family
Research
Council
(FRC)
Action
’True
Blue
Award’
Recipient
This
past
week,
I
attended
FRC
Action’s
annual
True
Blue
Award
ceremony
and
received
the
True
Blue
Award
for
my
commitment
to
passing
laws
that
support
faith,
family
values
and
freedom.
I
was
honored
to
receive
this
prestigious
award
and
hope
to
earn
it
again
in
the
years
to
come.
God
Bless,
Tim
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