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

Democrats Vote Against Unemployment Extension Again

July 1, 2010 – Washington, D.C. – Senator John Ensign today commented on the seventh Senate Democrat vote against extending unemployment benefits last night. Republican Leader McConnell offered a two-month ‘paid for’ extension of unemployment benefits last night so that Americans could receive these vital benefits while the Senate continued to work out a long-term compromise; Democrats again voted against this on party lines.

“Democrats have allowed these unemployment benefits to expire and repeated attempts by Republicans to reinstate these benefits for hurting Americans have been voted down by the majority party seven times now,” said Ensign. “I have been voting to pay for extending these vital benefits for hurting Nevadans every time that this issue has come to the floor, and with each vote, Senate Democrats vote against this option. As far as I am concerned, the majority party is to blame for the position that many Americans are in today.

“The number one priority in the Senate should be fixing our economy, and I am just as frustrated as many Nevadans are about the lack of real economic policies coming from the Democrats in Washington to incentivize job creation and bring our economy back from the brink.”

Ensign Statement On Petraeus Confirmation

June 30, 2010 – Washington, D.C. – Senator John Ensign today released the following statement on General Petraeus’ confirmation by the United States Senate to serve as the Commanding General for International Security Assistance Force Afghanistan:

“Once again General Petraeus has answered the call to serve during this time of turmoil. My concern is not whether he is the right man for the job, as he most certainly is. My concern is that he is about to embark on a tremendously difficult mission with one hand tied behind his back because of a politically motivated and arbitrary troop withdrawal deadline.

“Afghanistan deserves the full attention of the world community as we fight to ensure that this nation does not return to the terrorist safe haven that it was on September 10, 2001. General Petraeus will need the full support of Congress and this Administration to effectively carry out our mission in Afghanistan, and I certainly hope today’s vote proves that he has it.”

Ensign: Extending Unemployment Benefits Important To Nevadans

June 25, 2010 – Washington, D.C. – Senator John Ensign today commented on the importance of extending unemployment benefits for the many Nevadans who are facing difficult economic times, but stressed the importance of paying for the cost of this legislation now instead of later.

"The Senate has voted numerous times to extend benefits for the unemployed, and I have voted each time to do this through the Democrat-passed policy of pay go. But with every vote, Democrats go against their own policy, insisting that we extend benefits by adding to our record breaking deficit,” said Ensign. "Nevadans are hurting and I know that many are worried about losing their benefits, but we have to pass legislation that will pay for the benefit extension now instead of later. This year, Congress has passed spending bill after spending bill, none of which have been paid for, and we are bankrupting the future of our country.

“It’s incredibly important to me that we put partisan politics aside and get Nevadans the benefits that they need to weather through these tough economic times, but we need to do this by paying for the cost of this legislation now, instead of passing it onto future generations. Both parties need to come together to do this so that people in our state are not confronted with the loss of their benefits.”

Ensign Statement On Passing Of Senator Robert C. Byrd

June 28, 2010 – Washington, D.C. – Senator John Ensign today released the following statement on the passing of the Senate’s longest serving member, Senator Robert C. Byrd:

“Senator Byrd once wrote that if the question was whether to be loved or respected, he always chose to be respected,” said Ensign. “For members in this body and for the thousands of constituents in his home state of West Virginia, he managed to do both. Senator Byrd’s passion for his beliefs, this country, and the people that he represented for over 50 years will be sadly missed in the United States Senate. This institution has lost a true protector of Senate rules and institutional knowledge. I will miss his fiery speeches and his patriotism. My thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time.”

Ensign: Supreme Court Ruling Affirms Second Amendment As Individual Right

June 28, 2010 – Washington, D.C. – Senator John Ensign released the following statement on today’s Supreme Court ruling guaranteeing the Second Amendment as an individual right:

“For years, a fundamental right given to every American by our Founding Fathers and guaranteed in the Constitution has been in peril,” said Ensign. “Federal, state and local governments have passed laws that deny many law-abiding Americans their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. Today’s Supreme Court ruling clearly upholds the intent of our Founding Fathers in stating that the Second Amendment is an individual right that trumps state and local laws that ban firearms. As the confirmation hearings for Elena Kagan for Supreme Court Justice begin today in the Senate, decisions such as McDonald remind us that we must continue to appoint judges committed to abiding by the words of the Constitution, free of activist intentions.

The Supreme Court ruled today in McDonald v. Chicago that the Constitution’s “right to keep and bear arms” applies nationwide as a restraint on the ability of federal, state and local governments to substantially limit its reach.