On the House Floor
This week, the House passed two Fiscal Year 2008 spending bills covering transportation, law enforcement, commerce, and science. These bills include initiatives which I sponsored to fund several local projects, including the Lincoln Bypass on Highway 65, the Dorsey Drive Interchange in Nevada County, and a Law Enforcement Communication Upgrade for Placer County.
The House also passed the Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007, which reauthorizes our nation’s agriculture policy for the next five years. Unfortunately, this bill contained a last-minute tax increase of over $4 billion by the Democrats, which will affect over five million American jobs. Finally, the House approved the conference report of H.R. 1, the Improving America’s Security Act of 2007, a bill to implement many of the recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission.
Putting Security First
As the House and Senate sought to complete consideration this week of a final version of H.R. 1, Democrats held firm in their opposition to language authored by former Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King (R-NY). The measure, which I supported, protects innocent American travelers who report potential terrorist activity by shielding them against frivolous lawsuits. This provision was in response to widespread public outrage after the Council on American-Islamic Relations filed a lawsuit on behalf of six imams who were removed from a US Airways flight last November over allegations of suspicious activity. Democrats opposed the inclusion of this provision, and in doing so attempted to create loopholes which would have permitted suing at the state and local levels, and would have forced citizens to make an instantaneous decision whether suspected activity was criminal or terrorist in nature. As the Washington Times expressed in a July 25th editorial, “No person who finds him or herself in the shoes of the heroic tipster who foiled May’s Fort Dix terror plot should risk a lawsuit for doing the right thing.” Ultimately, the Democrats realized their position was unwinnable, and today the House voted on the final conference report of H.R. 1, which included this important provision that puts our security first. The War on Terror is one of the greatest challenges our nation has ever faced, and Democrats should not stand in the way of reforms that will make our country safer.
More Broken Promises
This week, House Democrats entered a new realm of partisanship, breaking yet another promise made to the American people last November. On three important issues - agriculture policy, county payments, and children’s health care, Republicans were completely shut out of the process, resulting in misguided legislation that raises taxes and moves our country in the wrong direction. After six years of bipartisan cooperation in attempting to reauthorize the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act, Democrats recently closed the door to Republicans and offered a proposal that will raise commercial use fees on public lands. After reporting a bipartisan farm bill out of the Agriculture Committee, Democrats inserted a massive tax increase at the last moment, sacrificing the support of a large number of Republicans who would have otherwise supported the policies in that bill. And finally this week, Democrats unveiled a 465-page bill to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, which cuts popular Medicare programs and – once again – raises taxes, while only giving Republicans less than a day to review it. House Republicans are united in our opposition to allowing Democrats to ignore the voices of our constituents, and we will continue to oppose the Democrats’ misguided policies and the partisan process they represent.
Quote of the Week
“Like a lot of things around here, if you don’t get your way you kind of throw a tantrum sometimes.’ – Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, apologizing for comments he made when he was unable to get agreement on a border security amendment to the Homeland Security spending bill. – July 25, 2007.
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