This is No Time to Take a Break

(Opinion by Senator Luther Strange)

As June comes to a close, Alabama’s schools have let out, and summer is in full swing. Students have turned in final projects and taken final exams, earning a well-deserved chance to catch their breath. But in Congress, there are several projects left unfinished, and adjourning for the annual August state work period would mean putting a hold on the promises we made to the American people. It’s time to deliver.

For the past five months, my colleagues and I have worked to confirm President Trump’s cabinet and begin rolling back the regulatory wet blanket that weighed on Alabama’s families and small businesses for eight years under the Obama administration. We guided the appointment of Justice Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, a generational chance to renew reverence for the Constitution and the rule of law.We have laid a foundation for rebuilding America’s military and begun to address the pressing crisis of border security and illegal immigration.

That leaves us with just 33 working days to tackle some of the biggest issues facing our nation. This is no time to take a break. We have to make good on the promise of repealing and replacing Obamacare, which continues to limit coverage choices and drive premiums through the roof for Alabama families.

After eight years, Alabamians do not deserve to be told they need to wait a little longer for health insurance coverage that actually means access to care. We have to work with President Trump to reform the tax code to let American families keep more of their hard-earned paychecks and to create a business climate that welcomes job creators and innovators. Small business owners across the state of Alabama know all too well that the status quo is not acceptable.

We have to come to an agreement to fund the federal government before the end of the fiscal year on September 30^th. Spending responsibly is just common sense for Alabama families on a budget. It is time that common sense made it to Washington. The American people didn’t elect Republican majorities to say “we tried.” They did it because they know that conservative solutions have the potential to make America great again.

Alabamians didn’t ask for the best Congress could do under the circumstances. They expect results. They expect to be able to save a little of their paycheck instead of watching more and more of it go to a health insurance policy they can’t actually use. They expect to see their communities grow and thrive as job creators come to stay, and to be able to leave their children better-off than they are. I expect that my colleagues will rise to the occasion and plan on staying at work this August.

The stakes are too high to let tradition get in the way of the challenges our nation faces today.