I owe our man in Washington, Representative Andy “Handgun” Harris, something of an apology. Periodically, I have accused him of not letting first District Voters know what he is up to. That has been frustrating. I want to know why Harris was at a December 2021 White House meeting where strategies to set aside the 2020 presidential election were discussed. Explanations for some of his other activities in Washington have also been nonexistent, or nearly so. For these reasons I have said that Harris is more interested in representing Trump in Congress than his constituents.
Last week I received Harris’ latest newsletter, addressed to “Dear Friend.” It includes a short report on the start of the 118th Congress. It is worth a look. You can sign up for Harris’ newsletter on his official website. My comments here focus on parts of the report that are troubling.
Harris tells us, “Republicans in the House of Representatives began the legislative year by reining in Biden’s reckless policies, opening up the People’s House, and delivering on our promises to the American people.” I wouldn’t put it quite that way. My introduction would be, “Republicans began the legislative year by wasting the time of the House of Representatives by passing legislation with no chance of enactment (given a Democrat-controlled Senate and President Biden’s veto pen) and passing rules changes that will make the House of Representatives less efficient and arguably more dysfunctional for the next two years.”
Harris’ statement that Republicans have “delivered on promises” is curious. Nothing has been delivered other than the empowerment of the fringe group of Republicans sometimes referred to as the Lunatic Caucus, members of which include Matt Gaetz, gun-loving Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene, the right-wing dentist Paul Gosar, and a dozen more MAGA Republicans. Harris is a member of this group but keeps his head down. He’s too smart to go on Fox News and tell African Americans they should like Confederate monuments because they are reminders of “how far they have come.”
Here are some of the things that, Harris boasts, Republicans have done in the first two months of Congress:
- Passed the 118th Congress Rules Package creating the most open, transparent, and accountable House Rules in at least two generations.
The rules package facilitates the ability of fringe groups and minorities in Congress, such as members of the right-wing Freedom Caucus, to slow down legislation and demand meaningless “message” votes. Experts expect the 118th Congress will be the least productive in recent history. Sadly, that is the real intent of the Republican rules package—to prevent government from functioning.
- Passed The Family and Small Business Taxpayer Protection Act, which defunds Joe Biden’s army of 87,000 new IRS agents and sends a clear message that we will not allow the Biden administration to continue to target middle-class Americans.
Harris doesn’t tell us that this bill has zero chance of enactment. And Harris knows as well as the rest of us that the “87,000 new IRS agents” authorized in legislation last year are not intended to target middle-class Americans. The agents would improve customer service (answering phones, delivering competent answers to tax questions asked, etc.) and crack down on tax cheating. President Biden has promised not to increase taxes on middle-class Americans, so why should the middle class fear a modernized IRS focused on getting people and corporations to pay already authorized taxes?
- Established a committee to investigate weaponizing the federal government.
First, it should be noted that the Republicans established a “select subcommittee” of the House Judiciary Committee to investigate “weaponization.” Chairman Jim Jordan plans to use the subcommittee to stage political theater, to disrupt on-going investigations of Trump and others involved in the January 6 insurrection, and to otherwise undermine the ability of the executive branch to govern. I don’t remember First District voters asking Harris to support this type of nonsense, do you?
- Condemned attacks on pregnancy centers.
Attacks on pregnancy centers should be condemned. How about attacks on family planning centers? Dr. Harris doesn’t remind readers of his newsletter of his anti-abortion position.
- Passed a Resolution denouncing socialism in all its forms and opposing the implementation of socialist policies in the United States of America.
Do you know what “socialism in all its forms” is? I do not but I like social security and Medicare. And I wonder whether Harris would support a resolution denouncing fascism in all its forms and opposing the implementation of fascist policies in the United States of America?
In fairness to Harris, his list included two items that were not problematic for me, including the establishment of a Select Committee on China to investigate the Chinese Communist Party’s corrupting influence. I welcome Congress probing into what the Chinese are up to.
I have a few other nits to pick with Harris’ newsletter. First, it is ridiculous to blame President Biden for the increase in the cost of eggs. As a member of the House Chicken Caucus, Harris knows, or should know, that avian flu is wreaking havoc on the poultry industry. Secondly, Harris doesn’t address a few issues that are important to many of us in the First District. He offers no report on what he is doing to address climate change (unless you reference his call for a moratorium on offshore wind farms, which he supports out of the possibility it is contributing to whale deaths). He also doesn’t mention the war in Ukraine. Harris is co-chair of the Congressional Ukraine Caucus. On February 24, the Caucus issued a statement reiterating its full support of Ukraine, including providing military assistance. Harris should keep us informed of his leadership on this important issue. It is one of the few constructive things he is doing in Congress. I want to hear about it.
Andy Harris, please do not address me as “Dear Friend.” Until you divorce Donald Trump and start representing the First District, you will continue doing more harm than good in Congress.
J.E. Dean is a retired attorney and public affairs consultant writing on politics, government, and other subjects.
John Fischer says
“The Spy” is better than to continue publishing these predictable, partisan screeds.
Deirdre LaMotte says
Why do you say that? Harris was part of a group of elected officials trying to overturn a fair election. And this group violated their constitutional obligation to protect this nation from enemies both domestic and foreign. Harris failed and doubled down
and is now emboldened by a man who is Speaker of the House in title only. Yes, McCarthy went ballistic on Trump the day of the insurrection. But the love of power is curious. It is corrosive and eats away the concept of “right and wrong”. These anti-American freaks, with Putin’s help, run the House. So,
you have a problem with democracy? it seems many of your type do. Fortunately, your group is losing every election because people enjoy American values. Patriots do, anyway. If anything else, turn off Fox and the Right’s other megaphones
because you are being lied to and manipulated daily. Very sad indeed.
John Dean says
I’m not sure how to respond to your comment, so let me just thank you for reading the piece. I would welcome a comment that is not a “predictable, partisan screed” that explains how Harris is doing a good job representing the First District.
Mike Davis says
Thanks, Mr. Dean. I was going to respond to Andy’s email report that was written by someone unacquainted with the concept of truth, but I didn’t know where to begin.
And as much as I appreciate what you wrote, I’m sure you are aware it will never affect a viewpoint held by Andy. You cannot successfully converse with an irrational arrogant true-believer. Andy is probably no more capable of admitting error than is Trump.
But please keep writing. It is important that lies be addressed.
John Dean says
Thank you for reading the article. Call me naive, but I remain hopeful that Harris, like a growing number of other Repubicans, will leave Trump and take up the job of representing the First District.
Jerry McConnell says
I was surprised at the belligerence and animosity Harris’s letter conveyed. He’s not even pretending that he gives a crap about half of his constituency, while he’s setting up committees to investigate democrats and cancel social welfare programs.
I read his “letter” to say, “if you don’t like the way I’m representing you, go …. yourself.”
I reply to him in kind, but he’s apparently too busy practicing his quick draw to acknowledge my response…..I’ll keep trying, though.
John Dean says
Thanks for your comment. I read the newsletter the same way–that is what prompted me to write a column on it.
Robert Parker says
If I were to be in a conversation with Rep. Harris, I would ask where he stands on the impending Federal court case in Texas placing medications for medical abortions at risk. My question is not focused on his avowed objection to abortion, but rather focused on the attack of the FDA by non-governmental, non-medical plaintiffs. Does Rep Harris, a physician, believe it is appropriate to allow drug authorization to be challenged on grounds based on personal objection to their use and not on those metrics by which they were FDA approved – namely effectiveness and safety. Rep. Harris is quick to point out that he is a physician whenever the issue of abortion is raised, but his silence on this issue speaks of his denial of medical decision making. I too am a physician and I have a choice to prescribe any particular medication based on my assessment of its appropriateness for any specific patient; I would expect no less from any physician. If I believe that a medication is not safe, I don’t have to prescribe it. However, such a decision is based on specifics of that specific patient and should not be applied for all patients if the FDA has granted approval based on the available data. If Rep. Harris wants to continue to present himself as a physician, I would expect him to speak out against the current court hearing that would revoke FDA approval for mifepristone.
John Dean says
Thank you for raising this question. I would like to see Harris asked this question in a town hall meeting. Unfortunately, it is more likely that Harris will praise the Texas court decision (if he hasn’t already) than object to it.
Deirdre LaMotte says
Exactly. And mifepristone is safer than many over-the-counter-drugs. It’s safer than viagra.
This is nothing but control over women, nothing else. Abortions have been with us since
human existence and will continue, despite attempts by the creepy right wing.