Merry Christmas, Eastern North Carolina! As we spend these next few weeks setting up decorations and shopping for last minute presents, I hope you are able to spend this time with family, friends, and loved ones. This season of giving also provides many opportunities for folks to extend a helping hand to those in need. With so many wonderful organizations like Toys for Tots and blood donation drives making a difference in our community, I encourage you to take a moment amidst all the festivities to join in and spread the Christmas spirit. 

As we approach the end of the 119th Congress, I have stayed busy these past two weeks in Washington, hosting my 4th Annual Campus Free Speech Roundtable, working to pass meaningful legislation that strengthens our national security and improves the quality of life of our service members, as well as meeting with local stakeholders on issues important to our district. During my time back home this weekend, I had the honor of participating in the Wreaths Across America (WAA) Ceremony at the New Bern National Cemetery. WAA honors those who have served our country and have passed away by laying a wreath on their tombstone that will stay there until the second week in January. Their motto is “Remember, Honor and Teach.” 

I will continue fighting for the values of North Carolina’s Third Congressional District. If you wish to stay more engaged and aware of what is happening in Washington and our District, please follow me on my socials linked above or here: Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

Hurricane Helene Recovery Efforts in Western North Carolina

Three months ago, Hurricane Helene made landfall in our mountain communities, disrupting the livelihoods of families and leaving neighborhoods unrecognizable. In October, I had the opportunity to visit Western North Carolina to hear from local leaders and emergency personnel on the ongoing recovery efforts. Since then, I have remained dedicated to the recovery process and consistently communicate with federal, state, and local authorities, making it a priority in Washington to ensure our neighbors receive the federal assistance they need.  

This holiday season, we have seen Eastern North Carolina step up for those suffering in remarkable ways. We understand how challenging hurricane recovery can be, so it has been heartwarming to see countless volunteers travel west to help. Just this weekend, Greenville’s Capital Electric employees spent their Friday assembling care packages, so families in Western North Carolina can enjoy the Christmas season. The stories emerging from this difficult time reflect our tireless commitment to supporting those affected. 

FEMA, NC Emergency Management, and the NC Department of Transportation continue to assist folks on the ground. The State Emergency Response Team in Raleigh, the Joint Field Office in Hickory, and the Joint Field Branch Offices in Asheville, Wilkesboro, and Charlotte also continue to support those affected. Multi-agency Shelter Transition Teams are actively working in affected counties to assist those displaced, and nonprofits and volunteer groups have been essential in supporting survivors and feeding individuals in need. 

Access is steadily being restored to state-maintained roads, and power is being restored in affected areas. As the state rebuilds transportation routes, damage sites, bridges, and culverts are being addressed in the process. Hundreds of dump trucks, backhoes, and other heavy equipment are actively assisting with debris cleanup. Additionally, disaster recovery shelters remain open for affected residents with numerous federal assistance services available as well.  

In Washington, I remain dedicated to ensuring Western North Carolina receives the support it needs, so they can rebuild and heal in dignity. Our communities need this assistance now, not later. I am committed to supporting the necessary funding needed to repair and rebuild and will continue to keep you updated.

House GOP Discussion with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy 

I attended an excellent discussion with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to hear about their vision for DOGE to improve government efficiency and reduce costs.

Click here to hear my thoughts or on the video below. 

Urging Congress to Take Action Against Pharmacy Benefit Managers

American patients and local pharmacies are paying the price because of the extortion and greed of insurance companies through pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs). As a physician of over 30 years, there have been countless times I have gotten calls back from patients, who I prescribed life-saving medicine to, saying their insurance does not cover it and it is too expensive. A prescription for long-term disease can give a life back, yet patients’ lives are being ruined because insurance companies want an extra dollar.

Our rural communities are being affected the worst by current PBM practices. Far too many pharmacies are closing because of rising drug costs and PBM’s interference with supply chains.

I will not let up my fight for policies that put patients first so they can get the help they need at an affordable price.

Read the press release here.

Hosting 4th Annual Campus Free Speech Roundtable

It was an honor to host a successful 4th Annual Campus Free Speech Roundtable! This year’s event brought together lawmakers, stakeholders, and students to discuss challenges to free expression on college campuses and solutions to support the First Amendment.

Congress plays a role in shaping higher education and must be attentive to the rapidly changing dynamics on campuses across the country. Free speech at American colleges and universities is critical to cultivating tolerant learning environments and well-rounded individuals.

I greatly appreciate everyone who attended, including my colleagues, Congresswoman Virginia Foxx and Congressman Burgess Owens, and our collective efforts to protect free expression at institutions of higher education.

If you missed the event, click here to watch!

Read the press release here.

Meeting with North Carolina Community Health Center Association on Affordable Healthcare 

Thank you to the North Carolina Community Health Center Association for stopping by my office. In our meeting, we discussed ways Congress can support our health centers and their patients.

The association supports services at over 500 clinical health center sites in 88 counties across the state. Many of the patients the organization serves are in medically underserved communities, and a number of them were heavily impacted by Hurricane Helene.

Affordable health coverage is crucial in supporting disaster recovery, especially in our state.

Statement on the Passage of the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act

I am pleased that Congress has passed a National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 that empowers our military to safeguard the United States and takes care of our troops. This package robustly funds and modernizes our armed forces to prepare us against threats abroad, improves the quality of life for service members and their families, and refocuses the Pentagon’s mission on our national security and away from political distractions.

It is an honor to represent some of our nation’s greatest warfighters at Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Stations Cherry Point and New River. North Carolina’s 3rd District will benefit greatly from the $208 million in funding secured for military construction projects on our bases and $50 million in Impact Aid that will help our military community

Read the press release here and watch me speak on the floor in support of the bill here.

Fighting for the Improvement of Our Service Members’ Living Conditions

I am proud to join Congressman Joe Courtney in advocating for the bipartisan Healthy at Home on Base Act, which will improve the living conditions for our service members. Specifically, the bill will tackle the unacceptable mold problem in military housing.

This bill provides a much-needed solution to the hazardous conditions reported in a 2023 Army inspection, which identified mold in over 2,000 facilities. The U.S. Government Accountability Office also reported that service members from twelve groups indicated mold as a concern in the barracks. One individual even had to visit the emergency room three times for respiratory issues caused by the mold.

Our service members sacrifice so much for our safety and we must ensure our enlisted troops receive the support they require during service.

Meeting with UNC School of Civic Life and Leadership’s Dean Atkins

It was a pleasure to meet with UNC’s Dean of the School of Civic Life and Leadership, Jed Atkins, to discuss his vision for the school’s future. Free speech has been under attack, especially on college campuses, for many years now. Some college presidents, university chancellors, and faculty have abused their positions of authority to make students afraid to speak freely, especially if they are conservative. Dr. Atkins and I spoke about the school’s work, its alignment with national priorities on civic education, and how SCiLL’s approach prepares students for meaningful engagement in public life.

Congratulations Dean Atkins! I look forward to seeing the success you achieve.

In the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, we held a hearing with VA leadership, to investigate the VA’s reported budget shortfalls. This year, the VA requested and received $2.88 billion from Congress to address a claimed benefits funding shortfall, only to later disclose that the funds were unnecessary and unspent. Additionally, the VA initially requested $12 billion to address a healthcare budget shortfall expected for fiscal year 2025, but subsequently reduced that request to $6.6 billion.

The VA’s budgetary mismanagement and their leadership’s lack of transparency regarding funding are completely unacceptable. As a representative of over 76,000 veterans, I share the frustrations of many in my district regarding the VA’s management.

I questioned the panelists, specifically Under Secretary for Health, Dr. Shereef Elnahal, about the VA’s inaccurate funding predictions and recommended a comprehensive forensic audit by an outside accounting agency to ensure proper financial management. We need an outside agency to come in and see what is happening with all the resources given to the VA.

Veterans receiving the benefits and care they deserve is contingent on a competent department and until the VA’s financial practices are fully addressed, I will continue to demand accountability.

Meeting with Duke Energy on Expanding American Nuclear Energy

Last week, I met with Duke Energy CEO, Lynn Good, to discuss the importance of American nuclear expansion. The United States must become a leader in nuclear energy production to power our future. We are facing a huge increase in energy needs in the future, especially with the demands for energy that Artificial Intelligence requires. I am a big proponent of nuclear energy. It is safe, clean and reliable.

Meeting with Monolith CEO on the Company’s Recent Innovations 

It was great meeting with Monolith CEO, Rob Hanson, and learning about recent developments in sustainable manufacturing. Specifically, their cutting-edge process called methane pyrolysis, which harnesses renewable electricity to create cleaner carbon products.

As a leader in sustainable energy solutions, Monolith’s commitment to developing clean hydrogen technology and promoting American energy independence is crucial for the future of manufacturing.

It was a pleasure hearing about the strides Monolith is achieving in manufacturing innovation.

Meeting with General Motors to Discuss the Challenges Facing the Automobile Industry

Last week, I met with General Motors to discuss the economic environment of our automobile industry.

Based in Detroit, Michigan, GM is a significant player in transportation, employing over 165,000 people across six continents. The company is well-known for owning and manufacturing Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac.

As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, the tax writing committee in Congress, I am committed to ensuring our tax code benefits all U.S. industry, so the industries can flourish and compete on a level playing field with foreign competitors.

Meeting with Ascension Health on Medicare Reform

I enjoyed meeting with Ascension Health to discuss the environment of our healthcare system, particularly the significant reductions in physician reimbursement.

The Medicare system needs substantial reform. Physician reimbursement has been cut, inflation adjusted, close to 30% over the last 20 years, driving doctors to retire early or be acquired by hospitals, insurance companies, or private equity. As someone who ran a surgical practice for many years, it became increasingly impossible to keep the practice solvent. I will continue advocating for our physicians and access to high-quality affordable care for patients.

 Meeting with Biogen Inc. on the Importance of Affordable Medicine 

It was a pleasure meeting with Biogen Inc. to discuss the impact their innovative therapies and medications are making in the lives of patients struggling with critical diseases.

Americans deserve access to life-saving innovations at an affordable price.

Meeting with Paragon Health Institute on the Need for Medicare Advantage Reform

It was wonderful to meet with Paragon Health Institute President, Brian Blase, to discuss the urgent need for policies that reform Medicare Advantage.

Originally intended to reduce costs and enhance care for beneficiaries, the Medicare Advantage program has evolved into a system that primarily benefits insurance companies and denies access to quality care. It is my top priority to ensure patients are put first. Several Medicare Advantage plans upcode claims and bilk the Medicare system out of hundreds of billions of dollars. We cannot keep allowing this nonsense to occur.

Meeting with DG Fuels CEO to Discuss Potential Production Facility in NC

It was great meeting with the CEO of DG Fuels, Michael Darcy, to discuss North Carolina’s role in sustainable aviation and the growth potential a new production facility could offer to the state’s economy.

We discussed the importance of U.S. investment in domestic fuel sources and the economic impact that expanding biofuels could bring to our rural communities.

Meeting with Lt. Gen. David Tabor on F-15s at Seymour Johnson

U.S. Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans and Programs, Lieutenant General David Tabor, stopped by my office to provide an update on the F-15 aircraft training at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.

This week, the House voted on the Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, which includes a provision that fully prohibits the Air Force from divesting the F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft at the base. I proudly voted YES on the bill so that America can stay the strongest military force in the world.

The F-15 is essential for national security, and I will continue fighting for their presence at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. I appreciate Lt. Gen. Tabor’s assistance in ensuring the aircraft are here to stay.

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MARY REICHARD, HOST: Today is Thursday, December 26th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Mary Reichard.

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: And I’m Myrna Brown. Up next, WORLD commentator Cal Thomas on a bad Christmas tradition in Washington D.C.

CAL THOMAS: When Washington politicians speak of a Christmas tree this time of year, they are not referring to an actual tree. It means they’ve loaded up a bill with another kind of “green,” the kind that’s decorated with money.

The “bipartisan” bill passed just before midnight last Friday, minutes before a government “shutdown” would be an embarrassment to anyone but the politicians who voted for it. Like Christmas, this scenario gets played out almost every year with no regard for the growing debt.

The first bill was more than 1,500 pages. Elon Musk denounced it and suddenly it shrunk to over 100 pages, but that was too little for the big spenders. What passed last week at 118 pages may take days to digest, but you can be sure of one thing: pork is part of it. Always is.

For the last ten years, Republican Senator Rand Paul has published what he calls a “Festivus” report on just some of the wasteful spending in which our Congress is engaged. His latest – and you should Google it to see it all – includes the following:

Some of the highlights – or lowlights as I like to call them — include funding for the National Endowment for the Arts to subsidize ice-skating drag queens and promoting city park circuses. Additionally, the Department of the Interior invested in the construction of a new $12 million Las Vegas Pickleball complex. Interior also allocated $720,479 to wetland conservation projects for ducks in Mexico. This year, the Department of State is featured eleven times, with expenditures including $4.8 million on Ukrainian influencers, $32,596 on breakdancing, $2.1 million for Paraguayan Border Security (what about security at our border?), $3 Million for ‘Girl-Centered Climate Action’ in Brazil, and much more!

Hey, it’s not their money, it’s our money.

At least this time a pay raise for members didn’t make it to the final bill. Members should be having their pay cut, not raised, for under-performing.

Perhaps Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk can do something about the misspending that has led to the unsustainable $36 trillion dollar debt with interest of $1 trillion dollars just this year.

Others have tried and failed to break the spending habit. Maybe they will succeed this time, but the odds are not good. It’s not called “the swamp” for nothing.

I hope you had a Happy Christmas. Your politicians did.

I’m Cal Thomas.

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