House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy: President Obama should approve the Keystone Pipeline, a job producing critical infrastructure project

 Rep. Kevin McCarthy, House Majority Leader, gives us his weekly view from Capitol Hill. In his words:

"This week was the first week of a new Congress, and we hit the ground running. One of the most

important things we did is to honor our founding document by reading the Constitution on the floor of the House.  Members of Congress were sworn in on Tuesday and the House got right to work passing the Hire More Heroes Act, which helps small businesses grow and veterans get jobs by excluding veterans from the employer mandate threshold if they already have health care through TRICARE or the VA.

 "Ultimately, we will only be able to fix our broken health care system by repealing and replacing Obamacare. But until then, this bill makes a fix now that will help our heroes who have served our country from a particularly harmful part of this failed law.

 "This week also marked the announcement of my nominations to the United States Service Academies.  I submitted one principal nominee for each academy, as well as a series of alternates. These fine young men and women make our community proud, and I congratulate each of them in their pursuit of becoming future leaders in our Armed Services.

 "We ended the week by passing a bill to restore the 40-hour workweek destroyed by Obamacare, and approving the Keystone pipeline. Today, Nebraska’s Supreme Court ruled that the governor had the authority to approve the pipeline, removing the last legal obstacle stopping Keystone from being built. Now the only thing in the way of Keystone is President Obama.With 42,000 American jobs, strengthened ties with our ally Canada, and increased North American energy independence all on the line, I hope the President will put away his veto pen and finally approve this critical infrastructure project.

 "But some of the biggest news for our community this week came on Tuesday, when Governor Jerry Brown broke ground on California’s already over-priced and under-performing high-speed rail project. As the costs of this project have continued to rise and the promised benefits began to unravel, even some of the project’s most ardent supporters are now opposed to it.  And now, Sacramento is forcing the good people of California to write a blank check for a project that has already failed to meet its promised speed and may never get done.

 "This week I renewed my commitment that no federal money would be spent on this unworkable project. Now, Governor Brown should listen to the people of California, scrap this high-speed rail plan, and protect California taxpayers.