A Message From Thom:

Since the new Senate majority opened up the legislative process and began passing important legislation, one thing is becoming clear: Washington is finally back to work again.  

Over the past month, Congress has passed a balanced budget resolution for the first time in more than a decade. The Senate came together to ensure that Congress reviews any nuclear agreement reached between President Obama and Iran. Congress also recently took a big step forward in the fight against human trafficking. 

I ran for Senate for the simple fact that Washington wasn’t representing the best interests of North Carolinians. I’m pleased to now be part of a bipartisan effort to end business as usual and produce real results for the American people. Although there is still much to be done, if the last four months are indicative of what the next year will bring, I am confident we are headed down a path toward passing on an even greater America to future generations.  

If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to contact my offices in Washington and across North Carolina. I look forward to seeing you again soon. 

God Bless,

What Thom’s Been Up To:

Working Directly with the Veterans Administration

After spending a significant amount of time visiting several Veterans Medical Centers in North Carolina, Thom wrote a letter to VA Secretary Bob McDonald, sharing his recommendations for improving several inefficient components of the VA system. Additionally, VA Committee Chairman Johnny Isakson praised Thom’s proposal as “an outstanding template to begin to get a game plan for responding and dealing with the recommendations of the GAO and the IG of the Department.” Chairman Isakson then asked Thom to spearhead a collaborative effort with VA executives to rethink the Department’s long-term strategy and identify more efficient practices. Watch Thom discuss his recommendations here: 

Guarding North Carolina’s Agriculture Industry from Government Overreach

As Congress works on legislation to enforce the Environmental Protection Agency to withdraw its’ Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule, Thom has made it clear we must put an end to this extensive government overreach to protect North Carolina’s agriculture industry. Thom recently sat down with Rhonda Garrison of Southern Farm Network to share his concerns, stating, “Farmers are regulated to death. They have more regulations than any other industry. We have to get the message out to say that we are doing this to prevent the regulatory outreach that is out of control with this administration.” Listen to the entire interview here: 

Enforcing a Zero Tolerance Policy for Illegal Gang Members

In conjunction with Senators Chuck Grassley and Richard Burr, Thom introduced legislation that prohibits people with gang ties from receiving deferred deportation and other immigration benefits. The bill also makes gang members deportable and inadmissible for immigration purposes. The bill was introduced after the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services acknowledged that it wrongly granted deferred action for a known gang member in North Carolina, who is now charged with four counts of 1st degree murder.  

Pressuring the Administration to Further Protect U.S. Trade Initiatives

Working across the aisle, Thom and Senator Gary Peters of Michigan sent a bipartisan letter to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman about a possible special docking provision that could allow for the future addition of countries like China to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). China has a track record of intervening in markets to manipulate the value of their currency against the U.S. dollar. Thom and Senator Peters know we must protect our trade industry from a country with a history of currency manipulation, intellectual property theft, and failure to abide by existing global trade norms. 

In Case You Missed It: 

Chairing the Judiciary Committee

This week, Thom was asked to chair a full Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, something not many Freshman Senators get the chance to do.

Jake Tapper Interview on ISIS

Thom recently joined Jake Tapper on The Lead, where they discussed ISIS’ siege of the Iraqi city of Ramadi, the need for the United States to continue training Iraqi forces, and Thom’s recent trip to Iraq, where he met with Iraqi and Kurdish leaders. Watch the interview:  

Be sure to check out our Flickr account to see pictures of Thom in Washington and across NC!