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California U.S. Congressman Wally Herger
3/8/11
IN THIS ISSUE: |
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Right Now
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Political
Games Bring U.S. Government to Brink of
Shutdown
Republican
Budget Plan Stops Debt Crisis, Lays
Foundation for Prosperity
Repeal of
ObamaCare’s Damaging 1099 Provision Goes to
President’s Desk |
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Recent Past
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Behind the
Veil: The AARP America Doesn't Know
Eliminating
Duplicate and Burdensome Regulation
House Votes to Prevent Backdoor Cap and Tax
Scheme |
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Northern California News and
Events |
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Discussing
America’s Economic Issues with Local
Business Leaders
Anderson
Chamber of Commerce Awards Banquet
Yreka
Veterans Receiving the Outstanding Care they
Deserve
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Political Games Bring
U.S. Government to Brink of Shutdown |
I’m disappointed by the failure to reach a
budget agreement and I know that many
Americans are frustrated. The process
resulting in this imminent shutdown began a
year ago when Congressional Democrats held
huge majorities in both the House and
Senate, yet by failing to pass a budget last
year, they failed in the most basic
responsibility of governing. Throughout
Northern California, working families sit
down and figure out their budget. They make
hard choices and live within their means
because it’s the responsible thing to do.
Washington should be expected to do nothing
less.
The American
people have repeatedly sent President Obama
and Congress a clear message – Washington
must cut spending and return to fiscal
responsibility. Nearly fifty days ago I
proudly supported House Republicans in
passing a budget for the rest of FY 2011
that
cut discretionary spending by $61
billion. Unfortunately, Senate Democrats
and President Obama have blocked these
necessary reductions at every turn.
Yesterday they even blocked a bill that
would have funded our troops for the rest of
the year, cut $12 billion in spending and
kept the government running for another
week. That is why we find ourselves at the
brink of a government shutdown.
I hope that
President Obama and congressional leaders
can reach an agreement that will keep our
government running in a way that honors the
wishes of the American people – one that
significantly reduces spending and takes a
real step toward confronting our debt
crisis. The massive and growing national
debt threatens American jobs and our
economic prosperity. I am committed to
reducing spending and tackling our debt
crisis so that we may deliver a prosperous
future to our children and grandchildren.
Click here to find answers to many
frequently asked questions about the effects
of a shutdown.
Share
your thoughts |
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Republican Budget
Plan Stops Debt Crisis, Lays
Foundation for Prosperity |
This week Rep. Paul Ryan, Chairman of the
House Budget Committee, released the
2012 Republican budget resolution. This
proposal establishes a blueprint for federal
spending and revenues from 2012 through 2021
and offers solutions to reach the targeted
levels. The plan calls for over $6 trillion
in spending cuts and would put our nation on
a path to a balanced budget and long-term
prosperity. It would also repeal and defund
ObamaCare, and reduce the tax burden on
American families and businesses by
simplifying our tax code. According to an
independent economic analysis, these
policies would create an estimated one
million new jobs next year and bring the
unemployment rate down to 4% by 2015.
Further, the plan would save Medicare for
future generations of Americans by offering
future retirees the same kind of health
insurance now enjoyed by members of
Congress.
I believe the American people have
rightfully voiced their strong concern about
our nation’s rapidly escalating debt crisis.
(Click
here to watch Chairman Ryan discuss this
crisis.) The debt forecasted under President
Obama’s budgets exceeds the total debt
throughout our nation’s history, ensuring
that the crisis we face will only get worse
unless Congress puts our nation on a
dramatically different course. Independent
analysts have confirmed that our rapidly
growing debt is undermining job creation and
will ultimately lead to economic ruin.
Americans want and deserve bold leadership
from their elected officials as we confront
this major challenge. The Republican budget
demonstrates that we are ready to lead, and
I hope the President will come to the table
and work with us to put our country on a
more secure and prosperous path.
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Repeal of ObamaCare’s
Damaging 1099 Provision Goes to
President’s Desk |
The Senate voted 87-12 to pass H.R. 4, a
bill to repeal the burdensome Form 1099
reporting requirements that were enacted as
part of last year’s health care overhaul. As
I
commented when H.R. 4 passed the House
last month, the 1099 provision would impose
an enormous paperwork burden on small
business owners, raising their costs and
making it more difficult for them to create
jobs. My hope is that President Obama will
quickly sign H.R. 4 into law to spare
America’s small businesses from this
unfunded mandate. It is encouraging to see
Congress take strong bipartisan action to
repeal one section of ObamaCare, but this is
only a first step. I will continue working
to repeal the remainder of this fatally
flawed law – including its countless other
taxes and mandates that inhibit job creation
– and replace it with real reforms that
reduce the cost of health care.
Share your thoughts |
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Behind the Veil: The
AARP America Doesn't Know |
As Congress debated the Democrat healthcare
overhaul legislation last year, the ardent
support of the senior advocacy organization
AARP, which was key to its passage, raised a
massive red flag with many people, including
many AARP members. After all, in addition
to failing to address skyrocketing health
care costs, ObamaCare includes one-half
trillion dollars in cuts to Medicare, that,
according to Medicare’s own actuaries, could
threaten seniors’ access to doctors and
hospitals and will force many
seniors—including thousands here in
Northern California – off their existing
Medicare Advantage plans and into new plans
with potentially higher premiums. Why would
a tax-exempt organization whose sole purpose
is purportedly to improve the lives of
seniors support legislation that would so
clearly harm its own members?
I believe seniors, in addition to all
taxpayers, have a right to know the answer
to this fundamental question. As Chairman
of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on
Health, I, along with two other members of
Congress, examined AARP’s finances,
management and structure and the possible
factors that may have led AARP to endorse
the law despite its harmful impacts to
seniors. We released a
report that reveals a seemingly
unfortunate answer. It raises serious
concerns about whether AARP is motivated
more by its own bottom line than concerns
for seniors’ well being. It also raises
troubling questions about AARP’s non-profit
status, and whether the organization is
meeting the requirements of the law. We
have asked the IRS to further investigate
that specific question. Click
here to learn more about the findings of
the report.
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Eliminating Duplicate
and Burdensome Regulation |
I recently supported House passage of
H.R. 872, the “Reducing Regulatory
Burdens Act of 2011.” This legislation would
protect agricultural and public safety
pesticide applicators from the unnecessary,
expensive and duplicative regulation under
the Clean Water Act (CWA). The legislation
became necessary after a federal court
struck down a previous Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) decision that the
use of pesticides for agriculture and other
purposes (like those used to control
mosquitoes in our area) is exempt from
further permitting requirements under the
CWA because they are already properly
regulated under the Federal Insecticide,
Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). This
court ruling imposes tremendous new burdens
and costs on agriculture and impedes the
ability of mosquito control districts to
spray pesticides to reduce the threat of
West Nile virus in Northern California,
which could compromise public health. For
these reasons, I was proud to be an original
cosponsor of this legislation in order to
uphold the EPA’s original rule and 30 years
of precedent in pesticide regulation. I
hope that the Senate can work quickly to
send this legislation to President Obama’s
desk and avoid this unnecessary regulatory
burden on our farms and communities.
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House Votes
to Prevent Backdoor Cap and Tax
Scheme |
The House of Representatives passed
H.R. 910, the “Energy Tax Prevention
Act,” to prohibit the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) from moving forward
with damaging greenhouse gas
regulations that will further raise
energy prices on American families and
businesses and harm our economy. H.R. 910
continues the House’s
efforts to rein-in the EPA’s out of
control regulations that are hammering
economic recovery and job growth,
particularly in
rural America. In light of Congress’s
refusal to pass so-called “cap and trade”
legislation to place binding limits on
greenhouse emissions, the Obama
Administration is taking it upon itself to
regulate emissions by classifying greenhouse
gases – including carbon dioxide, a gas we
emit with each breath – as “pollutants”
under the Clean Air Act. These regulations
represent an unprecedented expansion of the
Clean Air Act far beyond anything intended
by Congress when the law was passed 40 years
ago to control toxic pollutants, and they
must be stopped.
Share your thoughts |
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Discussing America’s
Economic Issues with Local Business
Leaders |
I recently had the opportunity to visit with
members of the Yreka Chamber of Commerce at
their office in beautiful downtown Yreka.
They stressed to me the importance of
ensuring that government does not add to the
burdens small businesses already face. We
discussed the difficult choices we have to
make as a nation to secure prosperity for
future generations. I explained to those in
attendance that runaway federal spending
threatens American jobs and business. In
order to preserve any chance of prosperity
for current and future generations we need
immediate action to both cut spending and
reform our entitlement programs.
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Anderson Chamber of
Commerce Awards Banquet |
My wife Pam and I enjoyed attending the
Anderson Chamber of Commerce's 34th Annual
Awards Banquet where I had the opportunity
to present several awards to outstanding
businesses and individuals. I was
privileged to present a Certificate of
Special Congressional Recognition to Linda
Worrall, who received the Grace Bell
Memorial Award that honors a woman in the
community who excels in both business and
community service. Local chambers of
commerce play an important role in shaping
our business environment and we must find a
way to foster a positive environment for our
most important job creators. Recently the
U.S. Chamber of Commerce recognized these
efforts by awarding me the 2010 “Spirit of
Enterprise” award. I will continue to work
as hard as I can to ensure that Northern
California businesses and job creators have
a strong voice in our nation’s capital.
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Yreka Veterans
Receiving the Outstanding Care they
Deserve |
I recently enjoyed visiting the Yreka
Veterans Clinic that serves our veterans in
Siskiyou County. The clinic has been open
for just over one year and has already
served thousands of patients. The quality of
care that our veterans receive at this
clinic is exceptional. I visited with the
main clinic physician Dr. Kolpacoff who
explained to me the unique challenges that
face rural veterans. With current technology
such as Tele-Medicine available and a new
bus heading to Yreka, this clinic continues
to improve access for our veterans and
provides the outstanding quality care our
heroes deserve.
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