Iran defies Obama’s ill-advised deal
Last fall when President Obama introduced his Iran deal, the American people were skeptical. Like many of you, I was fearful that the deal would allow Iran to become a nuclear power, threatening the security of the entire world. Just last month, our concerns were realized as Iran test-fired ballistic missiles.
In response, President Obama stated this action is against the “spirit” of the Iran deal and chastised the Iranian government for the test. Even more startling is the fact that this administration announced last week they are planning to allow Iran limited access to the U.S. dollar as part of a looser sanctions package. This historic move is another step in the wrong direction, and proves our president will continue to reward Iran despite their hostile behavior.
As I have said before, when the most brutal, anti-American regime and largest state sponsor of global terror says they want us dead, I believe them. Not only this, but Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei declared that the launched missiles had “Israel must be wiped off the planet” marked in Hebrew on the side.
Their actions and words couldn’t be speaking any louder; Iran’s launch of ballistic missiles is a clear provocation of the U.S., Israel and our allies.
There is no miscommunication here. When the United Nations agreed to the Iran deal, it was made clear to the Iranians that testing of ballistic missiles was not supported by the United Nations or the nations that agreed to lift the sanctions imposed on Iran. Despite all this, the Obama administration has announced they are going to allow intermediary financial institutions to conduct foreign currency trades in U.S. dollars, even after assuring Congress this would not happen during negotiation of the Iran deal.
In spite of violating the terms of the agreement, Iran has been rewarded by the Obama administration by being granted indirect access to U.S. funds.
The Iranian regime is the No. 1 sponsor of global terror in the world, and they continue to destabilize the Middle East, funnel money and weapons to terrorists and threaten Israel with annihilation. With this newly granted access to the U.S. dollar, Iran will have even more money to commit to sponsoring terrorism and fulfilling their mission of wiping the sovereign state of Israel “off the planet.”
From the very beginning, President Obama’s negotiation of this deal has been from a position of weakness. Iran has capitalized on this by taking advantage of President Obama at every opportunity, including by disregarding the U.N.’s resolution and testing ballistic missiles.
Because the United States was one of six nations involved in the Iran deal, it will be next to impossible to successfully reinstate the international sanctions put in place in 2006 and bring Iran back to the negotiating table. President Obama’s desire to secure his legacy with this deal puts our regional and global security at risk.
However, I will not sit by as Iran paves the way to a nuclear bomb. I have co-sponsored H.R. 4815, the Iran Ballistic Missile Sanctions Act. This bill would impose sanctions on Iran’s ballistic missile program in response to its recent tests and renew the Iran Sanctions Act, which expires this year.
Additionally, I have joined with my colleagues in a letter to the administration demanding answers on Iran’s access to U.S. dollars through these intermediary financial institutions.
When it comes to our national security, America must lead from a position of strength, not weakness. I refuse to allow Iran to disregard the restrictions placed on them. As your representative, I will do everything in my power to hold them accountable.
Military dog adoptions: Army procedures to give former handlers priority
The Army is working to establish dog adoption procedures that would give priority to former handlers.
Maj. Gen. Mark S. Inch said an Army dog adoption program didn’t follow regulatory processes perfectly, but it complied with the law and intent. The two-star general made his response last month in a letter to North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr.
“The Army is working in conjunction with our sister services to establish and codify future adoption procedures,” Inch said. “It is our intent that all former dog handlers be given the right of first refusal during future adoption processes, and we remain grateful for the sacrifices of our military working dogs and to those who support and work alongside them.”
The adoption process previously followed Air Force procedures because the Air Force is the executive agency for military dog disposition. That process meant law enforcement agencies had a chance to adopt dogs before former handlers.
There also was no legal requirement at the time to notify former handlers that their dogs were available for adoption. The only requirement was to allow handlers wounded in action or the family of handlers killed in action to have the first opportunity to adopt the dog, according to the Office of the Provost Marshal General.
Both of those procedures have changed.
Maj. Olivia Nunn, a spokeswoman for the Office of the Provost Marshal, said the office tweaked prioritization for adoptions by giving former handlers priority over law enforcement agencies.
And last year an amendment was added to the National Defense Authorization Act requiring service members be contacted first for the opportunity to adopt.
The dog program – Tactical Explosive Detector Dog – was established in January 2011 as a contract solution to shortages in the Military Working Dog program, Inch said. The Army-funded program was designed to be temporary and to support Army brigade combat teams by providing maneuver units with bomb-sniffing dogs to mitigate casualties from improvised explosive devices.
The program came to the attention of the Office of the Provost Marshal General of the Army in 2013, before Inch took command, Nunn said.
The dogs in the program were trained by non-military police handlers at contracted facilities in Indiana, and later North Carolina, Inch said.
Once trained, the dogs were deployed with their handlers to search for explosives in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
The program ended in February 2014 as U.S. Central Command curtailed the requirement for bomb sniffing dogs, Inch said.
Moore’s New Congressman Lays Out Beliefs, Objectives
The Pilot
Republican U.S. Rep Richard Hudson has always considered the late Howard Coble as a role model for how to be good congressman.
“Howard Coble was my mentor,” Hudson said in his address Tuesday night at the annual dinner for Moore County Partners in Progress at the Carolina Hotel in Pinehurst. “The opportunity to follow in his footsteps is truly an honor.”
Coble, a Greensboro Republican, once represented Moore County during his three decades in Congress. He died in December.
This was Hudson’s first appearance in Moore County since it was moved into the 8th District under recently redrawn maps enacted by the N.C. General Assembly last month. He is seeking re-election to a third term.
Moore County was moved from Coble’s 6th District to the 2nd District, represented by Renee Ellmers, in 2011.
One of Coble’s hallmarks was his constituent services, as well as his visibility in the district.
“Nobody did it any better,” he said of Coble. “You have got to be relevant in the district. You have got to be seen in the district to represent the district. Howard did that better than anyone else.
“I’ll strive every day to be the kind of representative he was. You’ll see me a lot. If not, how can I represent you?”
Hudson said he is proud that his office has helped thousands of constituents who have needed assistance.
Hudson Files for Re-election
RALEIGH – U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-08), one of the most conservative members of Congress, today officially submitted his paperwork to run for re-election.
“I’m running for re-election to continue to be a conservative, common sense voice for the people of North Carolina’s 8th District,” said Hudson.
Hudson continued, “Now more than ever, we need conservative leaders who will stand up to the Washington elites and fight for a smaller, more limited federal government that empowers small businesses to grow and provide good-paying jobs for folks across the state.
At a time when radical Islamic terrorists and evil regimes are threatening American security, we need leaders who will give the US military the support it needs to keep us safe. That’s what I’m fighting for and that’s why I want to continue to be a conservative leader for North Carolina.”
The 2016 Primary Election date is June 7th and the General Election is November 8th. National Journal rated Hudson the 12th most conservative member of the U.S. House of Representatives during the 113th Congress.
N.C. should be able to explore offshore oil, gas resources
It seemed like the administration was listening to calls from members of Congress, state leaders — including our Gov. Pat McCrory — and Americans who are anxious for more jobs.
While I was excited for the opportunity to open our state to energy exploration, I also knew that we faced bureaucratic hoops and an uphill rulemaking process that could take the Atlantic lease sale completely off the table. Unfortunately, I was right.
Last week, the administration changed course and announced the Atlantic would remain off-limits to job creation through energy exploration. It seems our president is focused on his radical climate legacy and has disregarded his commitment to the economic needs of the American people. This reversal is an affront to states like North Carolina who simply want to explore our own energy potential.
Despite the announcement, I remain committed to getting North Carolina into the energy business which is why I introduced the North Carolina Opening Fossil Fuels Safely and Harnessing Opportunities for Robust Employment (NC OFFSHORE) Act.
This bill requires the administration to make available one lease sale off North Carolina’s coast every year for five years. This mandate begins two years after enactment. In addition, it protects military operations by allowing the Department of Defense to make certain areas off limits to exploration and allows coastal states to receive revenue from offshore energy projects.
The fact of the matter is, our economy is sputtering along and too many folks are struggling to find jobs. According to the Department of Interior, there are at least 3.3 billion barrels of recoverable oil on the Atlantic’s outer continental shelf and more than 31 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. And other experts say these resources could be far greater.
Responsibly accessing these resources has the potential to support more than 55,000 jobs in our state and contribute nearly $3 billion in new revenue that could be used to protect our environment and restore critical habitats.
Clearly, the challenge is not finding these resources, but in man-made government regulatory hurdles that prohibit us from going and getting them. This legislation is crucial to open our state to energy exploration, unlock jobs and strengthen our energy security while protecting our environment.
Take a look at states like North Dakota and you can see the positive impact domestic exploration has on a region and the lives of people living there. It has the potential to keep energy costs low for families and businesses and empower manufacturers to grow. It will boost our infrastructure development, revitalize our factories and create new jobs and opportunities across our state.
I can assure you that I will be vigilant and work to guarantee that North Carolina and the 8th District benefit from drilling off our coasts, from creating construction jobs to attracting new manufacturers. As your representative, I pledge I will continue to work to create an environment for more opportunity and prosperity.
Rep. Richard Hudson, R-Concord, represents North Carolina’s 8th Congressional District.
U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson visits Fayetteville, talks politics.
Fayetville Observer
Republican U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson doesn’t support presidential candidate Donald Trump, but he wouldn’t tell a smattering of people who came out to greet him Tuesday who he will vote for.
Hudson is the newest congressman for the redrawn 8th Congressional District, which includes Moore, Hoke and part of Cumberland County, including Fort Bragg.
Hudson said he doesn’t know if the district’s boundaries will be approved as drawn in court, but he knows the lines will not return to how they were when he was elected to Congress in 2012.
Hudson wasn’t waiting for a final decision to get reacquainted with Fayetteville, a city he said he knows well from his six years as district director for former U.S. Rep Robin Hayes.
Hudson and Mayor Nat Robertson sat informally in the Council Chambers as Robertson asked the congressman questions with direct correlations to Fayetteville.
Among other topics, Hudson said he believes in bipartisan support in Washington, less bureaucracy, immigration reform and privatization of veteran health care.
He expressed frustration with the dealings on Capitol Hill, saying he grew up wanting to solve problems.
“In Washington,” Hudson said, “they want to kick the can down the road.”
Cooper Wrong on Second Amendment
CONCORD, N.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-08) released the following statement responding to Attorney General Roy Cooper’s call for more gun control in North Carolina:
“I’m disappointed our chief law enforcement official is taking Nancy Pelosi’s lead and calling to suspend our constitutional right to due process. The fact is, everyday Americans could one day find themselves on the no-fly list just because they have a similar name as a suspected individual or because of a bureaucratic error. Roy Cooper is using a page from the Washington liberal playbook in another big-government effort to restrict the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. This irresponsible, knee-jerk reaction distracts from common sense steps we’ve taken to protect Americans like strengthening security measures in both the visa waiver program and the refugee resettlement program.”
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Hudson’s bill to screen Syrian refugees passes House
Laurinburg Exchange
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson’s bill to stall the migration of Syrian refugees to American soil cleared the House Thursday as President Barack Obama inked up his veto stamp.
House members approved the American SAFE Act of 2015 on a 289-137 vote with 47 Democrats joining the Republican majority.
The version that passed, H.R. 4038, is one House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul of Texas introduced Tuesday with Hudson listed as co-sponsor. It closely mirrors a bill by the same title, designated H.R. 3999, that Hudson introduced as primary sponsor the day before.
Rep. Walter B. Jones Jr. of North Carolina’s 1st District and Rep. Steven King of Iowa were the only two GOP members to oppose the bill, which seeks increased vetting of refugees in an effort to block Islamic State extremists.
Political notebook: Hudson outpaces U.S. House reps in fundraising
Salibury Post
Congressional FEC filings were due this week and U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, R-8, raised the most money of the trio with districts in Rowan.
Hudson’s total contributions from January to March were $210,758. He raised a total of $119,320 from individual contributions and $85,675 from political action committees other than the Republican Party. The FEC didn’t list contributions individually on its electronic records.
Hudson spent $143,655 from January to March, which also isn’t split into individual items.
Military & Soldiers
Our region is home to the largest military base in the world and Richard has been a staunch advocate for our troops, as well as their families, in Washington.
In Congress, Richard has helped rebuild our military and secure needed pay raises for troops, especially those in hazardous combat areas. Richard has successfully fought for more training funding for our troops, ensuring that our soldiers will always have the advantage. He has also sought more resources for when our soldiers return home, fighting to bolster the Preservation of the Force Family program so that soldiers and their families have the resources needed to recover from battlefield wounds, adjust to civilian life, or can seek help if they are experiencing hardship.
To ensure soldiers have the best health care possible, Richard helped get the Rich Stayskal Act signed into law to allow service members to pursue medical malpractice claims in the military.
For military families, he secured increased funding for the Impact Aid program that supports schools near military bases, as well as secured additional resources for military children with special needs.
In summary – Richard works everyday to ensure our troops and their families have the resources they need – and deserve.
Hudson cosponsors bill that could improve military family readiness
The Fayetteville Observer
Fort Bragg Rep Richard Hudson Immediate Response Force Buildings
The Fayetteville Observer
DOD issues rule on act named after Fort Bragg soldier that will pay claims of medical malpractice
abc11
Military to Begin Paying Malpractice Claims Under Law Inspired by Pinehurst Soldier
The Pilot
DOD provides guidance for military medical malpractice claims in rule name after Bragg soldier
The Fayetteville Observer
Secretary of defense, Congress seek to remove sexual assault cases from chain of command
The Fayetteville Observer
Military Hazardous Duty Pay Could Increase by 10% Under New Proposal
Military.com