The Iraq War
Immigration
Energy and Fuel Economy
Global Warming
Veterans' Affairs
In November of 2007 the House again expressed its desire for more accountability in Iraq and for the redeployment of our troops. The action occurred as Congress considered legislation to provide the supplemental funding the President requested to continue the war in Iraq and Afghanistan this year. The House ultimately approved an increment of $50 billion, but we included three important and reasonable provisions requiring that: 1) the men and women of the military be fully trained and equipped prior to being deployed (subject to a waiver by the President); 2) that all Federal agencies comply with the Army field manual with respect to treatment of prisoners and prohibiting torture; and 3) that the Administration produce and implement a plan that would substantially redeploy our forces from Iraq, with a goal of completing this by the end of 2008. I joined 217 other members of the House of Representatives in voting to pass this legislation. Regrettably, after passage in the House, the Republican leaders in the Senate -- at the President’s urging – succeeded in blocking any consideration of the measure in the Senate.
Last Thanksgiving, I joined Chairman Jack Murtha and two other colleagues from the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee in traveling to Iraq and other sites in the region in order to obtain a current and first-hand assessment of the military and political situation. On our visit we were able to meet once again with several military and civilian leaders from the U.S. and Iraq, including General David Petraeus, Ambassador Ryan Crocker, and Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki. That trip confirmed several important points of information and reinforced some key conclusions about the situation. First, our men and women serving there are performing commendably in carrying out the policies and missions they have been given. Also, the sharp escalation in the number of troops deployed there has had an effect. It is clear that the levels of violence have been reduced noticeably, but it remains far from what I would describe as peaceful and secure. While there has been some modest improvement in the abilities of Iraqi security forces, they are far from becoming the effective professional force that the nascent government in Iraq needs to enforce its laws. Corruption continues to have a corrosive effect on many facets of the government and economy. And finally, but most importantly, it is clear that, even though the levels of violence have declined, there has been almost no progress in Iraq’s national government toward legislating and implementing the key reforms that are intended to achieve reconciliation among the ethnic, tribal and religious factions that make up Iraq’s population.
Our nation’s involvement in Iraq has cost far too much. It has cost the lives of over 4,000 men and women in our military. It has cost us many more thousands who have been seriously wounded both physically and psychologically. It has increased our nation's debt by at least $450 billion to date, with hundreds of billions more in future costs that will be incurred no matter how quickly we are able to extricate ourselves. It has cost us significantly in our military readiness and ability to respond to other national security threats. And it has cost us in international prestige that is so important to our ability to work with other countries around the world.
Thus I believe that it is important for the Congress to continue urging the Bush Administration to substantially disengage from our military commitment in Iraq and to turn the responsibility for governing and protecting Iraq to the Iraqis. The Bush Administration has indicated that it will continue to withdraw the additional troops that were sent last year as part of the escalation, but the President has stated his intent to pause this year before bringing any more of our military personnel home. I believe we need to continue a sustained withdrawal of U.S. troops, and I as the Vice-Chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I am continuing to work with my colleagues in the House advocate for a swifter withdrawal.
Estimates indicate that about 12 million illegal immigrants currently reside in our country and it is possible that up to a million more enter the U.S. illegally each year. Obviously this is a serious problem that requires immediate attention by Congress.
I agree with most Americans – that immigration reform must begin with strengthening our borders – and I support taking aggressive steps to gain operational control at our northern and southern borders. Although there was a general consensus in the last Congress that more border patrol agents, more detention space and more fencing and barriers were needed, the President and the leadership of Congress at the time failed to provide sufficient resources to meet the commitments made in the bill that enacted portions of the 9/11 Commission’s report. The contentious debate over funding border control programs has continued this year in Congress.
We have sought to increase funding to add 3,000 more Border Patrol agents, in line with the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, and to provide additional resources to accelerate the construction of the border fence and vehicle barriers on the southern border. A second necessary step toward addressing the immigration problem is the aggressive enforcement of existing laws against businesses that knowingly employ illegal aliens. Although I recognize that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has increased enforcement of immigration laws at work sites, the punishment of employers who knowingly hire them remains disappointing low.
I am convinced that a strong majority of both parties in Congress and the country support these two basic pillars of immigration reform. Where people differ mainly is in how to treat the 12 million illegal aliens already residing in the United States. Millions of them work, pay taxes, and have families with spouses and children that are American citizens.
If the nation truly commits to guarding the border to substantially reduce the inflow of illegal aliens and properly enforces the law on businesses that hire them, I believe the interests of the country are best served by developing criteria that allow immigrants who have not violated any criminal laws to gradually gain legal status. I do not believe it is a perfect solution – and I deeply respect the opinions of those who disagree with my viewpoint – but I believe it is better and more feasible than trying to identify, capture, and deport 12 million people, splitting up the families of hundreds of thousands of American citizens in the process.
Millions of Americans are understandably upset about the skyrocketing price of gasoline, which continues to rise as oil companies continue to enjoy record-breaking profits. Nearly two thirds of all the oil we use in the U.S. is consumed by the transportation sector – mostly in the cars and light trucks that we drive. In the face of rising gas prices and a nationwide energy crunch, it is crucial that the United States reduces its dependence on foreign oil.
The price of gasoline is only one facet of the greater problem with energy production and supply in the United States. I believe that a comprehensive approach must be taken to resolve the problem. While there is no quick fix, to limit prices in the short-term we must conserve energy and reduce U.S. demand for oil by requiring automakers to improve fuel economy – something they already have the technology to do without reducing safety. To avoid an even worse energy problem in the future, we must develop alternative sources of power. Exploration for oil, coal, and other traditional sources should also be considered, but we must be careful not to sacrifice important environmental concerns just for a short term energy solution. I believe that increasing fuel efficiency standards is a necessary and smart step toward ending our nation’s dependence on foreign oil and reducing environmentally hazardous emissions. Increasing automobile fuel efficiency standards would save oil, save Americans money at the gas pump, cut pollution, save pristine wilderness from oil drilling, and spur the development of fuel-saving technologies.
Congress now faces the challenge of developing an energy policy that looks toward the future rather than repackaging antiquated technologies. Unfortunately we have a disagreement at this time with the Bush Administration and the Republican leadership in the House, who have focused primarily on further exploration of petroleum resources to the detriment of alternative energy research.
I strongly believe that the U.S. Congress must begin to act now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and curb global warming. The global scientific community agrees on the reality of this growing threat, and as the producer of roughly one-quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions – more than any other country – the United States has a responsibility to lead the way in reducing emissions. If America fails to take up the fight against global warming, then the rest of the world should not be expected to follow. However, I also believe that developing countries like China and India must work to curb their greenhouse gases.
Last year, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report which found that global warming is unequivocal and that it is very likely (more than 90 percent probable) that human activity is responsible for most of the warming of the past 50 years. The report, which represents the most comprehensive and up-to-date climate research, also found that global atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have increased dramatically as a result of human activities, and average Arctic temperatures increased at almost twice the global average rate in the past 100 years.
As the Chairman of the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, with jurisdiction over the Environmental Protection Agency and federal land management agencies, I am determined to use the influence our committee has to accelerate the federal government’s response to global climate change issues. In my first year as Chairman, we provided a substantial boost for federal Climate Change programs in the budgets of the Interior Department, the EPA and the U.S. Forest Service. Through these efforts I believe we can substantially increase the research base that will help our nation take the necessary actions including the reduction of reduce greenhouse gases.
Our troops are committed to leaving no soldier behind on the battlefield and we must not leave our Veterans behind when they return home. Throughout my career, I have worked hard to provide Veterans with quality health care and assure that they receive the benefits they have earned. In 2007 I supported emergency funds to correct problems and address delays in health care delivery at Walter Reed, Madigan Army Medical Center and other facilities across the nation, in addition to supporting a major boost in funding provided to the Veterans Administration in the next fiscal year, allowing for the hiring of up to 1,000 new claims processors to reduce the backlog of 400,000 benefit claims. In addition, I supported passage in the House of the Wounded Warriors Assistance Act to streamline access to promised benefits. I am also currently co-sponsoring the Rural Veterans Health Care Access Act, which is an effort in Congress this year to establish a pilot program to provide mental health counseling to eligible veterans at facilities other than medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
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