Democrats Agenda

Democrats at their worst:

Change you can believe in...?

The Audacity of Being Democrat...
“You never let a serious crisis go to waste. What I mean by that is it’s an opportunity to do things you couldn’t do before.” -- Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel

“Over the next several months, the President will propose a series of legislative and enforcement measures to reduce such U.S. tax evasion and avoidance.” -- Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner, who recently had to pay $34,000 in back taxes...The RNC weekly update on all the latest news and political happenings.

Barrasso: “The Administration, it seems to me, is now putting ideology over scientific integrity.”
Questions Sec. Salazar About Political Agenda Behind Offshore Drilling Moratorium and the Objectivity of the Oil Spill Commission
06/24/10

Watch Video
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) asked Interior Secretary Ken Salazar if the Administration is putting ideology over scientific integrity in the wake of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Senator Barrasso delivered his remarks during the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing.

“We are at day 66 of the oil spill. Day 66 of an economic and environmental catastrophe in the Gulf, which is not just affecting the Gulf region, but our entire country.…

If you like what you have you can’t keep it, Enzi warns
06/22/10
Washington, D.C. – New health insurance rules unveiled this week violate President Obama’s promise to allow Americans who like their health plans to keep them, U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, Ranking Member of the Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee, said today on the Senate floor.

“Last week, the Administration published a 121-page interim final rule that will increase the costs businesses pay for health insurance. If employers do almost anything on their own to help slow the growth in their health insurance costs, they will lose the limited protections against the expensive new mandates in the new law,” Enzi said.…

Barrasso Statement on the President’s Address on Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico
06/15/10
WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo) released the following statement in response to President Obama’s address to the nation. Senator Barrasso is the only Republican to serve on both the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Environment and Public Works Committee.

“By addressing the American people from the Oval Office, President Obama underscored the gravity of the crisis in the Gulf of Mexico. The American people want the government and BP to plug the leak, clean up our coasts and ensure a tragedy like this never happens again.

“Today is day 57 of this disaster and the Administration now wants a new national energy tax to be part of our nation’s disaster response policy. The President’s cap and trade plan will do nothing to stop the oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. It will do nothing to clean up the spill. It will do everything to increase energy prices and kill jobs. I will continue to fight any Washington proposal that would make it more expensive for Americans to power their homes, cars, and businesses.” …

Barrasso Criticizes White House Cap and Trade Push
“America wants the well capped – not a job killing cap and trade program.”
06/29/10
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) released the following statement regarding the White House’s announcement that President Obama remains committed to a cap and trade program that delivers a national energy tax. Senator Barrasso is the only Republican to serve on both the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and Environment and Public Works Committee.

“We have a $13 trillion debt, 9.7 percent unemployment and a well in the Gulf of Mexico that is spewing millions of barrels of oil. Instead of focusing on creating new jobs and stopping the leak, the President today renewed his commitment to a national energy tax.

“Washington should be focused on solving America’s current challenges. America wants the well capped – not a job killing cap and trade program.”…

Coburn, Barrasso Release Oversight Report on Obamacare’s First 100 Days
07/07/10

(WASHINGTON, DC) – U.S. Senators and doctors Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK) and John Barrasso, M.D. (R-Wyo.) today released an oversight report, "Bad Medicine: A Check-Up On The New Federal Health Law," that examines the implementation of the law nearly 100 days after passage. The full report is available here.

Coburn and Barrasso write in the report:

"One hundred days after the new federal health care law was passed, Americans remain anxious about how it will impact them and their families. Unfortunately, when measured against the Administration’s own stated goals, the new health law fails to address the top health care concerns of the American people."

"As supporters of cost-effective, common-sense health reform, but staunch opponents of the legislation that passed Congress earlier this year, this report presents the American people with a check-up about the side effects and the implications of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as it begins to be implemented."

"More than a year ago, our country began a national conversation about how to best reform our nation’s health care system. We were both early advocates for real health reform that would lower costs, empower patients, and increase access. We proposed health reform ideas that would ensure all Americans had access to affordable coverage."

"The passage of the new law is a lost historic opportunity. However, we hope the American people will not give up on their desire for sustainable health reform but will hold their elected leaders accountable to work together to craft common-sense, bipartisan, step-by-step reforms. We believe that real reform begins with replacing the new law with sensible provisions that will lower costs, increase patient control, and put affordable, high quality coverage within the grasp of every American."

"The intention of this report is to highlight some of problems with the law and its consequences. After 100 days after passage, the report reveals new information and goes through a litany of problems with this flawed legislation."

Facts highlighted in the report include:

…FACT:     The new health law increases the cost of health care.

…FACT:     Sixteen million Americans are forced into Medicaid – a program that denies care, has higher rates of infant mortality, and yields lower health outcomes for patients.

…FACT:     Citizens will be forced to purchase costlier health insurance or pay a tax, but illegal immigrants will continue to get free care and those costs will be shifted onto citizens.

…FACT:     The individual mandate will fail with the IRS as the health care enforcer, but uninsured Americans will be considered violators of the law even as costs increase further.

…FACT:     Millions of Americans will lose their current health plan as employers either drop coverage or purchase more expensive, government-dictated health insurance.

…FACT:     Patients with pre-existing conditions still face care restrictions, since the new federal risk pool is seriously underfunded and will offer coverage months after required by the new law.

Watch Video
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) asked Interior Secretary Ken Salazar if the Administration is putting ideology over scientific integrity in the wake of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Senator Barrasso delivered his remarks during the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing.

“We are at day 66 of the oil spill. Day 66 of an economic and environmental catastrophe in the Gulf, which is not just affecting the Gulf region, but our entire country.…

Barrasso: Another Broken Health Care Promise from President Obama
06/15/09: Obama – "If you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan. Period.” 06/15/10: Obama health law will force Americans to change health care plans
06/15/10
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo) spoke at a Senate press conference about the Obama Administration’s new health care regulations. He pointed out that the new regulations will force Americans to change their current health care plans despite President Obama’s promise that Americans can keep their coverage.

Excerpts of his remarks: “I want to talk to you today about the promises that the President has made about the health care bill. And as we now know, are broken promises.

“What a difference a year makes. One year ago today the President went to the American Medical Association meeting in Chicago. He spoke to the doctors there, but was speaking to doctors as well as their patients about what he wanted to do with health care.

“The President said ‘If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor. Period.’ He then said, ‘if you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan. Period.’ He said, ‘No one will take it away, no matter what.’

“Well here we are--it’s a year later.

“Last September the President said, ‘Nothing in this plan will require you or your employer to change the coverage or the doctor you have.’

“And then at the town hall with the seniors just last week, he said ‘If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.’

“Well on Friday, the Associated Press reported that in just three years, a majority of workers in this country, 51 % will be in plans subject to new Washington requirements. 51% of Americans will not be able to keep what they have, keep what they like, keep what they want.…

Senate takes historic vote on EPA carbon grab
Enzi warns that outcome will negatively impact all businesses
06/010/10

Video
Washington, D.C. – Following months of debate and political wrangling, a bipartisan group of senators received an up or down vote to stop overreaching actions by the Environmental Protection Agency’s attempts to regulate carbon dioxide emissions.

Unfortunately, the Senate voted against a resolution disapproving the EPA’s overreach by a vote of 47-53. The failure of the resolution of disapproval allows the EPA to continue their plans to regulate carbon emissions.

“This carbon grab by the EPA flies in the face of the legislative intent of the Clean Air Act which was never intended to regulate carbon. Yet the EPA and others in the Administration are moving forward with drastic attempts to over regulate anyway,” said Enzi. “The Clean Air Act is not the EPA’s regulatory Swiss Army knife. The Administrator herself has said the legislation is not intended to regulate greenhouse gases, yet she is attempting to impose a new national energy tax without any consent from Congress.”…

Enzi adds to chorus of discontent over EPA carbon grab
06/08/10

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Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., joined several senators today to denounce the overreaching attempts by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate carbon dioxide emissions.

“This is truly an overreach. In a big city people are breathing out carbon dioxide all day long. Could that be subject to regulation under the Clean Air Act? Could breathing become a violation? What about cattle feed lots? Cattle produce carbon dioxide and methane,” said Enzi. “I think there are a lot of unintended consequences. Stopping this regulation is the way to make sure the American people’s jobs are protected and agencies realize they can’t overreach.” …

Enzi highlights hypocrisy of out-of-control “emergency” spending
05/27/10

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Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., took to the Senate floor last night to decry billions of dollars in out-of-control federal spending and to urge his colleagues to stop spending money the country doesn’t have. He also pointed out budget tricks that waive budget rules and put our nation even more into debt.

“We have been asking Americans to tighten their spending belts and take responsibility for their personal debt. It is about time that the representatives of the people do the same. The national debt just hit $13 trillion for the first time in history. I can’t think of a better reason to stop spending,” said Enzi. “This bill is a far cry from a responsible spending bill. This bill represents what is reprehensible about the conduct of the federal government - unchecked, unpaid for, deficit spending.”

EPA can’t regulate climate change
John Barrasso, U.S. Senator, M.D.
05/24/10
President Barack Obama recently delivered another speech about his jobs agenda. He said government can “create the conditions for small businesses to grow and thrive and hire more workers.” His administration, he said, is working to “knock down the barriers that prevent small-business owners from getting loans or investing in the future.”

With all due respect, it’s hard to take his words seriously.

Instead of knocking down bureaucratic barriers, this administration has thrown up more walls. The president has devoted his first 16 months in office to passing legislation that creates more red tape and makes it harder for businesses to create new jobs. . …

Personal financial records are now fair game to gov’t super agency
Enzi consumer privacy amendment is shut out
05/21/10

Video
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., spent the week fighting to keep people’s private financial records out of the hands of a soon-to-be-created Big Brother financial super agency. Unfortunately, supporters of the financial regulatory bill garnered enough votes to pass the privacy-infringing bill and keep Enzi’s consumer privacy amendment from getting an up or down vote.

“It is a sad day when Washington creeps into yet another aspect of the personal lives of Americans without a single check or balance in place. Part of the financial regulatory reform bill is being sold under the guise of ‘consumer protection’ when in reality it is more like ‘consumer intrusion’,” said Enzi.. …

Barrasso And Bennett Introduce Bill To Block Interior’s Onshore Oil And Gas Reforms
05/19/10
Administration’s policy would kill jobs and energy development
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Senator Bob Bennett (R-Utah) today introduced the American Energy and Western Jobs Act that would overturn new oil and gas procedures introduced by the Department of the Interior (DOI) on Monday. The bill would eliminate the bureaucratic red tape and increased delays that will result from the new procedures.

“Our country cannot afford the Administration’s new red-tape regulations for onshore oil and gas development,” said Barrasso. “These regulations will do nothing to reduce litigation and will do everything to hamstring energy jobs and energy security. Our bill will ensure that the Administration takes into account the full economic impact of their reforms on state and local economies.”. …

Barrasso, Vitter Call on NASA Administrator to Answer Questions about Flawed U.S. Climate Data
“It appears that U.S. data is equally flawed and corrupted by questionable scientific practices.”
03/31/10
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator John Barrasso (R-WY) and Senator David Vitter (R-LA) sent a letter to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator Charles Bolden. Their letter expresses their concerns about the declining credibility of United States’ climate data:

Text of the Letter: …

Enzi:Timeline of Major Provisions in the Democrats’ Health Care Package
03/26/10
Want to see how this bill impacts you? Interested in how and when small businesses will be impacted? Click the PDF below to see a timeline for new taxes taking effect and other major provisions in the health care reform bill..

Timeline of Major Provisions in the Democrats' Health Care Package…

Barrasso: Dems’ Health Care Bill Will Hurt Patients, Bankrupt Country
“I can tell you as a doctor, the simple truth is this health care bill is bad for patients, it’s bad for providers; our doctors, our nurses and our hospitals."
0318/10
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) joined other GOP physicians at a press conference on Capitol Hill regarding the Democrats’ health care bill. Senator Barrasso is one of two physicians in the U.S. Senate, an orthopedic trauma surgeon and former president of the Wyoming Medical Society.

Excerpts from Senator Barrasso’s speech:

“I want to thank everyone for joining us today. You’re looking at a number of physicians, people who have practiced medicine around the country in their home districts for many years. I’m John Barrasso from Wyoming, an orthopedic surgeon taking care of the families around the state of Wyoming for the last quarter century and serving now in the United States Senate.”

“I can tell you as a doctor, the simple truth is this health care bill is bad for patients, it’s bad for providers; our doctors, our nurses and our hospitals. As well as it’s bad for payers – the American people who are going to end up having to pay this bill.”

“You take a look at this and the President continues to talk about making sure more people are covered. But that doesn’t mean more people will get care. And there’s a fundamental disconnect when he says he’s going to solve this by putting 15 million more people on Medicaid. There’s a front page New York Times two days ago that says both doctors and patients are dropping out of Medicaid because the reimbursement is so low.” …

More Red Tape Jeopardizes Wyoming Jobs and Coal Production
“Delays in land management decisions create uncertainty for local businesses and communities, jeopardizing job growth.”
0315/10
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, in a letter to the Department of the Interior (DOI), Governor Dave Freudenthal, U.S. Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso and U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis criticized new DOI guidelines that could jeopardize jobs and coal production in Wyoming. The new policy places additional unnecessary hurdles on DOI’s permitting process.

The text of the letter follows:

We are writing to express concerns with the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Instruction Memorandum No. 2010-043 issued on December 23, 2009 and its impact on coal leasing and production in Wyoming. This Instruction Memorandum (IM) directed BLM State, District, and Field Offices to submit for approval all non-exempt Federal Register (FR) notices to the Department of Interior in Washington, D.C., prior to publication. This policy adds unnecessary, bureaucratic hurdles to an already thorough and time-consuming review process, jeopardizing job creation and development of Wyoming’s energy resources.…

Barrasso: DOI Should Have Listened to Americans Before Introducing Job-killing Oil and Gas Regulations
“Better to listen first and then implement -- rather than implement and then see what the impacts are going to be of the Administration’s positions.”
03/03/10

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, during a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing, US Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) questioned Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar about the Department of the Interior’s (DOI) upcoming meetings about new DOI oil and gas leasing regulations. Barrasso suggested that DOI should have listened to Americans before introducing regulations that will kill red, white and blue jobs across our country.

BARRASSO EXCERPT:

“People in the West are concerned because the regulations are already in place. These regulations are impacting the red, white and blue jobs that have powered our country and are such good jobs in our state. So it just seems that maybe we could have had this discussion before the regulations went in place. I would encourage you and invite you to Pinedale, Rock Springs, Casper, Wyoming to see the specifics of the impacts- and I’d be happy to go with you to those locations. It just struck me that it might have been better to listen first and then implement rather than implement and then see what the impacts are going to be of the Administration’s positions.”

Background: In response to a question posed by Senator Bob Bennett (R-Utah) Secretary Salazar said, “I don’t pretend to know that we are the holders of total wisdom relative to how we ought to be regulating our public lands and oil and gas. So if there are better ways in which we ought to be doing what we’re doing, we are listening and that’s why Assistant Secretary Wilma Lewis and Director Bob Abbey as well as myself and Deputy Secretary David Hayes will be having additional meetings to understand what the real impact is of our new rules on the ground.”
.. .…

Administration Continues Unprecedented Taxpayer Funding for EPA
“With this funding, EPA will be able to expand its regulations and red tape on small and large businesses, rural and urban towns, hospitals, nursing homes and schools all across America.”
02/23/10

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, US Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) criticized the Obama Administration for its 2010 budget proposal for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). He delivered the following statement at the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee (EPW) hearing:

“Under the President’s proposed Environmental Protection Agency budget, the EPA will continue its unprecedented high funding levels.

“According to the White House, the EPA will receive $10 billion of U.S. taxpayer dollars -- ‘a substantially higher annual amount than requested under any previous Administration.’ The Administration states – ‘this amount will strengthen the EPA’s program implementation, research, regulation and comprehensive enforcement activities.’

“In a time where funding is scarce, and other federal agencies are taking a hit, it is clear that the EPA will continue its unprecedented growth. I believe this is a clear signal where this Administration’s priorities are as stated on their website –the funding goes to the ramp up of EPA’s regulatory and enforcement efforts.…

Enzi: Majority ignores public, passes flawed health bill
12/24/09

Washington, D.C. – On Christmas Eve, a divided Senate passed its version of the most sweeping health care legislation in U.S. history. U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo) said the vote was a “political engineering marvel, but a disservice to the country.” He voted against the measure.

The Senate health care bill will now need to be reconciled with the House’s health care bill before being considered again by each chamber. Enzi made the following comments before the vote.

“It’s hard enough to get a family of four to agree on what to have for dinner, let alone 60 senators to agree on what to have in a bill. But all 60 had to agree to this bill. They moved away from legislating to ‘deal making’. You have to hand it to the majority leader. Everyone should be in awe of his ability to give much to a few, none to many and still get all to stay on board what they can see from the polls is a sinking ship.

“Welfare reform, civil rights, Medicare and all monumental pieces of legislation ever passed by Congress have passed with members from both parties sharing the credit and blame…until now.

“You can’t change such a basic part of the economy, something that affects every single person, by ignoring many who have experience in the business and in the area. If you do, you’ll have legislation with major flaws. The American people recognize the flaws. More taxes, higher health care costs and worse health care delivery. What kind of health care bill is that? How on earth did the majority convince themselves this was a good thing? This bill not only breaks the bank, it breaks the very promises the President made to the country.”…

Enzi: reform can happen without mega-bureaucracy, mega-spending
11/09/09

Washington, D.C. – The House of Representatives passed a health care bill over the weekend that U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., said would actually increase the cost of health care for most people in Wyoming and the nation while adding “one of the largest bureaucracies money can buy.”

“People in Wyoming know that if something costs a trillion dollars then it’s not free. No amount of smoke and mirrors is going to hide that,” said Enzi. “One of the most astonishing things about this plan is that it won’t lower health care costs. If this bill passes, people across the country will be asking themselves next year, ‘Why am I paying so much more for health care that isn’t any better than what I already had?’”

Enzi said a trillion dollars buys a lot of bureaucracy and the House majority spared no expense with their health care bill. The Joint Economic Committee House Republican Staff and the House Republican Conference put together a chart showing how the House health care plans have grown increasingly cumbersome. To access the chart click here.

“Health care reform can happen without costing taxpayers a trillion dollars and adding a mega-bureaucracy. It’s still not too late for the Senate to make meaningful, common sense changes that benefit regular folks,” said Enzi.

New Federal Bureacracies Created in Pelosi Health Care Bill .…

Lummis: National Unemployment Rises, Again
11/06/09

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., released the following statement on reports that the nation’s unemployment rate climbed to 10.2 percent in October:

“Last month, more than 190,000 Americans lost their jobs. As the nation enters the holiday season, more than 2.8 million people now find themselves out of work since the stimulus bill was signed into law by the President.

“Despite promises from President Obama and congressional Democrats that the ‘economic stimulus’ plan would keep the unemployment rate from topping 8 percent, it has now reached 10.2 percent – a rate not seen since April 1983.

“Yet, instead of focusing on a plan to create jobs, Congress is poised to vote on a trillion dollar government-forced takeover of the health care system that according to some estimates will cut an additional 5.5 million good-paying American jobs. . …

Lummis Votes Against Gov’t Forced Takeover of Health Care
11/08/09

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., issued this statement following her vote against the Democrats’ bill to institute government-forced health care in the United States:

“This bill replaces individual freedom and personal responsibility with big government dependency and coercion. It burdens people and small businesses in Wyoming with new taxes for budget busting healthcare reforms and forces people to buy insurance whether it makes sense for them or not.

“Every member of the U.S. House had an opportunity to support a health care plan that the American people could afford. The Republican plan I supported cuts the deficit in ten years, lowers healthcare premiums across the country, and it does it without robbing the American people of their freedom and their dignity.

“Sadly, this House voted to push millions of Americans into a government-run health care program that even members of Congress will not subject themselves. Speaker Pelosi’s bill will shackle the freedom of the American people while empowering the federal government, which is exactly the opposite of what our founding fathers were trying to achieve with the Constitution. …

7 on defense panel scrutinized
Separate probes focus on ties to lobbying firm founded by Hill aide
10/30/09
Nearly half the members of a powerful House subcommittee in control of Pentagon spending are under scrutiny by ethics investigators in Congress, who have trained their lens on the relationships between seven panel members and an influential lobbying firm founded by a former Capitol Hill aide. .

The investigations by two separate ethics offices include an examination of the chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee on defense, John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), as well as others who helped steer federal funds to clients of the PMA Group. The lawmakers received campaign contributions from the firm and its clients. A document obtained by The Washington Post shows that the subcommittee members under scrutiny also include Peter J. Visclosky (D-Ind.), James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.), Norm Dicks (D-Wash.), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) , C.W. Bill Young (R-Fla.) and Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.). .

Under the description of the OCE inquiry, the document says investigators are looking at House members who may have been "accepting contributions or other items of value from PMA's PAC in exchange for an official act." A Hill source cautioned that the ethics committee has not gathered a significant amount of material and has not zeroed in on specific lawmakers. . … Together, the seven legislators have personally steered more than $200 million in earmarks to clients of the PMA Group in the past two years, and received more than $6.2 million in campaign contributions from PMA and its clients in the past decade, according to an analysis by Congressional Quarterly and Taxpayers for Common Sense.…

Higher prices, more taxes, increased premiums
What Americans can expect from health care bills
10/27/09

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Washington, D.C. – In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., highlighted 10 provisions in the majority’s health care bills that would drive up health care costs for American families.

“This health care plan being forced on America under phony, tight timelines bites off too much, fails to deliver on promises and passes the costs on to hardworking Americans,” Enzi said.

“We need to enact reforms that will actually reduce costs and make health insurance more affordable. That is what the American people want, but unfortunately, that is not what the current bills actually do.”…

Top 10 ways the Senate Democrats’ bills would drive up health insurance costs:

Requires young people to pay higher premiums – Studies show the restrictive new rating rules would increase premiums for young people by 69 percent.
Forces everyone to purchase costly plans – Requiring everyone to purchase expensive health care plans with high premiums – and not allowing people to choose affordable options that meet their budgets and needs – would increase premiums for new individual purchasers by nearly 10 percent.
Piles on federal mandates – Forcing everyone to purchase a plan that covers a laundry list of benefits, regardless of what they want or need, would inevitably drive up everyone’s costs.
Taxes medical devices – Nonpartisan experts at the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) have concluded that new excise taxes on medical devices would be passed onto patients, increasing premiums and increasing prices on everything from wheelchairs to pacemakers.
Taxes drugs – Patients would pay for these taxes too, in the form of higher prices on life-saving prescription drugs and higher premiums.
Taxes insurance providers – CBO says new taxes on insurance providers would be passed onto patients in the form of higher premiums, as much as $487 per year for families.
Expands Medicaid and shifts costs – The bills would force 14 million Americans into the flawed Medicaid program, which 4 in 10 doctors won’t accept because the program underpays providers. Studies show that expanding the program directly increases costs for everyone else, since doctors and hospitals must make up for their losses under Medicaid by shifting costs to other patients.
Taxes "Cadillac" and union plans – The new 40 percent tax on high-end “Cadillac” plans would force companies to shift costs to employees or to reduce the value of the health care benefits they provide.
Charges fee to sell plans in the mandated exchanges – CBO estimates that the surcharges to sell plans in the new exchanges would increase premiums by approximately three percent.
Imposes a new tax to pay for comparative effectiveness research – The bill would tax patients to pay for new research so that Washington bureaucrats can decide which treatments patients can and cannot receive.

Lummis Calls for an End to Stimulus Spending
10/14/09

Audio

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., is calling for a halt to the spending portion of the Obama-Pelosi “stimulus” package and allocations made from the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP).

Lummis supports a plan, H.R. 3140, the REBOUND Act, to require the remaining $150 billion of $700 billion in TARP funding, as well as $460 billion left from the stimulus package to be funneled toward cutting this year’s projected $1.8 trillion deficit.

“By re-directing the unspent funds from the stimulus package and TARP, we can reduce this year’s deficit by more than $600 billion, while at the same time leaving tax relief and unemployment benefits in place.…

More rules, more costs, but less health insurance
10/13/09

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Washington, D.C. – The health care bill approved today by the Senate Finance Committee will drive up health care costs for millions of Americans and leave families with few affordable health insurance options, said U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., who voted against the bill today.

“There’s little in this bill for middle class Americans. The people asked us to bring down their costs, but this bill would drive their costs up. The people asked for more options so they can get the care they need, but in this bill Washington takes away their choices and decides for them. This is the wrong kind of reform,” Enzi said.

“The Finance bill spends too much and does too little to bring down health care costs. People will have less insurance. Promises are not met. We need health care reform, but it has to be done the right way. We have to bring down costs so that everyone can have access to the quality, affordable care they need.”…

Lummis: Troops Used As Bargaining Chips in Hate Crime Debate
10/08/09

WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., released the following statement as the U.S. House prepares to vote on the annual defense authorization bill which includes an unrelated and controversial “hate crimes” amendment:

“Our soldiers should be given every resource they need as they fight valiantly to keep us safe. Unfortunately, supporters of hate crime legislation are using this traditionally bipartisan bill to fund our troops in a shameful game to curry favor with special interest groups. The men and women of the armed services should not be used as political bargaining chips in this debate.

“Each state already has the right to enact hate crime legislation if it chooses to do so. The decision of whether a new hate crime law is appropriate for Wyoming should be made by Wyoming’s governor, legislature and citizens. This amendment usurps states’ rights – any state or local crime could be federalized if the possibility exists that the crime was motivated by hate. …

Senators Call for 3 Days
Bills should be available online with their total cost
10/08/09

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso, both R-Wyo., put their weight behind an amendment today that would change Senate rules to increase transparency in the halls of Congress.

The amendment, which is identical to a stand-alone resolution the members cosponsored this week, requires every piece of legislation in the Senate to be available to the public and provide a full cost analysis by the Congressional Budget Office three days before consideration by any subcommittee or committee of the Senate or on the floor of the Senate. Unfortunately, the Democratic leadership used a procedural motion to block consideration of the amendment on the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill currently being debated in the Senate.. …

Barrasso Calls for Immediate Investigation into BLM Misconduct
10/06/09

Senator Barrasso’s letter (10/06/09) to Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) is opposing the Administration’s misguided defense funding priorities. Barrasso says the CIA should be combating terrorists, not spying on sea lions.

Barrasso is fighting the Administration’s efforts to fund a climate change center at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Appropriations bill. .

“The CIA is responsible for gathering foreign intelligence information for the United States. I don’t believe creating a center on climate change is going to prevent terrorist attacks.”…

Democrats Say “Trust Us”
Energy Tax Grab Concealed by Climate Change
09/30/09

WASHINGTON D.C. - Senator Barrasso responds to Senators Boxer and Kerry introducing a massive energy tax disguised as a climate change bill - minus the details.

“The Energy Tax bill contains dozens of “fill in the blank sections.” The text is littered with empty brackets. These empty brackets conceal the hidden taxes that will cost thousands in Wyoming their jobs.”

“The Kerry/Boxer bill gives new meaning to the term tax bracket.”

“This bill is nothing more than a massive energy tax deliberately masked by climate change.”

“We teach our children to never sign a blank check or blank contract. The Kerry/ Boxer bill creates the largest energy tax grab in American history. The American people will not stand for this masquerade. The U.S. Senate should reject it.”

There's good reason not to trust Obama
Let me say it again – I don't trust Barack Obama, and neither should you.
09/29/09
by: Mychal Massie

Let me say it again – I don't trust Barack Obama, and neither should you. And it has nothing to do with the color of his skin. How can we trust a commander in chief who values playing basketball more than he does giving immediate and full attention to his general's desperate plea for more troops? What other president, Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro notwithstanding, has publicly threatened and bullied privately owned companies in his own country for providing accurate information pursuant to what his proposed measures will truly mean for their clients?.

Obama promised that his administration would be based on transparency. Yet, it took external news and information sources to expose Van Jones. And to date, Obama still has not revealed that which we are finding out on our own about his other czars, the power they have and their true political affiliations.

Where is his transparency pursuant to legislation intended as payback to unions for their support? Has he taken to his teleprompter to tell the nation that in order for non-union contractors to get government contracts they must hire union laborers, even though they are non-union? Has he told the nation that he is forcing non-union contractors to pay union wages and in some instances even contribute to union pension funds? Has he told us by what constitutional authority he took over the banking and automobile industries?

He is the president that tried to slip the Employee Free Choice Act with its "card check" provision by us. He is the president trying to saddle us with cap-and-trade. He is the president who supports health care for illegal aliens. His is the administration that came up with the "cash for clunkers" program – a program, I argue, that will ultimately serve only to put people in debt for that which they could have easily done without. Now he is using every means at his disposal to convince us we have the worst healthcare in the world, to vilify and threaten the insurance companies and to have us believe that only a government-involved (read: government-run) health-care system will save the day.

We cannot trust Obama or his congressional minions. Not even his loyal surrogates can trust him – just ask New York Gov. David Paterson. Paterson followed the Obama talking points and played the race card, only to watch Obama pretend to be above such thoughts. To further show his appreciation, Obama attempted to secretly undermine Paterson's candidacy and force him into not running – because he believed Mario Cuomo (a white candidate) has a better chance of winning. wnd

Lummis Votes to Protect Wyoming Jobs, Consumers From Energy Tax
06/26/09
WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., issued this statement following her vote against the Democrat’s national energy tax proposal, H.R. 2454:

“All over the United States, families are struggling to pay their bills and put food on the table,” Lummis said. “Nearly 1 in 10 Americans find themselves without a job and nowhere to turn. Instead of finding solutions to create more jobs and ease the economic burden on the American people, congressional Democrats have turned a blind eye to the plight of these people by enacting the largest tax hike in history.

“The national energy tax will lead to higher costs to create energy by American industries and will be passed directly onto the American consumers who use it, disproportionately impacting lower-income families and all working Americans. It will have a devastating impact on the price at the pump and utility bills, and will dramatically hinder the use of Wyoming coal. It will wreak havoc on family budgets, small businesses and family farms.

“Make no mistake, this bill is a job killer. Various studies suggest anywhere from 1.8 million to 7 million American jobs could be lost when energy-intensive facilities and the energy industry they depend on must change the way they do business – or relocate overseas – to meet sweeping new government mandates. Wyoming’s energy-based economy will likely be one of the first to suffer from these job losses.

The High Cost of Cap and Trade: Why the EPA and CBO Are Wrong
06/24/09
The EPA Is Wrong —

False Assumptions: Proponents of cap and trade point to the low cost estimates by the EPA and CBO as a reason to pass Waxman-Markey. The EPA underestimates that the bill would cost households an additional $140 a year.
Based on Consumption: The EPA's numbers are based on consumption changes, which are typically less than income changes, as families respond to income losses by saving less.
Uses Discounting: Discounting is a reasonable approach for comparing costs and benefits that occur at widely different times. However, costs of climate change rarely use a discounted rate this high. Without discounting, the impact per household is $1,288 in 2050. Adjusting household size to reflect a family of four raises this cost to over $1,900.
Assumes Rebates: The EPA assumes all the allowance proceeds will be rebated directly to consumers. This clearly isn't the case, since most of the allowances have been promised to industry.
No New Taxes? The loss that the EPA calculates doesn't include the cost of the energy tax to consumers, since the EPA assumes that all of the money is rebated. The cost of the energy tax is actually $4,600 per family of four in 2035.

The CBO Is Wrong – Cap and Trade Is Wrong — Visit heritage.org

Congress Approves 'Cash for Clunkers' Program
06/23/09
Auto state senators said the program would help hard-pressed car dealers and automakers by bringing buyers into showrooms, and they got help from President Obama and Vice President Biden, who made calls to wavering Democrats urging them to keep the plan alive.

Four Republicans -- Kit Bond of Missouri, Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Susan Collins of Maine and George Voinovich of Ohio -- voted with two independents and 54 Democrats in favor of the clunker measure, while Democrat Ben Nelson of Nebraska was opposed along with 35 Republicans.…FOXNews

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

House Democrat Draft Health “Reform” Legislation
06/22/09
At 852 pages, the released discussion draft sets the tone for a Washington takeover of the health care system—one defined by federal regulation, mandates, myriad new programs, and higher federal spending. The bill would ensure the heavy hand of federal bureaucrats over the United States health care system, levying costly new taxes on individuals and businesses who do not comply. Many Members may question how additional federal mandates and bureaucratic diktats raising costs appreciably for all Americans would make health care more “affordable.” Members may also note that while the bill’s provisions could cost as much as $2 trillion, few provisions in the draft would finance this bureaucrat-run program.… Highlights of major provisions likely to cause Member concern include:… read more at… GOP.gov

Cantor Statement on PAYGO and Administration, Democrat Spending
“The Administration's sudden focus on PAYGO seems more driven by polling and PR strategy than a serious commitment to fiscal discipline.”
06/09/09
WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) today issued the following statement prior to the President’s meeting with Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) and other Democrats on PAYGO and federal spending:

“It seems a tad disingenuous for the President and Speaker Pelosi to talk about PAYGO rules after ramming trillions in spending through Congress proposing policies that create more debt in the first six months of this year than in the previous 220 years combined. It’s as if the Administration and these Democrat leaders are living in an alternate universe. The quickest way to save money is to stop recklessly spending it. The Administration’s sudden focus on PAYGO seems more driven by polling and PR strategy than a serious commitment to fiscal discipline.

February 13, 2009: Democrat House passes stimulus without Republican input
February 17, 2009: $787 billion stimulus signed by President Obama
February 23, 2009: Bipartisan budget summit (Total debt outstanding: $10.839 trillion)
March 11, 2009: $410 billion appropriations enacted with over 8,500 earmarks
March 11, 2009: President announces earmark reforms after passage
March 24, 2009: Prime time news conference (Total debt outstanding: $11.046 trillion)
April 20, 2009: $100 million savings announcement (Total debt outstanding: $11.189 trillion)
April 29, 2009: House passes irresponsible $3.6 trillion budget
End of April, 2009: Administration bails out Chrysler
May 7, 2009: President submits savings proposal of .5% of the budget
June 1, 2009: Administration purchases GM (approx $50-$70 Billion)
June 4, 2009: House Republican propose $375 billion in common-sense taxpayer savings
June 8, 2009: Gallup/Rasmussen reflect dissatisfaction with Admin. on spending/deficit
June 9, 2009: President holds a PAYGO summit with Democrats and no Republicans

Rep. King on "Thought Crimes" Bill
“Hate Crimes” legislation
04/28/09
’Liberals in Congress want to create new laws to protect classes of people that have never been defined or identified as a class before. This unconstitutional bill aims to protect new classes of people based on ’gender identity’ and ’sexual orientation.’These are classifications of people that are based on their inner feelings – their thoughts. Punishing ’thought crimes’ will infringe on freedom of speech and religious expression, rights endowed to all Americans in the Constitution.

“Under this legislation, justice will no longer be equal. Instead, justice will depend on the race, sex, sexual orientation or protected status of the victim, setting up different penalties for the same crime. I support continuing the American tradition of equal justice under the law, and I oppose this unconstitutional ‘thought crimes’bill.”…Rep. Steve King

Barrasso Backs Montana Senators' Opposition to Relocate Gitmo Prisoners in Wyoming's Backyard
04/24/09
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a bipartisan showing of opposition, Senator John Barrasso (R–WY) backs opposition by Senators Baucus and Tester, both (D–MT), to relocate Guantanamo Bay prisoners to a facility in Hardin, Montana.

“Not in Montana. Not in Wyoming. Not in America. Suspected and known terrorists should not be on American soil,” Barrasso said. “The very same people involved with 9/11 should not have the privilege of stepping foot in the U.S.” … Senator John Barrasso

Department of Homeland Security on guard for 'right-wing extremists'
Returning U.S. military veterans singled out as particular threats
04/16/09
WASHINGTON – A newly unclassified Department of Homeland Security report warns against the possibility of violence by unnamed "right-wing extremists" concerned about illegal immigration, increasing federal power, restrictions on firearms, abortion and the loss of U.S. sovereignty and singles out returning war veterans as particular threats. … WND

Cap and Trade Costs Revealed
04/09/09
Cap and Trade is coming in the form of a national energy tax. House Leader John Boehner calls it an "irresponsible and dangerous economic policy."

The Democrats' national energy tax will "double" costs for coal dependent states, according to the New York Times. .

President Obama has admitted this will be a bearing on taxpayers, reversing his promise not to raise taxes on those who make less than $200,000 a year. It could cost families as much as $3,100 per year, and $646 billion energy tax on Americans overall. In reality, it could be double or triple that estimated amount, according to the Wall Street Journal.

There is a budget that creates prosperity for Americans instead of leaving them struggling to pay the bills. After numerous bailouts, a huge spending bill, a stimulus package and now Obama's hope to integrate illegal aliens into our nation, the last thing Americans need is another thing to pay for. … GOP.gov

Senate passes the largest tax and spend budget in history
Enzi says budget robs from future, votes against it
04/03/09
Washington, D.C. – Following more than 12 straight hours of back-to-back votes in the Senate yesterday, taxpayers are still facing increased taxes on energy, small business and health care. With the passage of the Senate budget proposal nearly all taxes will increase, according to U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo.

The Senate passed the $3.5 trillion Fiscal Year 2010 budget resolution by a vote of 55-43 late last night. Enzi voted against the final bill because it spends too much, taxes too much and borrows too much. The budget forecasts a deficit of $1.2 trillion over the next fiscal year. Enzi voted multiple times against amendments that increased taxes and spending on hardworking American families and small businesses.

“When individuals and families set a personal budget it is to keep their spending in check. The budget the Senate passed last night is merely a means to justify Washington’s excessive spending, not keep spending in check,” said Enzi, a senior Senate Budget Committee member and the Senate’s only accountant. “This budget doesn’t prepare us for our country’s future. It robs from it.”

The Senate passed budget will now go to a conference committee with the House version so differences can be worked out.

A Troubling Lack of Straightforwardness’ on the National Energy Tax
03/30/09
“Americans were upset to learn that a provision was quietly dropped from the Stimulus bill that would have kept taxpayer dollars from going to executives at failed financial firms. But they were equally upset at how those bonuses came about — the language blocking them was quietly stripped from the bill in a closed conference room somewhere in the Capitol, without anybody looking.

“A few days after that, openness took another holiday on Capitol Hill when Democrat leaders announced new budget gimmicks that had the effect of concealing the true long-term cost of the Administration’s $3.6 trillion budget.

“According to some estimates, this tax could cost every American household up to $3,100 a year just for doing the same things people have always done, like turning on the lights and doing laundry. It’s also a tax on all economic activity, from factory floors to front offices. This tax won’t just hit American households. It will cost us jobs.

“Another problem was that virtually all Republicans and a lot of Democrats agree with most Americans that this new national energy tax is a terrible idea, that we can’t afford it. And yet without this tax, there’s just no other way for Democrat leaders to pay for all of the new government programs that the administration wants. … GOP.gov

Obama Sticker Shock
03/24/09
President Obama's 2010 budget looks more astounding by the day, especially when someone other than the White House budget office is analyzing it. The latest case of epic sticker shock came Friday when the Congressional Budget Office published its assessment, which found that the proposals would increase the federal deficit by $2.3 trillion more over 10 years than the White House had claimed.

Mr. Obama keeps saying he has "inherited a trillion dollar deficit," which is true. But he's hardly an innocent bystander. CBO shows that the President is seeing that $1 trillion and raising it again and again, as far as the eye can see. In only two months, since the last CBO budget review in January, Democrats have passed laws that increase spending by $134 billion in the last six months of this fiscal year alone, and $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years. And that's all before his 2010 budget proposals.

As a share of GDP, CBO says this means spending will hit an astounding 28.5% in fiscal 2009, which ends this September, and still be at 25.5% next year, staying at close to 23% to 24% of the economy for the next decade. As CBO dryly notes, this is "above the average of 20.7 percent over the past 40 years." Even CBO's estimate is conservative because it assumes that most of the spending in the stimulus bill will be temporary, though Democrats are already planning to make much of it a permanent part of the budget baseline. … Wall Sreet Journal

The Cure for the AIG Bonus Blues
03/20/09
And so we have it... the "change" we can believe in. Over the last three years or so, Americans have wanted "change," and change is exactly what we have received. Since the Democrats have come to power, unemployment is going up and the stock market is going down. The housing market has collapsed, and the power of big government has grown by leaps and bounds.

But now, perhaps the American people will see what this new administration and the liberals in Congress are all about. The Obama agenda is about power... and not power to the people... but power to the government and a new ruling class. They construct an enemy, turn the focus of the American people on that enemy, and then push forward their radical agenda. In this case, the Obama "enemy" is the fact that AIG executives are getting paid bonuses with taxpayer-funded bailout money. Attention is being diverted to that issue and the "cure" is a new set of government powers that could be used to tax any particular person or group that the government chooses. If that doesn't make you fearful, it should! …GOPUSA

Deception, Lies, and Fake Democrat 'Outrage'
03/19/09
When word of the AIG bonuses spread through the media and the Internet, the outrage spread even faster. President Obama blasted AIG for doling out the bonuses. Democrat Sen. Chris Dodd also blasted AIG. Everyone was trying to score political points with the American public. As it turns out, it was all just bad theater and false outrage. Obama, Dodd, and company knew about the bonuses months ago. The bonuses were written into the legislation. And now that the American people are upset, the Democrats are expressing outrage too? Get real!… GOPusa

Senator Chris Dodd Doubletake

13 Firms Receiving Federal Bailout Funds Owe $220M in Back Taxes

Sen. Dodd Admits Adding Bonus Provision to Stimulus Package

Don't Blame Me: Sen. Dodd Says Administration Eliminated Bonus Restriction

Guantanamo Detainees May Be Released in U.S.
03/19/09
WASHINGTON -- Attorney General Eric Holder said some detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, may end up being released in the U.S. as the Obama administration works with foreign allies to resettle some of the prisoners.

Mr. Holder, in a briefing with reporters, said administration officials are still reviewing individual cases of the approximately 250 detainees to determine which will be put on trial and which may be released to comply with plans to close the detention facility by next year. … Wall Street Journal

Democrats’ False Hope for Change:
03/19/09
As Republicans fought to protect taxpayers from $350 billion in additional Wall Street bailouts, Democrats assured the American people President Obama would control how taxpayers' dollars would be spent.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA): "The American people deserve a government that is a fierce watchdog of their hard-earned tax dollars. Congress and the new Administration will ensure that TARP funds are used for lending to American workers and small businesses - so we can lift our economy out of recession - and not for the enrichment of a privileged few." (Press Release, 1/21/2009)
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV): "If the actions of the President-elect on TARP are any indication, a new day is dawning in Washington, DC, and a good day, a bright day...Barack Obama has also said there will be transparency, there will be oversight, and Barack Obama has said the disbursal of TARP funds will require his signoff; not a Secretary, not somebody in some clerk's office, not a group of people, but every penny will require Barack Obama's personal signoff." (Congressional Record, 1/15/2009) … GOP.gov

President Obama once criticized out-of-control spending and “enormous deficits” but...
“President Obama once criticized an “orgy of spending and enormous deficits”
03/10/09
"Unfortunately, today a majority of the United States Senate voted against fiscal responsibility and decided to keep thousands of egregious earmarks in the Democrats' massive omnibus spending bill. It's becoming clear that Democrats are on the side of more government and more taxes. Families across the country are tightening their budgets, and Washington should do the same...GOP.gov

President Obama's Great Wealth Grab
03/06/09
No matter what flowery rhetoric Barack Obama uses to defend his massive tax-and-spend policies, one thing is clear: Everybody in America will pay their share of the enormous price. (Jonah Goldberg, "Waiting Game," NationalReview.com, 3/6/2009)…

Information On Obama’s Health Care Budget
03/04/09
President Obama's budget includes nearly $1 trillion in new health spending-a $634 billion reserve fund as a "down payment" for expanded coverage, and $330 billion in spending for un-offset increases to physician reimbursements. The fund would be paid for in part through $318 billion in higher taxes on filers who itemize, "competitive bidding" for Medicare Advantage plans, and more government price controls on drug makers. The Republican Conference has outlined possible concerns with the proposal. ….GOP.gov

Ten Facts About President Obama’s Health Care Proposals
03/04/09
President Obama's budget proposal includes nearly $1 trillion in new health care spending-a $634 billion reserve fund as a "down payment" for expanded coverage, and nearly $350 billion in un-offset increases to physician reimbursements and other government programs. The fund would be paid for in part through $318 billion in tax increases on filers who itemize, "competitive bidding" for Medicare Advantage plans, and tighter government price controls on drug makers. The Republican Conference has prepared a list of fast facts about the proposal….view list here …GOP.gov

Assault weapons ban in motion
Delegation will protect 2nd Amendment
02/26/09
Washington, D.C. - The Wyoming delegation, Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso and Representative Cynthia Lummis, all R-Wyo., are firing back at a renewed push by Attorney General Holder to reinstate the assault weapons ban.

“This new administration is trying, and unfortunately succeeding, in taking away our hard earned money. Now they are following through on a campaign promise to take away our Second Amendment freedoms by reinstituting the assault weapons ban. This should come as no surprise since this Administration nominated and the Senate approved an anti-gun Attorney General. One of the reasons I opposed Eric Holder’s nomination for Attorney General was because of his restricting views on guns. Unfortunately, my hesitation based on his gun views is turning out to be justified,” said Enzi. “I held firm against President Clinton’s efforts to take away gun rights and I’ll continue doing the same with this President. Now is the time for Wyoming citizens to call their friends and family all across the nation and ask them to contact their representatives and urge them to support the Second Amendment.” ..

A Disappointing Month
02/20/09
Obama's First Month Has Been Marked By Wasteful Spending, Failed Bipartisanship, And Questionable Ethics
President Obama Promised To Slash Earmarks And Stop Wasteful Spending:
"Slash Earmarks: ... In the past two years, the Democratic Congress has cut earmarks nearly in half, to $17.2 billion in 2008. Obama and Biden are committed to returning earmarks to less than $7.8 billion a year." (Obama For America, Blueprint For Change,}

President Obama: The Stimulus Has No Earmarks:
"'I am confident that by the time we have the final package on the floor that we are going to see substantial support, and people are going to see this is a serious effort. It has no earmarks. We are going to be trimming out things that are not relevant to putting people back to work right now,' Obama said." (Douglass K. Daniel, .... read moare — RNC

Enzi says ‘NO’ to trillion dollar spending bill jammed through Congress
02/13/09

Audio

Video
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., spoke against the one trillion dollar spending package that the House passed Friday and the Senate was expected to pass Friday night.

Enzi said a bad bill was made even worse when House and Senate leaders stripped out the one measure that would actually have done some good for the U.S. economy by helping struggling home owners.

"I didn’t think it was possible, but after waiting until late last night to finally receive the text of this trillion-dollar economic bailout legislation, the Speaker of the House and the Majority Leader took a horrible bill and made it even worse. Where are the housing fixes? Housing is where our problems began and it’s where they will end. This bill does not contain housing fixes, but it does contain more pork and other federal spending than any legislation in the history of the United States. They’ve maxed out the federal credit card and didn’t even include real housing fixes. Unbelievable," said Enzi. "We hurried up to do this bill so that nobody would have a chance to look at it. Why did we have to hurry if only 11% is going to be spent in 2009 and 47% in the first two years? It makes no sense."

The Senate voted and is expected to pass H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, commonly referred to as the stimulus package, tonight. The House of Representatives passed the bill by a vote of 246-183. Seven House Democrats joined every Republican in voting against the measure. Enzi voted against the bill because it excludes a home buyers tax credit and other housing solutions, spends money the government doesn’t have on projects it doesn’t need, and provides clearer pathways for the federal government to increase its control of healthcare and other sectors of the economy.

Bipartisan?

"This legislation is the single most expensive bill in the history of the United States and is being sold to the American people as a ‘compromise.’ Buyer beware. ...

The full text of Enzi’s floor statement is available on his website:

Lummis: Same Old Stimulus, Same Old Story:
0213/09
WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., voted against the ‘negotiated’ economic stimulus package by saying she believes the bill will only stimulate the size of government, not the economy or job growth.

“Millions of American families are hurting because of the economic downturn,” Lummis said. “They need help and so does our economy. But this so-called economic stimulus package is not the solution. It’s simply a wish list of big government spending that will not stimulate the economy.

“To make matters worse, Congressional leaders cut back on tax relief to pay for more government spending. People in Wyoming are calling for more tax relief, not less. The answer to our economic troubles is a combination of pro-growth tax cuts and cuts to government spending. It isn’t rocket science; it is plain old Wyoming common sense.”

“While there are a variety of programs in this stimulus package that I could support on their own merits, I hope to consider them in next year’s budget, and not in a stimulus free-for-all, like the one just passed by Congress.”...

Lummis Appears on Fox News Lummis — Congressman Lummis discusses ethanol with Glenn Beck from the Fox News Channel.

Enzi questions Geithner on secret spending:
0211/09
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., urged Treasury Secretary Geithner today to face economic reality and own up to where and how government money is being spent to help the banking crisis.

Secretary Geithner testified at the Senate Budget Committee about the Treasury Department’s new plan to heal the banking industry. Few details were released about the plan and when pressed by Enzi for more answers Secretary Geithner could not elaborate.

"We can restore some faith in Congress and in the Treasury by being open and honest about where taxpayer money is going," said Enzi.

"We don’t need talk, statements, promises. We need actual details. The American people need to know where their money is going," said Enzi. "Providing incentives for private investment in the housing and financial markets is the only way we can get our economic machine running at full speed again. However, you have provided no details about this plan. We need to hear more....

Senate passes bill exceeding $1,200,000,000,000.00:
0210/09
Washington, D.C. – After only eight days of debate, the Senate passed a bill to expand government spending by more than a trillion dollars, increase government debt and escalate government control in the lives of Americans, all under the guise of stimulating the economy, according to U.S. Senators Mike Enzi and John Barrasso, both R-Wyo.

The Senate passed The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, H.R. 1, a bill commonly known as the stimulus package, by a vote of 61-37 today. Enzi and Barrasso voted against the bill. Differences between the House and Senate bill will now be worked out in a conference committee.

This bill is bailout baloney. The U.S. government, the big credit card in the sky, has already maxed out its credit card but the bank hasn’t noticed and the government is now applying for another card with a higher spending limit. Our government will spend the whole income on interest, leading us to an endless cycle of spending and debt. Bankruptcy is not an option for our country - and so, neither is this bill. Unfortunately, after today’s vote, that is where we are headed,” said Enzi.

“There are actions Congress can take that will help our economy. We could have real and positive impact from a series of bills for very limited, targeted solutions - believable solutions. Bills done one at a time, bills of a size more understandable, free from the pent up spending desires of decades are what we need. We should start with housing. Government spending by itself will not solve the problem. We can’t spend our way out of it. We need to devote our efforts to stemming foreclosures, invigorating the housing market and getting our financial institutions and individual investors to step back into the market without fear. We can do all of this without a $1,200,000,000,000.00 price tag,” said Enzi.

“In Wyoming we are responsible with our money. We balance our budgets. We tighten our belts when costs need to be cut. In Wyoming we don’t spend money we don’t have. Washington needs to take a lesson from Wyoming. It is absolutely critical that we carefully monitor these programs to make sure taxpayers are getting value for their money. Any measure of this size and scope is primed for waste, fraud and abuse. It is critical that we work to ensure proper oversight and accountability of these tax dollars,” said Barrasso...

Lummis Urges Transparent Stimulus Negotiations:
02/10/09
WASHINGTON – U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., is urging congressional leaders to open up House-Senate conference negotiations on the economic stimulus package to the American people.

“The new administration and congressional leadership have pledged to provide the most open and transparent government in history,” Lummis said. “To honor that commitment, it is essential that they hold an open forum for the House-Senate negotiations over the stimulus bill so that the American people can see how they decide to spend upwards of one trillion dollars.”

“I urge leaders in both houses of Congress to hold a public forum on this bill with the lights and cameras on. The American people deserve to know how their money is being spent. A bill of this magnitude should not be negotiated in a dimly lit backroom somewhere in the Capitol.”

Analysis: Democrats self-destructing over ethics:
02/19/09
By LARRY MARGASAK
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration and the new Congress are quickly handing over to Republicans the same "culture of corruption" issue that Democrats used so effectively against the GOP before coming to power.

Freshman Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., is only the latest embarrassment.

Senate Democrats accepted Burris because they believed what he told them: He was clean. Burris now admits he tried to raise money for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who authorities say sought to sell President Barack Obama's former Senate seat.

"The story seems to be changing day by day," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Wednesday..

The political mess for the Democratic Party, however, isn't Burris' conduct alone; it's the pattern that has developed so quickly over the past few months.

_The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., is the subject of a House ethics investigation. It's partly focused on his fundraising practices for a college center in his name, his ownership financing of a resort property in the Dominican Republic and his financial disclosure reports.

_Federal agents raided two Pennsylvania defense contractors that were provided millions of dollars in federal funding by Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee.

_Blagojevich was arrested Dec. 9 on federal charges, including allegations he schemed to sell the Senate seat to the highest bidder.

_Tom Daschle, the former Senate majority leader from South Dakota, abandoned his bid to become health and human services secretary and the administration's point man on reforming health care; and Nancy Killefer stepped down from a newly created position charged with eliminating inefficient government programs.

Both Daschle and Killefer had tax problems, and Daschle also faced potential conflicts of interest related to working with health care interests.

_Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was confirmed after revealing he had tax troubles.

_Obama's initial choice for commerce secretary, Bill Richardson, stepped aside due to a grand jury investigation into a state contract awarded to his political donors.

_While the Senate voted overwhelmingly to confirm William Lynn as deputy defense secretary, Obama had to waive his ethics regulations to place the former defense lobbyist in charge of day-to-day operations at the Pentagon

Democrats, who've been in control of both Congress and the White House less than two months.... Assocaiate Press

The Obama presidency: Here comes socialism:
01/22/09
2009-2010 will rank with 1913-14, 1933-36, 1964-65 and 1981-82 as years that will permanently change our government, politics and lives. Just as the stars were aligned for Wilson, Roosevelt, Johnson and Reagan, they are aligned for Obama. Simply put, we enter his administration as free-enterprise, market-dominated, laissez-faire America. We will shortly become like Germany, France, the United Kingdom, or Sweden — a socialist democracy in which the government dominates the economy, determines private-sector priorities and offers a vastly expanded range of services to many more people at much higher taxes...

Obama will accomplish his agenda of “reform” under the rubric of “recovery.” Using the electoral mandate bestowed on a Democratic Congress by restless voters and the economic power given his administration by terrified Americans, he will change our country fundamentally in the name of lifting the depression. His stimulus packages won’t do much to shorten the downturn — although they will make it less painful — but they will do a great deal to change our nation.

In implementing his agenda, Barack Obama will emulate the example of Franklin D. Roosevelt. (Not the liberal mythology of the New Deal, but the actuality of what it accomplished.) When FDR took office, he was enormously successful in averting a total collapse of the banking system and the economy. But his New Deal measures only succeeded in lowering the unemployment rate from 23 percent in 1933, when he took office, to 13 percent in the summer of 1937. It never went lower. And his policies of over-regulation generated such business uncertainty that they triggered a second-term recession. Unemployment in 1938 rose to 17 percent and, in 1940, on the verge of the war-driven recovery, stood at 15 percent. (These data and the real story of Hoover’s and Roosevelt’s missteps, uncolored by ideology, are available in The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes, copyright 2007.)

Obama’s record will be similar, although less wise and more destructive. He will begin by passing every program for which liberals have lusted for decades, from alternative-energy sources to school renovations, infrastructure repairs and technology enhancements. These are all good programs, but they normally would be stretched out for years. But freed of any constraint on the deficit — indeed, empowered by a mandate to raise it as high as possible — Obama will do them all rather quickly.

But it is not his spending that will transform our political system, it is his tax and welfare policies. In the name of short-term stimulus, he will give every American family (who makes less than $200,000) a welfare check of $1,000 euphemistically called a refundable tax credit. And he will so sharply cut taxes on the middle class and the poor that the number of Americans who pay no federal income tax will rise from the current one-third of all households to more than half. In the process, he will create a permanent electoral majority that does not pay taxes, but counts on ever-expanding welfare checks from the government. The dependency on the dole, formerly limited in pre-Clinton days to 14 million women and children on Aid to Families with Dependent Children, will now grow to a clear majority of the American population...THE HILL

Obama White House Calls for Repealing Defense of Marriage Act
01/21/09
President Barack H. Obama is poised to be the most pro-homosexual chief executive in history.
Unveiling his agenda Tuesday on the newly refurbished version of the White House Web site, Obama called for the repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), as well as the extension of more than 1,000 federal marriage benefits and of adoption rights to homosexual couples.

The site’s “Civil Rights” section lists a number of items long on the homosexual agenda, including expanding federal hate-crimes laws, repealing the ban on homosexuals in the military and extending the definition of workplace discrimination to include sexual orientation.... CNSnews

Obama Uses Campaign Tactics to Sell Stimulus Plan:
01/09/09
President-elect Barack Obama’s top political aides are adapting their campaign tactics to selling policy, using data from polls and focus groups to shape the debate over a stimulus plan that may cost at least $775 billion.

David Axelrod, Obama’s chief political adviser, along with campaign media adviser Jim Margolis, are encouraging lawmakers to use the word “recovery” instead of recession and “investment” instead of “infrastructure.” Those recommendations came from focus-group research indicating that such framing would make the package more appealing to voters... Bloomberg

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