Dear Friend,

The 112th Congress was sworn in this week, and one of my first votes was to change the House rules to make Congress run the way it was intended to. I am proud of the progress we have already made to begin restoring the credibility of this great institution.

The new rules will make it easier to introduce legislation that cuts the federal budget while making it more difficult to introduce legislation that increases the federal deficit. In order to bring more transparency to Congress, all committee meetings will now be taped, ending the closed door culture of Washington that has gone on for too long. No more back room deals. Finally, the new rules require that the Constitutional authority be cited in every bill introduced in Congress.  If it that authority is not provided, Congress can’t consider the bill.

While we are changing the way Washington works, we used the first week to begin tackling one of our top priorities: slashing the federal budget.  Our first cost-cutting measure was trimming our own operating budget. On Thursday we passed legislation to cut House office budgets by five percent, which will save taxpayers an estimated $35 million. 

We pledged to you to bring real transparency, greater accountability, and a renewed focus on the Constitution back to Congress. I am proud to have been a part of these efforts to begin fulfilling our goals. You can follow the changes and the spending cuts each week by checking my website, reading my e-newsletter, and following me on Facebook and Twitter. 

Sincerely,


Kay Granger