Inhofe Statement on Stimulus Compromise Inhofe Joins Republicans in Presenting "No Stimulus" Petition Inhofe Leading Fight for More Responsible Infrastructure Money in Stimulus Bill Inhofe Amendment to Boost Defense Spending In Stimulus Bill WATCH: Inhofe Youtube from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Inhofe Introduces Legislation Preventing GITMO Prisoner Transfer to U.S. Okla. Senators Inhofe and Coburn Vote No on Holder Confirmation Senator Inhofe Seeking Hope for Orphaned Children In the News..Newson6 Features Inhofe YouTube, Website In the News...State Republicans rail against stimulus package In the News...Inhofe hopes to stop Gitmo closing Enid McAlester Oklahoma City Tulsa Washington |
Inhofe Statement on Stimulus CompromiseSenator Inhofe issued the following statement Friday night after the announcement of a compromise on the Senate stimulus bill. "While I appreciate the efforts of my colleagues to bring down the price tag of this bill, the fact is we still face a trillion dollar spending bill. Making it worse, the bill is 93% spending and only 7% stimulation. Over the past few days I have fought to include more in the way of real stimulus through higher percentage of infrastructure and defense spending, while working to cut much of the typical government waste often found in a bill of this size. Yet Democrats have blocked these efforts. "The good news tonight is that the American people are catching on to the fact that this is the largest spending bill in history and are becoming more and more vocal in their opposition. My offices in Oklahoma and Washington DC have been flooded with emails, phone calls and faxes overwhelmingly opposed to this trillion dollar legislation. They can rest assured that my vote remains an unwavering ‘no.'" Inhofe Joins Republicans in Presenting "No Stimulus" PetitionEarlier on Friday, Senator Inhofe joined Republican Senators in a press conference to present over 68,000 petitions from Americans urging Congress not to pass the stimulus that will drastically increase federal debt and spending.
To Watch Video, click on the picture above
“We know what stimulus is and this is not stimulus,” Senator Inhofe said. “This bill is 93% spending and only 7% stimulation. We can do better than this.”
The text of the petition stated: “Congress should not enact an expensive spending bill under the pretense of stimulus or recovery. We cannot spend our way to prosperity, and such an expansion of the federal government will put a crushing burden on taxpayers in the long-term.”
Link to AFP’s No Stimulus Website: http://nostimulus.com/
Americans For Prosperity’s Letter to U.S. Senators on the Stimulus:
AFP Key Vote Letter on the Stimulus and Our Petition
http://www.americansforprosperity.org/020509-afp-key-vote-letter-stimulus-and-our-petition
Thursday, February 5th 2009
February 5, 2009
Dear Senator:
On behalf of the members of Americans for Prosperity, I am writing to urge you to vote against the so-called American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Congress should not enact an expensive spending bill under the pretense of stimulus or recovery. No matter which amendments pass, the fundamental approach of dramatically increasing federal debt and spending is a mistake. We therefore urge you to vote NO and will rate a vote against the so-called stimulus as a Key Vote for Prosperity in our Congressional ratings.
As I write this letter, more than 42,000 Americans have signed a petition on our web site, NoStimulus.com, and thousands more will likely sign it before you read this letter. They represent a growing majority of the American public who agree with the petition text:
“Congress should not enact an expensive spending bill under the pretense of stimulus or recovery. We cannot spend our way to prosperity, and such an expansion of the federal government will put a crushing burden on taxpayers in the long-term.”
Central planning and bigger government cannot solve our problems. Excessive borrowing to fund consumption was a major cause of our current economic crisis. The first rule of holes is to stop digging, and more than $1 trillion of additional borrow-and-spend big government will only throw more good money after bad. Instead of trying to pick winners and losers from Washington, Congress should cut spending, strip down burdensome regulations and allow individuals and free enterprise to flourish.
We therefore urge you to vote no on the stimulus, regardless of which amendments pass and regardless of any individual provisions that may look attractive.
Sincerely,
Tim Phillips President Americans for Prosperity
Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is the nation’s premier grassroots organization committed to advancing every individual’s right to economic freedom and opportunity. AFP believes reducing the size and scope of government is the best safeguard to ensuring individual productivity and prosperity for all Americans. AFP educates and engages citizens in support of restraining state and federal government growth, and returning government to its constitutional limits. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org Inhofe Leading Fight for More Responsible Infrastructure Money in Stimulus BillSenator Inhofe, Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee worked to dramatically increase the percentage of infrastructure spending in the stimulus bill. “I am proud to help lead the effort in the Senate along with a bipartisan group of Senators to introduce amendments to responsibly increase infrastructure investment in the stimulus bill,” Senator Inhofe said. “Through my leadership position on the EPW Committee and as the primary author of SAFETEA I know firsthand the link between infrastructure spending, job creation, and a robust economy. “I believe it is our duty in this stimulus bill to create as many jobs as quickly as possible. It’s not just the funding that is important, but how quickly we are able to stimulate the economy with the money in these programs.” Senator Inhofe fully supports increases in funding for infrastructure as long as they don’t add to to the cost of this already bloated bill. “We can’t just add to the size of the bill and deficit without giving priority to programs that stimulate the economy. If we are going to call this package a stimulus bill, then we need to direct resources to programs that have demonstrated ability to create jobs immediately, and all other programs must be seriously considered,” Senator Inhofe said. “Any additional funding to the stimulus needs to be offset, including infrastructure.”Background: The Boxer-Bond-Inhofe amendment increases highway investment by $5.5 billion. The amendment will eliminate this cumbersome new discretionary program, and merge the $5.5 billion with the $27 billion that goes out to all states as soon as the bill is enacted. This amendment provides every state additional funding. The Inhofe-Boxer amendment takes funds not obligated within a year, up to $50 billion, from programs in the stimulus that are not spending and redirect them to infrastructure project that are ready to have a contract awarded within 120 days of receiving this money. Inhofe Amendment to Boost Defense Spending In Stimulus BillSenator Inhofe also attempted to boost the percent of defense spending in the stimulus bill this week. The amendment was defeated on a proceedural motion. Senator Inhofe's Floor remarks as prepared for delivery: Investing in our nation's defense provides thousands of sustainable American jobs and provides for our nation's security. Major defense procurement programs are all manufactured in the US with our aerospace industry alone employing more than 655,000 workers spread across over most of the US. At the end of last month, conservative economist Martin Feldstein wrote in the Post about the "$800 Billion Mistake" referring to this stimulus bill. In that article, he pointed out the value of infrastructure spending on domestic military bases. In fact, it is clear that infrastructure investment, along with defense spending and tax cuts, has a greater stimulative impact on the economy than anything else the government can do. That is what I am trying to do with this amendment. My amendment increases defense procurement spending by $5,300,000,000 to manufacture or acquire vehicles, equipment, ammunition, and materials required to reconstitute military units. It appropriates, with a full offset within the bill, $5,232,000,000 for procurement for the Department of Defense to reconstitute military units to an acceptable level of readiness. This funding will go to procurement of aircraft, tracked and non-tracked combat vehicles, missiles, weapons, ammunition, communications equipment, maintenance equipment, naval coastal warfare boats, salvage equipment, riverine equipment, expeditionary material handling equipment, and other expeditionary items. It doesn't increase the cost of the bill by identifying proposals in this bill which highlight a part of the frivolous spending. These offsets include: -$20 million for fish passage barrier removal, -$20 million for trail improvements, -$25 million for habitat restoration, -$34 million to renovate the Department of Commerce, -$600 million for the federal government to buy cars - specifically hybrid and battery cars, -$13 million to research volunteer activities, -$650 million in coupons for digital TV (DTV) transition, -$70 million for a support computer for climate change research, -$1 billion for Census, -$850 million for Amtrak, and -$2 billion reduction from $6 billion to use "green technology" to revamp federal office buildings. This is a common sense amendment with real stimulative impact. WATCH: Inhofe Youtube from Guantanamo Bay, CubaOn Monday, Senator Inhofe posted a YouTube video filmed during his visit on Monday to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. As a Senior Member on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Inhofe led a fact-finding mission in response to President Obama's executive order to close the prison. Senators Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and David Vitter (R-La.), joined Senator Inhofe on the trip. Senator Inhofe stands firmly opposed to the closing of the detainee camp which holds 245 enemy combatants from the war on terror. The closing of the camp could result in the transfer of the detainees to US soil which would increase the threat to national security as well as further complicate the legal process through which these prisoners are being tried, and the potential release of individuals who pose a real and credible threat to the United States and its citizens.
To Watch the YouTube Video, click here or on the picture above
Senator Inhofe: "Several claims have been tossed around over the past few years in regards to the operations at GITMO, but with President Obama's intention to close down the facility, the United States could be faced with some very grave national security threats. President Obama's Executive Order failed to take into consideration the implications of closing GITMO - what happens to current detainees at GITMO, what does the military do with detainees held in other military prisons around the world, how does the military handle terrorists captured in the future, and what judicial process is going to be used. The trip was designed to help bring these and other issues to the forefront.
"Before we rush to close GTMO, I ask President Obama and my colleagues who have never visited GTMO to make time and visit GTMO. They owe it to themselves and the American public to see and understand what is going on there, how detainees are being held, and the legal process that has been put in place to ensure detainees receive a fair and impartial trial." What we know: -As the U.S. engages in the War on Terror, the capture of terrorists is inevitable and they must be held somewhere. -The detainee complex at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is the only complex in the world that can safely and humanely hold individuals that pose a high security risk to the US. It is a secure location away from population centers, provides maximum security required to prevent escape, provides multiple levels of confinement opportunities based on compliance of the detainee, and provides medical care not available a majority of the population of the world. -On 22 Jan, President Obama ordered the closing of the Guantanamo Bay prison within a year, closed CIA facilities, and ordered that all interrogations of suspected terrorists will have to abide by the Army field manual, removing the Bush administration's approval of "enhanced" interrogation techniques, which some believed to be torture. -President Obama's Executive Order could cause delays in the trials of: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, "mastermind" of the 9/11 attacks; Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarek Bin ‘Attash, trainer of 9/11 operatives and senior al Qaeda figure connected to the USS Cole bombing and 1998 bombings of US Embassies in East Africa; and Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, the primary financial and logistical supporters of the 9/11 operatives. -If GTMO is no longer a prison, some US domestic or overseas prison will have to house these detainees while they await a hearing and trial. Moving these prisoners to the US would increase the risk to national security and complicate the judicial process through which these prisoners are tried. -The other alternative is the release of these terrorists. If the US released all detainees currently being held at GTMO, it would threaten not only our national security, but the security of all our allies and our coalition partners around the world. -Joint Task Force (JTF) GTMO holds approx 245 terrorists from over 30 countries. They are provided better care than the care provided prisoners in US prisons, including health care which provides all medical/dental services and a health care provider to a detainee ratio of 1:2 (one health care professional for every two detainees.) -Water boarding has never occurred at GTMO. GTMO is operated by the DoD and only interrogation techniques approved by the Secretary of Defense has been used. -Current treatment and oversight exceed any maximum-security prison in the world. This did not happen overnight and was a deliberate process put in place by DoD and the commanders and personnel at GTMO. One particular program called DIMS (Detainee Incident Management System) tracks all actions and activities for each detainee - meals eaten, recreation time, medical appointments, chaplain visits, interrogations as well as disciplinary actions. -US Soldiers in the battlefield are putting their lives at risk trying to secure evidence that can one day be used in a court of law to try and convict enemy combatants captured on the battlefield, often in the middle of a firefight. -GTMO is the single greatest repository of human intelligence in the war on terror. This intelligence has prevented terrorist attacks and saved lives in the past and continues to do so today. New intelligence is being collected from detainees at GTMO is being used to fight terrorists in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the globe. -The Expeditionary Legal Complex (ELC) located at GTMO is the only one of its kind in the world. It provides a secure location to secure and try detainees charged by the US government, full access to sensitive and classified information, full access to defense lawyers and prosecution, and full media access by the press. Inhofe Introduces Legislation Preventing GITMO Prisoner Transfer to U.S.On Tuesday, after returning from Gitmo, Senator Inhofe introduced legislation (S.370) to prevent the detainees at Guantanamo from being relocated anywhere on American soil. Senator Inhofe led a Congressional Delegation to Guantanamo Bay on Monday to see firsthand the state of the prison operations and get the facts out about its critical role in keeping U.S. national security. He has also introduced an amendment to the Stimulus Bill (H.R.1) to block any funding to be used on the transfer of the detainees to U.S. prisons or for the building or enhancing of any facility for the purpose of housing any such detainee. “President Obama’s decision to shut down Guantanamo Bay could have a devastating impact on our national security and is simply unacceptable. I am working hand in hand with the Oklahoma delegation and through my position on the Senate Armed Services Committee, to prevent these terrorists from coming to my state or any state on American soil. My constituents in Oklahoma deserve to feel safe, and we will not feel safe with some of the most dangerous terrorists in the world - men who would kill thousands for an extremist ideology - on our soil. I was there yesterday, and saw firsthand the need to keep this facility running. “I believe it is important for the American people to know the real value of this installation and its contribution to the security of the United States. The military detention facilities at GTMO meet the highest international standards and have a fundamental part in protecting the lives of Americans from terrorism. It provides a secure location to secure and try detainees charged by the US government, full access to sensitive and classified information, full access to defense lawyers and prosecution, and full media access by the press. “Furthermore, GTMO is the single greatest repository of human intelligence in the war on terror. This intelligence has prevented terrorist attacks and saved lives in the past and continues to do so today. “The U.S. Senate spoke in 2007 passing a resolution 94-3 stating, ‘detainees housed at Guantanamo should not be released into American society, nor should they be transferred stateside into facilities in American communities and neighborhoods.’ Today, I am introducing legislation to prohibit moving these terrorists into the United States.” FULL REMARKS Mr. President, on Monday, February 2, I led a Congressional Delegation Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In light of the recent announcements by President Obama to close the detainee facility at some point, I believe it is important for the American people to know the real value of this installation and its contribution to the security of the United States. Since the United States began its Global War on Terrorism, terrorists have been captured by the United States and their allies and detained in facilities at Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility (GTMO), Cuba. The US has detained almost 800 Al-Qaeda and Taliban combatants at GTMO. Since 2002, more than 525 detainees have been tried and departed GTMO for other countries, and today there are approximately 245 detainees at GTMO. The military detention facilities at GTMO meet the highest international standards and haves a fundamental part in protecting the lives of Americans from terrorism. The Expeditionary Legal Complex (ELC) located at GTMO is the only one of its kind in the world. It provides a secure location to secure and try detainees charged by the US government, full access to sensitive and classified information, full access to defense lawyers and prosecution, and full media access by the press. The detainees are being treated humanely. There are on average two lawyers for every detainee that has been charged or had charges preferred against them at GITMO. There are 127 doctors, nurses and medical technicians dedicated to caring for and maintaining the health of each detainee – a ratio of 1:2 (one health care professional for every two detainees). Current treatment and oversight exceed any maximum-security prison in the world. The detainee complex at GTMO is the only complex in the world that can safely and humanely hold these individuals. Individuals who pose a high security risk to the US. It is a secure location away from population centers, provides maximum security required to prevent escape, provides multiple levels of confinement opportunities based on compliance of the detainee, and provides medical care not available a majority of the population of the world. Furthermore, GTMO is the single greatest repository of human intelligence in the war on terror. This intelligence has prevented terrorist attacks and saved lives in the past and continues to do so today. New intelligence is being collected from detainees at GTMO is being used to fight terrorists in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the globe. This intelligence information obtained from questioning detainees includes a variety of issues of value to US security including the organizational structure of al-Qaida and other terrorist groups; the extent of terrorist presence in Europe, the United States, and the Middle East; al-Qaida’s pursuit of weapons of mass destruction; the methods of recruitment and locations of recruitment centers; terrorist skill sets, including general and specialized operative training; and how legitimate financial activities are used to hide terrorist operations. Mr. President, the U.S. Senate spoke in 2007 passing a resolution 94-3 stating, “detainees housed at Guantanamo should not be released into American society, nor should they be transferred stateside into facilities in American communities and neighborhoods.” The United States is still in a global war on terror, engaged in armed conflict with terrorist organizations, and will, in all probability, continue to capture terrorists who will be detained in a facility. If the detention facility at GTMO is closed, some United States domestic or overseas prison will have to house these detainees while they await disposition. Today, I am introducing legislation to prohibit moving these terrorists into the United States. Related Links: WATCH: Inhofe Youtube from Guantanamo Bay, CubaLink to Tulsa World Article Link to Oklahoma’s News Channel 8 Inhofe-Roberts-Burr-Vitter- to Visit GITMO on Monday INHOFE-BOREN–FALLIN–COLE –SULLIVAN -LUCAS SAY NO TO TERRORISTS COMING TO OKLAHOMA### Okla. Senators Inhofe and Coburn Vote No on Holder Confirmation
Senator Inhofe and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) on Monday voted against Eric Holder’s confirmation as U.S. Attorney General. Holder was confirmed by a vote of 75 to 21. Related: Inhofe Speaks Out Against Eric Holder’s Nomination as Attorney General
Senator Inhofe Seeking Hope for Orphaned ChildrenOn Wednesday, Senator Inhofe took time to draw attention to the millions of orphans in the world and the life-changing benefits of adoption. It is estimated that there are over 143 million orphans in the world today, and millions of them are growing up on the streets or in institutions that lack the resources to give them the love and care that every child deserves.
Sen. Inhofe Hosts Adoption Reception
Senator Inhofe joined with Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Sam Brownback (R-KS), and Mark Pryor (D-AK) to host the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Reception to bring faith, government, and corporate leaders together to build new partnerships on behalf of orphaned children and adoptive families. In the News..Newson6 Features Inhofe YouTube, Website
NewsOn6: Politics As Usual On YouTube TULSA, OK-- You no longer have to turn to C-SPAN to get to know your legislature, now you can get to know many of them on YouTube. In fact Oklahoma Senator Jim Inhofe stars in one of the most watched videos on the YouTube Senate Hub. He recently posted a video from Cuba during his visit to Guantanamo Bay. It may be surprising to know that Senator Inhofe has two website channels, one of which was recognized in 2007 for being one of the best on Capitol Hill. Now like many politicians he's turning to YouTube and other networking sites to reach the public. Inhofe is on facebook, has his own YouTube channel, produces podcasts, writes a blog, and has recently joined Twitter. In this day in age Inhofe says the internet is the best way to reach constituents. He says it enables him to bypass the mainstream media and allow for more participation in the legislative process. In fact, the senator is so web savvy, when we contacted his office to learn more on his attempts to use this new medium, he appropriately posted his response in a video on YouTube. In the News...State Republicans rail against stimulus packageTulsa World
State Republicans rail against stimulus package In the News...Inhofe hopes to stop Gitmo closingTulsa World
Inhofe hopes to stop Gitmo closing |