On the House Floor

This week, the House voted 253 to 168 to approve H.R. 6166, the Military Commissions Act, which will protect American troops and intelligence agents from harm and preserve their ability to effectively operate in the War on Terror.

This legislation creates a new judicial system to prosecute terrorists; provides basic fairness to allow terrorists the opportunity to mount a full defense; protects classified evidence from disclosure to accused terrorists and jurists if the disclosure of the information would be detrimental to national security; shields American troops from frivolous lawsuits brought by terrorists; and protects American troops and intelligence agents fighting terrorists by ensuring their identities will not be revealed. The congressionally-authorized military commissions system established in this bill fully conforms with Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions as well as all U.S. laws and treaty obligations. H.R. 6166, the product of thorough negotiations between the White House, Senate, and House, gives accused terrorists basic rights while ensuring American troops can continue to effectively fight terrorism. Our number one goal throughout this process has been to protect American troops and citizens from further harm.

Illegal Immigration

Last week, the House passed three measures that were developed after House Republicans held more than 20 field hearings focused on illegal immigration during the months of July and August. The Border Tunnel Prevention Act (HR 4830), which I co-sponsored, enacts criminal penalties for individuals who construct, finance, or use an unauthorized tunnel across a U.S. international border to smuggle aliens, contraband, drugs, weapons, or terrorists. (At least 39 tunnels along the U.S.-Mexico border have been discovered by authorities since the September 11th attacks.) The Community Protection Act (HR 6094) ensures that dangerous illegal immigrants who cannot be deported for a variety of reasons cannot likewise be released into society. Finally, the Immigration Law Enforcement Act (HR 6095) reaffirms the inherent authority of state and local law enforcement to voluntarily investigate, identify, apprehend, arrest, detain, and transfer to federal custody illegal immigrants in the U.S. in order to assist in the enforcement of the immigration laws. This bill will also close a loophole that currently prevents the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from placing illegal immigrants from El Salvador in expedited removal proceedings like other illegal immigrants. The loophole is due to an outdated injunction from the El Salvadoran civil war of the 1980s and currently requires DHS to treat illegal Salvadoran immigrants differently. This bill would allow DHS to end the ‘catch-and-release’ policy for all illegal immigrants, regardless of their national origin, and is particularly important given the rise of the extremely violent Salvadoran street gang MS13 in the U.S.

Tax Hike Agenda

On September 20th, Rep. Charlie Rangel told Bloomberg News that he “cannot think of one” of President Bush’s first-term tax cuts that merits renewal. What is so scary about this statement is that, should his party assume majority status, Rangel would ascend to the chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee, no doubt ending six years of tax cuts by the Republican-controlled Congress. What does this really mean for Americans of every socioeconomic level? It means that Rangel and his fellow Democrats want to repeal the child tax credit, marriage penalty relief, AMT relief, death tax relief, lower tax rates on capital gains and dividend income, work opportunity tax credit, tax free 529 accounts for college savings, saver’s credit, higher pension/IRA contribution limits, tax credits for hybrid vehicles, tax credits for alternative fuels, and charitable giving deductions. Not only would such a massive tax hike be an anchor to drag down individual households, but it would also douse the flames of sustained economic growth that naturally accompanied the Republican tax cuts. In short, it would be collective economic suicide.

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