John Boehner - 8th District of Ohio

Today I asked my Republican colleagues to join me in co-sponsoring the Keeps Terrorists Out of America Act that makes clear that we should not bring terrorists who want to destroy America into our country.  I introduced this bill last week along with Reps. John McHugh, Pete Hoekstra, Peter King, Lamar Smith, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and the House GOP Leadership team because of how strongly we feel on this.  The American people also feel very strongly.

I’ve heard from hundreds of you on this matter, and you’ve very clearly conveyed your real fear that terrorists would be brought into our communities.  You can read the letter I sent to my colleagues here.

Two days after taking the oath of office, President Obama signed an executive order closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in one year.  This prison holds hundreds of the world’s most dangerous terrorists – among them 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Muhammed and Walid bin Attash, reportedly selected by Osama bin Laden as a 9/11 hijacker.  Yet nearly four months after issuing the close order, the White House has not told the American people what will happen to the terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay.

Responding to very real concerns that some of these terrorists might be brought to American soil, House Republicans introduced the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act, which unequivocally opposes releasing terrorists from the Guantanamo Bay facility and transferring them to the United States.
 
Specifically, the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act will:
 
Affirm Congress’ Opposition to the Release and Transfer of Terrorists. The bill affirms Congress’ opposition to transferring or releasing terrorists held at the Guantanamo Bay prison into the United States.  Most Americans do not support releasing these terrorists from Guantanamo Bay prison and transferring them into the United States.  The bill gives Congress an opportunity to show that it stands with the American people on this critical matter, and opposes the release and transfer of these terrorists.
 
Require the Pre-Approval of Governor & State Legislature. The measure prohibits the Administration from transferring or releasing any terrorist detainees at Guantanamo Bay to any state without express approval from the state’s governor and legislature, and certifies to Congress that strict requirements have been met.  For example, the Administration must certify to the respective governor and state legislature that the detainee does not pose a security risk to the United States.  The certifications must be made 60 days before any transfer or release.
 
Include Presidential Certification Requirements.  The measure prohibits the President from transferring or releasing a terrorist detainee into the United States unless he provides the following notification and certification to Congress regarding:

• The name of the detainee and transfer/release location in the United States.

• The release/transfer would not negatively impact continued prosecution of the detainee.

• The release/transfer would not negatively impact continued detention of the detainee.

• The ability of federal judges to release detainees into the United States.

The prosecution following the 1993 World Trade Center bombing showed us how dangerous it can be to try terrorists in our civilian courts.  As required by our legal system, prosecutors were forced to turn over valuable intelligence information to the defense.  Among the documents was a list of 200 unindicted co-conspirators that detailed clearly who U.S. intelligence agencies had identified as terrorists actively working to bring down America.  That list reportedly was in the hands of Osama bin Laden just hours after it was given to the defense.

Yet some in Congress are saying that we should open up either our civilian or military courts to the terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay.  This is wrong.  This is dangerous.  And this would make us less safe.

We shouldn’t be playing political games with our national security.  The Keep Terrorists Out of America Act will ensure some of the world’s most dangerous terrorists aren’t imported into our communities.

Boehner represents Ohio’s 8th District, which includes all of Darke, Miami and Preble counties, most of Butler and Mercer counties, and the northeastern corner of Montgomery County.  He was first elected to Congress in 1990.

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House Republicans today introduced the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act.  It shouldn’t have to be said: Bringing individuals who have trained and are committed to destroying our freedoms, liberties, way of life and our nation should not be brought into our country.  But since the White House has not been able to provide us with a plan for where the detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay would go when the facility is closed, we thought it important to state the obvious.

There are some extremely dangerous individuals being held at Guantanamo Bay – certainly not the kind of people who should be brought into a general prison population in our communities.  They are some of the world’s most cold-blooded terrorists who have dedicated their lives to killing us and our allies – and are more than willing to die for their cause. 

The Keep Terrorists Out of America Act would:

Affirm Congress’ Opposition to the Release and Transfer of Terrorists. The bill affirms Congress’ opposition to transferring or releasing terrorists held at the Guantanamo Bay prison into the United States.  Most Americans do not support releasing these terrorists from Guantanamo Bay prison and transferring them into the United States.  The bill gives Congress an opportunity to show that it stands with the American people on this critical matter, and opposes the release and transfer of these terrorists.

Require Governor & State Legislature Pre-Approval. The measure prohibits the Administration from transferring or releasing any terrorist detainees at Guantanamo Bay to any state without express approval from the state’s governor and legislature, and certifies to Congress that strict requirements have been met.  For example, the Administration must certify to the respective governor and state legislature that the detainee does not pose a security risk to the United States.  The certifications must be made 60 days before any transfer or release.

Contain Presidential Certification Requirements.  The measure prohibits the President from transferring or releasing a terrorist detainee into the United States unless he provides the following notification and certification to Congress regarding:

• The name of the detainee and transfer/release location in the United States.
• The release/transfer would not negatively impact continued prosecution of the detainee.
• The release/transfer would not negatively impact continued detention of the detainee.
• The ability of federal judges to release detainees into the United States.

Here are the top 10 most dangerous terrorists currently being held at Guantanamo Bay:

Khalid Sheikh Muhammad: The mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, as well as several subsequent plots against American and Western targets worldwide.  Masterminded a 2003 plot to smuggle explosives into New York and target gas stations, railroad tracks, and a bridge.

Hambali: Formerly al-Qaeda’s operations chief for SouthEast Asia; helped plan the first Bali bombings in 2002 that killed more than 200.  Had longstanding ties to al Qaeda senior operative Khalid Sheikh Muhammad.

Abu Zubaydah: Recruited by Osama Bin Laden to be one of al Qaeda’s senior travel facilitators.  Oversaw the ‘Khaldeen group’ camp used to train three of the 9/11 hijackers.  At the time of his capture, he was attempting to organize a terrorist attack on Israel.

Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani: One of the FBI’s Most Wanted terrorists.  He has been indicted for his role in the 1998 East Africa Embassy bombings, and has forged or altered passports for many al Qaeda’s operatives. 
 
Mustafa al-Hawsawi: One of two key financial facilitators entrusted by 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Muhammad (KSM) to manage the funding for the hijackings.  Met with Osama Bin Laden and his top lieutenant soon after the 9/11 attacks.

Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri: Mastermind and local manager of the October 2000 bombing of the USS Cole.  At the time of his capture, al-Nashiri was orchestrating attacks on U.S. interests in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
 
Abu Faraj al-Libi: Served as a communications conduit for al Qaeda managers to Osama Bin Laden from August 2003 until his capture in 2005.  Took over operational responsibilities in the Pakistan-Afghanistan theater after Khalid Sheikh Muhammad’s arrest.

Walid bin Attash: Alternated between serving as a bodyguard for Osama Bin Laden and participating in combat against the Northern Alliance.  Osama Bin Laden reportedly selected him to become a 9/11 hijacker, but he was arrested while attempting to obtain a U.S. visa.

Ramzi Binalshibh: Served as the primary communications intermediary between the 9/11 hijackers and al Qaeda’s leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  Lead operative – until his capture in 2002 – in the post-9/11 plot to crash hijacked aircraft into London’s Heathrow Airport. 

Majid Khan: Assisted in research into the feasibility of a plan to blow up U.S. gas stations and to poison U.S. water reservoirs.  Khan passed a “test” Khalid Sheikh Muhammad orchestrated showing he was committed to become a suicide operative.

Some in Washington are calling for a new national energy tax on families and small businesses as a means of moving us toward cleaner energy.  I’m not among them, because while I strongly support development of cleaner energy and a healthier environment, I believe there’s a better way to get there – a way that will create jobs instead of jeopardizing them in today’s tough economy.

The House GOP American Energy Solutions Group held its first summit this morning to discuss how we can advance alternative fuels, help lower gas prices and create American jobs while promoting a healthier, cleaner environment.  I was pleased to deliver opening remarks at the summit, which is led by Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-IN).

We all remember last summer when gas prices rose above $4 a gallon.  When Speaker Pelosi adjourned the House for Congress’ traditional August recess without holding a vote on comprehensive energy reform legislation to address the crisis, House Republicans stayed on the floor of the U.S. House, standing with the American people and refusing to be silenced even when the lights and cameras were turned off.  We spent the month of August talking directly to the American people – engaging in conversation with families who were touring the Capitol and were quite surprised to find lawmakers remaining in the darkened Chamber. 

Instead of advocating for a new national energy tax that some in Washington say is needed to clean up our environment, the American Energy Solutions Group is promoting an alternative path to clean energy: a comprehensive plan to lower fuel prices, create jobs and move us closer to American energy independence.  This is the right path for us to take, and we must look at all alternative and renewable energy sources like wind, solar and nuclear. 

At the same time this summit is happening, leading Democrats are meeting at the White House to discuss the controversial “cap and trade” proposal that creates the new national energy tax.  Under this job-threatening proposal, the government would set caps on emissions;  companies would have to purchase “emissions credits” but would be penalized with heavy fines if they exceed their caps.  Energy intensive businesses like The Shepherd Color Company and AK Steel, both of which are located in the 8th Congressional District, would be subjected to punitive fines, forcing them to raise their costs, reduce their business or even lay off workers. 

House Republicans continue to develop better solutions to our challenges, and the American Energy Solutions Group Summit will help us showcase these solutions.  We believe a plan for a healthier environment, lower energy prices and more jobs is within our reach.  And we believe this can happen without creating a new national energy tax that will endanger jobs and hit anyone who drives a car, flips on a light switch or buys an American-made product. 

We recently marked the 100th day of President’s Obama tenure in the White House.  While I like the President personally, I disagree with his economic policies, which I believe are reviving the era of big government that President Bill Clinton once said was “over” and threatening the jobs of tens of thousands of Ohioans.  

Middle class families and small businesses are struggling in today’s economy, and they need help.  Instead of providing help, the President and Congress have raised taxes on the middle class, paved the way for a new national energy tax that will affect every family and small business, and embarked on a spending and borrowing spree that unfortunately our children and grandchildren will pay for. 

Contained within the federal budget recently passed by the Democratic Congress is a national energy tax that will cost every American family and small business as much as $3,100 a year – and the revenue from this tax will be used to pay for an expansion of government-run health care.  What’s more, the tax cut that President Obama promised to middle-class families during his campaign was tossed out by congressional Democrats – and the President didn’t so much as blink.  These decisions make it harder for our economy to create jobs, and harder for middle-class families to make ends meet.

My Republican colleagues and I voted together against this budget because we believe America can do better, and we offered a fully-detailed alternative free of the higher taxes and jobs-killing policies that mark the budget that was actually passed.  You can read our proposal, “The Path to Prosperity,” on my website, www.JohnBoehner.House.Gov.

The so-called “stimulus” spending bill rushed through Congress may actually hurt the economy and threaten jobs, too.  You read that right.  The Buckeye Institute, a nonprofit think tank based in Columbus, recently issued a report on the likely impact of the trillion-dollar “stimulus” law on Ohio.  The report, “The Economic Impact of Federal Spending on State Economic Performance: An Ohio Perspective,” notes:

“Federal government spending comes with costs; it should not be expected as the free-lunch it is frequently thought to be.  Every dollar the government spends must first be removed from the pocket of the private sector – through higher taxes today, or higher borrowing today implying higher taxes tomorrow.  Either way, government spending crowds out private sector spending, diminishing the private economy’s rate of growth.  In other words, increased government spending makes citizens poorer because it takes their money now while reducing their future income.”

In Ohio, the Buckeye Institute estimates, the eventual cost of this massive influx of federal dollars will be the loss of between 66,400 and 91,200 jobs.  At a time when Ohio’s unemployment is 9.7 percent, the highest it’s been in 25 years, working families in Ohio can hardly absorb such a hit. 

The Buckeye Institute is not alone in predicting the “stimulus” may hurt the economy.  The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said the same thing when it analyzed the legislation, concluding it would likely do more harm than good to our nation’s economy over the long haul.  But the Democratic Congress, seeking a political victory, dismissed these warnings and passed it anyway.

I often like to highlight the folly of politicians spending money we don’t have.  Many workers have become familiar with a concept known as “Tax Freedom Day,” which is the day on which Americans begin working for themselves each year, after having covered Uncle Sam’s tax bill for the year.  “Debt Day” is very similar.  It is the day of the Fiscal Year – beginning on October 1 of the previous calendar year – on which total government spending exceeds total federal revenues.  This year, Debt Day fell on April 26 – about three months earlier than last year, and barely 100 days into President Obama’s term.

Washington’s attitude gives new meaning to the common sales phrase “buy now, pay later.”  Congress and the White House have burned through our government’s “income” for the current Fiscal Year – a practice that shows no signs of stopping.  In light of the Buckeye Institute’s report showing the loss of up to 91,000 jobs from the so-called stimulus package alone, one must wonder how many more jobs Ohio – and our nation – will lose as we return to the Era of Big Government.

Boehner represents Ohio’s 8th District, which includes all of Darke, Miami and Preble counties, most of Butler and Mercer counties, and the northeastern corner of Montgomery County.  He was first elected to Congress in 1990.

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In today's Washington Times, I have an op-ed that outlines House Republicans' Savings Recovery Act to help Americans rebuild their retirement, college and personal savings that have taken a hit over the past year.  Click here to read the full op-ed.

You don't have to look far to find someone impacted by this recession - whether it's the loss of a job, a reduction in workplace benefits or the evaporation of their retirement, college and personal savings. It could be your neighbor. It could be a family member. It could be you.

All across our country, millions of families and small businesses are struggling to make ends meet during this downturn, and they're looking to our leaders for real solutions to help turn around this situation. They don't care if they're Democratic solutions or Republican solutions. They just want the men and women representing them in office to focus like a laser on getting our economy back on track, helping create more jobs and working together to help rebuild their savings.

Last week, my House Republican colleagues and I offered our latest in a series of solutions on the economy, following the proposals we have offered this year to create twice as many jobs as the Democrats' stimulus spending bill at half the cost, encourage Americans to begin buying homes again, and return some fiscal sanity to the federal budget. Our plan, known as the Savings Recovery Act, has one simple but essential goal: helping Americans rebuild their retirement, college and personal savings accounts, which have been depleted by this recession in ways that few ever could have imagined.

Rep. Boehner delivered the speech below on the Floor today regarding the Democrats' budget that spends too much, taxes too much and borrows too much. House Republicans unanimously rejected this budget that will bankrupt future generations.  Click on "Read Full Post" to watch.

I was pleased today to speak to the 25th Annual Dayton Development Coalition Fly-In.  Each year, this group of business and community leaders, government officials and education administrators come to Washington to discuss the important issues facing the Greater Dayton Region.  As one of the largest employers in the area, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is always a major focus for us.  Working with Reps. Mike Turner and Steve Austria, I am committed to ensuring not just Wright-Patt’s survival but to identifying opportunities for it to grow.

One of the topics that comes up every year is education.  Sinclair Community College’s Dayton campus is among the largest community colleges in the nation – and one of the best.  It’s consistently ranked among the top community colleges in the U.S. and its low teacher-to-student ratio means that students get more one-on-one attention.

I firmly believe that our future prosperity depends on how well we educate our children.  Sinclair Community College is an excellent example of how continued education for adults that includes teaching workers new skills can add tremendous value to our workforce.

I also met with high school students Katie Owen from Piqua High School and Ashley Cooper from Thurgood Marshall High School.  They won the Kids Voting essay contest and traveled to Washington with the Dayton Development Coalition. 


Click the photo to see a larger version

Congressman Boehner appeared on the Brian Thomas radio show this morning in Cincinnati on 55KRC where he discussed the devastating impact a national energy tax would have on U.S. jobs, the importance of adopting House Republicans’ “All of the Above” energy strategy and border security.

Boehner On “Cap and Trade” Sending U.S. Jobs Overseas

“It’s been a hundred days of spending, taxing, borrowing and frankly ducking all the hard choices and when you look at this national energy tax, it’ll hit every single American and while it’s a tax that will bring in 1.5 to 2 trillion dollars over the next 10 years, what they’re really not spending much time talking about are the millions of American of jobs that are going to be shipped overseas as a result.  If you’re in a high energy industry, you can expect that it’ll be a lot cheaper to bring those goods in from China, South Korea, India, somewhere other than the Unites States that doesn’t have this tax.” [AUDIO]

Boehner On An “All of the Above” Energy Strategy

“We all want clean water; we all want clean air.  I would hope that we could work with Democrats to advance those policies in a way that doesn’t punish the American people with higher taxes and in a way that doesn’t put millions of American jobs at risk. That’s why our ‘All of the Above’ energy plan that would encourage more solar power, more wind power and more nuclear power would actually do something serious about cleaning up the air.” [AUDIO]

Boehner On American Energy Independence

“At the end of the day, I think we have to be for All of the Above. You know, I’m for wind energy, I’m for solar power, I’m for nuclear energy and I believe we ought to have more American made oil and gas.  There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be doing all that we can to move us closer to energy independence.” [AUDIO]

Boehner On Nuclear Power, Which Is Among the Safest & Cleanest Alternative Fuels

“It’s been politically incorrect to do this and to try to go through a regulatory process that drags out for 10, 20 years, a lot of companies look up and say listen, at the end of the day coal is cheaper.  I think we need to shorten the regulatory process – we don’t do anything to compromise safety in any way – but we can have these reviews in a much shorter period of time.  And I think we ought to provide incentives to build nuke power plants because at the end of the day, they produce much cleaner electricity for the country on a cheaper basis long-term – it’s the right thing to do.” [AUDIO]

Boehner On Swine Flu, Border Security

“While this is a serious outbreak, I don’t believe shutting the border is warranted at this point. You have to remember that along the border, there’s an awful lot of commerce on a daily basis between the United States and Mexico almost all of it done legally but clearly the effort on our borders to secure those borders is increasing.  We’ve double the number of border patrol agents over the last five years; we’ve better equipped them.  We’ve built several hundred miles of fence thus far but there’s a lot more that has to be done if we’re really going to be able to secure that border with Mexico.” [AUDIO]

World War II veterans from Preble and Miami counties visited Washington, D.C., this weekend.  Both groups met with Commander Kirk Lippold, who was the commanding officer onboard the USS Cole when it was attacked by a suicide bomber in Yemen on Oct. 12, 2000.  Both groups also visited the World War II Memorial on the National Mall where the Preble County veterans met with Sen. Bob Dole, who was severely injured in World War II and who served as the memorial’s National Chairman.  The Preble County veterans also participated in a Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

The photo below is the Miami County veterans along with Commander Lippold.  I would like to thank these veterans – and all the men and women who bravely serve in our military – for the sacrifices they make on our behalf.  I also want to extend a special thank you to our military families.

 
Click on the photo for a larger view.

Warren County commissioners have voted unanimously to reject $373,000 in “stimulus” funds and instead would like the money to go back to the U.S. Treasury to pay down the national debt.  In an act of entrepreneurial insurgency, two of my colleagues who represent Warren County in the U.S. House – Reps. Mike Turner and Jean Schmidt – announced that they will introduce legislation to require the rejected funds (if enacted) go back to Treasury and used for debt payment.  This would prevent those in Ohio plotting to get their hands on the money from squandering it elsewhere.

Go here to read more about this. 

This weekend, incidentally, will mark “Debt Day” – the day of the federal fiscal year when the federal government officially runs out of money and starts spending more than it is expected to collect in revenue.  “Debt Day” last year occurred on August 5.  This year, thanks to the “stimulus” and other spending-and-borrowing atrocities committed in the first 100 days of the Obama presidency, “Debt Day” falls on Sunday, April 26 – more than three months earlier.

Sick of it?  Go here to sign the Savings Recovery Petition and tell Congress to take action to help you and your neighbors rebuild their hard-earned savings.

You’re not alone as, over the past year, you’ve watched the value of your 401(k), college savings plan or other critical savings accounts plummet.  Millions of Americans are in the same boat, and it’s time to stop the hemorrhaging.  Sign the petition and tell Congress to quit dawdling as your savings keep dwindling.

This week, my column is about the House Republican Savings Recovery Act. Here's the beginning.  Go here to read the entire column.

Over the last year, retirement, college and personal savings plans have increasingly lost their value as our economy has weakened.  People who spent a lifetime living frugally and responsibly were hit with the terrible reality that they wouldn’t be able to retire as planned.  Parents who sacrificed and saved for their children’s college funds had to tell their kids that they couldn’t attend the school of their choice.  And everyday personal savings accounts, meant to carry workers and families through a rough patch, were emptied to pay mortgages, credit cards and other debts.

And what has Washington done during all this?  It’s fiddled while you burned through your savings.  The lawmakers in charge of Congress have refused to lead, instead picking political fights and advancing a left-wing agenda that will bankrupt our state and country.

House Republicans today introduced the Savings Recovery Act to help Americans rebuild their retirement, college and personal savings.  People are hurting, and they’re watching their savings that they sacrificed all their lives to build up, dwindle in this difficult economy.  Pension plans, college savings plans and personal retirement plans have all taken a hit – the loss of which ranks as peoples’ top concern, according to a recent NPR poll.

Yet some lawmakers keep pushing proposals that would further weaken our economy and make building a nest egg even harder.  This isn’t right.  We should be helping you build your savings, not penalizing you for scrimping and saving during your life so you can retire in comfort and help send your children to good colleges.  Just one of the many bad ideas coming out of Washington these days is to wipe out 401(k)s entirely and replace them with accounts run by Washington bureaucrats.  Well, if you think the DMV runs efficiently, you’ll love your new retirement plan.

The Savings Recovery Act is another “better solution” introduced by House Republicans that will help restore Americans’ retirement, college and personal savings.  Washington has to abandon its destructive economic agenda and start working on bold, better solutions to the problems we’re facing. 

Go here for more information about the Savings Recovery Act.

This op-ed by Rep. Boehner ran on Townhall.com. 

Next week, the Obama Administration will mark its 100th day in power. The first three-plus months of this Administration have been turbulent, to say the least. Confronted with the most severe economic crisis in generations, President Obama and congressional Democrats have set out on a spending spree the likes of which our nation has never seen. In fact, the Administration has spent more in its first 100 days than all previous presidents have combined – hardly a distinction of which to be proud.

Feeling the heat, the President has asked his Cabinet to begin identifying wasteful programs to cut from the federal budget. While this sort of talk sounds good, the inescapable fact is that the Administration and Congress have spent the last three months piling mountains of wasteful debt on the backs of our children and grandchildren. Just take a look at how some of the so-called “stimulus” dollars are being spent. In spite of promises of transparency and accountability from the Administration, hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars are being spent on wasteful projects: a skateboard park in Rhode Island, bike racks in the District of Columbia, highway studies instead of construction projects in my native Ohio, and programs led by housing agencies that have repeatedly failed audits – all in the name of economic “stimulus.”

Go here to read the entire op-ed.

I just visited The Shepherd Color Company in West Chester.  They’re one of the largest producers of inorganic color pigments in the world.  Shepherd Color is a fourth-generation, family-owned business, and CEO Tom Shepherd is anxiously watching his company come up against Big Government.  It’s a fight he’s not sure they can win.

Among Congress’ top priorities are creating a new national energy tax (known as “cap and trade”) and reinstating the Death Tax, both of which would prove disastrous to small businesses like Shepherd Color.  Tom also told me that he’s concerned about the elimination of LIFO (Last-In, First-In), an accounting method that infuses capital into small businesses.

Read more about my visit here.