U.S. Congressman John Culberson (R-TX) was the guest speaker for the March 9, 2015 general meeting of United Republicans of Harris County. Despite some truly dreadful weather, a room full of interested citizens gathered to hear a Washington update from the congressman.
No one left disappointed.
Congressman Culberson is an engaging, enthusiastic, humble, and knowledgeable politician. He works a room, shaking every hand and speaking will all. He is a happy warrior, as Ronald Reagan encouraged us all to be. He was prepared to speak about any topic and took lots of questions from the audience.
During his talk to the group, the congressman delivered two special tidbits. He spoke about how he has figured out a very useful tactic to get desired results for conservatives in Congress, using the budgeting process. As a member of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, he has a strong voice in the allocation of budget dollars.
He is Chairman of the Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science, or CJS. The CJS Subcommittee has jurisdiction over the Department of Commerce, Department of Justice, NASA, the National Science Foundation, and other related agencies; Vice Chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee; and he serves on the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Subcommittee.
Congressman Culberson told us about using his recently discovered process of working with government officials to promote common sense, conservative distribution of monies. How does he do it? He talks to them and persuades them. Imagine that. For instance, today the congressman delivered on a tidbit he mentioned during the meeting - giving the group in attendance the first knowledge of the upcoming win for Second Amendment loyal supporters - when the ATF dropped moving ahead with banning some ammunition for firearms. Culberson met with the necessary person at AFT and provided a "come to Jesus" moment for him. He told us that after the time allotted for public comment of the bill expired, he was certain an announcement would come. And it did.
United Republicans and supporters were the first ones to have a behind the scene glimpse into making that happen, thanks to the leadership of John Culberson.
Here is the press release I received in an email today:
Washington, D.C.—Congressman John Culberson (TX-07) today released the following statement regarding a decision by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to drop a proposed ban on the manufacture and sale of 5.56 mm/.223 caliber M855 “green tip” ammunition widely used by sportsman:
“The ATF made the right call today by reversing course on a misguided plan that would have trampled on Americans’ Second Amendment rights.“In the meeting I had with ATF officials last Thursday, I brought up the serious concerns I had with the proposed framework – all things I had heard from my constituents. By the end of our discussion, we had come to a consensus on how to best move forward. “This is an example of how regulators and Congress should work together. “All of us in Texas love law enforcement and want to help ATF officers stop gun smugglers, drug smugglers and other criminals – not law-abiding American sportsman who use this ammo every day for target practice, shooting competitions and hunting.“The slippery slope of federal overreach impacts every aspect of our daily lives, and this issue is just another example of how we must be constantly vigilant in protecting the Constitutional rights of law abiding citizens.“I truly appreciate the ATF for hearing us out and commend the agency for making the right decision.”Congressman Culberson is the Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science which oversees ATF funding. In addition to meeting with ATF leadership, Culberson also signed a March 4 letter to ATF Director B. Todd Jones expressing serious concerns about the proposed ban, explaining that it would “establish an unduly restrictive standard, does not comport with the letter or spirit of the law, and will interfere with Second Amendment rights..."
The crowd was diverse in Republican political philosophy, as was shown during the reading of the presidential straw poll results. The potential candidate who came in First Place was Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. A more distant Second Place produced a tie between former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Senator Ted Cruz.