Dear fellow Oregonian,
I’m back in the nation’s capital after a busy weekend in Oregon with much on the plate here in DC
This week marked the 99th anniversary of the world famous Pendleton Round Up. In addition to staging a world-class rodeo, the Round Up, Westward Ho Parade, and Happy Canyon Pageant generate more than $20 million to the local economy as people from around the Northwest gather to enjoy the festivities. My wife and I enjoyed it all, including time spent talking with the presidents of OSU, UO, and EOU about higher education issues, and had a chance to congratulate former Senator Gordon Smith on his new job as the CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters.
Saturday was a mix of activities, including helping The Dalles celebrate the arrival of a ceremonial wagon train marking the 150th anniversary of the Oregon Trail. My own ancestors arrived in The Dalles by wagon train in September of 1845. Bill Vixen and his family of Milton-Freewater drove the team of mules that pulled the stagecoach I got to ride in from downtown to the Discovery Center.
From there, I went to Hood River to speak at the Eagle Scout Court of Honor for Luke Ihle of troop 382. As a fellow Eagle, I do all I can to encourage these young men to stick with Scouting and attain the rank of Eagle.
I ended the day at memorial service in Wasco for former Sherman County Judge Gordon Hilderbrand. Gordon was a long-time friend and community leader. He was a very early enthusiast for wind energy in Sherman County. I will miss his counsel (always given clearly.)
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At almost every event (including at the grocery store Sunday afternoon) the subject of health care came up.
Having spent a few years on a non-profit hospital board, having been a small business owner who bought health insurance for our workers, having been co-chair of the Rural Healthcare Coalition in the Congress, I want reform of our system, too.
Too many people and small businesses can no longer afford health insurance. Too many people with pre-existing conditions can’t find insurance coverage. Too much expensive, defensive medicine is practiced to minimize lawsuits. We need more choices, more transparency and less waste.
I agree with the President that there is a serious need for healthcare reform in this country. The current track of spiraling costs is completely unsustainable.
Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee might resume its work on the health care legislation. When the Committee adjourned at the end of July, the chairman said he would call us back to vote on 40 or 50 amendments that were not considered before we adjourned. It’s still a little unclear just what we will base our votes upon since the measure, HR 3200, was voted out of the Committee in July. Stay tuned.
But what I don’t want is a complete government takeover that will result in you losing the coverage that you currently have and want to keep. As the Associated Press noted in a follow-up fact check on the President’s speech, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) concluded that millions would lose their employer-based care in the current legislative proposal.
The Associated Press also pointed out that the current proposals in Congress don’t live up to the President’s principle of not adding to the deficit. CBO said the House bill would add $239 billion to the deficit over ten years.
Health care delivery needs reform, but Congress should work on changes in a deliberate and bipartisan way. Peoples’ lives and one-sixth of the nation’s economy is affected by the changes Congress makes. It’s important to get it right.
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In communications news, I recently participated in a hearing on how the government is spending “stimulus” dollars to provide broadband coverage throughout the country. The Congress appropriated $7.2 billion earlier this year in an effort to extend coverage to unserved and underserved parts of the nation.
I encouraged officials from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Rural Utilities Service to begin with projects in “unserved” areas, rather than “underserved” areas. Seems to me, that if the federal government is going to use your tax dollars in this manner it should first help communities that lack broadband services altogether.
Meanwhile, last week the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet held a hearing that included all five commissioners at the Federal Communications Commission. Three, including Chairman Julius Genachowski, are new to the Commission. They covered a lot of ground in their testimony and during questions from the subcommittee members.
I asked for and received a public commitment from Chairman Genachowski that he would not support restoration of the so-called “Fairness Doctrine.” However, I expressed my deep concern about the appointment of Mark Lloyd to a newly created position at the Commission. Mr. Lloyd’s previously published writings and comments are rather inflammatory and from my perspective offensive toward community broadcasters.
The FCC chairman assured me that Mr. Lloyd would not be involved in broadcast issues, but rather in issues involving “net neutrality” for the internet. The FCC announced Saturday that it plans to move forward with rules regarding the management of how information flows on the internet.
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The House voted last week for a complete government takeover of student loans.
The $1 trillion bill would replace about 80 percent of student lending with a government system lending directly from the U.S. Treasury. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has recently cast doubt on claims from the bill’s advocates that the bill will save money—instead, CBO has uncovered billions in hidden spending in the bill.
Sixteen years ago, the Direct Loan program was created as a “government option” to promote competition. Last week’s House vote eliminated the private sector’s role altogether and forces students into the government lending plan.
College administrators are not terribly high on the idea, either. According to the Wall Street Journal, three-dozen college administrators signed a letter urging a more cautious process in Congress.
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On the national security front, the arrest of alleged terrorists in New York and Colorado has focused the nation’s attention once again on the continuing threat to our country’s security. And last week the Obama Administration called on Congress to reauthorize three expiring provisions of the Patriot Act.
The first allows investigators to get court orders to track targets who switch phones, phone companies or phone numbers without having to get a separate warrant with each change. Called the “roving wire tap,” the FBI says it’s used about 140 times in the last five years.
The second provision allows the FBI to get a court order to seize business records, computers, diaries and other tangible things deemed relevant to a terrorism investigation. The FBI has used this authority more than 250 times in the last five years.
The final authority the President wants to extend has never been used. It’s called the “lone wolf” provision that allows the FBI to get a court order to wiretap a terrorism suspect who is not connected to any foreign government or terrorist group.
Expect to read more about this issue in the days ahead as both the House and Senate will hold hearings on the President’s request.
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The House passed earlier today my legislation to authorize a major waste-water upgrade for Hermiston. The bill, H.R. 2741, would authorize the Bureau of Reclamation to design, plan, and construct water recycling facilities in Hermiston to simultaneously keep up with the demands from the growing population and put clean water back into the Umatilla River for threatened salmon species.
It would also provide much-needed additional water to area irrigators, and help offset costs to local ratepayers for the needed upgrades.
The proposed project would produce 3,400 acre feet of high-quality Class A water that can be used for all agriculture irrigation needs—not merely pasture land irrigation, as is the case with the current recycled water. This high-quality water will also benefit the salmon and the environment by meeting pollution standards for decades to come.
The project will comply with all applicable environmental laws and regulations, and the city has already completed the required supporting environmental assessment. Hopefully the Senate can take the legislation up quickly.
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The organization that was caught on video giving advice to undercover filmmakers on how to evade taxes and get government help to buy a house and turn it into a brothel may lose millions in federal funding. The House voted overwhelming to defund the community organizing group ACORN last week. All I can say is that it’s long-overdue.
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You may recall from the last e-newsletter that I am helping write bipartisan healthy forests legislation that aims to create jobs for Oregonians, reduce wildfire and benefit the forest environment at the same time.
Here’s a bit of what the Bend Bulletin had to say about the plan:
“In addition to making the clean-up process less administratively (and legally) laborious, the bill will attempt to give the junk removed from forests greater value. The policy math goes something like this: Fewer obstacles plus bigger payback equals healthier forests. … Among Walden’s collaborators in this effort are Oregon Rep. Kurt Schrader, Washington Rep. Brian Baird and South Dakota Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin. All but Walden are Democrats. Such cooperation provides hope that at least a bit of the bipartisan spirit with which Congress approved the Healthy Forests Restoration Act six years ago still remains.”
And the Grants Pass Daily Courier too:
“U.S. Rep. Greg Walden will once again venture into federal forests, hoping to sell a little common sense. … The legislation would not only reduce the threat of wildfires, but create jobs in Josephine and other rural counties, where they’re badly needed, and produce healthier forests. The work could employ people not only clearing brush and smaller trees, but in turning the biomass taken out into energy. … Walden’s latest trip into federal forests started out well, with support from both the timber industry and conservationists. Hopefully, the rest of the journey through Congress, for rural counties’ sakes, will go as smoothly.”
We should have the bill text ready for introduction in a few weeks. I’ll keep you updated as the process moves along.
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That’s all for now. Remember to join me on YouTube, friend me on Facebook, or track me on Twitter if you have not already done so.
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Best regards,
Greg Walden
