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Blog: Honoring Our Heroes
Posted by John McHugh on 10/29/2008 - Permalink

Last week, I had the honor of presenting one of our true American heroes with a much-deserved and very belated Purple Heart. The Purple Heart is awarded to servicemembers injured or killed while serving with the U.S. military, and was established by General George Washington in 1782. This Purple Heart was presented to Jim Woodworth, a Vietnam veteran who waited 40 years for his award. Jim is a Central New York native who now lives in Sullivan, New York with his family.

Jim served his country in the Army during Vietnam as a helicopter pilot. He rose to the rank of Chief Warrant Officer. In 1968, the helicopter Jim was in was shot down over South Vietnam, and he sustained injuries that kept him in the hospital for over a year. Jim had 20 surgeries. Although he certainly met the criteria for the Purple Heart, and was told “paperwork was put in for his award,” due to an error, it had never been awarded. After Jim contacted my office this year, we were able to rectify the situation, and on Wednesday, October 22, in Madison County, I was able to finally give Jim the honor he deserved. It meant a lot to me to be able to spend time with a man that sacrificed so much of himself for our country.

To read more about Jim’s story, you can read the Syracuse Post-Standard article here: http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2008/10/40_years_later_veteran_gets_hi.html.




 

Blog: Coming Together on September 11
Posted by John McHugh on 09/11/2008 - Permalink

Today marks the seventh anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. As I turned on the television this morning, I saw pictures of American flags and heard strands of “God Bless America.” I listened to parts of the solemn reading of the names of the almost 3,000 victims of the attacks. And, I watched the rare pictures of the actual attacks themselves, played just once a year on too few stations.

Here in Washington, DC, a new corner was turned today - the dedication of the Pentagon Memorial, commemorating the 184 lives that were lost at that site and on American Airlines Flight 77. The memorial is stunning, a tremendous and moving tribute to the individuals - ages 3 to 71 – who lost their lives that Tuesday morning. It is a day filled with a lot of meaning for their families, who have worked tirelessly to make this memorial a reality. And, it will be a place for the rest of us to come and reflect, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

In New York City, today is the last day for the families of the victims to make their way down to the site and touch the ground where the towers stood. Next year, the construction of the World Trade Center memorial will prevent what has become a yearly ritual from taking place. Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama will take a break from the campaign trail and come together at this place in solemn remembrance.

All too often, during the rest of the year, talking about September 11 has taken on political connotations. It has sadly become a tool for partisan attacks and differences and what separates left from right. This is truly unfortunate - we should instead be able to remember, as a nation, a day that shattered the security of our borders and took the lives of so many. We should be able to pay tribute to those brave men and women – our first responders, our military, and our citizens – who rose to defend us. And, we should be able to recognize the evil in this world that, on that clear morning, acted to take away everything for which this country stands.

I hope you take a moment today to truly remember those individuals who were lost seven years ago and the unimaginable grief their loved ones face living every day since without them. And, perhaps most of all, I hope that at least for today, we can come together as Americans – whether on the steps of the Capitol or on the streets of our hometowns, as did we seven years ago.





 

Blog: Protecting Our Roads
Posted by John McHugh on 08/05/2008 - Permalink

Yesterday, the Department of Transportation announced that they will be extending the Mexican Truckers cross-border demonstration program for two years after the pilot program’s end date this September. This program has allowed Mexican truckers to operate in the United States under the provisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which I opposed and voted against.

I am strongly against this program – and I have voted for different pieces of legislation in the House of Representatives that would prevent this trucking program from becoming permanent, restrict funding to the program, and prohibit the expansion of the program. It is clear the Administration thus far has refused to listen to the will of Congress, which is why I am cosponsoring the bipartisan H.R. 6630. The legislation, introduced right before August recess and already passed out of Committee on July 29, would expressly prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from granting authority to a motor carrier domiciled in Mexico to operate beyond United States municipalities and commercial zones on the United States-Mexico border as part of a demonstration pilot program.

Protecting American jobs and American drivers on the road should be our foremost consideration, not protecting this misguided program. Mexican truckers are not held to the same high safety standards as U.S. truckers – and their presence on the road is dangerous to American drivers and their families. I am hopeful that the House can vote on H.R. 6630 as soon as we return from August recess and the Senate will quickly follow suit.



 

Blog: Unfinished Business
Posted by John McHugh on 07/30/2008 - Permalink

Traditionally, the week before August Recess is one of the busiest weeks of the Congressional schedule. Midnight votes, Saturday sessions, and bipartisan compromises usually characterize the flurry of activity before the break. This includes ensuring that the House has passed each of the 12 appropriations bills for the next fiscal year (these bills dictate the entire federal budget for the fiscal year beginning October 1). This year, however, things here in the House are eerily quiet. We have yet to vote on a single appropriations bill and most of the bills are not even passed by committee yet – only one appropriations bill is scheduled for the floor this week. That means, when Congress adjourns for August recess, the House will – at best – have passed one of the 12 appropriations bills. Worse, the leadership in the House has refused to let even one meaningful energy bill that would increase American supply– from oil to renewables - come to the floor for a vote. I have heard from constituents across the 23rd District and they are looking to Congress to take action. I believe a vote to increase domestic energy supply would pass the House - if Democratic leadership allowed us to vote on it.

Instead, today, the Democratic leadership voted to go on recess for the four weeks of August and first week of September. Every Republican, including myself, voted no on adjournment. I believe it is important to stay here until we do the work the American public elected us to do – such as addressing record high energy prices. Most Democrats voted yes - which means the House will leave for five weeks without helping consumers with price relief at the gas pump, without working to address what are predicted to be record high heating costs this winter, and without voting on 11 of the 12 appropriations bills that govern how federal dollars should be spent.




 

Blog: Increasing Energy Supply
Posted by John McHugh on 07/15/2008 - Permalink

Yesterday, the President took the important step of lifting the Presidential ban on the exploration of oil and gas in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), which is off the shores of the United States. The moratorium – first instituted by President George H.W. Bush in 1990 and then later extended and expanded by President Bill Clinton – was one part of the two-part restriction on drilling in the OCS. The second part is the current Congressional moratorium, which also restricts drilling far of the coast of the United States. I applaud the President for lifting the ban – I am a cosponsor of a Congressional Resolution asking him to do so – and now call on the leadership in the House and Senate to look at lifting the Congressional moratorium. The moratorium is outdated and unnecessary, particularly given rapidly rising cost of gas in the United States and the ability of US companies to extract the oil in environmentally responsible ways.

Simply put, the best first step we can do to address our current energy crisis is increase American supply, and opening up the vast oil resources we have is a necessary step. In addition to looking at oil exploration in the OCS, we should also be exploring areas such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and shale oil in the Western part of the United States. At the bear minimum, House Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi should at least be scheduling hearings to allow us to substantively discuss and debate where to increase American energy supply.



 

Top Destinations in Our Own Backyard
Posted by John McHugh on 07/09/2008 - Permalink

Last week, the New York Times ran an article listing the top 25 getaways in the Northeast. With locations such as Lake Champlain, the Adirondack Park - which is bigger than the Grand Canyon, Glacier, Yellowstone, and Yosemite National Parks combined, and many other beautiful lakes and rivers, it is not surprising to those of us who live in the 23rd District that three of the top destinations listed are here in our own backyard. The destinations in the 23rd District are Fort Ticonderoga, Saranac Lake, and the Thousand Islands region. For more information about these destinations and others across the Northeast, you can read the full New York Times article here. I think we can all be proud that we live in such an environmentally beautiful area that supports a vibrant tourism economy. And, in Congress, I continue to work to ensure that our local environment is protected, such as my introduction of H.R. 3989, the Healthy Air and Clean Water Act, which is specifically designed to protect New York’s natural resources.



 

Blog: Finding Financial Aid
Posted by John McHugh on 07/08/2008 - Permalink

Recently, we added a new section to our Web site for students and their families looking for information on financial aid for postsecondary education. Across the 23rd District, I know many families are using the summer vacation to visit colleges and universities across our state and region. In addition to finding the right college to attend, foremost on many students and families minds is one question: how am I going to pay for the rising cost of attending college? I hear this question often as I travel the district and many students and parents call and write our office looking for information on financial aid.

This Web page will be a good starting point for those looking for answers, with links to the Department of Education, scholarship searches, and many other resources to help begin the search for financial aid. I hope this proves a valuable resource for those looking for information on what grants, scholarships, and loans are available. You can visit the page directly at http://mchugh.house.gov/ConstituentServices/FinancialAid.htm or you can find it by clicking “Constituent Services” on our homepage. And please share this Web page with anyone you know looking for similar information.




 

Blog: The Solution is More Energy, Not More Taxes
Posted by John McHugh on 06/20/2008 - Permalink

As we all well know, skyrocketing energy prices are severely straining the resources of Americans across the country. Here in our region, everyone is feeling the impact of higher prices, particularly when we realize that the home heating season isn’t that far off in a Northern region like ours. High energy costs are making it hard for workers to commute to their jobs, farmers to use their equipment, and schools, police forces, truckers, and many others to fuel their vehicles.

Today, I unveiled a comprehensive energy package that is designed to lower energy prices, increase domestic supply, and provide needed short-term relief for residents of our region. This includes a new bill I introduced – the HEATR Act of 2008 – which would provide a $500 tax credit to individuals and families facing high heating costs during the winter season. The package also includes a bill I previously introduced that would suspend the federal tax on gasoline when the price crosses a certain threshold, and six additional bills that would increase our domestic supply, support nuclear energy and renewables, and drive down prices at the pump and at home.

For more information on my energy package and the ideas that I think will fix our nation’s energy crisis, read my press release here or listen to my audio recording here.



 

Blog: Memorial Day Parades, Health Care, and Energy Prices
Posted by John McHugh on 06/03/2008 - Permalink

Over the last week, our Congressional recess afforded me the opportunity to spend 10 days in the 23rd District. Among other events, I was able to attend two Memorial Day parades in both Fulton and Canastota and community celebrations in Chittenango and Brownville. Additionally, I attended two events that marked important advancements in our local community – the groundbreaking for the expansion at the Oneida Healthcare Center and an infrastructure grant award to the Town of Lenox from the United States Department of Agriculture. I also was presented an award certificate at the Retired Senior Volunteer Program of Madison County Volunteer Recognition Banquet to the “TCE/RSVP Taxpayer Assistance Program” for their work helping seniors in Madison County. And, I was able to meet with constituents in an open forum at my Mobile Office in Morrisville, as well as in my office in Watertown.

All of my meetings underscored the range of issues we are facing in New York as well as the willingness of many local communities to continue to improve the quality of life for their residents. Improving access to healthcare, which Oneida Healthcare Center is helping to accomplish in their expansion, is a fundamental component for any community looking to continue to grow – particularly with the addition of more jobs at the health center when construction is complete. Additionally, many of the local residents I spoke with emphasized the significant impact the rising cost of energy is having on their family and on their business. I continue to push the Democratic leaders in Congress to address this issue by opening up more domestic drilling and devoting real resources to alternative fuel research. We are making progress on this at renewable research centers in different parts of the district, but we need to do more in Congress – particularly as this is a problem that needs to be addressed at a national level. I also continue to push legislation that I introduced last year that would temporarily suspend the federal excise tax on gasoline when the price per gallon averages over a certain point for a period of time. I think this could provide a valuable respite for consumers in Northern and Central New York, and I’ll continue to support this and other programs and proposals that will make energy prices more affordable in the 23rd District.

Please feel free to continue to contact me if you want to tell me your views on federal issues or need assistance from my office. You can find the contact information for my offices in New York and Washington, DC, as well as my email information, here.




 

Memorial Day
Posted by John McHugh on 05/23/2008 - Permalink



As we head into Memorial Day Weekend, I urge you to remember what our military men and women have sacrificed so that we may celebrate this weekend in a free nation.  I will be marking Memorial Day with two parades, the first in Fulton on Saturday, May 24 and the second in Canastota on Monday, May 26.  To read more about what we mark each Memorial Day and my thoughts on honoring those who have served our country, click here.



 

 
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