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Washington Update Congressman J. Randy Forbes, Virginia's Fourth Congressional District Week of March 30 - April 3, 2009 |
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ü Voted against runaway spending in the federal budget. Congressman Forbes opposed the $3.5 trillion budget, H. Con. Res. 85, which will result in the largest deficit in history and create more debt in the next ten years than the entire amount of debt accumulated by the federal government from 1789 to today. Congressman Forbes supports controlling federal spending by requiring the President to submit a balanced budget to Congress and forcing Congress to make the decisions necessary to eliminate the federal deficit. Congressman Forbes is a cosponsor of H. J. Res. 1, the balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.
ü Supported veterans workforce training. Congressman Forbes voted in favor of H.R. 1171, a bill to provide federal job training, counseling, and placement programs to assist homeless veterans return to the workforce.
ü Increased disability compensation for veterans. Congressman Forbes supported H.R. 1513, to increase disability compensation for veterans with service-connected disabilities. The bill would also provide dependency and indemnity compensation for widows and children of disabled veterans. Last year, Congress, with Congressman Forbes’ strong support, provided more assistance for our nation’s veterans than any other time in history.
ü Supported eye exams for uninsured children. Congressman Forbes voted to support H.R. 577, which would provide eye exams for low-income children without health insurance. The Vision Care for Kids Act of 2009 would award grants to states to provide eye exams for children who might not otherwise receive examinations. ü Requested funding for the National Cord Blood Inventory. Congressman Forbes sent a letter to the House Appropriations Committee requesting funding for the National Cord Blood Inventory. Unlike research requiring the destruction of human embryos, adult stem cells derived from umbilical cord blood are non-controversial and are already providing treatments for numerous diseases including leukemia, sickle cell anemia, and type-1 diabetes. The National Cord Blood Inventory allows patients in need of stem cell treatment to search a public bank of donated cord blood units. ü Opposed allowing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) power to regulate tobacco products. The FDA’s current mandate is to ensure that food, drugs, devices and cosmetics are “safe and effective.” H.R. 1256 would allow tobacco products to be given a “FDA approved” seal of approval, which would send the wrong message to our children about the safety of tobacco products. ü Met with physicians and insurance company representatives on coverage of emergency room care. Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) recently implemented a $350 co-pay charge for 2009 federal plan participants when they receive emergency services from a non-participating physician. Congressman Forbes is concerned that this charge could discourage individuals from seeking the closest emergency medical care when they have a serious illness or injury. Emergency room physicians from the Fourth District, representatives from BCBS, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform met with Congressman Forbes to discuss the concerns. 120,000 federal employees live in Virginia and approximately 38,630 of these men and women are employed in and around the Fourth District. BCBS has the largest enrollment of any of the Federal Employee Benefit Plans.
ü Opposed giving excessive power to the Treasury Secretary. Congressman Forbes opposed H.R. 1664, which would prevent “excessive” compensation to TARP recipients. The bill would give all power in determining what is “unreasonable” or “excessive” pay to one individual, Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner. It would also require the Secretary to assess compensation restrictions on all employees, not just those making more than $250,000. ü Voted against allowing government control of private employment contracts. Congressman Forbes opposed H.R. 1575, the End Government Reimbursement of Excessive Executive Disbursements (End GREED) Act, which would allow the federal government to recover "excessive payments" made to employees of institutions that received more than $10 billion in TARP bailout funds. The bill is overly broad, encompassing not just bonus payments by major TARP recipients like AIG, but the employment contracts of any financial institution receiving a $10 billion loan or line of credit from the Federal Reserve.
ü Opposed funding increases for congressional committees. Congressman Forbes opposed H.Res. 279, which would raise the amount of money committee’s have available to pay for staff salaries and administrative expenses by 8.67% over levels for the last Congress. Congressman Forbes believes that when our economy is in a recession, unemployment figures are on the rise, home values are falling, and our national debt exceeds $10 trillion, Congress should not raise funding levels for itself. Congressman Forbes continues to fight for fiscal responsibility at all levels of government spending.
ü Voted against subsidies for wasteful programs. Congressman Forbes opposed H.R. 1388, which would approve $8.7 billion to provide subsidies for volunteers. The Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act stretches the definition of “volunteer” by providing government subsidies to volunteers for stipends, health benefits, housing, and other benefits. Additionally, this bill does not restrict organizations indicted for voter fraud, such as ACORN, and organizations that provide or promote abortion services from receiving assistance. H.R. 1388 would largely expand national service programs and create new programs, despite the fact that some of the programs funded by this bill have been deemed by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) as ineffective.
ü Attended a House Judiciary Commercial and Administrative Law Subcommittee hearing on credit card debt and bankruptcy. The hearing examined whether certain provisions make it too difficult for filers to successfully emerge out of bankruptcy.
ü Supported the Free Flow of Information Act. Often referred to as the “press shield law,” H.R. 985 would prevent news reporters from being forced to reveal confidential sources to the government unless a court determines that the identity of the source is critical or a consideration of national security.
ü Discussed a lodging plan for Fort Lee, Virginia. Congressman Forbes met with the Assistant Secretary for Installations & Environment Keith Eastin to develop a lodging plan at Fort Lee, Virginia. The population of Fort Lee will grow by 37% as a result of the 2005 BRAC round, which will temporarily put pressure on the available lodging space on Fort Lee. ü Attending a hearing on the Defense Department pay system. Congressman Forbes served as Ranking Member for a House Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee hearing on the Department of Defense’s pay-for-performance plan. The plan, which would tie employee compensation with individual performance, has been plagued by inconsistent implementation. The hearing focused primarily on whether the system should be retained, modified or disbanded to most effectively compensate government employees so that taxpayers receive the most value for their tax dollars. Congressman Forbes supports President Obama’s call for a comprehensive review of the pay-for-performance plan to determine what has worked, what hasn’t worked, and what improvements would need to be made.
For a comprehensive look at Congressman Forbes' work on legislative issues, visit the Spotlight Issues page on his website.
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