DAVID W. JOLLY Seana DemerOree ‘ara nw Congress of the United States * dihite ee Bouse of Representatives aoe eee ‘Washington, BE 20515-0913 ena et January 7, 2015 Dear Friend: ‘Thank you for sharing with me your thoughts on the recent election for the position of Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. I share your deep concerns about the importance of. electing a leader who is committed to advancing a conservative view of government, will fight for our common convictions, and can govern responsibly without the threat of shutting down the goverment, Based on the 10 months that I have had the opportunity to work personally with Speaker John Boehner, I believe that he was the most qualified of the candidates nominated for Speaker of the House on January 6 and accordingly voted for him to retain his position in this 114th Congress. I have experienced firsthand the many actions Speaker Boehner has taken to accommodate and advance the concerns and priorities of those like me who continue to advocate for a conservative constitutional view of government on behalf of the American people. The Office of the Speaker is essential in ensuring that the will of the people as expressed at the ballot box is appropriately represented through legislation considered by Congress. This past November, the American people rejected the failed policies of President Obama and instead empowered the largest Republican majority in nearly 100 years to continue to fight for conservative principles. Speaker Boehner has done so in the past and I firmly believe will continue to do so in this Congress. Under Speaker Boehner’s leadership in the last Congress, the House of Representatives passed legislation to repeal Obamacare, we approved a conservative border security bill focused on accountability and the responsible return of undocumented individuals; we approved legislation to audit the Federal Reserve; we approved a discretionary ‘budget that represents a $300 billion cut in discretionary spending over the last 4 years; and, we passed a prohibition on funding for the President’s national student testing standards. Perhaps most importantly, Speaker Boehner promised the Congress and the nation that as soon as we had a Republican led Senate we would vote to defund the President’s Executive Order on amnesty. He has honored that promise, he has kept his word, and the House will consider this rescission as, early as January 13. Speaker Bochner, indeed our conservative House majority, has faced many challenges working with the Senate to confront the President’s agenda. During the last Congress, the House of Representatives passed nearly 400 bills that were shelved by then Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid with no intention of allowing the measures to be considered. Many of these bills had passed the Fouse with bipartisan support and would have had an important and immediate impact on Americans. However, the Senate’s reluctance to vote on these measures slowed down the ability of Congress to enact legislation and encouraged the President to take the opportunity to write expansive Executive Orders and infringe upon the Article I authority of Congress to pass laws. But this is a result of Democrat obstructionism, not a failure of Republican leadership. It is my firm belief that this will change now that Republicans have taken control of both houses of Congress.While we saw a very small number of Members of Congress choose a different candidate for the position of Speaker, itis important to realize that 216 House conservatives strongly voted to reelect Speaker Bochner ~ conservatives like my colleagues Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Raul Labrador of Idaho, and many others. We are one team, we are a conservative caucus, with a view of government that is radically different than that of the President, I trust that Speaker Boehner will continue to advance conservative legislation throughout this Congress, as he has done in the previous Congress, to further the conservative values we share, Finally, please know that I firmly believe Congress should return to regular order and give all members, including the many newly elected conservatives, an opportunity to influence our legislative agenda. In doing so, our leadership and the Speaker can continue to improve the ability of our conference to advance an agenda that is right for the future of our country. Congress must not allow the President to continue to brazenly choose which laws to enforce, ignore laws he disagrees with, unilaterally delay provisions of his own legislation, or defer deportation for a reported 5 million immigrants who have entered the United States illegally. The President's executive actions have been enacted with an audacity rarely seen in modem politics and we as a Republican Conference, led by the Speaker, must aggressively confront this disregard for the Constitution and the rule of law. You have my commitment to do so. ‘Thank you again for taking the time to contact me and I hope you continue to keep me apprised of your interest in legislative issues important to you. Lastly, please visit my website located at olly.house.sov and consider signing up for my weekly e-newsletter, which provides updates on issues in Congress. t5 much ay David W. Jolly L714 7 ‘Member of Congress