Below is Rep. Kustoff’s message to the voters of Tennessee District 8th.
He can be viewed or contacted at his Website: kustoff.house.gov or via phone: (202) 225-4714.
The message below is genetic, hitting on subject matter in an attempt to sway his majority voters to show that he is just conservative enough while still satisfyingly his minority constituency by voting for more government intervention in your lives. These are the same steps that took Senator Marsha Blackburn from a lowly state representative to the United States Senate.
So, prior to the press release below I will bring a smidgeon of his voting record between 2023 to 2024.
Defunding “Kill-switch” Mandate – H.R. 4820
This federal “kill-switch” mandate to forcibly “monitor the performance” of every driver and automatically “prevent or limit motor vehicle operation” is a violation of the fundamental right of the American people to travel freely, with a reasonable expectation of privacy. The Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution not only protect against “unreasonable searches and seizures” of persons and their possessions, but also provide that no person shall be deprived of “liberty, or property, without due process of law.”
During consideration of the fiscal 2024 Transportation-HUD appropriations bill (H.R. 4820), Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) offered an amendment that would prohibit the use of federal funds to implement Section 24220 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which requires that all new passenger motor vehicles be equipped with “advanced drunk and impaired driving prevention technology.”
The House rejected Massie’s amendment on November 7, 2023 by a vote of 201 to 229 (Roll Call 616).
Rep. Kustoff voted improperly with the majority.
National Monument Declarations – H.R. 4821
Although the Founding Fathers did not envision the federal government indefinitely “owning” 30 percent of the land area of the states as it now does, they did grant Congress, not the president, the “Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States” (Article IV, Section 3 of the Constitution). As to whether the federal government has the right to ownership and control of a large percentage of the land area of the states for an indefinite period of time, here’s Founding Father Thomas Jefferson’s answer in his Kentucky Resolutions of 1798: “The several states composing the United States of America, are not united on the principle of unlimited submission to their General Government; but that by compact under the style and title of a Constitution for the United States and of amendments thereto, they constituted a General Government for special purposes, delegated to that Government certain definite powers, reserving each state to itself, the residuary mass of right to their own self Government; and that whensoever the General Government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force.”
During consideration of the fiscal 2024 environment-interior appropriations bill (H.R. 4821), Representative Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) offered an amendment to prohibit funds from being used to provide additional funding for national monument designations under the Antiquities Act. According to Ogles, “In the 8 years that Joe Biden was Vice President under the Obama administration, the Antiquities Act was weaponized for 550 million acres of land. That is roughly a quarter of the land by acreage in the United States. That is a problem that goes beyond the scope and intent of this act.”
The House rejected Ogles’ amendment on November 2, 2023 by a vote of 175 to 244 (Roll Call 592). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because, although the Founding Fathers did not envision the federal government indefinitely “owning” 30 percent of the land area of the states as it now does, they did grant Congress, not the president, the “Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States” (Article IV, Section 3 of the Constitution). As to whether the federal government has the right to ownership and control of a large percentage of the land area of the states for an indefinite period of time, here’s Founding Father Thomas Jefferson’s answer in his Kentucky Resolutions of 1798: “The several states composing the United States of America, are not united on the principle of unlimited submission to their General Government; but that by compact under the style and title of a Constitution for the United States and of amendments thereto, they constituted a General Government for special purposes, delegated to that Government certain definite powers, reserving each state to itself, the residuary mass of right to their own self Government; and that whensoever the General Government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force.”
Rep. Kustoff voted properly with the minority.
Prohibiting UNESCO Funding – H.R. 4665
Nowhere in the Constitution is Congress authorized to allocate federal funding to international organizations such as UNESCO. Such organizations threaten U.S. sovereignty and constitutionally protected freedoms
During consideration of the fiscal 2024 state-foreign operations appropriations bill (H.R. 4665), Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) offered an amendment to prohibit funding in the bill from aiding the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The House rejected Steube’s amendment on September 28, 2023 by a vote of 198 to 232 (Roll Call 494). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because nowhere in the Constitution is Congress authorized to allocate federal funding to international organizations such as UNESCO. Such organizations threaten U.S. sovereignty and constitutionally protected freedoms, and the United States has no business being involved in them.
Rep. Kustoff voted properly with the minority.
Continuing Resolution – H.R. 5860
Congress’ inability to promptly pass a 2024 budget, instead using a continuing appropriations bill that funds the federal government at bloated fiscal 2023 levels, illustrates the breakdown of the federal budgeting process.
Representative Kay Granger (R-Texas) made a motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 5860, the “Continuing Appropriations Act, 2024 and Other Extensions Act,” which would appropriate federal government funding at fiscal 2023 levels from October 1, 2023 through November 17, 2023. Additionally, it would appropriate $16 billion in disaster relief for fiscal 2024 and extend federal authorization for multiple programs, including certain Medicare, Medicaid, and Federal Aviation Administration programs. Notably, the bill does not include funding for Ukraine.
The House agreed to Granger’s motion on September 30, 2023 by a vote of 335 to 91 (Roll Call 513). We have assigned pluses to the nays because Congress needs to cut spending to avoid fiscal disaster. Additionally, Congress’ inability to promptly pass a 2024 budget, instead using a continuing appropriations bill that funds the federal government at bloated fiscal 2023 levels, illustrates the breakdown of the federal budgeting process.
Rep. Kustoff voted improperly with the majority.
Electronic Identification Ear Tag Mandate – H.R. 4368
The federal government has no authority under the Constitution to regulate agriculture.
During consideration of the fiscal 2024 agriculture appropriations bill (H.R. 4368), Representative Harriet Hageman (R-Wy.) offered an amendment to prevent funds from being used to mandate electronic identification ear tags for cattle and bison.
The House rejected Hageman’s amendment on September 27, 2023 by a vote of 97 to 336 (Roll Call 419). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the federal government has no authority under the Constitution to regulate agriculture. Furthermore, Hageman’s amendment would push back against the United Nations’ Agenda 2030, which is inherently contrary to the Constitution. Congress should eliminate all federal involvement in agriculture.
Rep. Kustoff voted improperly with the majority.
Continue Reading 10 selected votes
Conservative Voting Record for the 118th Congress – 53%
Since taking the Majority a year ago, Republicans in the House of Representatives have been working hard for the American people. We have taken key steps to fulfill our commitment to create an economy that’s strong, a nation that’s safe, a future that’s built upon freedom, and a government that’s accountable.
The very first vote we took was on the Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act. This legislation defunded the 87,000 new Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agents the Biden Administration intended to use to target taxpayers with more burdensome audits. Americans deserve a government that’s accountable and one that works for them, not against them.
As you may know, the Speaker and Majority party leave the first 10 bills, numbered H.R. 1-10, for policies that are their top priorities. I would like to highlight a couple of those that the House of Representatives passed this past year.
We passed H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, to increase domestic energy production and lower energy costs for families across the nation. This legislation was a key step to combat President Joe Biden’s war on American energy and unleash American energy dominance.
We also passed the Parents’ Bill of Rights, H.R. 5. We know how imperative it is for parents to have a say in their child’s future. The Parents’ Bill of Rights ensures their voice is heard. This bill puts in place concrete legal protections that will ensure parents always have a seat at the table when it comes to their child’s education
That is not all we did.
We took key steps to end proxy voting, reopen the Capitol to visitors, establish a bipartisan China Select Committee to counter China’s growing aggression, block President Biden’s WOTUS rule, nullify D.C.’s Soft on Crime Bill, terminate the COVID-19 National Emergency, and eliminate the Military Vaccine Mandate.
We ended the year by passing the National Defense Authorization Act to fund our military and give our service members the largest pay raise in over 20 years. This important legislation will increase our ability to counter growing threats, support our troops, and protect our homeland.
I can confidently say that my colleagues and I are focused on alleviating the challenges you are facing each day.
The House also brought legislation onto the floor to help secure the border and close loopholes in our immigration laws. This was H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act. This is the strongest border security package in American history.
As we look further into the new year, one of the biggest issues Congress will face is the wide-open southern border.
President Biden’s open border policies have created a national security crisis. Since he took office, there have been over 6.7 million illegal crossings of the southern border, and 8 million enforcement encounters nationwide.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported that in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, there were 2.48 million encounters at the southern border, the highest annual total ever recorded in a single year. During that time, they stopped 169 people whose names appear on the terrorist watchlist.
On average, more than 8,400 illegal aliens entered our country each day last year. In December, there were 302,000 migrant encounters, the highest number of illegal crossings ever recorded in a month.
Additionally, CBP reported that in FY23, they seized enough fentanyl to kill the entire population of the United States.
This crisis is making every single state, including Tennessee, a border state.
As I mentioned earlier, I was proud to vote for the Secure the Border Act, to strengthen our border security and immigration laws and to help deter illegal immigrants from taking advantage of our immigration system.
This is a national security crisis that we cannot ignore. It is my hope that in the new year the House, Senate, and the White House can come together to secure our southern border and stop the deadly flow of fentanyl into our communities.
It is an honor to be your voice in Washington and I promise to continue fighting for West Tennessee families, farms, and businesses.
Congressman David Kustoff, a Republican, represents Tennessee’s Eighth Congressional District, and serves on the House Ways and Means Committee.