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February 2008 Constituent Q & A
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The economic stimulus plan is supposed to target middle-class families, but many of us are left out thanks to the income cap. In think it is too low and excludes many working couples. Do you? (Richard from Berlin, Armand from Linthicum)
The House stimulus package was limited to those whose income was below $150,000. It was done to try to target the money to those who are more likely to use it and spend it and help our economy. The bill that we're considering in the Senate would increase that limit to $300,000 a family. We also include low income seniors because we believe low income seniors need the help. Its a matter of fairness, but it also will be used by low income seniors to spend money. They'll spend it, they'll get it into the economy. It will help our shop owners. It will help create more jobs and job opportunities. We thought it was important to expand the stimulus package, and I hope that the final bill that's submitted to the president will include that provision helping low income seniors.
Should seniors who collect Social Security be included in the tax rebates? What about helping with unemployment benefits or food stamps?(Muril from Fort Washington, Maxine from Timonium, Bill from Columbia, Irene from Berlin)
In regards to unemployment benefits I agree completely. Unemployment benefits should be extended because those who are really hurt by this economic downturn are those who have lost their jobs. The Senate package coming out of the Committee did include extension of unemployment benefits. That's money that will help people that are hurting, but it also will be spend and put into the economy quickly. So I hope the final package includes increased unemployment benefits.
Can you explain what an earmark is and how these are included in the budget?(Farron from Aberdeen)
Earmarks are Congressionally directed spending or tax provisions not specified in the President's budget. But I think the important thing to recognize about Congressional action is that its the Congress' responsibility to pass appropriations bills, and at times we disagree with the President. During the last year there were clear differences between the priorities in Congress and the priorities of this Administration. So to a certain degree these Congressionally mandated expenditures are an effort to redirect priorities which the President has submitted. I must tell you that there have been incredible programs that have been started by these types of appropriations. The Human Genome Program was started with a Congressional earmark. The Chesapeake Bay Program, much of it is included as earmarks. But there have been abuses. There were too many earmarks and too many special interest earmarks. I support reducing the number of Congressional earmarks, and I want to make sure that there is a clear transparency. By that I mean that the public knows exactly who is requesting these earmarks, that there's justification for it, that there's an open process. And we have passed a much more open process in 2007 to make sure that you know everything you can about earmarks before they are passed.
What is your position on the proposal to make permanent warrantless wiretapping? Are you for or against retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies? (Yvonne of Cumberland, Raul of Gaithersburg, Paul of Silver Spring, Charles of Frederick, Sean of Frederick, Jacqueline of Upper Marlboro, Tom of Eldersburg)
Well, first, I do oppose full retroactivity, immunity, for our telecommunications companies. I think that is wrong, I don't think we should do it, I think it adversely affects the ability of our courts to act as a check and balance on the system. I also believe that this warrantless wiretapping should have a sunset, should not be made permanent. I want to make sure that Congress is oversighting what the executive branch is doing, and that we keep up with new technology, and I think its important that there be what we call sunset on the authority given to the executive branch.
Is it responsible to raise FHA limits and bailout Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae? Based ion their spotty management history, is that the right thing to do?(Richard of Derwood)
First I agree that we should reform Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. We should make sure that those programs are administered the way Congress intended to target money to those where its appropriate for the federal government to have a supportive program. I favor that, but let me point out: we have a housing crisis in this country. There are people who were led into subprime mortgages that today find themselves in foreclosure. There are many families that cannot affort the adjustable interest rates that are being charged on their mortgages. And these are families who could have had stronger mortgages but they were led into these subprime conditions. I think we have a responsibility to help these families. We also have a credit crunch. Its very difficult to find money today, if you're trying to sell your home, to buy or to find a mortgage, or if you want to buy a house to find a mortgage. And I think the federal government has a responsibility to try to help in regards to the credit crunch. Remember, it was the housing market that triggered our current problems, and I think we need to be very aggressive in trying to help those who have been victimized, and to do everything we can to ease the credit crunch so that our economy can grow and individuals can find mortgages in order to buy and sell homes.
Could you explain the Wounded Warriors Initiative and why you support it?(Joshua from Hagerstown)
The Wounded Warriors Act was passed as part of a larger defense policy bill. It enacts a comprehensive plan for improving the care and management of wounded servicemembers and their families. The number of new veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer high rates of tramatic brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder and other physical injuries. Many of these injuries are very difficult and require additional resources, and I'm proud that in 2007 the budget that passed the Congress provided significantly larger funds to care for our veterans, and I'm very proud that the Wounder Warriors Initiative was enacted.
What support is there for Veterans seeking a higher education? Is there any talk of a new "GI Bill?" (Nicholas of Forestville)
Today, the primary support for veterans seeking higher education is the Montgomery GI Bill, which offers up to $37,000 in tuition, as well as a college fund program which can add another $30,000 towards college tuition. I was proud that Congress expanded that program and I was a co-sponsor of the amendment that was signed by the President that allowed guardsmen and reservists eligiblity for the GI Bill educational benefits for those who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan. I'm also pleased that the President in the State of the Union address suggested that unused educational benefits of a veteran be eligibile for a veteran's family. I think that makes sense and I hope Congress will pass that in 2008.
What are you doing to help young, middle class families afford the cost of raising children?(Dana of Clarksburg)
We need to find a comprehensive, long-term solution to the critical problems of rising costs of health care and energy and to the growing housing crisis. It is difficult for a middle-class family to afford their energy costs, their health care costs, to send a child to collge, and I think Congress has a responsibility to do something about it. Now in 2007 we did make a major improvement on the financial assistance for college education, the largest increase since the GI Bill. So I think we've got to take the same effort that we put into the short term economic stimulus package, that we put into the college education fund in 2007, make a similar effort to get a handle on health care costs, on energy costs, and to deal with the housing crisis.
Our local public schools are in financial crisis. How will the Federal Government help?(Mark from Odenton, Sam from Wheaton)
Well first, education should be a top national priority. That means the federal government should be a full partner in helping state and local goverments with K-12 education. Actually, pre-k through 12 education. We have passed No Child Left Behind, it was an effort for the federal government to take a leading role in education. Unfortunately, it became an unfunded mandate. The federal government micromanaged accountability and didn't provide the resources it promised. So my top priority is to try to reform No Child Left Behind to try and remove those mandates and provide the resources that local governments need, so that every child in our community can have the best possible opportunity for education, becuase that really is the ticket for success in America.
What is Congress doing about global Warming and rising energy costs?(Travis of Silver Spring)
Well, that's a short question but unfortunately I can't answer that too quickly. The global warming issue is a very serious problem. We are seeing sea level rises around the globe, we are also finding that the temperature of water is rising. It has a direct impact on Maryland. Sea level increases will effect the shorelines. We've already seen at Smith Island, which is an inhabited island in our state, the loss of a lot of their costal properties. We also have lost a lot of sea grasses in the Chesapeake Bay because of terperature rising. So it will directly effect us. It also, or course, effects the climate conditions globally, which means you have more severe weather conditions. There are a lot of difficult problems we are going to confront if we do not do something about the greenhouse gasses and global climate change. The United States should be a leader. I'm proud to be an original co-sponsor of the Lieberman-Warner bill that passed the committee that I serve on, the Environment and Public Works Committee. That legislation establishes what's known as the cap-and-trade, which puts a limit on carbon emissions so that we can significantly reduce greenhouse gasses in our country. We also in addition to helping our environment it would also help us with our energy policy to become more energy independant and to deal with the security issues and the economic issues of energy. The rising cost of energy, there are several factors for it, but one of them is that we don't control our energy sources. We import a good part of the energy we use, particularly with gasoline. So if we can reduce our dependence upon foriegn oil, we can have a much more predictable and a much more fairly priced energy in our own country. We can do that. We need to conserve energy, we need to develop alternative and renewable energy sources, we have that technology today. We now need to make that kind of commitment to really reduce our energy consumption in this country and develop alternative energy sources to petroleum products.
How should America deal with the millions of undocumented immigrants in this country?(Richard from Berlin, Armand from Linthicum)
Immigration reform starts with securing our borders. No one should come into this country other than through lawful ways. We need to have more security on our borders, and we need to know who's coming into America. Secondly, we have to have respect for our laws. Our laws must be adhered to. Employers cannot hire people who are undocumented in our country, and we have to enforce that law. We have to enforce all the laws of our country. And I think it starts with that: to assure Americans that we are going to be concerned about security in our country and our rule of law. But then we also have to acknowledge that there are a large number of people in this country that have been here for a long time, who are undocumented, but otherwise are law-abiding individuals. For those individuals, there should be a way that they can come forward, acknowledge what they have done so we know who they are. But they cannot jump in front of the line, they're going to have to wait until everyone who has applied lawfully to come into America has been processed, so we don't reward unlawful conduct. I think that that's the type of balance that we need in immigration reform. But let me say, it is time that we take the politics out of this. It seems to be that Democrats and Republicans, that Congress and the White House, should work together, because everyone agrees that we need immigration reform. Let's get it done.
How can we get more people involved in fighting the genocide in Darfur? What can Congress do to help these people?(Norma of Baltimore)
Well, both Congress and the American people have a resposibility to help stop the genocide in the Darfur region of the Sudan. I am an original co-sponsor of S. Res. 432, a resolution calling for the international community to provide for the United Nations African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur, with critical tactical and utility helicopters which are essential for the movement of humanitarian supplies and protecting refugees in a region almost as large as France. So we have got to really help the international effort, we have got to put a lot of pressure on the Sudanese government to make sure they allow the international forces to effectively have control of safety of so many people that are today in refugee camps. We have to keep the spotlight on this issue. This is a genocide that is taking place, that we know is taking place, and we've got to stop it. It's our moral responsibility. I'm proud of the leadership the United States is playing here, but we have got to continue to exercise that leadership.
Could you explain the Alternative Minimum Tax and how it could affect me?(Mary Lynn of Rockville)
The Alternative Minimum Tax was created to make sure that everyone paid their fair share of taxes. When it was first passed, there were a lot of millionaires who paid no federal income taxes, and we thought that was wrong. So we put out a net that said you would have to pay a minimum amount of tax on all of your income. Now it was substantially lower than the regular income tax rates, but it made sure that at least some income taxes were paid by wealthy individuals. Unfortunately, over the years, that intent has been lost. It's been lost because of several factors. One is that there have been rate changes over the years. Secondly, there's inflation. Third, there are items that are considered preference items, such as the deductions you take on your federal taxes for state and local taxes. Now that penalizes many of us in Maryland because we're actually paying tax on our tax, which don't make a lot of sense. So the end result is, that if we did not try to protect new people from coming into the Alternative Minimum Tax, we would have gone from about 117,000 Marylanders who are currently in the Alternative Minimum Tax, to over 750,000 Marylanders. Now that's a huge increase. It would become the standard rate for a majority of tax payers within the near future, and it was never intended to do that. So I think the Alternative Minimum Tax needs really a significant reform. It should effect only a few number of tax payers, and we need to reform the Alternative Minimum Tax, and we need to do in on a permanent basis.
How can we best protect the integrity of our voting system? What can be done before the November elections and for the long-term?(Tevon of Silver Spring, Kenneth of Takoma Park)
During the Maryland primary last year many voting machines across Maryland did not perform as intended. That caused long lines, and I personally saw people waiting hours in order to cast their votes. That shouldn't happen in any state and certainly not in the state of Maryland. Recently in Maryland the State Senate and House of Delegates passed legislation that would require the State Board of Elections to certify only those voting systems that provide a voter verifiable paper record. Now, that would mean that you would fill out a ballot and it would be scanned by machines, but you would at least have a record of your vote, and there would be less chance for any fraud in connection to how voting machines operate and how votes are calculated. I think that's a step forward, I think that we should have that system in place and I hope that will happen nation-wide. I was also troubled by the fraudulent and deceptive voting practices of the 2006 election. We saw candidates running for office, political parties send out information that was totally inaccurate in an effort to suppress minority voters, and I'm a co-sponsor of the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Act that Senator Obama has filed, I'm an original co-sponsor, I'm hopeful that that legislation will be enacted this year.
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