February 2, 2017

WASHINGTON—The House voted today on H.J.Res. 40, a joint resolution of disapproval of the Social Security Administration’s implementation of the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 (NIAA), which effectively denies millions of Social Security recipients their Second and Fourth Amendment rights. Congressman Doug Collins co-sponsored this resolution, which passed today in the House by a vote of 235 – 180.

The Social Security Administration finalized this rule last December as the sun set on President Obama’s administration. Disability rights advocates, including the independent federal National Council on Disability, have maintained that the rule is discriminatory and unconstitutional.

The rule relating to the NIAA dictates that the name of any Social Security recipient who benefits from the support of a representative payee because of a mental impairment—which may be as mild as agoraphobia or anxiety—be reported to the National Instant Background Check System (NICS). Because individuals referred to the NICS database are disqualified from gun ownership, this move deprives individuals of their right to bear arms and to due process.

Individuals may choose to use a representative payee for any number of reasons, and there is no evidence that this decision should result in their being reported to NICS without recourse to challenge that decision before it goes into effect. Under this rule, Social Security recipients are able to appeal the decision only after their names have been added to the NICS database. As a result, the burden of proof for accessing their constitutional liberty weighs on those with limited resources.

“Federal bureaucrats have again used agency resources against the interests of U.S. citizens. The Social Security Administration pre-emptively stripped more than eight million Americans of their constitutional right to bear arms. This rule had nothing to do with safety, and everything to do with the previous administration’s anti-gun agenda. The right to bear arms is enshrined in the Constitution, and the Social Security Administration has no business evaluating or obscuring those rights.

“Wherever a person stands on firearms issues, this rule stigmatizes an entire community and should grieve everyone who values due process under the law,” said Congressman Collins.

H.J.Res. 40 provides for congressional disapproval of the Social Security Administration’s rule under the Congressional Review Act of 1996.

WASHINGTON—Congressman Doug Collins introduced legislation today to end tax benefits to individuals residing in the United States illegally. The Tax Credit Accountability Act, or H.R. 819, would address the previous administration’s executive amnesty move to provide tax credits to certain groups of illegal immigrants.

Among its many provisions, the Obama administration Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy allows illegal immigrants to claim the Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC) retroactively, even if they have not paid taxes on previous income. In fact, illegal immigrants who gain amnesty under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) could receive refund checks larger than their original tax liabilities. This process has been made possible by the executive decision to award illegal aliens Social Security numbers as part of the amnesty giveaway.

“If there’s one thing I know about the American people, it’s that they are hard workers who deserve better than to watch illegal residents reap the benefits of breaking our laws. I introduced the Tax Credit Accountability Act in order to prevent those living and working here unlawfully from receiving EITC and thereby encouraging others to flout the immigration and labor statutes designed to protect our communities,” said Congressman Collins.

“Under no circumstances should our system allow illegal immigrants to glean benefits at the expense of American taxpayers, and this bill calls for us to examine the rule of law and enforce it fairly.”

Original co-sponsors of H.R. 819 include Rick Allen (R-GA), Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA), Blake Farenthold (R-TX), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Louie Gohmert (R-TX), and Jody Hice (R-GA)

February 2, 2017

WASHINGTON—The House of Representatives Committee on Rules has announced its subcommittee chairs, and Congressman Doug Collins has been selected as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Rules and Organization of the House.

Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX) is Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and praised Collins’ track record of leadership and service.

“Congressman Doug Collins is a tireless leader who has dedicated his life to public service. He has served his community as a pastor and lawyer, our nation as a Chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve Command, and the people of Georgia as their proud representative,” said Chairman Sessions.

“I am proud to have such a hard-working member of our team and have no doubt that he will strengthen our committee in this new role.”

The subcommittee on Rules and Organization is responsible for managing legislation related to House procedures and relationships between the House and Senate as well as between Congress and the Judiciary.

“I have had the honor of serving on the Rules Committee since the 114th Congress and have a deep appreciation for the legislative process and the responsibility of the Rules Committee in promoting the agenda of the House and bringing bills to the floor.

“I am grateful to collaborate with my colleagues in this new capacity as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Rules and Organization of the House to ensure that our procedures meet the needs of today’s governance while honoring the institution of the House and working with Senate and Judiciary bodies.

“Representing the people of northeast Georgia continues to be one of the greatest honors of my life, and I look forward to sharing their vision through this new leadership role,” said Congressman Collins.

Collins also serves as Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference and as a subcommittee Vice Chairman on the House Judiciary Committee.

February 1, 2017

WASHINGTON—President Trump has nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch to the United States Supreme Court. Congressman Doug Collins, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement in response:

“Judge Neil Gorsuch interprets the law with a thoughtful humility that our country needs now more than ever. I could not be more pleased to see a Supreme Court nominee who values life and who labors to uphold—rather than revise—the Constitution. Judge Gorsuch’s protection of religious freedom and expression has been steadfast, and I look forward to his confirmation as a Justice of the Supreme Court,” said Congressman Collins.

January 30, 2017

WASHINGTON—On January 27, 2017, President Trump enacted an executive order related to the United States’ national security. Congressman Doug Collins issued the following statement in response:

“Protecting the people of the United States remains the top priority of its leaders, and thoughtful vigilance on this front has made our nation a beacon of hope to people throughout the world. It is possible to welcome refugees to our country while maintaining robust national security measures, and it is time to restore balance to this relationship by evaluating our entry processes in light of credible threats to our citizens.

“The executive order allows re-entry to lawful permanent residents and does not represent a comprehensive ban on entry to people from certain countries. In this temporary measure, President Trump has given us the opportunity to get refugee policy right going forward.”

January 27, 2017

WASHINGTON—Today, Congressman Doug Collins joined more than one-hundred fellow representatives in appreciation of President Donald Trump’s shared commitment to enacting policies that value and protect the lives of unborn children and their mothers.

“From supporting the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act and the Pain-capable Unborn Child Protection Act to his promise to nominate pro-life Supreme Court Justices, the president is standing with the most vulnerable Americans. With a pro-life majority in Congress, we have a rare and weighty opportunity to establish lasting safeguards for young lives across our nation—to leave a legacy of life and respect for generations of Americans to come,” said Congressman Collins.

The letter is available below (some signature pages not included).

This op ed by Congressman Collins first appeared in the Daily Signal on January 26, 2017.

Last Saturday, individuals across our country and in cities like London, Nairobi, Paris, Mexico City, and Sydney coordinated to highlight a spectrum of issues under the banner of human rights.

At the Women’s March, advocates for women, immigrants, and education rights coalesced around the idea that advancing their position means making their voices heard by their leaders and fellow citizens.

Though I may not agree with all of the agendas represented at these demonstrations, I agree with the principle that political silence can foster injustice.

This week, which marks the annual March for Life as well as the 44th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, testifies to the fact that the most defenseless, abused members of American society also have the weakest voices.

At the same time, it is not lost on me that I am attempting to speak, as a husband and a father, on a topic that has come to be classified under the umbrella of women’s issues.

Yet abortion affects both women and men, the born and the unborn, and our response to it reverberates throughout every dimension of society.

If anything qualifies as a fundamental human right, it is the right to life. Each discussion about the right to vote, speak freely, be compensated fairly, or receive equal protection under the law is predicated on a person’s unquestionable right to exist.

Our Constitution implies that the former are corollaries of the latter: No person has access to liberty or the pursuit of happiness unless we first understand that he or she has the right to life.

My daughter, Jordan, illustrates this reality for me every morning that she rolls her wheelchair into breakfast.

We learned during pregnancy that Jordan has spina bifida, and one of my wife’s colleagues suggested at the time that we consider terminating the pregnancy—as though either disability or age nullified our daughter’s humanity.

The notion that, for up to nine months, my wife had the right to blot out Jordan’s voice seems counterproductive to the advancement of women’s rights and alien to the dignity undergirding every life.

Jordan is now 24. She has never walked, but she has always lived with abandon, and to do so has been her right since conception.

It’s my privilege to channel the joy I’ve known as Jordan’s father into supporting legislation that protects the lives of the unborn and the wellbeing of their mothers—because abortion hurts women, too.

As we approach Friday’s March for Life, my colleagues and I have been working to protect even the youngest lives while affirming that each one has immeasurable worth.

I co-sponsored the bipartisan No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act, which makes permanent the Hyde Amendment in order to block federal funding for abortion across the board.

Republicans and Democrats in the House passed this bill the day after President Donald Trump reinstituted the Mexico City policy, which complements our bill by reserving federal aid only for NGOs that do not promote abortion abroad.

Sixty-one percent of Americans oppose using taxpayer dollars to end the lives of their unborn compatriots, and the No Taxpayer Funding Act also requires transparency from the Obamacare plans—over 1,000 of them—that funnel premiums to abortion providers with impunity.

Abortion snuffs out the lives of unborn men and women alike and often leaves post-abortive women with physical and psychological injuries. This means that its violence targets women disproportionately.

In terms of empowerment, funding abortion with taxpayer dollars is state-sponsor disenfranchisement of the unborn underclass.

A litany of injustices confronts us daily—racism, sexism, and classism—and we lose the opportunity and the moral justification for addressing these scourges if we forfeit the battle to protect society’s voiceless innocents.

For this reason, every person at every march held in Washington and across the country this week has cause to consider how standing up for the unborn is a catalyst for their cause and a cornerstone of human rights advocacy.

As we walk through these complex discussions of individual freedoms and interpersonal responsibility, may our actions be just and our compassion incorrigible.

November 10, 2016

WASHINGTON—Congressman Doug Collins, an Air Force Reserve Chaplain and Representative of Georgia’s Ninth District, has written a letter to the Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs regarding veterans’ access to quality health care through the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act. The full letter is below:

The Honorable Robert A. McDonald Secretary

Department of Veterans Affairs

810 Vermont Avenue NW, Room 1000

Washington, DC 20420

Dear Secretary McDonald,

I am writing to request that you review policies regarding the implementation of the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act (“Choice Act”), specifically those related to employee training and the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) management of the Choice program. I am concerned that certain requirements of the VA Choice program are being exploited by the VA to deny veterans the expedited quality care they were promised and deserve.

A recent news report highlighted the Choice program’s backlog of 150,000 veterans who have been approved to see private specialist doctors but have not yet received treatment, as well as certain VA contractors’ refusal to schedule appointments for eligible veterans. This same news source mentioned that appointments by at least one contractor are supposed to be scheduled within five to seven days, but this is not happening. Currently, 50,000 veterans have been waiting more than three months for appointments and more than 90,000 veterans have been waiting longer than one month. Disturbingly, the report noted that real wait times might be even longer than this because the VA is engaging in certain misleading practices that appear to reset or artificially shorten veterans’ wait times.

Because veterans remain on both a VA and a non-VA waiting list until a private appointment is scheduled, in some areas there are now more veterans waiting to see a private doctor than a VA specialist. The intent of the Choice program was to provide timely, high-quality healthcare for veterans by granting them access to non-VA healthcare facilities. Now, however, it appears that the VA is acting contrary to the intended purpose of the Choice program and instead penalizing those seeking non-VA care by forcing them to wait longer for care after opting into the Choice program than if they had continued pursuing care through the VA system.

Furthermore, I am concerned that several VA facilities in Georgia have been designated as having “no capacity” and therefore unable to enroll additional veterans as patients. The VA clinics in Atlanta, Austell, Blairsville, Lawrenceville, Newnan, and Stockbridge have all received this classification. This term is not defined in statute and conversations with local VA providers to resolve questions about this designation have failed to clarify its meaning. It still remains unclear what a “no capacity” designation means, what happens when a facility is designated as such, and whether or not veterans living within a 40-mile radius of a VA facility designated as “no capacity” are to be classified as instantaneously eligible for the Choice program as a result. As the United States’ veteran population ages and troops return from overseas, it is essential that veterans have access to medical facilities with the capacity and capability of addressing their health needs, regardless of whether they are run by the public or private sector.

In order to address these concerns, I ask that you please respond to the following questions:

1)   Why do reports continue to persist that VA contractors are refusing to schedule appointments for veterans eligible for the VA Choice program? Have actions been taken to rectify this problem, and if not, why not? If so, please provide a detailed explanation.

2)   Are veterans who are seeking private care being penalized for doing so?

3)   What are you doing to ensure that the 150,000 veterans awaiting appointments gain access to necessary medical treatment in a timely manner?

4)   What does it mean for a VA facility to be designated “no capacity?” Who makes this determination and what methodology is used in making this determination? Are veterans still eligible to enroll and receive care at nearby facilities that are “no capacity?” What is done to address a “no capacity” situation?

5)   If a veteran lives within 40 miles driving distance of a VA facility considered “no capacity,” are they then eligible for the Choice program under the “excessive travel burdens” eligibility criterion? Are they eligible under other provisions of Choice?

Sincerely,

Doug Collins

Member of Congress

January 23, 2017

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump today issued an executive order that re-institutes the Mexico City policy, which bans NGOs that provide or promote abortion overseas from receiving federal funding. Congressman Doug Collins issued the following statement in response:

“Republican men and women have consistently labored to protect the lives of unborn individuals in the United States and have opposed the use of federal dollars to support the abortion agenda overseas.

“Our people and our president value life, and today’s executive order continues our commitment to this human rights issue domestically and abroad. U.S. government funds should not be used to promote an agenda that millions of Americans find morally unthinkable, and President Trump has taken a step to that end.”

Washington, D.C. – Today Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey testified before the House Judiciary Committee. Congressman Collins, along with many of his Republican colleagues, used this opportunity to question Director Comey about his agency’s handling of the investigation of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s private email servers and failure to protect classified information. This is the second time that Director Comey has come before the House Judiciary Committee this year. Video of Congressman Collins line of questioning is below: