December '09 Nevada Government—U.S. Senator John Ensign Column

Ensign Calls For Hearing On Politics
Surrounding Base Closure List

December 16, 2009 – Washington, D.C. – Senator John Ensign, along with 19 other Republican Senators, called on the leading members of the Senate Armed Services Committee to hold a hearing to investigate reports that the Obama administration threatened to put Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska on a future Base Realignment and Closure list. Senator Ensign is concerned that Nellis AFB, Fallon NAS, Creech AFB, or Hawthorne Army Depot could possibly make future lists based on political decisions or a member’s voting record rather than military utility.

Senators Jim DeMint (R-SC), John Thune (R-SD), Jim Bunning (R-KY), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Richard Burr (R-NC), Bob Corker (R-TN), Kit Bond (R-MO), George LeMieux (R-FL), Pat Roberts (R-KS), David Vitter (R-LA), Thad Cochran (R-MS), John Cornyn (R-TX), Judd Gregg (R-NH), Mike Johanns (R-NE), Bob Bennett (R-UT), Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) also signed the letter.

The text of the letter is below and attached:

Dear Senator Levin and Senator McCain:

          It has been reported that the Obama Administration threatened the closure of a U.S. military installation for political purposes, thereby bringing into question the integrity of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) process. The BRAC process was established to remove political influence so that the decision to close or not to close a military installation could be based upon military utility.

          Specifically, various media reports have stated that the Obama Administration would put Offutt AFB in southeastern Nebraska on a future BRAC list because of a vote on healthcare reform. While we recognize the importance of Offutt AFB as the headquarters of U.S. Strategic Command and the approximately 10,000 individuals that work there, we feel that this installation should remain open or be closed on its own merits.

          Therefore, we respectfully ask that a hearing be held as to whether the BRAC process has been compromised. We do not want to see the name of a base from our state on a BRAC list and think it has been put there to settle partisan scores. We also do not want our bases to be more vulnerable to closure because political arm-twisting has taken another installation off the table. National security not partisanship should determine how BRAC decisions are made.

Ensign: CityCenter Will Deliver The Jobs
Nevada Desperately Needs

December 16, 2009 – Washington, D.C. – Senator John Ensign released the following statement in support of the CityCenter grand opening today:

“CityCenter promises to be the holiday wish that many across the valley have been asking for. It’s no secret that the Nevada economy is in desperate need of tourism revenue and job growth; CityCenter will be an answer for both of these voids. CityCenter will prove to be an amazing destination for people across the world as it entices visitors with its luxury shopping, beautiful casino, amazing hotels, condos, and restaurants, and many more amenities.

“I worked hard on legislation last year that helped many companies, including MGM Mirage, with their financial picture and ultimately saved jobs. There was never any question that CityCenter would prove vital to Las Vegas and Nevada.”

Ensign: Strip Tax Increases On Middle-Income Americans From Health Reform

December 15, 2009 – Washington, D.C. – Senator John Ensign today voted in support of Senator Mike Crapo’s (R-ID) motion to send the Democrats’ healthcare reform bill back to the Senate Finance Committee with the instructions that all taxes on middle-income Americans be eliminated, as President Obama had promised on the campaign trail. The amendment failed 45 to 54.

“The President made a pledge, he made a promise,” said Ensign. “He promised that he would not raise taxes on middle-income Americans. Unfortunately, Democrats in the Senate are not upholding this promise and have, instead, littered their healthcare reform bill with tax increases for these very Americans. This is not right. Senator Crapo’s motion would uphold the President’s pledge and carve out these taxes for middle-income Americans.”

Most of the nine brand new taxes in this legislation violate the President’s promise and leave middle class families with the bill. The purpose of the Crapo Amendment is to inject honesty into the healthcare debate and hold Congress to the promises that were made to the American public.

Ensign: Obama Administration Decision On Terrorist Transfer Is Flawed

December 15, 2009 – Washington, DC – Senator Ensign today made the following statement regarding the Obama Administration’s decision to move terrorists from Guantanamo Bay prison to a correctional facility in Illinois:

“President Obama’s decision to move terrorists being held at GITMO to Thomson Correctional Center in Illinois is flawed on many levels. Placing terrorists in our communities creates unnecessary terrorist targets on U.S. soil, guarantees terrorists increased legal protections, including constitutional rights, and increases the likelihood that they could be released onto U.S. soil.

Furthermore, at a time of record deficits and fiscal uncertainty, spending hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to ready this facility is unfathomable. This is especially perplexing considering we already have a perfectly secure facility at Guantanamo Bay which has already been paid for. I hope that the President does not view the creation of GITMO North as an Illinois stimulus project.”

Ensign: I Challenge The President To Veto This Spending Bill

December 11, 2009 – Washington, D.C. – Senator John Ensign took to the Senate floor tonight to stand against Washington’s practice of spending our nation into a black hole because continuing to increase America’s debt level is threatening the very future of our country. Excerpts of the speech are below:

“I believe this spending bill represents yet another step in the wrong direction for our nation. I believe this legislation is only more from the same old recipe of fiscal irresponsibility that guides the Majority in Congress.”

“I believe that in a time of sky high budget deficits and staggering debt, that the American people are now demanding a better way forward.”

“I want to make it clear, for the record, what this legislation does. An initial analysis shows that this bill increases spending by 12% over Fiscal Year 2009 for the 6 spending bills that are wrapped up in this legislation. These spending increases are set against a dire economic picture. According to the Congressional Budget Office, in Fiscal Year 2010, the deficit will be $1.4 trillion.”

“American families are hurting. I know that my state of Nevada has experienced some of the highest levels of unemployment in the nation –13% according to the Department of Labor. In talking to my constituents back home, I can guarantee you it is much higher than that in many areas across my state.”

“It seems when the Democrats get carried away with the spending spree they simply move the goal posts that allow them to keep spending. Democrats in Congress want to increase the debt ceiling by $1.8 trillion. That is a mighty high credit limit.”

“My friends on the other side of the aisle have made it a habit to come down to the Senate floor and say, ‘Where were the Republicans when President Bush was adding to the debt and increasing the deficit?’ Well, Mr. President, I was right here saying many of the same things that I am saying today.”

“Not only did I vote against many of the spending bills that were passed during the previous Administration, but I would have liked to see President Bush put his foot down and veto these bills and force Congress to cut back on out-of-control spending.”

“I challenge President Obama to show leadership and veto this bill.”

Ensign: Protect Health Care For Those Who
Fight To Protect Our Freedoms

December 11, 2009 – Washington, D.C. – Senator John Ensign introduced an amendment to the Democrat healthcare bill to protect health care for our nation’s veterans and military service officers. This same amendment was accepted unanimously in the Senate Finance Committee’s version of the healthcare bill but was stripped out of the bill before it reached the floor.

“Our veterans and military service officers have given a great deal to our country,” said Ensign. “They have sacrificed much of themselves in service to our country and we owe these brave men and women a lot in return. We owe them our respect and our admiration, and we owe them a healthcare system that they can rely on to take care of them through the years. My amendment will prohibit this healthcare bill from penalizing DOD and VA care.”

Senator Ensign’s amendment will clear up any ambiguity that could prohibit and penalize veterans or their eligible family members for receiving care at a DOD or VA facility, through a VA healthcare provider or through a contracted healthcare provider (TRICARE or TRICARE for Life).

Ensign Introduces Amendments To Keep Taxes Low For Nevadans, Americans

December 10, 2009 – Washington, D.C. – Senator John Ensign introduced several amendments to the Democrats’ healthcare reform bill to keep taxes low for middle-income Americans and to keep the Democrats’ from taxing our country into a black hole in the name of healthcare reform.

“President Obama made a pledge on the campaign trail that he would not raise taxes on low- and middle-income Americans,” said Ensign. “The amendments that I have introduced will hold the president to his pledge and will protect these hardworking families both in Nevada and across the country. My amendments will try to curtail this agenda of tax and spend and bring the healthcare reform focus back to Americans. During these tough economic times, Nevadans are tightening their budgets and living within their means, and Congress should be doing the same.”

Senator Ensign’s tax amendments:

An amendment to change the index of the high-cost insurance plan tax to protect Americans with standard insurance plans from becoming captured by this tax over time because of the steep rise in healthcare premium inflation

Amendments to carve out middle-income Americans from all taxes in the bill to uphold President Obama’s campaign pledge and to ensure that those Americans who are already struggling through these difficult economic times aren’t forced to endure even greater hardship by choosing between paying these taxes or putting food on their tables

An amendment to strike the words fee, penalty, and assessment in the bill and replace with the more honest and accurate word “tax” to ensure that gimmicks and clever rhetoric aren’t used to deceive the American people about the taxes that they will be responsible for under this legislation

An amendment to change the individual mandate penalty tax so that criminal and civil penalties and interest cannot be assessed against people who do not buy insurance to ensure that Americans who are struggling to pay their bills and cannot buy health insurance are not faced with civil and criminal charges

An amendment to strike the cap on flexible spending accounts so that Americans can continue to fully rely on the funds available in these healthcare accounts to pay for necessary, and sometimes catastrophic, medical expenses

An amendment to strike the penalty increase on non-qualifying health savings account withdrawals so that Americans will not be overly penalized for using their own money in these accounts out of necessity.