On the House Floor
This week, the House passed H.R. 3074, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2008, which contains funding for local transportation projects. The House also passed H.R. 3915, the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act and H.R. 1429, the Head Start for School Readiness Act. Finally, the House voted to sustain the President’s veto of H.R. 3043, the Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Act, because it contained nearly $10 billion in spending not requested by the Administration.
Our Votes Should Matter
Recently, New York Governor Elliot Spitzer announced plans to issue drivers licenses to illegal immigrants. This decision raised serious concerns over matters related to national security, since terrorists are well versed in our immigration laws and how to exploit loopholes to remain in the U.S., such as acquiring identification documents. In fact, the 9/11 terrorists obtained a total of 28 state-issued identification documents or drivers licenses. The national security implications of this plan are indeed troublesome, but in addition to threatening our security, providing illegal immigrants with drivers licenses threatens our right to vote. Since the Motor Voter Act was passed in 1993, a person can register to vote simply by checking a box while applying for a license at the Department of Motor Vehicles, without having to demonstrate he is a citizen. In 1996, Congress enacted the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, making it a federal crime for non-citizens to vote in any federal election. However, while there are many documented reports of non-citizen voting, there is no evidence of prosecution of the aliens for their action.
By casting an illegal vote, illegal immigrants cancel out the votes of American citizens, depriving us of the constitutional right to choose our leaders. Therefore, I have introduced H.R. 481, the Federal Election Integrity Act, which would prevent illegal immigrants from voting in our elections. This bill would require voters to present a photo identification that proves both their identity and citizenship. If enacted, this legislation would significantly enhance the integrity of our elections, protecting against many forms of voter fraud.
The Check is Not in the Mail
Last week, the House passed a bill that would prevent the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) from affecting over 20 million taxpayers in 2008. However, Democrats included in this legislation – designed to prevent a tax increase – several new taxes! For that reason, the President has promised to veto the bill. It is likely that Congress will eventually pass legislation providing the AMT relief without the added tax increases, but the delay caused by passing a bill which had no chance to become law will have real consequences for taxpayers. Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson recently warned Congress that if middle-class taxpayers were not protected from the AMT by today, November 16, 2007, Internal Revenue Service tax forms would be printed under the assumption that some 21 million additional taxpayers would be forced to pay the AMT. By missing this deadline, 50 million taxpayers who typically receive tax refunds – money they use to pay off credit card debt from extra holiday expenses or to make summer vacation plans – will have their tax returns delayed. There is nearly unanimous support for protecting these additional taxpayers from the AMT, yet now they may still be penalized because the new majority in the House insisted on using this relief as a vehicle for new taxes.
Quote of the Week
“Obstructing a war is easy; fighting one, not so easy.” New York Post Editorial, 11/9/2007, commenting on the decision by Democrat leaders to include mandatory withdrawal dates in a bill to provide funding to our soldiers in Iraq. The House approved the bill, H.R. 4156, on Thursday, but the President has promised to veto it if approved by the Senate.
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