Congressional Report: April 2-April 6, 2018

The House and Senate were not in session this week. The Senate returns April 9 and the House, April 10.

Special Notes:

The President has called for the deployment of our military to the US/Mexico border. Each governor has to to authorize the dispatching of the national guard, so we can express our concerns to Gov. Kasich about the militarization of our border. (http://www.governor.ohio.gov/
Contact/Contact-the-Governor)

We definitely have to be concerned about Sinclair Broadcasting. The corporation dictates that identical ultra-conservative statements crafted on the corporate level be read by local news anchors. And a proposed merger between Sinclair and Tribune Media would broaden Sinclair’s reach to almost 3 out of 4 households in the US. In Dayton, WFEF22 ([email protected]) and Fox45 ([email protected]) are Sinclair stations. As individuals we can express our concerns by contacting both the local stations and Sinclair’s corporate headquarters (sbgi.net/). You can find mailing addresses online. If we  choose to personally boycott the stations’ local and/or national advertisers, we could state our intentions in our letters/messages.

Representative Turner

Major Votes: None.

Other Activity

Apr. 3: Interviewed on ABC 22 and Fox 45; updated Greene County Commission on congressional action to confront the opioid crisis; congratulated CSU honors students.

Apr. 4: Announced a US DOT grant to the RTA for new buses; interviewed by Cox Media.

Apr. 5: Interviewed on WDTN about opioid epidemic; toured Kroc Center and 4C for Children to learn about their contributions especially in the area of early childhood education.

Apr. 6: With Rep. Castro (D-TX), Rep. Turner introduced the Stand with US Against Russia Violations Act in hoped of “signaling resolve with a strong response.”

Senator Portman

Major Votes: None

Other Activity

Sen. Portman spent this week traveling through the Czech Republic, Ukraine, and Germany. In Ukraine, Portman presented a copy of the July Russia sanctions bill intended “to hold #Russia accountable for its aggression in #Ukraine and US election meddling” to the speaker of the Parliament. He also visited a US regiment stationed in Germany. He praised the tanks and armored vehicles manufactured in Lima and spent time with Ohio troops and their families stationed in Germany.

On the 50th anniversary of MLK’s death, Sen. Portman tweeted “As we take time on #MLK50 to remember his life and legacy, we should also recommit ourselves to doing our part to help all Americans achieve their God-given potential.”

Apr. 6: Sen. Portman praised the DOJ’s actions against Backpage as “great news for victims and survivors of online sex trafficking”.