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Washington Update Congressman J. Randy Forbes, Virginia's Fourth Congressional District Week of February 4 - 8, 2008 |
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ü Was interviewed by CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight and Wolf Blitzer's The Situation Room on the growing threat Chinese espionage poses to the United States. The interviews followed a hearing on January 29, 2008 that Congressman Forbes requested in the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. At the hearing, espionage experts shared their views on how China has become the number one espionage threat to the United States. Congressman Forbes is Co-Chairman and Founder of the Congressional China Caucus. To learn more about the hearing, click here.
ü Sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff requesting an update on the status of fence construction along our southwestern border. The letter states, in part, "Operational control of our borders is a fundamental responsibility of the federal government and a key component in preserving the sovereignty of our nation…failure to meet this responsibility can be catastrophic to our economic systems and to our national security. My constituents understand the challenges of patrolling our 1,900 mile southern border and overwhelmingly support the construction of fencing to help slow illegal entry into the United States." The letter asks the Secretary of Homeland Security what priority he attaches to the fence construction project, what challenges the Department has faced and how they intend to meet these challenges, and on what timeline citizens can expect to see completion of physical fencing.
ü Cosponsored H.R. 5109, Economic Growth Act of 2008. H.R. 5109 is legislation that would provide broad, growth-oriented, permanent incentives for economic activity across all sectors and industries, with immediate application and sustained, long-term implications. This bill would encourage the purchase of assets with which to grow a business by allowing all businesses to immediately expense—or fully deduct on their tax returns—the costs of assets. The bill would immediately cut the top corporate income tax rate from 35% to 25%, aligning it with the average rate in the European Union. By allowing businesses to keep more of the money they earn, this provision would encourage the expansion of businesses, the hiring of more workers, and an acceleration of investment, while making American companies more competitive internationally. Additionally, the bill would end capital gains tax on inflation. The bill would index for inflation the cost basis used when calculating the capital gains tax on assets acquired before the end of 2008. Under current law, the capital gains tax is based on the difference in the original purchase price of the asset and the sale price of the asset. However, some of this difference, or “gain,” can be attributed to inflation. By effectively reducing the amount of a gain that is taxable, this provision would encourage the movement of capital in 2008 and spur voluminous economic investment. ü Voted against a further expansion of H.R. 5140, the economic stimulus package, after the bill returned to the House from the Senate. The bill would provide rebates to taxpayers and those who didn’t pay taxes and would increase the deficit by about $140 billion. Congressman Forbes opposed the bill because it provided $30 billion in tax "rebates" to people who did not pay taxes in 2007. Congressman Forbes supports long-term tax policies that will stimulate sustained growth for individuals and businesses, not one-time economic boosts that increase the federal debt with no proven results. Congressman Forbes does support the business provisions in H.R. 5140, including establishing a 50% bonus deduction on new equipment in the year it is placed in service and allowing companies to fully expense $250,000 in both new and used tangible property in the year that it is purchased up to an overall limit of $750,000. For more information on Congressman Forbes' vote on the economic stimulus package, click here.
ü Cosponsored H.R. 5222, the Semper Fi Act, which rescinds all of the funding in last year’s federal spending bills for the City of Berkeley, CA and transfers those funds to the Marines. This is in response to Berkeley’s City Council recent vote to tell the Marines to close their recruiting station in the city. With this vote, the City Council expressed that the Marines Recruiting Office was not welcome in Berkeley, and if recruiters choose to stay, they would do so as "uninvited and unwelcome intruders." According to the Berkeley City Council agenda, they "encourage all people to avoid cooperation with the Marine Corps recruiting station, and applaud residents and organizations such as Code Pink, that may volunteer to impede, passively or actively, by nonviolent means, the work of any military recruiting office located in the City of Berkeley." Congressman Forbes also signed a letter to the President asking him not to allow any federal funds to be spent in Berkeley, California, and cosponsored a resolution H. Res 958 that expressed a similar sentiment. ü Submitted Questions for the Record for House Armed Services Committee Hearing on the Department of Defense’s Fiscal Year 2009 Budget Request. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, testified before the House Armed Services Committee about the President’s proposed $515 billion budget on Wednesday, February 6, 2008. Congressman Forbes submitted questions on subjects such as how to ensure the military is at the appropriate stage of readiness and how the United States can deter threats in the 21st Century. ü Met with Former U.S. Pacific Command Commander, Admiral (Retired) Dennis Blair, U.S. Navy. Admiral Blair, who is a part of the National Bureau of Asian Research, discussed China and the current security environment in the Pacific Rim. ü Met with Lieutenant General Michael Vane, Deputy Commander of U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command concerning the rewrite of the Army’s premier operations manual, known as FM 3-0. The new manual, which will be publicized at the end of the month, now gives equal importance to tasks focused on the population – stability or civil support – as it does to offensive and defensive operations. This parity is critical as it recognizes that conflict involves more than combat between armed opponents. The manual also introduces the concept of information engagement, which highlights the importance of getting our messages across to a wide range of audiences. Congressman Forbes serves as the Ranking Member on the Readiness Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, which overseas Army training, maintenance, logistics, and military construction.
ü Cosponsored H. Res 951, a resolution condemning the ongoing Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli civilians. Since Israel withdrew its troops from the Gaza Strip in 2005, more than 4,000 rockets and mortar shells have been fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip by Hamas and other terrorist organizations. The near-daily rocket fire has been targeted primarily and intentionally at civilian communities in Israel, and have led to dozens of casualties, hundreds of shock victims, thousands of traumatized children, and severe disruption of daily life.
ü Supported House passage of H.R. 4137, the College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007, which reauthorizes the federal government's major federal student aid programs. H.R. 4137 raises the maximum Pell Grant award per student to $9,000 from $5,800, and increases the funding level for Historically Black Colleges and Universities from $300 million to $500 million. To benefit military families, the bill provides in-state tuition rates to dependents of military service members within their current state of residence, provided they have lived in that state for at least 30 days, and allows the dependent to retain this tuition rate through graduation. ü Applauded the inclusion of a modeling and simulation grant program, H.R. 4165, within H.R. 4137, the College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007. H.R. 4165 provides grants to encourage and enhance the study of modeling and simulation (M&S) at institutions of higher education. Congressman Forbes is Founder and Co-Chairman of the Congressional Modeling and Simulation Caucus, and is also leading the 3rd Annual Modeling and Simulation Leadership Summit on February 11, 2008. The Summit will be held in the Hampton Roads area, and will focus on M&S as it relates to education.ü Applauded the inclusion of The Minority Serving Institution (MSI) Digital and Wireless Technology Opportunity Act of 2007 within H.R. 4137, the College Opportunity and Affordability Act of 2007. The MSI Act establishes a new grant program that provides up to $250 million per year for 5 years to strengthen the ability of MSIs to purchase wireless network technologies and other information communications technology to increase engineering, math and science research. The MSI Act bridges the digital divide by enabling these institutions to offer students the same access to technology as their peers at other institutions of higher learning. MSIs are a category of educational institutions that includes Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities. Less than half of MSI students own computers and 88% of HBCUs have only the minimum standard of connectivity. Additionally, while over 60 percent of the U.S. population uses the Internet at home, only 37 percent of Hispanics and 46 percent of African Americans have Internet access at home. Congressman Forbes first introduced the MSI grant program bill in 2003, and has introduced it in every subsequent Congress. To read more about Congressman Forbes' thoughts on the MSI grant program, click here.
ü Signed a letter to House Conferees on the Department of Agriculture Reauthorization Bill, informally known as the “Farm Bill,” in support of tax incentives for conservation easements. The provisions were included in the Senate-passed version of the Farm Bill. Conservation “easements” allow private landowners to retain ownership, control and management of their property, while ensuring that important resources on those lands will be conserved for the future. The proposed tax incentive allowed landowners to deduct up to 50 percent of their adjusted gross income (AGI), and to carry forward the unused amount for 15 years. For many landowners, this would provide an alternative to selling their land for commercial development.
ü Supported H.Res. 943, which honors the crew members of the space shuttle Challenger, who lost their lives on January 28, 1986. January 28, 2008, marks the 22-year anniversary of the tragic accident of the space shuttle. The Challenger disaster occurred during takeoff after an O-ring seal in its right solid rocket booster failed. The seven-person crew included Commander Francis R. Scobee, Pilot Michael J. Smith, Mission Specialist Judith A. Resnik, Mission Specialist Ellison S. Onizuka, Mission Specialist Ronald E. McNair, Payload Specialist Gregory B. Jarvis, and Payload Specialist Sharon Christa McAuliffe. ü Supported H.Con.Res. 287, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the United States Explorer I satellite, the world's first scientific spacecraft. The resolution also celebrates the event as the birth of the United States space exploration program.
ü Supported H.Res. 931, which highlights the 50th running of the Daytona 500, and expresses support for designation of February 17, 2008, as "Race Day in America."
ü Supported H.Res. 942, a resolution recognizing the significance of Black History Month and the contributions of African-Americans in the Nation's history. For resources and historical information on celebrating Black History Month, visit the Library of Congress' website here.
For a comprehensive look at Congressman Forbes' work on legislative issues, visit the Spotlight Issues page on his website.
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