U.S. Senators Mike Enzi, John Barrasso and U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis keep us informed on the issues effecting Wyoming and the Country. Their speeches on the Senate and House floor, their voting on the issues in Washington and their communications with various U.S Agencies help Wyoming remain a great State to live, work and play. The Committees they are assigned to are: Senator Enzi; Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, Budget, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Social Security, trade, health care programs, taxes, energy and transportation. Senator Barrasso; Foreign Relations, Energy and Natural Resources, Environment and Public Works (EPW), Indian Affairs, and Senate Republican Whip Team Member. Representative Lummis;
Natural Resources Committee, Budget Committee,Energy and Mineral Resources, National Parks, Forests and Public Lands and Agriculture Committee...
02/02/10 —Barrasso Supports Shutting Down Civilian Trials for 9/11 Terrorists “The Administration’s decision to try the 9/11 terrorists in civilian court is beyond irresponsible. These people are at war against the United States and our values. They deserve a military judge and jury, not a soap box and a megaphone.. ...…
02/01/10 —Lummis Statement on Obama's Budget Proposal WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., a member of the House Budget Committee, issued this statement following the release of President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2011 (FY11) budget proposal to Congress: ...…
02/02/10 —Enzi grills Sec. Geithner on budget proposal’s impact on Wyoming Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., spent the morning with U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner explaining the importance of lending to small businesses and outlining why the federal government needs to live up to its promise to pay Wyoming’s Abandoned Mine Land (AML) money back to the state. ...…
02/01/10 — Delegation fights for soda ash best interests Washington, D.C. - The Wyoming delegation, U.S. Senators Mike Enzi, John Barrasso and Representative Cynthia Lummis, all R-Wyo., are stepping up pressure on China to protect Wyoming’s soda ash industry from manipulative Chinese tax policies. ...…
02/01/10 —Wyo leaders work to keep AML $ flowing Washington, D.C. - Today the President released his Fiscal Year 2011 budget which included a predicted cut to Wyoming’s nearly $115 million in Abandoned Mine Land (AML) money, depending on the state’s annual coal production. ...…
01/31/10 —Barrasso Criticizes Administration for Neglecting Americans’ Priorities WASHINGTON, DC – Today, during an interview on Fox News, Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) criticized the Security and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) new requirement that companies disclose the impacts of climate change on their businesses. ...…
Washington is dumping a colos–sal amount of debt into the laps of our children and grandchildren. Between 2008 and 2013, the budget will add $5.7 trillion ($48,000 per U.S. household) in new government debt. The annual interest on this debt would nearly equal the entire U.S. defense budget by 2019. Moreover, given the unsustainable costs of paying Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits to 77 million retiring baby boomers, the federal debt will continue expanding after 2019. Without real reforms, the result may be devastating tax increases for decades to come.
Enzi weighs in on President’s State of the Union 01/27/10
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., joined Congressional members to witness President Obama’s State of the Union address. Below are comments he made after the speech.
“The President touched on a lot of areas tonight and Congress has a long to-do list, but the President needs to understand that pushing big government intervention, programs and spending is not the answer to creating jobs. I don’t think many of the President’s proposals have been thought out beyond what words sound good according to popular polls and focus groups. As distasteful as it is to labor unions, some lawyers and left-wing progressives, it’s important to understand that in order to create jobs the federal government has to help, or at least not harm, those who create jobs. Private sector businesses create jobs. The more money the federal government takes away from them for taxes to spend on new federal programs or initiatives, the less these employers will have to spend on wages or new jobs. I didn’t hear as much of this understanding in the President’s speech as I hoped. It is hard for small businesses to hire more help if there is uncertainty in their future. The detrimental proposals for business are the uncertainty I’m talking about.
Fancy Rhetoric Won’t Correct Flawed Accounting…“I applaud the President for taking a step in the right direction to freeze spending, but fancy rhetoric won’t correct flawed accounting. The President still leaves the federal faucet turned on at full blast. That is action. It’s not talk, but unfortunately it’s taking our country in the wrong direction. As the President talks about tiny spending freezes tonight, the majority will prepare to overspend by $1.9 TRILLION this year!! Congressional Democrats tomorrow are going to vote on raising the debt ceiling by $1.9 trillion dollars. That shows me they intend to overspend that much. A lot more needs to be done. The American people will demand it. …
Barrasso: Administration Must Stop Pushing Job-killing Policies 01/27/10
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo) released the following statement regarding President Obama’s State of the Union Address:
“For over a year, Americans have repeatedly encouraged Washington to focus on jobs and the economy. Washington had its own agenda. Now we have out of control government spending, a skyrocketing deficit and a failed ‘stimulus’ bill.
“The American people deserve a road map to economic growth instead of another list of unfulfilled promises. Washington should either lead or get out of the way.
“Tonight, President Obama promised to get the economy back on track, reduce the deficit and help the private sector create new jobs. While I appreciated his remarks, I am more interested in his actions.
“In order for our economy to improve, the Administration must stop pushing policies that kill jobs across our country.. …
Senators Coburn, McCain, LeMieux and Enzi challenge Congress to cut spending instead of raising the debt limit
Sign Senate Measure to Protect Small Businesses 01/22/10
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – U.S. Senators Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK), John McCain (R-AZ), George LeMieux (R-FL) and Michael Enzi (R-WY) today filed an amendment (#3303) to the proposed debt limit increase (H.J. Res 45) that would prevent a $1.9 trillion increase in the debt limit and cut spending by $120 billion.
“This amendment will give senators a chance to do what the American people want us to do: end borrow and spend politics. It’s time for us to make the same tough budget choices American families make each day. The future of our economy, and even our republic, depends on Congress finding the courage and common sense to say no to wasteful and duplicative spending. This amendment would be an important first step on the road to fiscal sanity and spending-addiction recovery,” Dr. Coburn said.
“While the national budget is complex, it isn’t rocket science to figure out how to balance it –stop spending more than you have. The federal government needs to cut spending. Period,” said Enzi. “There is a lot of anger throughout the country and overspending is one of the reasons. Americans are fed up with the out of control spending and lack of responsibility. This amendment is an opportunity for Congress to take that responsibility.” …
Enzi, Barrasso take on EPA Sign Senate Measure to Protect Small Businesses 01/22/10
WASHINGTON, DC – US Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso, both R-Wyo., joined 37 Senators opposing the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) efforts to regulate carbon dioxide under the Clean Air Act.
“The Clean Air Act was not designed to regulate a substance as prevalent as carbon dioxide. Congress cannot stand by idly as bureaucrats implement a policy that will increase energy prices and cost Americans jobs. It is high time Congress stepped in. I am proud to put my foot down in defense of small businesses and Americans to fight the bureaucratic nightmare the EPA is trying to create,” said Enzi.
“The Obama Administration continues to prove it is more interested in pushing an extreme environmental agenda than finding solutions that will help our troubled economy and create new jobs,” Barrasso said. “We will not sit back and allow the EPA to simply issue another regulation that ties the hands of small businesses, kills even more jobs, and exerts more control over Americans’ lives. We need to protect hospitals, farms, nursing homes and commercial businesses – all who could be bankrupted by the EPA’s ruling.”…
Waxman-Markey Electricity Consumer Allocation Map Consumers in red colored states will pay more for electricity to make up for the shortfall in allowances (dollars in millions). 06/22/09 Based on the allowance allocation formula in H.R. 2454 for electricity consumers, the red states will not have enough allowances to cover their emissions from electricity generation. The shortfall in allowances to the red states will lead to higher electricity costs for consumers, the total of which will roughly correlate with the dollar losses noted on the map. For example, Texas electricity consumers will see electricity costs go up by roughly $1 billion. To make up the shortfall, red states will have to seek high-cost, non-CO2 emitting electricity sources, reduce electricity production and consumption, or purchase allowances from the green states, or purchase domestic and international offsets, likely a combination of the three. GOP.gov
Tracking Earmarks and Taking Names
One of the most bi-partisanly problematic and controversial issues in Washington is that of earmarks and pork-barrel spending. Several organizations exist to track this -- often irresponsible and secret -- spending of taxpayer dollars. Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) keeps painstaking tabs on each bill and appropriation so you don't have to. Today, they released their 2009 Congressional Pig Book, especially relevant due to the recent omnibus spending bill and huge stimulus package passed in the House and Senate.… GOP.gov
“No freeman shall be debarred the use of arms.” —Thomas Jefferson
“It is not hyperbole to describe [the Supreme Court’s] decision in [District of Columbia v.] Heller as the most significant opinion of this century, and likely, of the last two generations. Two particular thoughts immediately come to mind. First, the extent to which [the] decision effectively opens the door for future litigation regarding the Second Amendment to further clarify the extent of the now confirmed, but long understood, individual right to keep and bear arms. Second, this is an election year. This decision, closely divided as it is, will likely provide a rallying cry for the millions of the Americans who recognize that their Second Amendment rights came down to a single vote. In reading Justice Scalia’s opinion, there is an overwhelming theme that to interpret the Second Amendment as not protecting an individual right would gut the amendment of meaning and defy logic. It is, after all, the Second Amendment, not the two hundredth. This is not an obscure line buried among thousands of pages of text. It is inconceivable that the framers would have given it the priority they did, placing it ahead of so many other critical rights, if they only meant it to apply to militias as the dissenting justices suggest.” — David Schenck
Republican Leaders Comment After Meeting with President Obama
