Blue Dog Coalition

Rep. John Barrow (D-Georgia): U.S. Rep. John Barrow (GA-12) spoke on the House floor in response to the administration’s recent delay to constructing the Keystone XL Pipeline. The Obama Administration announced earlier this month that they were putting off a decision regarding the TransCanada pipeline indefinitely, more than five years after the project was first proposed.  

In 2013, Congressman Barrow led a bipartisan effort with Congressman Lee Terry (R-Neb.) to expedite approval of the Keystone XL Pipeline.  The legislation passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 241-175.

In May 2012, Congressman Barrow authored, and the House passed, a Motion to Instruct conferees on the Transportation and Infrastructure Reauthorization Bill. The motion insisted upon approval of the pipeline and passed the House with a bipartisan vote of 261 to 152. To view more on the Motion to Instruct, including a video of the floor debate, please click here.

The Keystone XL pipeline is a $7 billion jobs and energy infrastructure project that has been tied up in regulatory review for over four years. Earlier this year, the State Department released its draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS), which found that the pipeline, including the revised Nebraska route, would have limited adverse environmental impacts. This review follows the State Department's initial analysis that lasted for more than three years and found the pipeline to be environmentally sound.

A recent editorial from The Washington Post entitled “Keystone XL’s continued delay is absurd” says the approval of the project is overdue.

WATCH: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6hdwM0utbg

Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tennessee): Congressman Cooper recently introduced the bipartisan NSA Internal Watchdog Act, a bill that would place a tough, independent inspector general inside NSA. Under current policy, the NSA’s IG is appointed by and works for the NSA director. Cooper’s bill would provide subpoena power to a presidentially-appointed, Senate-confirmed IG to ensure all NSA programs and activities comply with our laws and Constitution. “The NSA needs a watchdog with teeth,” Cooper said. Meanwhile, Cooper was joined by 46 colleagues in pushing for a permanent No Budget, No Pay Act, which would prohibit paychecks for lawmakers if Congress fails to pass both a budget and appropriations bills on time. Last year, Congress passed a limited and temporary version of Cooper’s bill; months later, the House and Senate passed individual budgets for the first time since 2009, proving the measure is effective. “No Budget, No Pay can’t be a one-year experiment; it should be made permanent,” Cooper wrote in a May 6 letter to House Speaker John Boehner and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. “We know what works, and we should continue holding Congress’ feet to the fire.”

Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Oregon): Congressman Kurt Schrader (D-OR) introduced legislation that authorizes the distribution of funds to local school districts to support and grow their Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs. This bill is part of a broader effort to secure and train a 21^st century workforce in Oregon.

The Congressman’s legislation, H.R. 4782 – the BUILD Act, authorizes a two-year, $20 million pilot program that will fund CTE programs in school districts around the country. Priority is given to applicants that demonstrate a strong collaborative effort with local businesses. The bill is supported by industries and trade groups far and wide, including the AFL-CIO, General Electric, the National Association of Manufacturers, and Ford Motor Company.

The Congressman, alone with Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries commissioner Brad Avakian toured a Habitat for Humanity site that middle and high school CTE students had been working at to promote his bill.

Rep. Ron Barber (D-Arizona): Congressman Barber worked with Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo) and Congressman Austin Scott (R-GA) to introduce and pass an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that prevents divestment of the A-10. http://barber.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/us-rep-ron-barber-s-amendment-to-prevent-divestment-of-the-a-10 The amendment passed the House Armed Services Committee with support from 25 Democrats and 16 Republicans.

Barber worked with Reps. Diana DeGette (D-CO), Doris Matsui (D-CA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA) and Paul Tonko (D-NY) to introduce legislation that would take a comprehensive approach to long-ignored mental health issues. http://barber.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/us-reps-barber-degette-matsui-napolitano-tonko-unveil-mental-health The Strengthening Mental Health in Our Communities Act renews a commitment to improving the lives of individuals and families impacted by mental illness by maximizing access to and increasing the impact of community-based services, making new investments in prevention and early intervention of mental illness, and advancing research into mental health.

Barber worked with Reps. Jon Runyan (R-NJ), Krysten Sinema (D-AZ) and Matt Salmon (R-AZ) to pass an amendment to the 2015 Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act to appropriate $1 million to the Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General. http://barber.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/video-us-rep-ron-barber-stands-up-for-veterans-and-for-southern-arizona The money will allow the office to investigate allegations of health care mismanagement within the VA, such as those at the Phoenix VA Health Care System.

Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Georgia): Congressman Bishop, top Democrat on the Appropriations Subcommittee for Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies, worked across the aisle to craft and pass the FY 2015 MilCon/VA appropriations bill. A true bipartisan effort, the bill passed 416 to 1, providing $6.5 billion in military construction and $158.2 billion for the Veterans Administration. In Georgia, Congressman Bishop recently joined the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 2785 at their Loyalty Day Celebration in Albany, speaking to the importance of our veterans and giving an update on how Congress is working for them.

Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Illinois): Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) has had a busy spring in Illinois, fighting for critical regional priorities. She welcomed U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx to the Quad Cities to highlight the need to invest in infrastructure, including the structurally deficient I-74 Bridge connecting Illinois to Iowa across the Mississippi River.  In early April, Bustos also announced that the long-vacant Thomson Correctional Center will begin hiring and once it is fully operation, it will create hundreds of jobs across the region. In addition to her work on these regional projects, Bustos also travelled her district to continue her “Cheri on Shift” initiative in which she shadows workers on the job and learns about the issues that are important to them.

In Washington, Bustos continued her fight to reduce government waste and increase transparency and accountability by supporting the bipartisan Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (DATA Act). Bustos also took a number of actions in support of our nation’s veterans including pushing for the extension of tax credits for business that prioritize hiring veterans and joining the Veterans Congressional Fellowship Caucus. She had the privilege of greeting an Honor Flight from Peoria at the World War II Memorial. Additionally, Bustos met with administration officials to oppose proposed cuts to Medicare Advantage and to urge their support for the Renewable Fuel Standard. On a lighter note, Bustos was happy to kick off another season of practices with the bipartisan Congressional Women’s Softball Team.

Rep. Jim Costa (D-California): Congressman Jim Costa joined his colleagues Congressmen Goodlatte and Womack and members of the Smarter Fuel Future coalition to highlight the adverse impacts of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The Congressmen urged Administrator Gina McCarthy of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to stick to her original proposal to lower the ethanol mandate for 2014.

Congressman Costa said: “The debate is over, the RFS as we know it is not sustainable. Putting food into our fuel tanks is hurting consumers, hurting businesses and hurting agriculture interests. We ought to use all the tools in our energy toolbox. Using feedstock in fuel is not good public policy and it is price distorting.”

Continuing Congressman Costa’s commitment to our veterans, Costa offered an amendment to the VA appropriations bill that would provide $10 million in additional funds to address the VA’s disability claims backlog. The amendment passed unanimously.

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas): Rep. Henry Cuellar joined Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, R-Ky., and other members of the Appropriations Committee to meet with Colombian and Mexican officials to discuss joint efforts to combat the spread of illegal narcotics. He met with President Pena Nieto of Mexican and President Santos of Colombia to discuss our shared commitment to a strong economic, political and strategic partnership with our southern neighbors.

Read his column in the McAllen Monitor here for full details.”

Rep. Pete Gallego (D-Texas): Congressman Pete Gallego recently returned from a three day trip to Afghanistan over Memorial Day and was accompanied by fellow Blue Dog Rep. John Barrow as well as Reps. Michele Bachmann, Sean Patrick Maloney, Markwayne Mullin, and Patrick Murphy. This was the second Memorial Day visit to the troops in Afghanistan for Rep. Gallego, a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Upon returning, Gallego led a successful bipartisan effort to pass an amendment to the CJS Appropriations bill for a $5 million increase in funding for Rural Domestic Violence Grant programs and Violence Against Women Prevention and Prosecution programs. The next day, Rep. Gallego passed an amendment to the Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) for FY14 and FY15. Rep. Gallego’s efforts on the IAA will help expand job opportunities in cybersecurity for veterans and retired employees of the intelligence community; both Chairman Mike Rogers and Ranking Member Dutch Ruppersberger of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence spoke in support of Rep. Gallego’s amendment. 

The day before leaving for Afghanistan, Rep. Gallego visited Ojinaga, Mexico – a border town across from Presidio, TX – as part of his ongoing efforts to get the USDA to provide a consistent answer on why the agency shut down cross-border cattle inspections. Rep. Gallego serves on the House Agriculture Committee and represents one of the most rural congressional districts in the country, which also has approximately 800 miles of border with Mexico and a large ranching industry. 

Among other activities related to his assignment on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Gallego recently had a meeting with the Chief of Staff of the Army, GEN Raymond Odierno, and several other senior Army leaders during a visit to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, TX. As part of his ongoing efforts to support the numerous veterans in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, Rep. Gallego met with Acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs Sloan Gibson during a Texas visit on June 6. Rep. Gallego has been part of multiple bipartisan efforts by Texas members and members from several other states to address the recent VA scandal. 

Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Indiana): Congressman Dan Lipinski (IL-3) and Illinois U.S. Senator Mark Kirk recently came together to give veterans with experience in the VA healthcare system an opportunity to share their concerns.  At a local VFW Post, the legislators listened as heroic veterans of all ages, current and former VA employees, and others shared their personal stories of frustration with government bureaucracy and the general level of care they have received from the VA. 

Meanwhile, Rep. Lipinski is applauding a rare bipartisan victory in Washington, as the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) was passed.  A long time in the making, the bill addresses many issues that he has been working on, including language he added barring the Army Corps from dumping dredged materials from the Cal-Sag Channel at the Lucas-Berg Confined Placement Facility in Worth, IL.  The bill also includes language that requires the use of American-made iron and steel when work is being done on locks, dams, and ports.  The strengthening of Buy-American laws continues to be a top priority for the Congressman.

Lipinski has also introduced legislation to rename the U.S. Department of Transportation headquarters after former Minnesota Congressman Jim Oberstar.  A former chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Oberstar served for 36 years as a member of the committee and for 12 years as a staff member.  He passed away on May 3rd at the age of 79.

Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-North Carolina): U.S. Representative Mike McIntyre, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, visited Camp Lejeune, New River Air Station, and Cherry Point Air Station on Monday, May 5th, to meet with top Marine officials including.

While on the base, Representative McIntyre assessed progress being made on several military construction projects for which Congress has approved and appropriated funding. Congressman McIntyre also received briefings on the accomplishments of the II Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Air Ground Task Force, and Marine Corps Special Operations Command.

Shortly following his tour of North Carolina military institutions, Rep. McIntyre announced that the House Armed Services Committee passed the 2015 National Defense Authorization bill that authorizes over $205 million in military construction for North Carolina bases including Cherry Point Marine Corps Air Station, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Camp Lejeune, and Fort Bragg.

Rep. Nick Rahall (D-West Virginia): As President Obama and the EPA announce a new proposed rule that would set caps on carbon emissions from existing power plants, U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall (D-WV) announced that he will introduce legislation to stop it.  In true bipartisan, pro-West Virginia fashion, Rahall is working with Rep. David McKinley (R-WV), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, to introduce legislation to terminate this new rule for existing power plants, along with the proposed rule for future power plants. In addition, to prevent some sleight of hand maneuver by the EPA, the bill will aim to block the issuance of similar rules for at least the next 5 years without Congressional approval.  Last week, Rahall took to the House floor to speak against the rule announced today.

Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-California): Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez’s amendment to H.R. 10, the Success and Opportunity through Quality Charter Schools Act, was adopted and the bill passed on Friday, May 5, 2014.  Rep. Sanchez’s amendment requires states to report how charter school programs encourage community involvement in the planning and opening of additional charter schools. Watch her floor speech here: http://youtu.be/eH0VmBjUbnM

Rep. David Scott (D-Georgia): Congressman David Scott gave the commencement address to the University of Georgia School of Agriculture and Environmental Science on May 9.

He spoke to a meeting of the Property Casualty Insurers Association on May 7.

Congressman Scott added report language to the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill (H.R. 4486) in regards to the recruitment of psychiatric physicians to the VA.

Rep. Mike Thompson (D-California): Congressman Mike Thompson’s bipartisan amendment that provides the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with additional resources to address the claims backlog unanimously passed the U.S. House of Representatives. Thompson’s amendment redirects an additional $10 million to pay for programs like the Veterans Claims Intake Program, the centralized mail initiative, and staff overtime.

Congressman Mike Thompson also announced a $5.1 million U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) contract for Mare Island Dry Docks, LLC.  The contract is for the dry docking and ship repairs of the POLAR STAR ice breaker.  The POLAR STAR is used to clear pathways for supply vessels and support research missions. The contract for the 90-day project creates 70 full-time jobs and is set to start in mid-August.

Rep. Mike Michaud (D-Maine): Congressman Michaud is continuing to work across the aisle with members of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee to address the systemic problems within the VA system, through both oversight and legislative action. This coming week, Michaud will meet with veterans in Maine as part of the American Legion State Convention.

Michaud also has taken a series of steps recently to protect critical services for residents in rural areas. He is calling on the Social Security Administration to maintain in-person services that provide Mainers with important documents like income verification statements and Social Security Numbers. He’s also speaking out again John Boehner’s proposal to temporarily fund the Highway Trust Fund shortfall by eliminating Saturday mail delivery – a lifeline for businesses, senior citizens, and families – particularly in rural areas – who depend on the six day service for the timely delivery of paychecks, Social Security benefits, goods and other essential items.