Marines Killed in Terrorist Attack in Chattanooga, TN

As the Senior Marine in Congress and Chair of the U.S. Senate Marine Corps Caucus, Senator Roberts issued this statement about the terrorist attack on two military recruiting offices in Chattanooga, Tenn.:

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones and fellow Marines of those killed in Chattanooga. These Marines were serving their country and our Corps in a deeply honorable and valuable role. Recruiters are serving around the nation making a difference to the continuity and tradition of the U.S. Marines. But most important, they are changing the lives of men and women seeking to be a part of the few and the proud.

“We must focus on taking care of the families of these Marines, and on the safety of all of our men and women in uniform in the communities they serve. Semper Fi.”

Iran

Senator Roberts weighed in on the nuclear deal with Iran.

“The president calls this deal a ‘success,’” Roberts said. “It’s a success for his personal legacy, perhaps, but I worry that it will be a failure for our nation’s security.

“After months of delays and the administration negotiating to Iran’s demands, we left the negotiating table without dismantling Iran’s ability to produce a nuclear weapon.

“Where we inserted critical oversight of the nuclear activities, it only extends for the next ten years.

“We agreed to lift all sanctions, even non-nuclear related ones, immediately. Yet, Iran’s behavior has not improved – it still remains a state sponsor of terrorism!

“Iran has long refused to be transparent with regards to nuclear weapons inspectors. The president has said no problem to that – he’s letting Iran decide whether and when inspectors can come in. So you know what that means – never.

“Mandatory inspections should have been non-negotiable, not something we gave away.

“Simply put: Negotiations failed to get at the heart of the matter. Iran is not a nation we can trust.

“Iran has become no less of a threat to our allies or the region in the last decade, which makes President Obama’s desperation for a deal hard to understand.

“Congress now has 60 days to review the text of this Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

“You can be assured I am reviewing the agreement in careful detail.”

 

Ending Federal Government’s Mandate on Common Core in Every Child Achieves Act

The Senate approved the Every Child Achieves Act with a big bipartisan vote of 81-17. The bill authorizes federal spending on elementary and secondary education programs.

Language that Senator Roberts fought to include permanently ends the administration’s use of waivers, or any other tool of coercion, to force or incentivize states to adopt Common Core standards – or any future set of standards.

“I fought to make sure the bill gets the federal government out of our local classrooms and permanently ends Washington’s mandate on Common Core,” Roberts said.

The House passed its own version of the bill last week, which will now go to conference with the Senate bill, before heading to the president’s desk for signature.

To read more on Senator Roberts’ work to restore decisions on education standards to the local level, go here:

Senator Roberts’ Op-Ed in The Washington Times.
Senator Roberts’ Op-Ed in The Daily Caller.

 

GAO Investigation Uncovers Continued Fraud in Obamacare

A GAO undercover investigation revealed Healthcare.gov, the federal exchange website, approved 11 fictitious applications. These fake applicants all maintained coverage in 2014 and were then re-enrolled for 2015 despite use of false documents or having missing information. The fake applicants received $30,000 in subsidies.

“This damning report calls into question the ability of the administration to protect scarce taxpayer dollars and calls into question the validity of the enrollment data for Obamacare,” Roberts said. “Time and again we learn of the failures of the law, we must repeal Obamacare and start over.”

The federal government is expected to spend $822 billion over the next decade for subsidies.

“As evidenced in this latest report, I have grave concerns about this new government benefit being subject to fraud and abuse – potentially driving this number, $822 billion, even higher,” Roberts said. “There is a lack of accountability. We now have two years of data highlighting these problems. With Obamacare, the taxpayer cannot trust the federal government to carry out the fundamental responsibility of safeguarding taxpayer dollars or maintaining the program’s integrity.”

Roberts Tours Topeka Rescue Mission

Senator Roberts toured the Topeka Rescue Mission with Reverend Barry Feaker. The Mission serves over 250,000 meals per year, provides nearly 100,000 nights of shelter and focuses on community outreach in the Hi-Crest neighborhood.

Kansans meeting with Senator Roberts

The Seymour family from Andover stopped in to say hello. Members of the Kansas Corn Growers and Kansas Soybean Association met with Senator Roberts to discuss over-regulation and other issues.

 

Kansas Corn Growers

Kansas Soybean Association

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Check Senator Roberts’ Website, YouTube and Facebook Sites for Updates

You can visit Senator Roberts’ YouTube site for more information on what’s happening in Washington, D.C., and Kansas by visiting www.youtube.com/SenPatRoberts. It's a great place to find speeches and debates on the Senate floor, press conferences, interviews and Senate hearings. You can also stay updated on all these happenings on my Facebook and Twitter sites.