Press Releases

The President delivered a very good speech and a speech people can agree with in most respects. It was light on details, but I was delighted to hear he is turning his attention to what we have said is the root of the problem—the frozen credit in the banking sector and the housing market.

I am honored to serve as Ranking member on the Subcommittee on Energy. The availability, sustainability and cost of energy are the biggest challenges of future generations. A strong economy and quality of life are directly linked to energy, and our obligation is to see that the American people get the best of both.

Today's vote is a demonstration of what is wrong with the legislative process in Washington. This bill was not carefully crafted or deliberated in a bipartisan fashion. It was thrown together with pet project after pet project piled on.

This is a giant fraud on the American people. Taxpayers are being hoodwinked into calling this a stimulus package when in fact much of it is nothing more than an enormous spending package that contains a wish list of pet projects and massive spending that will do little to quickly assist our economy and the families who desperately need help. This bill should be about creating jobs and helping families.

These scarves are representative of the countless hours the participants, organizers and volunteers put in leading up to these Games. I applaud them each for their efforts and encourage other Idahoans to join in welcoming the Special Olympics to our state.

Attorney General Holder and I have irreconcilable differences concerning the Second Amendment. He has argued its application is limited to states and militias, while I believe it means every individual has the right to 'keep and bear arms'. Putting someone with that limited view on gun ownership in the role of chief law enforcement officer of the United States is simply a deal breaker for me.

It is critically important that we understand what caused this near catastrophe in our banking and housing industry. We owe it to the American people to fix the problems and prevent it from ever happening again.

The President agreed with my assessment that besides a stimulus package, we must have stability in our banking industry and a thawing of our credit markets, and to get real estate markets moving again. The President said his staff is working on those two issues and they will be bringing proposals forward in the very near future.

This will be a lot of work, but I am committed to doing my best to represent Idahoans on these committees. I am humbled to be selected for some committees where freshmen usually are not placed. I look forward to getting started.

Inauguration day reminds us what a great country we live in. To transfer power in the highest office of the land in a peaceful and orderly fashion is a confirmation that our Founding Fathers put in place a remarkable system of government.