Ensign Meets With Former Navy
SEAL
Senator John
Ensign (R-NV) October 25, 2007 met with former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell,
author of the book Lone Survivor. Mr. Luttrell was in Washington, D.C.,
to attend the White House presentation of the Congressional Medal of Honor,
posthumously, to the parents of best friend and team leader Lieutenant Michael
“Murph” Murphy. Senator Ensign recently read Mr. Luttrell’s book and was deeply
inspired by his courage, dedication and experiences as a SEAL. During their
meeting, the two discussed SEAL training, rules of engagement, Iraq and
Afghanistan.
“His story
should serve as an inspiration to all Americans as we wage this war against
Islamic extremism,” said Ensign. “We can be thankful that people like Marcus
Luttrell volunteer to venture into harm’s way again and again to keep us safe.”
Lone Survivor
is the story of Operation Redwing. In late June 2005, Mr. Luttrell was a member
of SEAL Team 10 stationed in Afghanistan. While on a mission to track down a
notorious Al Qaeda leader, he and his four-man team were discovered and came
under attack. In the ensuing gun battle, Lt. Murphy and the two other members of
the team were killed. Mr. Luttrell was blown off of the hillside by a
rocket-propelled grenade and fought his way clear of the enemy. Severely
wounded, he crawled over seven miles and was eventually taken in by Afghani
tribesman who treated, cared for and protected him from Al Qaeda and the
Taliban. After four days, Marcus was rescued by U.S. forces. For his bravery and
heroism, Mr. Luttrell was awarded the Navy Cross, the Navy’s highest military
decoration.
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Sincerely,
John Ensign
United States Senator |
Ensign: Fiscal Discipline Needs to be a Top
Priority
Washington, D.C.
October 25, 2007
– Senator John
Ensign released a statement today calling for fiscal discipline and responsible
management of the appropriations process. Tomorrow marks the first time since
1987 that Congress has failed to send the President a single appropriations bill
this late in the year.
“Washington needs fiscal discipline, but the path being paved by the Democrats
leads us in the wrong direction. I’m disappointed that Congress has failed to
send even one appropriations bill to the President. In 20 years, Congress has
not waited this long, and the result is a rushed process that inevitably leads
to more spending.
“We need
to be responsible when we are spending the taxpayers’ dollars, and I’m afraid
that’s not what Congress is doing right now. We’ve passed spending bill after
spending bill that exceeds the President’s request. We cannot continue to
increase spending and hope to eliminate the federal deficit.
“The
American people want restrained spending; lower, fairer taxes; and
responsibility in Washington. That’s what Congress should deliver.”
Ensign Measure Protects Social Security
Dollars From Identity Theft
Washington, D.C. – Today (October 23, 2007) the Senate approved an
amendment offered by Senator John Ensign that would stop the Social Security
Administration (SSA) from paying benefits for work done under a stolen or
fraudulent Social Security number. Identity theft, a serious problem in the
United States, is rewarded under the current Social Security policies. Ensign’s
amendment passed with broad support from both sides of the aisle.
“Stories
about victims of identity theft are all too common in the United States,” said
Ensign. “We need to recognize illegal work for exactly what it is – illegal.
We should not be encouraging people to steal the identity of hard-working
Americans. As it stands today, that’s what we’re doing.”
There
have been many media reports about people who are here illegally stealing
Americans’ Social Security numbers. For instance, Audra, a stay-at-home mom
since 2000, had her Social Security number used by 218 different people, all
here illegally, to obtain jobs. Even though she did not work for six years, the
Internal Revenue Service sent her a bill for $1 million in back taxes because
their records showed her working for the last three years.
“Many Southwest states have experienced a crime spree involving
people who are here illegally using the stolen identities of children,” said
Ensign. “In one case in Utah, a child apparently owns a cleaning company and
works as a prep cook at two restaurants in Salt Lake City. That’s a lot of
responsibility -- especially for an eight-year-old boy.”
Every
year employers are advised that nearly 800,000 workers do not have valid,
matching Social Security numbers. Ensign’s amendment would prohibit SSA from
processing claims for work performed under a stolen or fraudulent Social
Security number. As a result, resources at SSA would be freed up to process
legitimate claims as the Baby Boomers start to retire. Ensign’s amendment
passed 92 to 2.
Let’s Be Responsible With Social Security
Dollars
Washington, D.C.- October
23, 2007 – An amendment by Senator John Ensign to protect scarce Social
Security dollars was approved today with overwhelming and bipartisan support.
Ensign’s amendment stops the Administration’s efforts to send Social Security
dollars to Mexico through an unfair and irresponsible agreement. The
Administration’s proposed Totalization Agreement is unfair to the American
taxpayer and careless considering the solvency problems facing the Trust Fund.
“Social
Security is already on unstable financial ground, and for too long we have been
irresponsible with Trust Fund dollars,” said Ensign. “This proposed agreement
is severely flawed on several levels. For instance, the Mexican government does
not keep sufficient records on births, deaths and marriages, so it would be
nearly impossible to determine when to stop sending checks.”
This proposed agreement would allow Mexican workers to qualify for partial
Social Security benefits in the United States with as little as one and a half
years of work history, instead of the normally required 10 years. Family
members living in Mexico would also qualify for U.S. Social Security benefits
because the proposed agreement waives rules that prevent payments to
non-citizens, such as children and spouses, living outside the United States.
“These
agreements are about fairness, but in this case it will have precisely the
opposite effect at the expense of the American taxpayer,” said Ensign. “The
proposed U.S.-Mexico Agreement further threatens the retirement security of
hard-working Americans.”
Totalization Agreements are common. They allow workers who divide their careers
between two countries to combine credits from both countries to quality for
Social Security benefits. They also prevent workers from paying into two
systems. However, the Government Accountability Office has warned that this
agreement will increase the number of unauthorized workers eligible for Social
Security benefits. Ensign’s amendment passed 91 to 3.
In 2004,
the United States reached a Totalization Agreement with Mexico, which has not
gone into effect because the President has yet to submit it to Congress. Citing
concerns that the current process to ratify a totalization agreement does not
include sufficient debate and scrutiny, Ensign introduced a bill in January
requiring approval from both the House and Senate before totalization agreements
go into effect. Currently, these agreements become effective 60 days after they
are submitted to Congress unless one chamber specifically rejects it.
