Hometown Press: Chattanoogan.com: U.S. Congressman Zach Wamp : 3rd District Of Tennessee

Wamp Outlines Plan For Rebuilding GOP
November 14 – Congressman Zach Wamp outlined his recommended "first steps for the comeback of the GOP" as House Republicans prepare for the next Congress and working with the Obama Administration. He said, “Our first steps should include laying out policies to bring about bipartisan compromises on major issues in the areas of energy, healthcare and the economy.”
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Oak Ridge's Supercomputer Is World's Fastest For Research
November 10 – The upgrade to the Cray XT Jaguar supercomputer at the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) makes it the world’s fastest system available to open, unclassified research. Rep. Zach Wamp said, “Our nation’s top scientists will now be able to accomplish in hours the same world class research that previously took months to finish. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory has once again proven it can consistently complete major projects on time, on budget and exceed its original performance goals. The science accomplished in Oak Ridge will ultimately produce more and better American jobs, advanced consumer products and will dramatically increase our country’s scientific leadership around the world.”
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Wamp says rescue plan should not pay for executive bonuses
October 29 – Congressman Zach Wamp said he "strongly agrees with many taxpayers that financial institutions receiving government aid should be prevented from using one penny of taxpayer dollars for executive bonuses." He said the intent of the plan "was to help thaw frozen credit markets and restore confidence through increased lending.”
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Our Economy Needs A Real Energy Bill
September 16 – One issue is burning in the American public like no other issue, and that is the cost of energy. While the American people continue to suffer at the gas pump, House Democrats have decided to bring a so called “energy” bill to the floor that does not do enough to increase our domestic supply of energy now.
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TN valley corridor leads south to transportation future
August 15 – The United States consumes and imports more oil than any other country. Of course, we also output a gross domestic product like no other, so it is essential that we push for technological advancement to maintain our competitiveness. From transportation to energy, the Tennessee Valley Corridor is providing national leadership to keep America at the forefront of innovation.
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No one easy solution to oil crisis
August 12 – What’s the answer to the oil crisis currently facing Americans? Rep. Zach Wamp asked members of the Kiwanis Club of Chattanooga. Lifting the ban on off-shore oil drilling? Finding renewable energy sources? Or conservation? “All of the above,” the Congressman said, repeating a theme he has been promoting for months.
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Officials would like to secure 30 more acres for National Cemetery
August 11 – "As long as we are putting our service members in harm's way, we owe it to them to have space available at our National Cemetery," Rep. Zach Wamp said during a tour of the historic cemetery. Congressman Wamp said the National Cemetery has enough property to provide burial spaces through 2046, but he wants to see it expanded further.
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Wamp says Chickamauga Lock replacement project cofferdam on budget
August 11 – Rep. Zach Wamp said that the cofferdam portion of the Chickamauga Lock replacement project is on budget. Once the cofferdam has been installed in the work area, water will be pumped out so that the riverbed is exposed, Rep. Wamp said. That will provide workers with a dry environment in which they can build a new, significantly larger Chickamauga Lock through which more barges can pass.
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VW National Hydrogen Road Tour will have Chattanooga stop
August 11 – Volkswagen’s Hydrogen Fuel Cell concept vehicle, the HyMotion Tiguan, will travel as part of the National Hydrogen Road Tour. There will be a Chattanooga stop. “Advanced transportation rolling into Chattanooga on the heels of Volkswagen’s historic announcement bodes well for the Tennessee Valley Technology Corridor. The vehicles of the future will be built right here in our region as we lead our nation to greater efficiency and sustainability,” said Congressman Wamp.
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Wamp backs bill with "all of the above" energy approach
July 23 – Saying he was continuing his “all of the above” energy approach, Congressman Zach Wamp joined a number of fellow House Republicans to introduce the American Energy Act, which he called "a comprehensive plan to help lower gas prices and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.”
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Wamp responds to Presdient's lifting of off-shore drilling ban
July 14 – “President Bush has made the right decision to lift the executive ban on off-shore energy exploration on the OCS, but now Congress needs to act to remove its moratorium,” said Rep. Zach Wamp.
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Promoting new technology to reduce energy consumption
July 11 – Rep. Zach Wamp and Rep. Zoe Lofgren introduced legislation to authorize the House of Representatives to carry out a series of demonstration projects that would promote the use of new and innovative technology to reduce energy consumption, promote energy efficiency and trim costs in House operations.
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Whirlpool adding 500 jobs at Cleveland
July 10 – Whirlpool Corporation announced it will add approximately 500 jobs to its operations in Cleveland. Rep. Zach Wamp praised the move, saying, “Whirlpool’s decision to grow its manufacturing operations in Cleveland recognizes the high-quality workforce and the local leadership.”
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Supply and demand
June 16 – We can only help lower the price of gasoline by implementing an all-of-the-above approach that increases American-made energy, decreases our dependence on foreign oil and creates jobs here at home in the process. The world needs to see us proactively moving toward energy independence, and the best way we can do it is to deploy the technologies and capitalize on our free-enterprise system to solve these problems. We must continue to invest in next generation vehicles to decrease our petroleum consumption.
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The situation in Iraq is improving
June 5 – With the upcoming presidential race and the high cost of energy dominating recent headlines, it has been hard to find much coverage of the good news coming from Iraq. But evidence abounds that shows the surge is working.
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When the going gets tough
May 20 – My high school basketball coach used to say, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” That battle cry should be our mantra as the leaders of the

United States of America

at this critical moment in history.
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Wamp backing Clean Energy Tax Stimulus Act
May 9 – Congressman Zach Wamp and 34 of his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives introduced the Clean Energy Tax Stimulus Act of 2008. “Our tax policy ought to encourage long term investment in new energy technologies without raising taxes,” said Congressman Wamp. “Extension of these tax incentives is pro-growth and pro-America. Reliable energy technology policies will lead to economic benefits for our country by creating new jobs and growing the manufacturing sector here at home while increasing revenue.”
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Modernized GI Bill is long overdue
April 24 – After World War II, our country offered education assistance to returning veterans. Today, education benefits are administered under the Montgomery GI Bill, which was last updated in 1984. At that time, the average public college tuition cost about $1,250 per year. A lot has changed since 1984. Tuition averages $5,800 per school year today, and we are also asking more from our military now than any other time in history. Clearly, it is time to modernize the GI Bill.
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Erlanger partnership receives $2.3 million Medicaid grant
April 24 – U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp praised the announcement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that a partnership between Erlanger Health System, Blue Care and TennCare Select will receive $2.3 million over the next two years in federal grant funding to improve access to non-emergency medical care for Medicaid beneficiaries. “It is critical to relieve the overcrowding of emergency rooms and still provide patients, especially in rural and underserved areas, with the primary medical care they need," said Rep. Wamp.
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Hunter Lindberg of Ooltewah chosen Tourette Syndrome ambassador
April 11 – Congressman Zach Wamp honored 14-year-old Hunter Lindberg of Ooltewah, who has been chosen as a Tourette Syndrome Association Youth Ambassador. Rep. Wamp said he wanted to spotlight Hunter’s selection as the first Youth Ambassador for the state of Tennessee. He said, "Although there have been some significant advances in the scientific understanding of Tourette Syndrome in the last few years, there is still a long way to go to meet the challenges posed by the disorder."
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Wamp hears future direction of Army at hearing
April 9 – At a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs hearing, Congressman Zach Wamp heard testimony on the quality of life in the U.S. Army and details on the Army’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2009.
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Cleveland gets flood protection grant
March 18 – The city of Cleveland has been awarded a $1.39 million grant to complete the second phase of a flood mitigation project. “The construction of these two detention ponds will relieve much of the frequent flooding in the downtown business district and residential communities of Cleveland,” said Congressman Zach Wamp.
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Wamp backs move to force vote on border security bill
March 12 – Congressman Zach Wamp said he is working to force a vote on a border security bill. The Secure America with Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act is a bipartisan plan to stop illegal immigration by securing America’s borders, expanding employer verification of workers and strengthening interior enforcement, he said.
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Wamp pushes physical activity guidelines
March 12 – Recent studies indicate that more than 150 million Americans over the age of 20 are either overweight or obese. By 2010, it is estimated that 20 percent of children in the United States will be obese.
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Rising cost of prescription drugs
February 26 – Congressman Zach Wamp issued a statement to address the Medicare Prescription Drug Program: “One of the major concerns I had about the Medicare prescription drug benefit when I opposed it in 2003 was that Medicare costs were already soaring.”
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Wamp named ranking republican to military panel
January 30 – In his 11 years of service and leadership with the House Appropriations Committee, Congressman Zach Wamp has served on six of the 12 appropriations subcommittees. Now he will have the opportunity to take the lead on veterans’ issues through his new appointment as the top “ranking” Republican of the Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies.
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Wamp says Congress should pursue number of Bush initiatives
January 29 – Congressman Zach Wamp said, “My hope is that we can work together in Congress in a bipartisan manner to find solutions to some of the crucial problems facing our country outlined by the President in his speech. In particular, important issues that need to be addressed include finding a way to stimulate the struggling U.S. economy, permanently closing the loopholes in our intelligence laws, moving forward in Iraq and making sweeping reforms to the earmarking process in Congress."
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Wamp welcomes March for Life participants
January 22 – Congressman Wamp issued this statement about this year’s March for Life: “The most vulnerable members of our society are the unborn. An estimated 40 million innocent unborn human lives have ended. We mourn for these lives.”
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Wamp recognizes Religious Freedom Day
January 15 – Rep. Zach Wamp made this statement about Religious Freedom Day: "Experts warn us that because religious freedom has been in such decline around the world over the last 15 years that an 'Armageddon-type event' could happen as a result of intolerance and religious division."
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