April '10 Nevada Government—U.S. Senator John Ensign Column

Ensign Awarded Spirit Of Enterprise Award
By U.S. Chamber

Recognized for Pro-Business Record

April 29, 2010 – Washington, D.C. – Senator John Ensign this week was honored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and was presented with the Spirit of Enterprise Award for his support of business during the first session of the 111th Congress. Senator Ensign has long been a supporter of small business, the engine of our economy, and maintained an 86 % rating with the Chamber this year and collectively holds an 86% ranking during his tenure in Congress.

“I understand how important small business is to our community,” said Ensign. “Especially now when the economy is struggling and unemployment remains high, we need to provide the right kind of incentives to small business to ensure that they continue to be the engine of our economy in terms of job creation.”

“The Chamber applauds Senator Ensign for supporting the private sector and job growth through these difficult times,” said Thomas J. Donahue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “He has demonstrated great courage and we commend him.”

Eligibility for the award is based on how Members of Congress vote on key business issues, which the Chamber outlines in its annual publication How They Voted. The United States Chamber scored Congress on 7 Senate votes and 15 House votes in 2009, including the economic stimulus package, legislation to promote the U.S. as a travel destination abroad and the healthcare reform bills.

Senator Ensign was the coauthor and lead Republican on the Travel Promotion Act, which was signed into law by President Obama this year and was one of the cornerstones on which the U.S. Chamber scored members for this award. The U.S. Chamber is the world’s largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses of every size, sector and region.

Ensign: Goldman Sachs Manipulating The Market

Ensign Questions Goldman Sachs Executives

April 27, 2010 – Washington, D.C. – Senator John Ensign, a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, today questioned Goldman Sachs executives at a Committee hearing about their role in the financial crisis and why they felt it was right to pay out huge bonuses to their executives while their clients were losing millions of dollars.

“People come to Las Vegas to gamble knowing that the odds are against them,” said Ensign. “However, Wall Street is taking this to a whole new level by manipulating the odds while Americans are in the middle of playing the game.

“I believe that Wall Street definitely played a role in the financial crisis and rewarding huge bonuses to executives was a slap in the face to the many Goldman clients who were losing millions of dollars at the same time. While this Committee continues to look into the practices of these financial firms, it’s important that the Senate take its time before passing partisan legislation aimed at regulating this industry but that will also ultimately hurt community banks across Nevada and our country.”

As a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Senator Ensign will be working with his colleagues to carefully examine the practices of Goldman Sachs and other giants in the financial industry. Senator Ensign voted against a procedural vote on Monday to move ahead with debate on the Democrats’ version of financial reform regulation because Democrats are refusing to work with Republicans to craft legislation that will protect both taxpayers from future bailouts and community banks in our country that will be harmed as a result of the current Senate legislation.

Ensign Bipartisan Letter Successful In Postponing Bill Harmful To Small Business

April 23, 2010 – Washington, D.C. – Senator John Ensign recently sent a letter to Senator Lieberman, Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, to postpone the Committee’s consideration of the Incorporation Transparency and Law Enforcement Assistance Act; today he announced that the bill would be pulled from the Committee’s agenda.

“I am pleased that Senator Lieberman has listened to the concerns addressed in my letter,” said Ensign. “It’s important to me that I have the chance to hear from stakeholders in Nevada about the implications that this bill will have on small businesses in our state.”

Five senators on the Committee joined Senator Ensign in signing this bipartisan letter because the bill would have major implications on states’ laws regarding business incorporation rules and could make it more difficult for entrepreneurs to start small businesses in states such as Nevada.

This postponement will also allow Senator Ensign to consider input, released this morning, from the Departments of Treasury and Justice regarding their alternative to the original bill that would address the unintended consequences on states and businesses that may occur as a result of the original legislation; Senator Ensign looks forward to discussing this bill with Nevadans.

Read the bipartisan letter.

Ensign Votes Against Increasing Federal Debt

April 23, 2010 – Washington, D.C. – Senator John Ensign, a member of the Senate Budget Committee, this week voted against increasing our already record-breaking national debt when he opposed the Democrats’ budget proposal in Committee. When addressing the Committee in his opening remarks, Senator Ensign stressed that our country is on a path to ruin if we continue with these reckless spending habits.

“I am very concerned about the future of our country,” said Ensign. “Congress has been wildly spending money that we do not have and it’s threatening to ruin the foundation of the United States. As legislators, we have a responsibility to represent the best interests of our constituents, both those here in the present and those of future generations. Unfortunately, when we vote to increase our nation’s spending levels, we are voting against those future generations of Americans. My vote this week was to preserve the future of our country, and I am hopeful that my colleagues in the Senate will stand with me to do the same.”

Just this year, the United States will owe an over $200 billion interest payment on our national credit. This is money that will not go toward important priorities, such as education and health care. By the end of this decade, this amount will increase to almost a trillion dollars in interest payments on the debt.

Senator Ensign introduced an amendment to the Budget Committee mark that would require the Senate to draft legislation to address medical liability reform; it was defeated on a party-line vote.