
Decision Maker
U.S. House of Representatives

Decision Maker
U.S. House of Representatives

The Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v Wade strips women of their fundamental human right. It’s an attack on a woman’s right to control their own life and healthcare. This will impact Latinas, minorities, and vulnerable communities the most. I won’t sit quietly — I promise to continue the fight for reproductive rights and will protect women at every turn.
The Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v Wade strips women of their fundamental human right. It’s an attack on a woman’s right to control their own life and healthcare. This will impact Latinas, minorities, and vulnerable communities the most. I won’t sit quietly — I promise to continue the fight for reproductive rights and will protect women at every turn.

Dear petition signers, The Supreme Court decision is an affront to the liberty, autonomy, privacy, and dignity of all Americans, and of American women in particular. With this decision revoking rather than protecting rights for Americans, the Court has created a devastating and dangerous path forward that jeopardizes the health and undermines the equality of people across this country.
Dear petition signers, The Supreme Court decision is an affront to the liberty, autonomy, privacy, and dignity of all Americans, and of American women in particular. With this decision revoking rather than protecting rights for Americans, the Court has created a devastating and dangerous path forward that jeopardizes the health and undermines the equality of people across this country.

Dear petition signers, The Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization is wrong, and it endangers the health and safety of people in Texas and across the country. The impact of Texas Senate Bill 8 foreshadowed the dangerous consequences of the extreme abortion restrictions this ruling allows. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade forces women and girls to carry pregnancies that were conceived through rape and incest and empowers extremists to persecute people who suffer a miscarriage or high-risk pregnancy that threatens their life. I voted to protect reproductive freedom through the Women’s Health Protection Act, and my colleagues in the Senate need to act with urgency to do the same. Every American should have the freedom to decide when and how to start a family.
Dear petition signers, The Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization is wrong, and it endangers the health and safety of people in Texas and across the country. The impact of Texas Senate Bill 8 foreshadowed the dangerous consequences of the extreme abortion restrictions this ruling allows. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade forces women and girls to carry pregnancies that were conceived through rape and incest and empowers extremists to persecute people who suffer a miscarriage or high-risk pregnancy that threatens their life. I voted to protect reproductive freedom through the Women’s Health Protection Act, and my colleagues in the Senate need to act with urgency to do the same. Every American should have the freedom to decide when and how to start a family.

Many federal employees begin their careers in temporary positions before transitioning to permanent status—so we need to have their backs. This bill will ensure that all federal workers . . . have the opportunity to retire on time, regardless of how they started their careers.
Many federal employees begin their careers in temporary positions before transitioning to permanent status—so we need to have their backs. This bill will ensure that all federal workers . . . have the opportunity to retire on time, regardless of how they started their careers.


Two weeks ago, Congress managed to finally pass a spending bill to avoid another government shutdown. This bill was 3 months overdue, and we cannot wait for the next shutdown to hold Congress accountable. Every Member of Congress, “Solemnly swears [to] support and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Article I, Section 9, Clause 7 of the Constitution states that “No money shall be drawn from the Treasury but in consequence of Appropriations made by law.” This means that when each Member of Congress takes the oath of office, it is their Constitutional duty to ensure the government is open, funded, and running. So, when the government is shutdown in any manner, it means Congress is not doing their jobs. (Disclaimer: Congress has fully funded the government on time only four times since 1974!) The fact that Congress continuously has the same issue every year is shocking. Where else in America do employees get paid for not doing their job? The answer is easy – nowhere. If this is the standard across America, then it should also apply to Members of Congress. As it stands now, Members receive regular pay when federal workers, and thousands of Americans, have their pay withheld during a government shutdown. This is ridiculous. It is appalling that Members get paid when the government shuts down, and now is the time to bring a dose of reality to Washington. If we cannot do our jobs we have failed the American people and therefore have not earned our pay – plain and simple. There is bipartisan consensus that Congress should not be paid during a government shutdown, and now is the time to bring common-sense back to the legislative branch of government. Without common-sense and proper accountability, Congress will continue to fail to do its job and will always fail the American people.
Two weeks ago, Congress managed to finally pass a spending bill to avoid another government shutdown. This bill was 3 months overdue, and we cannot wait for the next shutdown to hold Congress accountable. Every Member of Congress, “Solemnly swears [to] support and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Article I, Section 9, Clause 7 of the Constitution states that “No money shall be drawn from the Treasury but in consequence of Appropriations made by law.” This means that when each Member of Congress takes the oath of office, it is their Constitutional duty to ensure the government is open, funded, and running. So, when the government is shutdown in any manner, it means Congress is not doing their jobs. (Disclaimer: Congress has fully funded the government on time only four times since 1974!) The fact that Congress continuously has the same issue every year is shocking. Where else in America do employees get paid for not doing their job? The answer is easy – nowhere. If this is the standard across America, then it should also apply to Members of Congress. As it stands now, Members receive regular pay when federal workers, and thousands of Americans, have their pay withheld during a government shutdown. This is ridiculous. It is appalling that Members get paid when the government shuts down, and now is the time to bring a dose of reality to Washington. If we cannot do our jobs we have failed the American people and therefore have not earned our pay – plain and simple. There is bipartisan consensus that Congress should not be paid during a government shutdown, and now is the time to bring common-sense back to the legislative branch of government. Without common-sense and proper accountability, Congress will continue to fail to do its job and will always fail the American people.


Two weeks ago, Congress managed to finally pass a spending bill to avoid another government shutdown. This bill was 3 months overdue, and we cannot wait for the next shutdown to hold Congress accountable. Every Member of Congress, “Solemnly swears [to] support and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Article I, Section 9, Clause 7 of the Constitution states that “No money shall be drawn from the Treasury but in consequence of Appropriations made by law.” This means that when each Member of Congress takes the oath of office, it is their Constitutional duty to ensure the government is open, funded, and running. So, when the government is shutdown in any manner, it means Congress is not doing their jobs. (Disclaimer: Congress has fully funded the government on time only four times since 1974!) The fact that Congress continuously has the same issue every year is shocking. Where else in America do employees get paid for not doing their job? The answer is easy – nowhere. If this is the standard across America, then it should also apply to Members of Congress. As it stands now, Members receive regular pay when federal workers, and thousands of Americans, have their pay withheld during a government shutdown. This is ridiculous. It is appalling that Members get paid when the government shuts down, and now is the time to bring a dose of reality to Washington. If we cannot do our jobs we have failed the American people and therefore have not earned our pay – plain and simple. There is bipartisan consensus that Congress should not be paid during a government shutdown, and now is the time to bring common-sense back to the legislative branch of government. Without common-sense and proper accountability, Congress will continue to fail to do its job and will always fail the American people.
Two weeks ago, Congress managed to finally pass a spending bill to avoid another government shutdown. This bill was 3 months overdue, and we cannot wait for the next shutdown to hold Congress accountable. Every Member of Congress, “Solemnly swears [to] support and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Article I, Section 9, Clause 7 of the Constitution states that “No money shall be drawn from the Treasury but in consequence of Appropriations made by law.” This means that when each Member of Congress takes the oath of office, it is their Constitutional duty to ensure the government is open, funded, and running. So, when the government is shutdown in any manner, it means Congress is not doing their jobs. (Disclaimer: Congress has fully funded the government on time only four times since 1974!) The fact that Congress continuously has the same issue every year is shocking. Where else in America do employees get paid for not doing their job? The answer is easy – nowhere. If this is the standard across America, then it should also apply to Members of Congress. As it stands now, Members receive regular pay when federal workers, and thousands of Americans, have their pay withheld during a government shutdown. This is ridiculous. It is appalling that Members get paid when the government shuts down, and now is the time to bring a dose of reality to Washington. If we cannot do our jobs we have failed the American people and therefore have not earned our pay – plain and simple. There is bipartisan consensus that Congress should not be paid during a government shutdown, and now is the time to bring common-sense back to the legislative branch of government. Without common-sense and proper accountability, Congress will continue to fail to do its job and will always fail the American people.


Thank you for sharing your thoughts about congressional pay during government shutdowns. You may be pleased to learn that I agree with you. In fact, when the partial government shutdown began in December, I immediately sent instructions to the Clerk of the House to halt my pay. The American people expect Congress to do its most basic job: pass a budget and fund the government. If we can’t, then we shouldn’t get paid. To ensure this is the standard, I introduced the No Work, No Pay Act of 2019 (H.R. 26). This bill would prohibit senators and representatives from being paid during periods when any Federal agency is shut down due to a lapse in funding appropriated by Congress. Republicans and Democrats need to come together and find an end to this government shutdown. Additionally, I believe we cannot continue to govern with continuing resolutions and short-term spending deals. I strongly believe it is an irresponsible way to govern and that we should focus on passing appropriations bills on time and through regular order. Before coming to Congress, I was the Mayor of Provo, Utah. I was proud that my city balanced our city’s budget every year. Washington should take note of states, like my home State of Utah, that do it right. Not only does the Utah Legislature pass a baseline budget at the beginning of each legislative session to avoid any state government shutdown threats, but they also responsibly balance the state’s budget every year. Utahns expect better from their elected representatives and I don’t intend to let them down. Once again, thank you for sharing your views with me on this important issue. Your input is an essential part of the decision-making process as I represent the interests of my constituents in Utah. Please feel free to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @RepJohnCurtis for updates on my work in Congress.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts about congressional pay during government shutdowns. You may be pleased to learn that I agree with you. In fact, when the partial government shutdown began in December, I immediately sent instructions to the Clerk of the House to halt my pay. The American people expect Congress to do its most basic job: pass a budget and fund the government. If we can’t, then we shouldn’t get paid. To ensure this is the standard, I introduced the No Work, No Pay Act of 2019 (H.R. 26). This bill would prohibit senators and representatives from being paid during periods when any Federal agency is shut down due to a lapse in funding appropriated by Congress. Republicans and Democrats need to come together and find an end to this government shutdown. Additionally, I believe we cannot continue to govern with continuing resolutions and short-term spending deals. I strongly believe it is an irresponsible way to govern and that we should focus on passing appropriations bills on time and through regular order. Before coming to Congress, I was the Mayor of Provo, Utah. I was proud that my city balanced our city’s budget every year. Washington should take note of states, like my home State of Utah, that do it right. Not only does the Utah Legislature pass a baseline budget at the beginning of each legislative session to avoid any state government shutdown threats, but they also responsibly balance the state’s budget every year. Utahns expect better from their elected representatives and I don’t intend to let them down. Once again, thank you for sharing your views with me on this important issue. Your input is an essential part of the decision-making process as I represent the interests of my constituents in Utah. Please feel free to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @RepJohnCurtis for updates on my work in Congress.

Thank you for your participation in the Change.org advocacy campaign regarding clean-up at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) site. I appreciate knowing of our shared commitment to clean-up the SSFL site and protect public health. Clean-up of this site is a high public health and safety priority, and my involvement with the clean-up goes back to my time in the California Assembly as a principal co-author of SB990, state legislation to require the full clean-up. It is vitally important that we hold all three responsible parties, the Department of Energy (DOE), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Boeing, to the highest standards that will fully protect the public health from harmful chemical and radionuclide contamination. As the state and federal environmental documents are prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), it is also critical that DOE, NASA, and DTSC continue to engage with the local community to ensure that local resident and stakeholder views are heard. Since coming to Congress, I have been constantly engaged in this issue with local stakeholders, DTSC, and the two responsible federal agencies, DOE and NASA. I have also been working to push Congress to appropriate the necessary funding for the NASA and DOE federally responsible areas of SSFL. While Boeing was successful through the courts in overturning SB990, the law that was intended to force a complete clean-up for the areas controlled by Boeing, NASA and DOE, DTSC still has an important role in ensuring the highest clean-up standard possible and I believe it would be in Boeing's best interest to work with not only DTSC, but the community and local elected leaders to ensure the highest level of clean-up. Please be assured that I will continue to be engaged in this process and that the time you took to express your views is extremely helpful as the process moves forward. Please be assured that I will also continue to work at the federal level to ensure a full clean-up of the SSFL site.
Thank you for your participation in the Change.org advocacy campaign regarding clean-up at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL) site. I appreciate knowing of our shared commitment to clean-up the SSFL site and protect public health. Clean-up of this site is a high public health and safety priority, and my involvement with the clean-up goes back to my time in the California Assembly as a principal co-author of SB990, state legislation to require the full clean-up. It is vitally important that we hold all three responsible parties, the Department of Energy (DOE), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and Boeing, to the highest standards that will fully protect the public health from harmful chemical and radionuclide contamination. As the state and federal environmental documents are prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), it is also critical that DOE, NASA, and DTSC continue to engage with the local community to ensure that local resident and stakeholder views are heard. Since coming to Congress, I have been constantly engaged in this issue with local stakeholders, DTSC, and the two responsible federal agencies, DOE and NASA. I have also been working to push Congress to appropriate the necessary funding for the NASA and DOE federally responsible areas of SSFL. While Boeing was successful through the courts in overturning SB990, the law that was intended to force a complete clean-up for the areas controlled by Boeing, NASA and DOE, DTSC still has an important role in ensuring the highest clean-up standard possible and I believe it would be in Boeing's best interest to work with not only DTSC, but the community and local elected leaders to ensure the highest level of clean-up. Please be assured that I will continue to be engaged in this process and that the time you took to express your views is extremely helpful as the process moves forward. Please be assured that I will also continue to work at the federal level to ensure a full clean-up of the SSFL site.


I would like to thank the White Coat Waste Project for starting this important petition, and the more than 100,000 citizens who have asked Congress to end unnecessary and cruel dog experimentation in government laboratories. Your voices are already making a difference, and this is going to be a priority for me in the 115th Congress. As a result of the outpouring of concern about this issue from my constituents and other Americans, I have initiated a bipartisan effort in Congress to investigate animal testing in government laboratories. As a first step, we have formally requested that the Government Accountability Office conduct an audit of what is being done to dogs and other animals in federal laboratories, what are the results, and what are the costs to taxpayers. As a member of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, I am especially concerned about the disturbing experiments on dogs being conducted at various VA facilities. Unfortunately, this is not the first time I have found that animal testing in government laboratories sometimes continues even when it is unnecessary. A few years ago, I discovered that a National Institutes of Health lab was subjecting infant monkeys to cruel psychological experiments. For more than 30 years, the multimillion-dollar studies involved traumatizing newborn monkeys by removing them from their mothers at birth and even addicting them to alcohol. After receiving requests from some of my colleagues and me -- and pleas from thousands of Americans -- the NIH ultimately agreed that these studies were not a judicious use of taxpayer resources and ended the project. I am very proud of this great victory for animals and taxpayers. But the ongoing experiments on animals demonstrate that there is still much more work to do. There are compelling scientific, humane, and economic reasons to end animal testing. There is inspiring work by Congress, federal agencies, and industry to replace old-fashioned animal testing with high-tech alternatives like “organs-on-a-chip” that are faster, cheaper, and more effective. We need to support and accelerate such efforts. Thank you for speaking out and urging Congress to take action to protect dogs, modernize science, and cut government waste. My colleagues and I are paying attention and working to swiftly address this pressing issue.
I would like to thank the White Coat Waste Project for starting this important petition, and the more than 100,000 citizens who have asked Congress to end unnecessary and cruel dog experimentation in government laboratories. Your voices are already making a difference, and this is going to be a priority for me in the 115th Congress. As a result of the outpouring of concern about this issue from my constituents and other Americans, I have initiated a bipartisan effort in Congress to investigate animal testing in government laboratories. As a first step, we have formally requested that the Government Accountability Office conduct an audit of what is being done to dogs and other animals in federal laboratories, what are the results, and what are the costs to taxpayers. As a member of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, I am especially concerned about the disturbing experiments on dogs being conducted at various VA facilities. Unfortunately, this is not the first time I have found that animal testing in government laboratories sometimes continues even when it is unnecessary. A few years ago, I discovered that a National Institutes of Health lab was subjecting infant monkeys to cruel psychological experiments. For more than 30 years, the multimillion-dollar studies involved traumatizing newborn monkeys by removing them from their mothers at birth and even addicting them to alcohol. After receiving requests from some of my colleagues and me -- and pleas from thousands of Americans -- the NIH ultimately agreed that these studies were not a judicious use of taxpayer resources and ended the project. I am very proud of this great victory for animals and taxpayers. But the ongoing experiments on animals demonstrate that there is still much more work to do. There are compelling scientific, humane, and economic reasons to end animal testing. There is inspiring work by Congress, federal agencies, and industry to replace old-fashioned animal testing with high-tech alternatives like “organs-on-a-chip” that are faster, cheaper, and more effective. We need to support and accelerate such efforts. Thank you for speaking out and urging Congress to take action to protect dogs, modernize science, and cut government waste. My colleagues and I are paying attention and working to swiftly address this pressing issue.

I want to thank the Miller family for the efforts they’ve made to make sure that the WASPs get the recognition they deserve. The WASPs risked their lives, defended our country, and broke barriers when they were called to serve at the height of World War Two. Some lost their lives. All played an equally valuable role alongside their male counterparts in the wartime effort. Yet WASPs did not receive military benefits after the war and now are unable to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. While the government has taken some steps toward giving the WASPs proper recognition and veterans benefits, decades later these heroic Americans are still being treated as second class citizens. I am pleased my colleagues on the committee supported this legislation and look forward to it passing the full U.S. House.
I want to thank the Miller family for the efforts they’ve made to make sure that the WASPs get the recognition they deserve. The WASPs risked their lives, defended our country, and broke barriers when they were called to serve at the height of World War Two. Some lost their lives. All played an equally valuable role alongside their male counterparts in the wartime effort. Yet WASPs did not receive military benefits after the war and now are unable to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. While the government has taken some steps toward giving the WASPs proper recognition and veterans benefits, decades later these heroic Americans are still being treated as second class citizens. I am pleased my colleagues on the committee supported this legislation and look forward to it passing the full U.S. House.