March 18, 2011

High-Speed Rail

This week Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood designated the Northeast Corridor as a High-Speed Rail Corridor which makes it eligible for significantly more federal funding for high-speed and intercity passenger rail programs. I requested this designation in July 2009 because without it, the Northeast Corridor was ineligible for certain categories of existing federal funding. This official designation makes it much easier for the corridor to access $2.4 billion set aside for high-speed rail projects.

I thank Secretary LaHood for recognizing that the heavily traveled Northeast Corridor is an important component of any transportation plan and should have access to all funds necessary for upkeep and expansion. Without this designation, the Northeast corridor was missing out on some significant funding. Many current high-speed rail grants use an outdated definition of what constitutes a "high-speed rail corridor". That definition is based on a 1991 law that identified rail corridors in need of grade crossing safety improvements as "high-speed rail". Because most grade crossings had already been eliminated on the Northeast Corridor, the 1991 law did not "designate" the corridor. The Secretary's designation finally fixes this oversight.

Continuing Resolution

The House this week passed H.J. Res. 48, another Continuing Resolution (CR), this time to fund the federal government through Friday April 8th. I found the vote breakdown to be very interesting. 54 Republicans voted against this latest CR. They are mostly very conservative Members who believe that the $6 billion in cuts contained in H.J. Res. 48 were not deep enough. On the other side of the aisle, 85 mostly moderate to conservative Democrats voted for the CR. I voted NO because some of the cuts it contains are terrible and I can't support them. I also voted no because the Republicans still will not engage in a dialogue with Democrats to try and find common ground. They are simply drawing a line, insisting they won't cross it and passing stopgap measures. H.J. Res. 48 passed and the entire vote is recorded below:

Housing

On Wednesday the House considered H.R. 861: The Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) Termination Act. The Neighborhood Stabilization Program provides resources to communities so that they may purchase and rehabilitate abandoned properties. Many cities and towns all across America have been hard hit by the housing crisis. In neighborhood after neighborhood, property values are suffering because of abandoned homes. The NSP gave cities and states access to resources to rehabilitate abandoned properties and stabilize neighborhoods. H.R. 861 ends the program. Once again, Republicans didn't propose an alternative program or suggest improvements. They just eliminated it. I spoke in support of the NSP and against this bill; you may view my comments here. I voted NO. H.R. 861, which the President has stated he will veto, passed and the entire vote is recorded below:

National Public Radio

On Thursday the House considered H.R. 1076: Prohibiting Federal Funds of NPR and Use of Federal Funds by Public Radio Stations to Acquire Programming. This legislation eliminates federal funding for National Public Radio and prevents public radio stations from using federal funds to purchase any programming from anywhere. Republican leadership likes to talk about creating jobs, but they're actively doing the opposite. It is estimated that this bill could result in the loss of 9,000 jobs. There's a great deal of talk about reducing the deficit but according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO)'s preliminary estimate of this bill, it won't save taxpayers any money. I voted NO. H.R. 1076 passed and the entire vote is recorded below:

Afghanistan

The House also voted Thursday on H. Con. Res. 28: Directing the President, pursuant to the War Powers Resolution, to remove the United States Armed Forces from Afghanistan. This resolution called on the President to bring our men and women in uniform home from Afghanistan. I strongly believe that it is long past time to end this war. I was a cosponsor of this resolution and voted YES. The resolution failed and the entire vote is recorded below:

Japan

The news from Japan is grim after a devastating earthquake and tsunami. The death toll is in the thousands and climbing. Many survivors are struggling to find food and shelter. The radiation threat from the damage done to Japan's nuclear complexes is truly chilling. The workers who are bravely facing troubling radiation levels in order to cool fuel rods and restore power are really heroes. The United States has offered its full support to the Japanese government and is providing necessary resources, and we will continue to do so in the days and weeks ahead.

Libya

Last night the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution to authorize a no-fly zone in Libya on a vote of 10-0 (with 5 abstentions). This week I signed on to a resolution re-stating the principle that the President must obtain authorization from Congress before implementing a no-fly zone in Libya. Unless a crisis threatening our security requires an immediate emergency action, I believe that the Constitution and the War Powers Act clearly demand that only Congress may authorize the use of force. I feel strongly that Congress, not the President acting alone and not the United Nations, must decide when to put U.S. troops in harm's way. It may be that the European Union or ideally the Arab League will step up to lead an operation supported by the U.N. If that is the case, I feel it would be appropriate for the U.S. to provide some background support, but our men and women in uniform — and our military assets — simply can't be out in front on such an endeavor.

Facebook

I recently established an "official" Facebook page. If you are on Facebook and would like to check it out or "like" the page, you can visit facebook.com/RepMichaelCapuano. I hope that, like the e-update, you find the information we provide there to be useful. As always, any suggestions you have are welcome.

What's Up Next Week

Next week a District Work period has been scheduled. Next votes will occur on March 29th.