Congressman Charlie Melancon speaks
on the issues that matter most in Louisiana
I grew up in South Louisiana, and I stayed here to raise my family. I think South Louisiana is a great place to live because of our values and sense of community. As your Congressman, I am working hard to keep our towns and communities strong, so that our young people will want to settle and raise their families here, too.
Hurricane Recovery
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were the worst natural disasters in our nation’s history, killing thousands and forcing millions more from their homes. Entire communities have been wiped out.
I joined first responders in coordinating supplies down the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge to New Orleans and from the west bank to the inaccessible east bank. I went out in boats with courageous Louisianans working to care for and evacuate the thousands still stranded after the storms.
We must ask tough questions about the health of our infrastructure and emergency response capabilities. We now realize that coastal restoration projects matter not just for commerce, but safety. Hurricane protection projects and levee support and restoration projects carry with them life-saving consequences. We have always known these things along the Gulf Coast. Resources for these crucial projects are essential, and I have fought hard in Congress for our fair share of offshore drilling royalties.
I have cosponsored and voted for legislation bringing hundreds of millions of dollars to help Louisiana families devastated by the hurricanes and rebuilding communities but we still have a lot of work to do. I will continue to press the federal government to fulfill its commitment to helping Louisiana rebuild bigger and better than ever.
I continue to work on hurricane recovery and protection as much now as I did a year ago. I won’t rest until we have the coastal restoration funds we need to ensure the safety of every family that wants to come home and rebuild, as well as completion of a comprehensive coastal restoration and hurricane protection system to protect our citizens and industry across South Louisiana.
Restoring Louisiana’s Coast through Offshore Revenue Sharing
Like most Louisianians, I understand the tremendous effect the loss of our coastal wetlands and barrier islands has had on hurricane protection for the people who live in south Louisiana, as well as the impact on our nation’s oil and gas infrastructure and our ports and seafood industry. Unfortunately, it has taken skyrocketing gas prices and two of our nation’s most devastating natural disasters – Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita – to bring this issue to the forefront in the U.S. Congress.
This year I joined several leaders in the House in sponsoring legislation that would give Louisiana and other coastal energy-producing states our fair share of offshore oil and gas royalties so we can start restoring our coast and building a comprehensive hurricane protection system. Currently, Louisiana receives only a small percentage of the $6 to $8 billion in royalties the federal treasury accrues every year from drilling in federal waters, despite the fact that Louisiana must shoulder the burden of environmental damage, including an eroding coastline, and the cost of infrastructure (ports, highways, etc) that result from the state’s support for this industry. A comprehensive hurricane protection and coastal restoration system in Louisiana would serve to protect the infrastructure that supports 30% of the oil and 25% of the natural gas consumed in the US, as well as 30% of the nation’s total commercial fishing landings.
In addition to securing billions of dollars in new funding for Louisiana’s coastal restoration and hurricane protection systems, this legislation also provides new opportunities for gas and oil drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf, lowering energy costs, increasing domestic energy production and reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil.
Military and National Security
I strongly support our troops and have consistently voted to support them. Our brave men and women in uniform honor our country with their service, and many of them have made the ultimate sacrifice these last three years. While I agree with the President that we must complete the job in Iraq, I also believe we must also bring the troops home to their families as soon as possible. I am also concerned that important needs are not being met here at home because of the billions of dollars being spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
However, until the day comes that we can safely withdraw from these conflicts, we must support our troops by giving them the body armor and other equipment they need to protect themselves and get the job done. In Congress, I have consistently voted in favor of funding for our troops and will continue to do so.
I also believe it is very important that we support our veterans when they return home and honor the promises we made to them when they signed up for service. In Congress, I supported legislation to re-open the Veterans Medical Center in New Orleans, which was closed due to extensive damage caused by Katrina. I also sponsored an amendment to fund a VA program to research and provide prosthetic limbs to wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
I will continue to fight in Congress to make sure our men and women in uniform have the adequate tools they need finish the job in Iraq and Afghanistan and have the benefits they were promised when they return home.
Family Values
I understand and share the concerns of many Americans who want to limit the definition of “marriage” to the union between a man and woman. For this reason, I supported the Marriage Protection Amendment.
I am also strongly pro-life, and have worked in Congress to reduce abortion in this country. I partnered with Democrats for Life of America and several of my colleagues in Congress in sponsoring bipartisan legislation that would provide many vulnerable women with the support and information they need to choose life for their unborn children.
Education
I believe that high standards of accountability in education are important, but unless we provide the necessary resources, our students and schools are going to continue falling short of these new standards. I know many teachers, school administrators, and parents in South Louisiana are frustrated by the No Child Left Behind law because it raises the bar on learning by a substantial margin without providing schools with the money or other tools they need to help students achieve more.
I am deeply concerned that the Bush Administration has not only forced an unfunded mandate on our schools, but also focused on applying one-size-fits-all standards at the expense of doing a better job educating our children, the future leaders of our country. Now we must work together to remedy the hand we’ve been dealt and move forward.
Balancing the Federal Budget
I strongly support a balanced budget. I believe that pork-barrel spending not only hurts our fiscal integrity, it wastes money that could be used for more urgent needs, like hurricane recovery and protection. Our runaway spending and growing deficit led me to join the Blue Dog Coalition in Congress a group of moderate and conservative Democrats who are committed to fiscal responsibility and a balanced budget. I am committed to eliminating deficit-spending and using taxpayer dollars more wisely.
Tax Relief
Tax relief for middle class families will strengthen our economy and help so many Louisianians who work hard and play by the rules. I have voted in Congress to reduce taxes for the middle class and support eliminating the death tax. I believe our country needs a fiscally responsible tax policy that both rewards success and takes care of our needs. I will not support tax cuts that overwhelmingly benefit the super-wealthy at the expense of our armed forces, schools, health care system, veterans, senior citizens, hurricane protection and other vital needs. This is not good for our economy or our country.
Social Security Reform
Ensuring the long-term solvency of the Social Security program is an absolute necessity. However, I am strongly opposed to the President’s plan to privatize Social Security. Not only would this plan threaten the stability of Social Security, the cost of transitioning citizens to private accounts would add trillions of dollars to our national debt. Since private accounts would need to be funded out of the same pool of money that pays current Social Security benefits, there would be fewer resources available to pay benefits to current retirees. This shortfall would reduce benefits for people who will retire during the transition from the current system to the private accounts system.
Social Security is a good program that has provided a safety net for older Americans for decades. We don’t need to change the system – we need to protect it from raids by legislators looking for extra dollars.
Immigration
I am concerned about border security and granting blanket amnesty to illegal immigrants. During this time of uncertainty it is essential that we secure our borders to protect American jobs and keep us safe from potential terrorist attacks. I am committed to creating an immigration policy that will help, rather than hurt, our citizens and industries. In Congress, I have voted for legislation to secure our borders, better enforce our immigration laws and stop illegal immigration.
Healthcare
Today, our rural communities are struggling because of lack of access to affordable healthcare. I’ve lived most of my life in the small town of Napoleonville, Louisiana, and my family and I have experienced firsthand these challenges. Hospitals are few and far between, and people who are disabled, or extremely sick, or lack reliable transportation have trouble getting to see a doctor. Under-funded hospitals have trouble purchasing new equipment and technology. Independent pharmacies struggle to pay the bills because Medicare takes too long to reimburse them. Communities have a severe shortage of healthcare providers because the hospitals can’t pay doctors and nurses competitive wages. In Congress, I have supported legislation to improve the affordability, accessibility, and availability of rural health care.
Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage
One of our greatest healthcare challenges as a nation is to ensure senior citizens can afford the prescription drugs they so critically need. Since the Medicare prescription drug benefit program was introduced, my staff and I have worked to help seniors register for the Medicare prescription drug benefit. I have also co-sponsored several bills to improve access to affordable drugs under Medicare Part D (H.R. 3861, H.R. 4737, H.R. 376) There is still much work to be done, but I am proud so many of Louisiana’s seniors finally have prescription drug coverage.
Second Amendment Rights
I grew up in South Louisiana and I have been around guns all my life. The National Rifle Association has given me an “A” rating for my voting record. I remember how proud I was of my son, Seph, when I taught him how to shoot, and we still enjoy duck hunting together as father and son. I am looking forward to sharing these same experiences with my new grandson. I feel blessed to live in a state known as “the Sportsman’s Paradise.” As an avid sportsman and Second Amendment advocate, I pledge to protect our Constitutional liberties and the natural resources that make South Louisiana a great place to live.
