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Wyden blocks Interior Department nominee
over funding for rural schools and roads
Senator vows to block future Administration
nominees
until there is an acceptable way to fund county payments
May
26, 2006
Washington, DC – U.S. Senator
Ron Wyden today placed a “hold” on the nomination
of David Bernhardt to become Solicitor for the Department of the
Interior — and vowed to block future Administration nominees
— until there is “an acceptable way to fully fund
county payments.” The county payments law provides vital
funding for rural schools, roads and county services across the
nation; Oregon counties will receive $1.6 billion in county payments
funding over the life of the original bill, which expires later
this year.
As a matter of policy, Wyden publicly
announces any holds or formal objection he lodges with regard
to nominees or legislation. The full text of Wyden’s statement
today is below:
Statement for the Record
U.S. Senator Ron Wyden
May 26, 2006
Mr. President, I rise today to attempt,
once again, to raise awareness of the plight of countless rural
communities due to the impending expiration of the "Secure
Rural Schools and County Self-Determination Act." I regret
that the lack of concern at the White House and the inertia in
Congress forces me to put a hold on David Bernhardt, the administration's
nominee for Interior Solicitor. It is time for everyone to focus
their attention on the needs of the more than 700 rural counties
in over 40 states who are depending on the reauthorization of
this county payments legislation.
Thus far, the Administration’s
solution to funding county payments is unacceptable. The county
payments law, which provides a stable revenue source for education,
roads and other county services in rural areas, is due to expire
at the end of this year. In early 2005, I co-authored a bipartisan
bill, S. 267, to reauthorize county payments for another seven
years. The bill has 26 Senate cosponsors. In February, the Administration
proposed reauthorizing the law for only five years while cutting
funding by 60 percent and funding that reduced portion with a
controversial Federal land sale scheme. In response, Senator Baucus
proposed a sensible, alternative funding source for county payments,
a proposal which I was pleased to cosponsor. Our legislation fully
funds county payments by ensuring that a portion of Federal taxes
are withheld from payments by the Federal government to government
contractors. The Federal government currently does not withhold
taxes when it pays government contractors. Recently, however,
over my objections, Congress approved a major tax bill that uses
the Baucus proposal to instead provide tax cuts for this country's
most fortunate few. This lack of regard for the historic obligations
of the federal government to rural counties severs a vitally important
funding lifeline to communities throughout the country.
I will hold this nominee -- and
many nominees coming after him, if need be -- until the Administration
finds an acceptable way to fund county payments. I ask unanimous
consent that my statement be printed in the record.
A major tax bill recently passed by Congress and
signed by the President used a funding provision — proposed
in March by Wyden and U.S. Senator Max Baucus (D-Mont.) as a full-funding
source for the rural county payments bill — to instead provide
additional capital gains and dividends tax cuts.
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