Ohio Valley Politics

Congressman Charlie Wilson had some pretty strong words to say in reaction to the testimony being given by General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker.

“The message from General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker is that there’s no end in sight for the war in Iraq.  That’s not good enough. The troops have done their job and done it well. But, there’s been almost no political progress in Iraq and we just keep pouring our troops and money into it.

“Bear in mind, Iraq is running a budget surplus while our economy is suffering. We’re spending $339 million a day in Iraq and the government in Iraq isn’t even helping itself. It’s difficult to spend that and not have success. With $339 million we could put more than 2,000 agents on our borders for a year. We could vaccinate 317,000 children. We could provide more than 2.5 million Americans access to medical and dental care at community health centers.

“The American people want a new direction in Iraq, not 100 more years of war. We need a plan for withdrawal.”

– Rep. Charlie Wilson

Wilson has voted for a troop pullout before,  but his anti-war feelings seem to have strenghtened since last year.

No big surprises here, it would be political suicide for him to come out in support of more free trade. Still, it’s good to know where he stands and I have no doubts about his sincerity.

“On my recent economic listening tour throughout the Ohio River Valley, I heard loud and clear from working families that free trade may work on Wall Street, but it isn’t working on Main Street. Rest assured that I’m not for NAFTA, CAFTA or any other AFTA. This particular agreement is bad for many reasons. It fails to meet enforceable labor standards and does little to reduce violence against union leaders. Last year alone, 72 union members in Colombia were murdered. For the Columbian workers and for the workers back home in Ohio who are watching their jobs disappear overseas, I oppose the Columbia Free Trade Agreement.”

– Rep. Charlie Wilson

The Ohio Valley was recently dealt a severe economic blow from the loss of even more steel jobs. The talk of another free trade agreement isn’t what local residents want to hear right now.

While cleaning out my inbox I came across this press release from Congressman Charlie Wilson’s office. I don’t really have anything to add to it, but it’s still interesting.

You can read it after the break.

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I still can’t believe that “super” and “IRS” could be in the same title, but it’s true. Tomorrow IRS offices around the country will be holding “Super Saturday” events, during which they will help people who normally don’t file a return fill out a 1040A to be eligible for a stimulus payment. This will be done free of charge.

Congressman Charlie Wilson’s office forwarded on the IRS press release and included this handy list of participating IRS offices in and around the 6th district.

Youngstown, OH
(Federal Bldg.)
10 E. Commerce St.
44503 IRS 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Huntington, WV
(Sidney Christie)
845 Fifth Avenue
25701 IRS 9 a.m. - 3 p.m

Parkersburg, WV
425 Juliana Street
26101 IRS 9 a.m. - 3 p.m

Wheeling, WV
1021 National Road
26003 IRS 9 a.m. - 3 p.m

Just to further emphasise, this will take place tomorrow (3/29).

This clip from the Warren based Tribune Chronicle made me laugh so hard that people ran in the room to make sure I was OK.

It was incorrectly reported in Tuesday’s Tribune Chronicle that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton answered questions from voters in a local congressman’s office.Reporter John Goodall, who was assigned to the story, spoke by telephone with Hillary Wicai Viers, who is a communications director in U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson’s staff. According to the reporter, when Viers answered the phone with ‘‘This is Hillary,’’ he believed he was speaking with the Democratic presidential candidate, who had made several previous visits to the Mahoning Valley.

The quotes from Viers were incorrectly attributed to Clinton.

The original article seems to have either been corrected or removed. While I was searching for it, I did notice that gossip blog Gawker had picked up on the story.

Wilson has been travelling the district over the week holding economic listening sessions. Regrettably, I wasn’t able to attend the local stops.

Update: Google Cache caught the original article. (H/T to Elephants in the Room)

Just for the heck of it, here’s more links.

• Wonkette
• Regret The Error
• Poynter Online

Congressman Charlie Wilson released a statement late Friday (OK, so I’m behind a little) on the House’s passage of a FISA bill not containing immunity.

“I was proud to vote for today’s FISA bill because it protects our civil rights while giving our intelligence agencies the clarity they need to conduct eavesdropping on foreign targets. In these uncertain times, Americans have the right to be confident that their government is acting in a responsible way. This bill makes some common-sense adjustments to surveillance law, and it should encourage the American people that our government is committed to operating openly. I call on the Senate to pass this bill, and I hope the President will sign it.”

I really hope President Bush realizes that this is the best he’s going to get without upsetting a whole lot of people.

In an effort to get caught up quickly, I’ve also pasted another press release after the break. This one concerns Wilson’s support for the 2009 budget plan.

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Both Charlie Wilson and Zack Space supported a recently passed change to the House rules that sets up an independent panel (called the “Office of Congressional Ethics”) to investigate ethics investigations of House members.

The panel will consist of six members appointed by the Speaker of the House and the minority leader and will not contain sitting members of congress or lobbyists.

“Since Day One in Congress, I have been calling for an independent panel to investigate Congressional ethics,” Space said.  “We simply cannot rely on friends and colleagues to instigate and conduct investigations into alleged ethical breaches.  This bill will stop the practice of relying on the fox to guard the henhouse.”

“This legislation will go a long way in bringing transparency to the process, increasing the efficacy of the ethics oversight process, and restoring the faith of the American public in their elected officials.  We still have a long way to go, but this is yet another great step in the right direction.”

– Rep. Zack Space

Space’s release notes that the bill is similar to legislation he introduced last year with Rep. Chris Murphy (D-CT).

Rep. Charlie Wilson is fired up over a recent report revealing that the economy lost 63,000 jobs last month. You can read a statement he released earlier today after the break.

Wilson has also recently been ranked as the 179th most powerful member of Congress by Congress.org, despite his freshman status. That’s up 111 spots since last year, a change that Wilson attributes to his seat on the Financial Services Committee.

“Hey, I’m moving on up! Seriously, I’m proud to be gaining ground on behalf of the people I represent in Ohio’s River Valley. The score is a reflection of my seat on the Financial Services Committee, the more than $6 million dollars I was able to bring home to the District and the bills I’ve introduced into Congress.”

– Rep. Charlie Wilson

You can find the full Congress.org power listings here.

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Congressman Charlie Wilson will be travelling around the 6th district soon to hold a series of economic listening sessions.

“Think of these as Town Hall Meetings where you do
more of the talking than I do. I know these are tough
economic times and I want to hear from you about what’s going on with
you and your job, your family, your bills and your home. Many of these
sessions are scheduled over lunch. Pack a lunch bag, please join me and
tell me your stories. I’m looking forward to hearing from you.”

– Rep. Charlie Wilson

You can find a full list of events after the break. Continue Reading »

Next Thursday residents of the 6th district shouldn’t be surprised if they get a phone call from their congressman, there’ll be 40,000 of them going out. That’s right, at 7 P.M. next Thursday (March 6th) 40,000 phone will ring across the 6th district inviting those who answer the opportunity to take part in a  moderated conference call with Congressman Charlie Wilson. Participants will (I assume) hear a brief recorded message with instructions before being connected to the actual call, where they’ll be able to listen in or ask their own question.

Want to insure you get to participate? Simply call 1-866-447-5149 at 7 P.M. that day (3/6) and enter the PIN 13016.

Congressman Charlie Wilson introduced a bill in the House yesterday that aims to eliminate a 5 month waiting period in the Social Security Disability program for people who are terminally ill. The bill is similar to legislation introduced in the Senate by Sherrod Brown last year.

I’ve included the entire press release after the break, but if you don’t read it I want to make sure you see the following paragraph. It really drives home the need for this.

Ohioans have died waiting for these benefits. Arthur Woolweaver of Cuyahoga Falls died of cancer before receiving his disability payments. When he was diagnosed he was told he must wait the five months before being able to collect the $1800 per month to which he was entitled. He died before he ever received his first check. Now his widow is unable to collect his benefits.

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Representatives Zack Space and Charlie Wilson are both praising the recent signing of the Recovery Rebates and Economic Stimulus for the American People Act by President Bush.

Zack Space referred to the bill as “far from perfect”, but called it “a good start”. He went on to say that:

“We need to work on long-term job growth and sustainable development, but this package will help our families, seniors, and small businesses make ends meet in today’s faltering economy.

“Going forward, I will continue to work both in Congress and with officials back home to help create the conditions necessary to help our regional economy grow. We have so many great things in Ohio – transportation, workers, natural resources – that I firmly believe our economy has a very bright future.”

Congressman Wilson’s release heavily stressed that to receive a stimulus payment families must file a 2007 tax return. According to Wilson:

“Some of those families, especially those receiving Social Security and veterans’ benefits may not be used to filing a federal tax return. But they need to file a 2007 federal return to get a stimulus payment.

“I worked to make sure our seniors who only receive social security and our disabled vets did not get left out of this economic stimulus plan. Now that Congress got them included, I want to make sure they get their rebate checks.”

To help with this, Wilson’s staff and the Belmont County Community Action Commission will hold a tax preparation workshop at his Bridgeport office (800 Main Street Bridgeport, Ohio) on March 10th from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM.

Wilson’s office has also prepared a list of other tax preparation clinics taking place in the 6th district. You can find it after the jump.

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Congressmen Charlie Wilson and Zack Space both supported the recently passed College Opportunity and Affordability Act (H.R. 4137). The act, like it’s name implies, hopes to keep the cost of college education low.

Wilson’s office provided a great list of some things that this act will accomplish.

• Streamline the federal student financial aid application process;
• Make textbook costs more manageable for students by, among other things, helping them plan for textbook expenses in advance of each semester;
• Allow students to receive year-round Pell Grant scholarships;
• Strengthen college readiness and support programs for minority and low-income students;
• Increase college aid and support programs for veterans and military families;
• Improve safety on college campuses and help schools recover and rebuild after a disaster;
• Ensure equal college opportunities and fair learning environments for students with disabilities; and
• Strengthen our nation’s workforce and economic competitiveness by boosting science, technology, and foreign language educational opportunities.

For Zack Space the bills passage was a little bit more personal, his CURE (Colleges and Universities Rural Education) Act was incorporated into the bill. In a release from his office he made these remarks:

“The colleges and universities in my district provide a great service to our rural students. We must do everything possible to support their efforts to educate our children.

“This legislation will allow colleges that serve rural populations to form partnerships to help usher more students into college and assist them with that transition.  It will also allow these colleges to develop training and employment programs that will provide desperately needed skilled workers.  If our communities are going to take the next step toward economic recovery, we must have the educational opportunities in place to make that transition a reality.”

– Rep. Zack Space

According to Space’s office, the CURE Act provides federal grants to the following:

• Partnerships formed between colleges serving rural areas and rural high schools to promote access to higher education amongst graduates of those schools.  The grants can be used to promote access to the campuses and assistance with financial aid/admissions forms.
• Partnerships formed between colleges serving rural areas and regional employers to form employment pipelines for students in college.  Preference would be given to partnerships designed to help fill needed professions in the community.
• Colleges serving rural areas for the purpose of developing training programs in needed professions.

Several members of the House of Representatives, including 6th district Representative Charlie Wilson, are encouraging the Senate to include low income senior citizens in the Senate version of the economic stimulus package.

The House version of the bill has already passed without including a similar provision.

“I know there are seniors in Ohio’s Sixth District who rely solely on social security. They should not be left out of the stimulus package simply because they don’t have earned income, as the current plan requires. I’m hopeful that the Senate can craft a solution that will pass the House and that the President will sign it. People are hungry for this help.”

– Rep. Charlie Wilson

Wilson signed a letter to Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell urging their support for this position.

The letter was also signed by Dennis Kucinich, Betty Sutton, Marcy Kaptur, and several other members of congress.

President Bush submitted his final budget today, and it isn’t sitting too well with everyone. The $3.1 trillion budget has significant increases aimed at strengthening national defense, but makes cuts to funding for education, medicare, and medicaid.

Ohio Congressman Charlie Wilson has already issued a statement condemning the budget, saying that he plans “to take a look at the President’s priorities and identify wasteful spending”.

“This troubling budget plan put forth by the President takes this country in the wrong direction. Overall, I’m very disappointed to see heavy cuts in social programs. Programs like LIHEAP, Medicaid and Medicare are important to the residents of Ohio’s Sixth District. As a Blue Dog Democrat I’m committed to keeping spending under control, however, cutting Medicare by $556 billion over 10 years and cutting heating assistance by $570 million is not the answer. That’s just cutting people who are already hurting. Over the next couple of weeks I plan to take a look at the President’s priorities and identify wasteful spending.”

– Rep. Charlie Wilson

According to Wilson’s press release, Ohio would lose the following under Bush’s budget:

• $5,408,000 in law enforcement grants
• $24,018,000 in firefighters grants
• $14,369,000 for dislocated workers
• $4,788,000 in grants to improve teacher quality, as required by No Child Left Behind
• $45,210,000 in career and technical education funding
• $1,342,000 in Child care development block grant funding
• $16,173,000 in LIHEAP funding
• $22,125,000 in federal-Aid Highways Program funding

Apparently President Bush must be preparing to become a used car salesman when he leaves office, because this budget is a lemon.