September 14, 2012

Libya

I extend my deepest sympathies to the families who lost loved ones during the vicious attack in Libya earlier this week. I hope you can take some comfort in knowing that a nation grieves with you. As we mourn, we must acknowledge the work done by many diplomats around the world who represent U.S. interests in difficult and dangerous places. Attacks on our Embassies elsewhere are deeply troubling and I continue to watch developments in the region closely. It is essential that all governments recognize diplomacy as the world's best alternative to war.

FISA

On Wednesday the House considered H.R. 5949: the FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act. This legislation reauthorizes amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Those amendments became law in 2008, updating a 1978 law that allowed the government to collect foreign intelligence on U.S. soil. The amendments to that bill made it easier to conduct surveillance of communications of persons outside the U.S. who were suspected of engaging in terrorist activity. The problem is that Americans can also get caught up in this surveillance, which is often done without a warrant. H.R. 5949 extends the amendments, which are set to expire at the end of this year, through 2017. I did not support the amendments in 2008 and I do not support them today. I continue to be concerned about the impact of this law on the privacy of Americans. Very little information has been released about the number of American citizens who have been subjected to this surveillance, despite repeated requests from Members of Congress. Little is known about how the program has been used. Absent more information about a program that clearly has an impact on our cherished civil liberties; I simply could not support it. I voted NO. H.R. 5949 passed and the entire vote is recorded below:

Continuing Resolution

Yesterday, the House passed H.J.Res. 117, Six-Month Continuing Resolution (CR), which funds the federal government for the first six months of the upcoming fiscal year. I could not support this bill. Congress continues to delay action on the fiscal issues facing our country and it’s long past time to start resolving them in a responsible manner. There is certainly time in the House schedule. You’ll read below about H.R. 6365, which the House also considered this week. That measure basically directs the President to come up with a plan to avoid sequestration, one that rejects new revenue and makes deep cuts. Note, the House is not proposing a plan itself, it is calling on the President to do so. I voted NO on H.J. Res 117. It passed and the entire vote is recorded below:

Sequestration

This week, the House also considered H.R. 6365: The National Security and Job Protection Act. This legislation is not a serious attempt to address sequestration, which is scheduled to go into effect on January 2nd if Congress does not act. By way of reminder, last summer’s Budget Control Act (which I did not support) set an overall spending amount for Fiscal Year 2013 and directed a Super Committee to come up with a plan to reduce the deficit. If an agreement could not be reached, then automatic budget cuts would go into effect every year for ten years. This is not the way to responsibly balance the federal budget.

Republicans agree with that, but still refuse to consider a balanced approach to replacing sequestration. In fact, this bill doesn’t do much of anything to address sequestration. H.R. 6365 directs the President to submit legislation to Congress by October 15th that essentially replaces the 2013 sequestration. It requires the President to submit a bill that cuts the same amount of money from the FY 2013 budget as sequestration would have; it prohibits any new revenue from being included in the equation and it removes the firewall between defense and non-defense programs. That means the impact on non-defense programs will be even worse.

Let’s remember that the Republican-led House signed off on sequestration when the Budget Control Act passed. A year later, they are telling the President — House Members don’t like what passed last year, you come up with something else. Republican leaders should get serious about advancing plans that reduce the deficit responsibly. I voted NO. H.R. 6365 passed and the entire vote is recorded below:

Mattapan Community Health Center

On Monday I was happy to participate in a ribbon cutting celebration for the new Mattapan Community Health Center (MCHC). With the help of federal stimulus funds, MCHC officials were able to build a new facility that has the capacity to provide care to thousands more patients. The project also created over 600 construction jobs and additional permanent jobs due to the facility’s expanded footprint. With additional space, not only will staff be able to see more patients, they will also have access to an expanded range of health services such as dental, adolescent and pediatric health care. Community health centers contribute so much to the fabric of our community and, as co-founder of the House Community Health Centers Caucus, I have long fought to increase resources for them. This project is a great example of federal stimulus funds making a real difference in our community.

What’s Up Next Week

The next House votes are scheduled for Wednesday September 19th.