Congressman Messmer highlights bipartisan achievements, tax concerns in Washington update

Congressman Mark Messmer reported on his activities representing the 8th District during the Jasper Chamber of Commerce’s second Legislative Breakfast on Saturday.

Mr. Messmer was an unexpected guest during the event, which the chamber holds twice each Indiana legislative session. You can see the story on comments from the attending state legislators here.

Messmer noted Congress has passed 56 bills or resolutions this session with approximately 95% receiving bipartisan support, challenging the perception that federal lawmakers are constantly at odds.

Among his initiatives is House Resolution 1018, which was amended into a larger bill requiring foreign adversaries that donate to American colleges and universities to report their transactions. The legislation lowers the reporting threshold from $250,000 to $50,000, mirroring a state-level bill he previously carried.

“My bill that got amended into it required the Department of Education to retroactively share all information and reports from foreign funding sources to our colleges, and then in three years recommend how to improve the coordination enforcement,” he explains.

The congressman also introduced House Bill 1238, which authorizes the president to use letters of marque and reprisal against drug cartels that have been classified as terrorist organizations.

“This will allow them to seize the assets of the drug cartels, either on water or on land, and work with private companies to contract with them to help impound assets of cartel members,” he said.

A third bill, House Resolution 15, addresses energy efficiency standards for commercial water heaters. Messmer criticized a Department of Energy rule requiring 96% efficient water heaters by October 2026, noting these units only achieve that efficiency at water temperatures too low for commercial use.

“When you get to 140, 150, 160 degree water temperature, the operating efficiency of these commercial high efficiency water heaters is 86%,” he explains. “You’re going to require tens of millions of these to be replaced with a product that costs two to three times the amount to put in to save a very small sliver.”

Messmer co-sponsored several other bills, including House Resolution 1028, which according to him, protects women in Olympic and amateur sports by keeping men from competing in women’s sports. It is similar to a law passed in Indiana three years ago.

“We just don’t need men participating in women’s sports. It’s that simple,” he stated.

He also co-sponsored House Joint Resolution 12, a constitutional amendment that would implement term limits of three terms for House members and two for Senate members.

The first bill signed into law this session was the Laken Riley Act (HB 29), which requires immediate deportation of illegal aliens who commit violent crimes or cause another person’s death.

“The first illegal alien deported because of that law was in Indiana,” the congressman noted. “He had a traffic accident. He was an illegal alien driving without a license, caused a wreck. A person was killed in the wreck and he was deported.”

Messmer also voted for repealing several energy efficiency mandates implemented during the Biden administration, including regulations on washing machines, kitchen stoves, and water heaters.

House Resolution 14, passed in February, sets the stage for extending the 2017 Jobs and Tax Cut Act provisions. Without the extension, the congressman warned families could face an average tax increase of $4,000. It also protects small businesses facing potential tax increases as well, according to Messmer.

The resolution also requires congressional committees to identify $1.5 trillion in spending cuts over 10 years, with a goal of reaching $2 trillion. The Energy and Commerce Committee must find $880 billion in cuts, while other committees have smaller targets.

Messmer refuted claims that Republicans want to cut Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, though he acknowledges potential changes to Medicaid reimbursement rates. He explained that reimbursement rates, which now stand at 90% for able-bodied individuals between 18 and 54 years old, will be stair-stepped down to 70%.

“No one in Indiana will get kicked off of Medicaid. The state would make that decision, not the federal government,” he assured.

During his overview, Messmer emphasized the need to address the national debt, warning of serious consequences if action isn’t taken.

“We can’t sustain the level of debt this country has accumulated,” he said. “Our kids are going to be in a heap of trouble because those bills get paid by one of two ways – extremely higher tax rates or runaway inflation.”

Other legislation he supported includes the Protecting American Energy Petroleum Act, which would prevent EPA restrictions on fracking without congressional approval, and the All Lethal Traffic Fentanyl Act, which maintains fentanyl’s classification as a controlled substance.

Messmer also voted for the Born Alive Act, requiring medical personnel to help children who survive failed abortions.