BLACKBURN JOINS GOP PROTEST ON ENERGY LEGISLATION

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Brentwood is among two dozen Republican House members who returned to the House floor Monday to push for Democratic leaders to reconvene the House and allow a vote on energy legislation.

The House members spoke without microphones on a partially darkened House floor because the Democrats, who are in the majority, adjourned the House on Friday. House Republicans want a vote on their comprehensive energy proposal, which includes off-shore drilling to increase the supply of oil.

 "This is the most pressing issue facing our constituents," Blackburn said as the reason she returned to Washington, D.C., Sunday night to participate in the protest session. Leaders of the effort said it would continue indefinitely.
 

From The Leaf Chronicle

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GOP'ers Protest Over Energy

This is Day Two of the GOP revolt over energy, and the debate is taking place in a darkened House floor with no microphones, no lights and no C-SPAN cameras (on orders of the Democratic speaker). So Republican congressmen pushing for an up-or-down vote on offshore oil drilling have taken to twittering (notifying an army of folks, in 40-word bites), posting Qik and YouTube videos and corralling unsuspecting tourists to plead their case to the public.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi adjourned the House Friday over Republican objections, saying that offshore oil drilling is a false hope and that rushing back from vacation to vote on it would "mislead the American people as to thinking it's going to reduce the price at the pump." At the White House, spokesman Tony Fratto said the president would not call Congress back from vacation because Pelosi might then just gavel them back into recess again. Sort of a physical manifestation of the policy gridlock that already consumes Washington.

So in the meantime, the GOP congressmen keep returning to the darkened floor. The Hill newspaper reported that some have come with props: Rep. Steve King of Iowa arrived carrying a large photo of Pelosi with a caption quoting her as saying, "I am trying to save the planet." Rep. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee came with an empty red gas can and an energy efficient light bulb.

Not to be outdone in the theatrics department, MoveOn.org folks headed up to Capitol Hill this afternoon to pass out stickers describing the GOP as the Grand Oil (instead of Old) Party. Gosh, cynics might suggest that Congress doesn't get this much attention when they're in town!

The best free show in town continues all week, and maybe throughout the month, say the Republicans.

-- Johanna Neuman
L.A. Times

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Blackburn Receives 100% Rating from the ACU

The Best and Brightest
Representatives scoring 100% on ACU’s 2007 Ratings of Congress

Todd Akin (R-MO)
Michele Bachmann (R-MN)
Richard Baker (R-LA)
J. Gresham Barrett (R-SC)
Rob Bishop (R-UT)
Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
John A. Boehner (R-OH)
Charles W. Boustany, Jr. (R-LA)
Kevin Brady (R-TX)
Paul C. Broun (R-GA)
Michael Burgess (R-TX)
Eric Cantor (R-VA)
John Carter (R-TX)
Steve Chabot (R-OH)
Tom Cole (R-OK)
Barbara Cubin (R-WY)
John Culberson (R-TX)
David Davis (R-TN)
Nathan Deal (R-GA)
John Doolittle (R-CA)
Thelma D. Drake (R-VA)
 Mary Fallin (R-OK)
Jeff Flake (R-AZ)
Virginia Foxx (R-NC)
Trent Franks (R-AZ)
Scott Garrett (R-NJ)
Phil Gingrey (R-GA)
Louie Gohmert (R-TX)
Denny Hastert (R-IL)
Doc Hastings (R-WA)
Jeb Hensarling (R-TX)
Duncan Hunter (R-CA)
Sam Johnson (R-TX)
Jim Jordan (R-OH)
Steve King (R-IA)
John Kline (R-MN)
Doug Lamborn (R-CO)
Robert E. Latta (R-OH)
John Linder (R-OH)
Frank Lucas (R-OK)
Donald Manzullo (R-IL) Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)
Patrick T. McHenry (R-NC)
John Mica (R-FL)
Gary Miller (R-CA)
Marilyn Musgrave (R-CO)
Randy Neugebauer (R-TX)
Devin Nunes (R-CA)
Joseph R. Pitts (R-PA)
Tom Price (R-GA)
George P. Radanovich (R-CA)
Mike Rogers (R-MI)
Ed Royce (R-CA)
Bill Sali (R-ID)
John Shadegg (R-AZ)
John Sullivan (R-OK)
Tom Tancredo (R-CO)
Mac Thornberry (R-TX)
Timothy Walberg (R-MI)
Lynn A. Westmoreland (R-GA)
Robert J. Wittman (R-VA)

The Worst of the Worst
Representatives scoring 0% on ACU’s 2007 Ratings of Congress

Gary Ackerman (D-NY)
Tom Allen (D-ME)
Robert Andrews (D-NJ)
Michael A. Arcuri (D-NY)
Joe Baca (D-CA)
Brian Baird (D-WA)
Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
Xavier Becerra (D-CA)
Tim Bishop (D-NY)
Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
Robert Brady (D-PA)
Bruce Braley (D-IA)
Corrine Brown (D-FL)
G.K. Butterfield (D-NC)
Lois Capps (D-CA)
Michael E. Capuano (D-MA)
Julia Carson (D-IN)
Kathy Castor (D-FL)
Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY)
Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO)
James Clyburn (D-SC)
Steve Cohen (D-TN)
John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI)
Joe Courtney (D-CT)
Joseph Crowley (D-NY)
Elijah Cummings (D-MD)
Danny K. Davis (D-IL)
Susan Davis (D-CA)
Diana DeGette (D-CO)
William Delahunt (D-MA)
Rose L. DeLauro (D-CT)
Norman D. Dicks (D-CT)
John Dingell (D-WA)
Keith Ellison (D-MN)
Rahm Emanuel (D-IL)
Eliot Engel (D-NY)
Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA)
Sam Farr (D-CA)
Chaka Fattah (D-PA)
Bob Filner (D-CA)
Barney Frank (D-MA)
Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)
Luis Gutierrez (D-IL)
John J. Hall (D-NY)
Phil Hare (D-IL)
Jane Harman (D-CA)
Alcee Hastings (D-FL)

 Brian Higgins (D-NY)
Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)
Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
Paul W. Hodes (D-NH)
Rush Holt (D-NH)
Mike Honda (D-CA)
Darlene Hooley (D-OR)
Steve Israel (D-NY)
Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)
Shelia Jackson Lee (D-TX)
Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (D-GA)
Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX)
Patrick Kennedy (D-RI)
Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI)
Ron Klein (D-FL)
Jim Langevin (D-RI)
Tom Lantos (D-CA)
Rick Larsen (D-WA)
John B. Larson (D-CT)
Barbara Lee (D-CA)
Sander Levin (D-MI)
John Lewis (D-GA)
David Loebsack (D-IA)
Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)
Nita Lowey (D-NY)
Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA)
Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)
Doris O. Matsui (D-CA)
Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY)
Betty McCollum (D-MN)
James McGovern (D-MA)
Kendrick Meek (D-FL)
Gregory Meeks (D-NY)
Michael Michaud (D-ME)
Brad Miller (D-NC)
George Miller (D-CA)
Gwen Moore (D-WI)
Jim Moran (D-VA)
Christopher S. Murphy (D-CT)
Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)
Grace Napolitano (D-CA)
Richard E. Neal (D-MA)
David R. Obey (D-WI)
John Olver (D-MA)
Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ)
Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ) Ed Pastor (D-AZ)
Donald M. Payne (D-NJ)
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
David Price (D-NC)
Charles Rangel (D-NY)
Laura Richardson (D-CA)
Steve Rothman (D-NJ)
Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA)
Bobby L. Rush (D-IL)
Tim Ryan (D-OH)
Linda Sanchez (D-CA)
Loretta Sanchez (D-CA)
John P. Sarbanes (D-MD)
Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)
Adam Schiff (D-CA)
Jose E. Serrano (D-NY)
Joe Sestak (D-PA)
Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH)
Brad Sherman (D-CA)
Albio Sires (D-NJ)
Louise Slaughter (D-NY)
Adam Smith (D-WA)
Hilda Solis (D-CA)
Betty Sutton (D-OH)
Ellen Tauscher (D-CA)
Bennie Thompson (D-MS)
Mike Thompson (D-CA)
John Tierney (D-MA)
Edolphus Towns (D-NY)
Niki Tsongas (D-MA)
Stephanie Tubbs-Jones (D-OH)
Tom Udall (D-NM)
Chris Van Hollen (D-MD)
Nydia M. Velazquez (D-NY)
Tim Walz (D-MN)
Maxine Waters (D-CA)
Diane Watson (D-CA)
Mel Watt (D-NC)
Henry Waxman (D-CA)
Anthony D. Weiner (D-NY)
Peter Welch (D-VT)
Robert Wexler (D-FL)
Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)
David Wu (D-OR)
Albert Wynn (D-MD)
John A. Yarmuth (D-KY)

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Republicans Look For New Message

Republicans look for new message, no sugarcoating after latest defeat
The Hill
By Aaron Blake

May 14, 2008 -The Republican Party is making a concerted effort to get real after Tuesday’s crushing special-election loss in Mississippi, but the challenge will be agreeing on how to move forward with a new agenda.

The GOP is in a state of upheaval after Democrat Travis Childers’s stunning 54-46 runoff win over Republican Greg Davis in a very conservative district, and it immediately stopped trying to mask that fact after Tuesday’s result was clear.

But despite the stiff dose of reality — and House GOP Leader John Boehner’s (Ohio) Tuesday suggestion that sizable changes could be on the way at the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) — little changed immediately Wednesday as Republicans moved past what they hope will be their last competitive special election before November.

NRCC Chairman Tom Cole (Okla.) on Wednesday morning laughed off the thought that he might be removed as chairman and said change wouldn’t start with his embattled staff.

“I think it would be a great mistake to think that this is a question of tweaking things here or there or [making] staff changes,” said Cole, who has clashed with Boehner in the past. “That’s one of the great Washington parlor games — when all else fails, blame the staff.”

Instead, Cole said the GOP’s recent special-election problems have more to do with a deficiency in the party’s message and a loss of confidence in its ability to deliver.

Boehner and Cole both issued blunt and sober statements after the third Democratic takeover in two months Tuesday. Numerous GOPers, including Boehner, were characterizing the result as a “wake-up call” and casting their task as avoiding a fast-approaching rock bottom.

Republicans didn’t offer many excuses for their loss, instead saying it provides an opportunity for the party to take stock of its damaged brand and re-evaluate the difficult six months ahead.

Cole admitted late Tuesday night that “voters remain pessimistic about the direction of the country and the Republican Party in general.”

Reps. Kay Granger (R-Texas) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) launched a process intended to change that by introducing a family values agenda Wednesday, and Boehner sent a memo around last week debuting the slogan “the change you deserve.” But nothing concrete has been established as a departure from the party’s past messaging.

The presidential battle could further complicate that goal for congressional Republicans, as attention is likely to be sucked up by a close executive race.

A Mississippi GOP source said there is significant disagreement about how the party should move forward.

“You’ve got many different factions in the House within the Republican Conference, and it may just be a matter of, we just need to bottom out,” the source said. “We’re definitely going through some choppy water right now.

“We could say we ran a bad candidate in Louisiana and that Illinois was an anomaly, but this is the Deep South.”

Tuesday’s loss was particularly painful for Republicans, who blamed previous losses in Illinois and Louisiana on flawed GOP candidates. This time, they had a solid candidate with plenty of money and lots of help, including a Monday visit from Vice President Dick Cheney.

All these factors left the GOP with few excuses to roll out after an eight-point loss in a district that voted 62 percent for President Bush in 2004.

Instead, 18 months after losing 30 seats and the majority, the GOP is talking about rebranding. The problem will be finding a brand that works and that contrasts with the Democrats’.

So far, the GOP seems to be trying to co-opt the mantra of “change” just two years after Democrats used it to great effect. Democrats, notably their front-running presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), continue to use that theme.

“I think here in Washington, the Republican brand needs refurbishing, and I would suggest that comes from reclaiming our heritage as the party of reform, not of the status quo,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said Wednesday, before borrowing a slogan from Obama: “That’s just another way of saying, ‘Change we can believe in.’ ”

Despite the shift in rhetoric, the GOP isn’t ready to abandon its strategy of attaching Democratic candidates to Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), whom it maintains are albatrosses in the many conservatives House districts in play this year.

The strategy didn’t appear to work in either Louisiana or Mississippi, where ads were run linking the conservative Democrats to Obama and Pelosi. Cole said it’s “still a useful tool,” but that it’s not a stand-in for an actual agenda.

In Tuesday’s runoff, Childers actually expanded on his majority from the special election three weeks ago, turning his three-point win in the first race into an eight-point margin amid much higher turnout. The runoff was necessary since Childers didn’t have a majority the first time.

Republicans maintain hope that the Obama-Pelosi argument can work as the presidential race comes more into focus.

“I think in some places it will work fine, but the problem there is it should have worked in Mississippi,” said a GOP consultant with extensive experience in the South, who insisted that the strategy is moving numbers in some races. “It really speaks to the execution of the strategy more than the efficacy of the strategy itself.”

David Wasserman, a House race analyst with The Cook Political Report, also said the jury remains out on the strategy.

He said many issues that hurt Davis might not have been on people’s radar screens if they were preparing to vote for a presidential candidate.

“Special elections place a premium on the quality of candidates,” Wasserman said. “Travis Childers was simply a better fit for the majority of this district.”

Manu Raju contributed to this article.

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Blackburn Willing To Take On The Leadership To Fight Big Spending

Robert D. Novak: GOP acquiesces to Czar Nancy's rule

By ROBERT D. NOVAK

May. 6, 2008

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Message from Congressman Blackburn

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BEST FUNDRAISING QUARTER EVER FOR BLACKBURN

BEST FUNDRAISING QUARTER EVER FOR BLACKBURN

July 16, 2008 – Congressman Marsha Blackburn announced today that she has raised a total of $313,412.37 this quarter, making this her highest fundraising total since taking office. 

With more than $860,000 cash on hand, Blackburn attributes such strong fundraising numbers to staying on message and talking about real issues and solutions that affect voters across the 7th District.

“I am so proud of the groundswell of support we have received. We have knocked on more than 20,000 doors and people across the district see this race for what it is. They are tired of personal attacks and are instead, focused on issues,” says Blackburn. 

“My constituents are concerned about prices at the pump, the economy and wasteful spending. They know what our campaign is about and I appreciate the overwhelming confidence and support they have shown.” 

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Democrats Miss Chance for Unity on Security

Democrats Miss Chance for Unity on Security
Opinion Column for the Memphis Commercial Appeal 2-28-08

Opportunities for bipartisan consensus on critical issues are rare. Congress has such an opportunity with the Protect America Act. The legislation permanently updates the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978 which governs surveillance of terrorist communications in the United States. Since August, the intelligence community has been operating on a temporary law, the Protect America Act, which allowed it to monitor the communications of foreign terrorists in foreign lands to disrupt terrorist attacks.

Permanent modernization and strengthening of our terrorist surveillance laws had to be passed last week before the latest temporary fix expired. The House had an opportunity to vote last Thursday on the same modernization bill passed in the Senate by a vote of 68-29. Twenty-one House Democrats indicated they would vote in favor of the Senate-passed version.

Unfortunately, the Democrats' leadership built a partisan bully pulpit from the splinters of bipartisan consensus. As a result, America's ability to prevent attacks and track terrorists is diminished. As Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, the Democratic chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, put it: "... The quality of the intelligence that we are going to be receiving is going to be degraded."

The main hurdle to surveillance is the rapid evolution of communications technology that both intelligence agencies and terrorists routinely use. Terrorists take advantage of new technology, but the FISA has not kept up.

In 1978, getting a telegram wasn't out of the ordinary. Eavesdropping meant climbing up telephone poles. Today a teenager can send thousands of texts a month. Imagine what a terrorist is doing. In the digital era, most communications connect with American infrastructure, even when the people communicating aren't in America. Until Congress updates the law governing this technology, the government will be unable to track terrorists quickly and reliably.

Last spring, the intelligence community began to face a backlog caused by FISA's cumbersome legal requirements. It was the worst possible time for three soldiers in Iraq to get kidnapped by terrorists. Yet that is exactly what happened on May 12.

By 10 a.m. on May 15, investigators thought they had a lead on the kidnapped soldiers. To follow up, investigators needed to gather critical and timely intelligence. At 10:52 a.m. those investigators were told that the FISA law required them to get a warrant. This is the same outdated language our intelligence community is functioning under since the Protect America Act expired last week.

Back to last May: Probable cause needed to justify a warrant wasn't established until 5:15 p.m. Then the Justice Department lawyers had to track down the attorney general personally because the other three people at Justice who could authorize emergency surveillance were not available. Surveillance was authorized at 7:18 p.m. on the belief that the FISA court would grant a retroactive warrant within the week. Nine hours and thirty-eight minutes from the first tip, eavesdropping finally began. One of the soldiers in question was later found dead. The other two are still missing.

The same rules that applied to this case currently apply if the intelligence community believes it has discovered a foreign terrorist discussing a plot against the United States, like those who attacked us on 9/11. Because the Protect America Act has expired and we are under the old terrorist surveillance laws, the intelligence community will have to waste valuable time on bureaucratic legal paperwork instead of spying on the terrorists.

After the House failed to pass long-term FISA modernization, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland said: "I don't think anything is going to erode." I wish we had more people in government with his clairvoyance.

I hope that nothing happens before we resolve this issue. I hope no more troops in Iraq are taken hostage. I hope we pass the next weeks peacefully and that al-Qaida gives House Speaker Nancy Pelosi the time she needs for grandstanding. I know that 21 of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle hope so too. They wrote to Pelosi to express their belief that the "consequences of not passing (the Protect America Act) could place our national security at undue risk."

Of course, as another Democrat once said, "Hope is not a strategy."

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Rep. Blackburn: Let Businesses Create Long-Term Solutions

Rep. Blackburn: Let Businesses Create Long-Term Solutions
OpEd for The Tennessean  1-23-08

Only a year after Congress switched hands, record job growth and record low unemployment have given way to troubling indicators.

Instead of taking prudent steps to fend off these disturbing trends, Democrats gave us a preview of what they will do if they had total control of Washington by proposing non-binding resolutions and non-starter trillion-dollar tax hikes. Valuable time has been wasted.

Bipartisan negotiations are now underway to craft an economic stimulus package. A stimulus package cannot be a grab-bag for every political constituency and special interest. We had plenty of that kind of legislation last year and look where it got us; in December of 2006, 140,000 jobs were created compared to only 18,000 last month.

A short-term shot in the arm won't do the trick here. Increasing America's permanent income is the surest path to economic growth.

To maintain the 52-month track record for job growth and keep the economy pumping, Congress must clear the congestion around the heart of our economy. That happens by lowering the corporate tax rate; permanently enacting tax cuts passed in 2001 and 2003; and providing specific tax and regulatory relief for small business, the engine of job growth in America.

Making it easier for companies to expand, hire, and grow must be a priority. Corporate tax rates in the U.S. are considerably higher than those in Europe and Asia. Combined with a weak dollar, high corporate taxes create a significant drag on the ability of American companies to compete in a global marketplace.

When Americans can choose how and where to spend more of their own money, the economy grows. In 2001, tax cuts reduced marginal income tax rates. 2003 cuts further cut taxes on married couples, dividends, and capital gains; and increased the child tax credit. In 2004, Congress granted sales tax deductibility for Tennesseans and accelerated depreciation for business investment.

This long-term infusion of capital into the wallets of Americans at every income level instilled confidence in the commercial sector and helped spur more than four years of consistent economic expansion. Permanently enacting these successful tax policies will allow Americans to keep more of their hard-earned money and create opportunities for businesses, families, and individuals.

The best economic stimulus is a job, and small businesses are America's primary employer. They are also often the first hit by hard times and more easily tripped up by the red tape that Washington compulsively wraps around everyone. Therefore, any economic stimulus package Congress adopts must encourage small business to continue investing for future growth.

We cannot merely offer America a year end bonus. A one-time payment and a quick photo op might make some politicians feel better, but to encourage investment and growth Washington has to give America a raise. Let's show the American people that Congress is serious about tax relief and economic growth by providing an economic stimulus package that generates long-term results.

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Democrats Dump Pork On Taxpayers

Democrats Dump Pork On Taxpayers
Opinion Editorial in The Tennessean 1/3/08

by Congressman Marsha Blackburn

Before the holidays, in a rush to get home, Democratic leadership presented a massive overdue spending bill to fund the government for another year.

Work that should have been completed months earlier landed in the middle of the night, presenting members with only one choice: Vote yes or no.

Within this half-trillion-dollar-plus behemoth were more than 9,000 "earmarks" — special projects inserted by individual members of Congress to benefit their constituents. I was joined by many of my Republican colleagues in objecting loudly that we were asked to approve these projects in the blind, without benefit of the oversight owed to taxpayers.

Every member of Congress has a responsibility to advocate for the valid needs of their constituents. Tennessee requirements are proliferating, forcing the state to look to Washington more and more each year. Federal money funds road and bridge maintenance, research at public universities and equipment for the National Guard, to name but a few examples.

No time allowed for oversight

Ideally, these earmarks run through a transparent, regular order process, are fairly weighed against other priorities, and are voted on by subcommittees, committees and the House and Senate as a whole.

The process goes off the rails when some are frustrated by the pace of the deliberative process, or because their projects cannot endure the light of day. Then politicians try to load their funding on the next train out of town. Spending can be attached in conference committee, when only a select few members are able to amend a bill. Funding can also be "air-dropped" — attached on the House floor without benefit of reasonable deliberation.

It is through this "pork" that the federal government builds bridges to nowhere and funds fruit-fly research in France. These are the back-room deals that come due every April, raise the ire of every taxpayer, and drain accounts of the one thing Congress can't write a check for: public trust.

A year after we were promised the most ethical Congress in history, 9,000 earmarks were passed in the middle of the night, many of them the consummation of deals made in the back rooms of Washington, hidden from those who ultimately have to pay the bill.

This has been a year of broken promises, mismanagement and misplaced priorities. The American taxpayer is literally the poorer for it.

Next year, the whole process will begin again. It is up to the Democratic leadership to choose to embrace fiscal responsibility and lock the back-room doors. Democratic leaders must stop holding the appropriations bills hostage to a frivolous legislative agenda that they know will not become law. If they do not, come November, they may find themselves in the smokehouse with the rest of the bacon.

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SCHIP's shortcomings are many

SCHIP's shortcomings are many 

The following appeared in the Memphis Commercial Appeal's Opinon Page.  Oct 1, 2007

I'd like to highlight some of the critical shortcomings that prompted the Tennessee House Republican delegation, a strong majority of our GOP colleagues and several Democrat members to oppose passage of the SCHIP (State Children's Health Insurance Program) bill (Sept. 27 editorial, "Blackburn faces key decision").

We are committed to expanding access to quality health care to all Americans, especially disadvantaged children, but this bill will not advance those efforts. By expanding the definition of "poor" to include those making $82,000 per year or more, SCHIP will enroll 1.2 million more people by 2012. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 600,000 of those have private health insurance today. This bill would provide strong incentive for individuals and employers to dump private coverage and shift these costs to taxpayers -- at an estimated $74,000 per person annually. Here in Tennessee we saw a similar stampede to state-run coverage cripple the TennCare system.

Another troubling part of the bill is the removal of proof-of-citizenship requirements for enrollment. The bill also dramatically increases federal funding to enroll new children in SCHIP for the next five years -- funding that is partially offset by a tax increase. Then in 2012 the bill abruptly cuts total SCHIP funding by 80 percent. Unless Congress intervenes, millions of children will then lose coverage. CBO estimates that by 2017, SCHIP will have a $40 billion hole in it.

The disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments problem began 1993 when then-Gov. Ned McWherter and President Clinton agreed to forgo charitable care reimbursements when TennCare was created. Since then, Tennessee's congressional delegation has worked to secure federal money to offset losses incurred by hospitals like the Regional Medical Center at Memphis. As much as we would like to see permanent restoration of DSH payments, we cannot accept them as part of a larger legislative package that would export some of the worst aspects of TennCare to the rest of the country.

I continue to support a reauthorization of SCHIP in its original form, and I will continue to oppose efforts to expand government control over our health care choices.

Marsha Blackburn
U.S. Representative, 7th Congressional District Tennessee

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Bartlett symposium urges businesses to cash in on foreign trade potential

Bartlett symposium urges businesses to cash in on foreign trade potential

Commercial Appeal - Memphis, TN
By Linda A. Moore
August 10, 2007

Tennessee is an overachiever in the arena of foreign trade, logging an 89 percent increase in foreign exports over the past five years, government officials said Thursday.

But it's a market dominated by big business.

During an international trade symposium Thursday in Bartlett, participants learned that there are missed opportunities for small- and medium-size businesses to take advantage of the world's growing "consumer class."

U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., hosted the event at Youth Villages to bring governmental experts in international trade to constituents interested in marketing their goods.

"Our job is to make sure you have the opportunity to get your products to that 95 percent of the population that's outside the U.S.," Blackburn said.

Blackburn brought to the discussion Israel Hernandez, U.S. Department of Commerce assistant secretary and director general of the U.S. Commercial Service, and Claire Reade, chief counsel for China trade enforcement.

"There is a huge growing consumer class all around the world," Hernandez said. "Some call it a middle-class. I prefer to call it a consumer class. They have purchasing power they've never had before."
The ease of international express shipping through companies like FedEx, plus Internet technology, make it possible for the smallest of companies to market internationally, Hernandez said.

Seventy percent of the world's population purchases goods from countries other than the United States, he said.

"If you're a business person, that speaks volumes," Hernandez said.

China is now part of the World Trade Organization, and its population of 1.3 billion is ripe for U.S. businesses, Reade said.

"China is a land of big opportunities," Reade said.

As part of the WTO, the country is required to adhere to international standards on fair trade and intellectual property rights, and it's easier to extract retribution when they don't, she said.

"That means we can sue them," Reade said.

David Spann, director of the Memphis U.S. Export Assistance Center, also attending the symposium, said he is in touch with organizations like the U.S. Small Business Administration, SCORE and area chambers of commerce, which can direct business owners to his office for guidance.

-- Linda A. Moore: 529-2702
Copyright 2007, commercialappeal.com - Memphis, TN. All Rights Reserved.

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Wolf River Work Praised All Around -- Final Restoration Segment Will Begin This Summer

U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn has noticed how often she hears it:

Water is becoming one of the scarcest resources of the 21st century.

That's why far into the future, people will look back on the $12 million Wolf River restoration project and say, "Thank goodness someone was thinking outside the moment," Blackburn, R-Tenn., told 75 people at Collierville Town Hall on Thursday.

The mix of town, county and business leaders gathered to celebrate a milestone.

Congress this year provided another $1.5 million to finish environmental protection for the river.

A section of the river that forms Collierville's north boundary used to experience so much erosion, or head-cutting, that the damage progressed 1,200 feet a year, Col. Charles O. Smithers III of the Corps of Engineers told the crowd.

To fix the instability that threatened water quality and even highway bridges, the Corps has built four weirs and a berm to slow the water.

The final restoration component of the project starts in July with construction of tributary weirs.

If project funding continues to be approved, recreation needs will be met next.

Hiking and biking trails would be built in 2008 and boat ramps constructed in 2009.

The project is a collaboration of the Corps ($8 million in federal dollars so far), Shelby County and Chickasaw Basin Authority ($2.2 million), Town of Collierville ($1 million) and Wolf River Conservancy ($100,000).

The star of the Town Hall event was Blackburn. She even arrived fashionably late.

"She went to bat for us and did well," Chickasaw Basin Authority chairman Charles Perkins said of Blackburn's support for federal funding.

As Wolf River Conservancy executive director Keith Kirkland put it, Blackburn is "probably the most key person."

"History will serve this project well," Blackburn said.

It's one of the few urban environmental restoration projects undertaken by the Corps, Smithers said.

The sandy bed of the river plays an important role in filtering and recharging the aquifer under the Memphis area, Kirkland said.

If the aquifer became contaminated, the Memphis area would have to drink treated water from the Mississippi River, he said.

Not only would the treatment cost $10 million a year, the water would taste of chemicals, he said.

Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton Jr. said, "This is not something that we can tell its worth in dollars, but we all know its value. ... It protects Mother Nature and what God has given us."

Collierville's $1 million contribution may have taken a bite out of the town budget, but "there's no question this was the thing to do," Mayor Linda Kerley said. "This was preserving our community. Thank God we didn't lose the Wolf River because of erosion."

By Tom Bailey Jr baileytom@yourappeal.com

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Blackburn seeks to close loophole in U.S. banking

By Bartholomew Sullivan

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., introduced legislation Monday that would prevent illegal immigrants from receiving credit cards from American financial institutions.

The Photo Identification Security Act would require banks to use what Blackburn calls "secure forms of identification" to obtain credit. In a statement put out by her office, she says that Bank of America "has come under fire in response to reports that it allows illegal immigrants access to credit cards without proper documentation."

"The American people deserve to know that the integrity and security of our financial institutions will remain intact," Blackburn said in a statement Monday. "This bill closes a critical loophole that banking institutions have used to circumvent the letter of the law they have used to target illegal aliens as a new source of revenue. It says to banks and illegal immigrants alike, 'You can't get a Visa, without a visa.'"

Bank of America issues the secured, or collateralized, credit cards only after a customer has established a deposit account, and to get a deposit account, the company requires a Social Security number, proof of U.S. government federal taxpayer status, or other documents listed as identification by the Patriot Act.

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Supreme Court upholds law banning some abortions

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Blackburn Addresses Leadership Roles of Women

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Hefty USDA grant may help ease Lexington water woes

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Blackburn makes securing border her main issue

From: The City Paper
By John Rodgers

With the widespread talk in recent months about a “comprehensive immigration policy,” U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn remains focused “like a laser” on one thing – securing the nation’s southern border.

“This is something that needs to be done now,” Blackburn (R-Brentwood) said in an interview with The City Paper. “The American people are tired of talk and they are ready for action on this issue.”

After securing the border, Blackburn proposes coming back “in a predesignated period of time” to address other immigration issues in a set order, like using a social security number database to verify a potential employee’s legal status and then enforce fines on employers hiring illegals.

“That is how you solve a problem,” Blackburn said

Last week, Blackburn took that message to San Diego, where she was one of 14 U.S. representatives, and the only member of the Tennessee delegation, that held the first “field hearings” on illegal immigration reform.

Congressional leadership organized the field hearings “to engage some of those folks that don’t have time to come to us,” Blackburn said, referring to the county sheriffs of San Diego and Los Angeles, who testified at the hearings about the positive impact of a wall along the border and about the negative cost illegal immigrants inflict on taxpayers, respectively.

Blackburn, who was invited to San Diego for the hearing, says illegal immigration is “right up there at the top” of her domestic issues.

That issue, along with her support of the War in Iraq, has allowed her national visibility to spread recently with frequent appearances on Fox News as her political star may be shining brighter and brighter. As of Friday, she had been on Fox three times in the last 12 days.

Blackburn is one of, if not the brightest, stars of the state’s Republican Party, said Dr. John Vile, chairman of Middle Tennessee State University’s political science department.

Perhaps similar to her activity on illegal immigration now, Vile said Blackburn, who was first elected to the state Senate in 1998, used her opposition to the state income tax to propel her election to Congress in 2002.

“That’s really the mark of a good politician,” Vile said. “Part of it is knowing what your base wants and being able to make appeals to it.”

Blackburn has been discussed as a possible candidate for governor in 2010. As far as her future political career, Blackburn said she’s “focused on now” and her congressional duties.

Much of that focus has been on illegal immigration and stopping illegal immigrants from entering the U.S. She praises the bill the House of Representatives passed in December, part of which included making illegal immigrants felons, while criticizing the Senate bill that took a broader, more comprehensive approach that included providing a path to citizenship for undocumented workers.

Blackburn is opposed to giving illegal immigrants a path to citizenship, which is something that Sen. Bill Frist supports.

“I have long said, ‘Secure the border first,’” Blackburn said. “That needs to be the focus of where we are, and those individuals who use comprehensive as an excuse not to address the need for securing that border should be chastised. They should be called into accountability for that because they are using that to stall taking action on securing that border.”

Stephen Fotopulos, policy director for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, called the field hearings “dog and pony shows engineered to poison the recent debate” on comprehensive reform.

“It’s throwing guns and money at a failed strategy,” Fotopulos said of just looking to secure the border first. “Enforcement only is a failed strategy. You can’t continue to try to enforce a broken system.”

Blackburn’s border security policy would include a combination of “electronic surveillance,” “human surveillance” and “physical barriers” used in different locales along the border depending on where they can best secure the border.

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Blackburn Bashes Costly Laws

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164th Airlift breaks ground; base will double in jobs, C-5s

From: The Commercial Appeal
By Jane Roberts
May 31, 2006

A day after Memorial Day, a bevy of Tennessee Air National Guard officials, led by Commander-in-Chief Phil Bredesen, broke ground in the searing sun on a $215 million base at the airport that from the start has been a study in collaboration.

 "I say break ground advisedly," Bredesen said, laughing as he gestured at the moonscape behind him -- a 118-acre swath at Swinnea Road and Shelby Drive bulldozed and cleared for construction -- symbolizing a deal brokered more than five years among the National Guard, FedEx Corp. and the Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority.

"This base allows us to keep the 164th Airlift Wing here in Memphis, which is a huge asset for our state," Bredesen said. "And it is a huge asset worldwide for the mission of the Air Force."

 Leaders say the deal showcases the cooperation between government and private enterprise through an idea that started with Larry Cox, chairman and CEO of the airport authority.

In the final play, the Air National Guard is moving from its 103-acre location off Democrat Road. And FedEx, which paid $77 million -- what it would have cost the Air National Guard to refurbish the base for the C5 -- will absorb the Guard base, giving the company an unfettered two-mile stretch between Tchulahoma and Plough Boulevard.

The new base will give the Air National Guard 15 additional acres in the first U.S. base designed specifically for terrorism preparedness.

"If you think this stuff is easy, it's not," Charles Ickes, deputy director of the Air National Guard, told the crowd.

The two-star general flew from Washington to add his congratulations, along with U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn and a spokesman from U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr.'s office.

"We had two of these projects. This one will come to fruition because of the cooperation between the Guard, the airport and FedEx. The other will not," Ickes said.

Friday, crews will start building the three 10-story hangars that are the focal point of the base. Each will be large enough to hold one Galaxy C5, the largest plane in the Air Force fleet.

St. Louis-based Alberici Enterprises won the $80 million hangar job, the biggest project in the history of Memphis International Airport.

"I've already found an apartment Downtown," said Terry Pursley, project manager.

"I'm a huge Cardinals fan, so I plan to be watching the Memphis Redbirds whenever I can."

Today, the 164th Airlift Wing has four C5s in Memphis, ferrying troops, equipment, "anything that needs to be moved," said Staff Sgt. Kathy Fruits, one of more than 150 new employees who have funneled into town from bases across the country to fill openings in Memphis.

"This plane can do anything," she said.

By next spring, there will be eight C-5s based in Memphis, doubling the base's full-time employment to more than 440 workers.

"We're still looking for 41 people," said Lt. Col. Lamar Spencer. "Most of the jobs are in the aircraft maintenance division. It's a bigger, more complex airplane that requires more people."

Average salary is $50,000. Many of the recruits -- who must be National Guardsmen -- have come from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware or Travis Air Force Base in California.

For Fruits, 44, and Brian Wailes, 45, both career military people who moved here from California, Memphis offered an immediate raise in pay and standard of living.

"When my wife and I looked at our options and crunched the numbers, Memphis meant an unbelievable amount of money," said Wailes, who bought a home in Olive Branch.

In 2003, aircraft maintenance workers at the base got a 25 percent raise to compete with wages at FedEx. The increase, plus the extra staff to accommodate the C5, pushed the base's annual payroll to more than $45 million.

The raise, coupled with relative low prices for land in Memphis, meant Fruits can afford a 3.5-acre home, also in Olive Branch.

"There is no way I could have afforded that in California," she said. "No way in heck."

Because the construction schedule is tight, hundreds of workers will be crisscrossing the site for the next two years, simultaneously building parking aprons, a fueling center and administrative offices in order to turn the project over to the Air National Guard by Sept. 1, 2008.

When the schedule hits its peak next summer, some 120 construction workers -- predominantly local subcontractors -- will be working on the hangars alone.

The list of companies on it include APAC Tennessee, Morgan and Thornburg Inc., Tri-State Contractors, Dyson Construction and Design Geopiers.

In late May, Oklahoma-based Flintco won a $38 million contract to build the four-piece administrative office.

Base specs also include two above-ground storage tanks -- big enough to hold 6,500 barrels of fuel -- and an industrial enclave that will house base firefighters, ground maintenance and ground support -- essentially the physical structure to operate the base.

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Bush Immigration Proposals Face Uphill Battle in House

From: The Chosun Ilbo, South Korea

As the Senate continues work on immigration reform, President Bush's proposals to strengthen U.S. border security still face an uphill battle in the House of Representatives. Despite the president's call for Congress to send him an immigration bill he could sign, few lawmakers are ready to predict whether the House and Senate can come up with final legislation before November's mid-term congressional elections. 

In an off-camera briefing on Tuesday for reporters, House Republican Majority Leader John Boehner praised the president for helping to frame the immigration debate. He called Bush's proposals a big step in the right direction, but added serious disagreements remain over a guest worker program, which President Bush supports, and the general question of providing a path to citizenship. 

Any bill emerging from the Senate will have to be reconciled with a measure passed by the House last December. That legislation takes a much stronger enforcement approach than the bill being considered by the Senate, and would make illegal presence in the U.S. a felony rather than a civil offense. 

Boehner expresses confidence that Republican Congressman James Sensenbrenner, the primary backer of the tougher House bill, will be able to work with Senate negotiators to produce a responsible immigration bill.
 
But a statement by Tennessee Republican Marsha Blackburn underscores resistance among conservative House Republicans to changing legislation the House passed last December: "Let's say no to amnesty, or any type of amnesty, said Marsha Blackburn. "Let's continue to support construction of a border, whether it's a wall or surveillance. Let's secure our border." 

President Bush says tougher border measures would include deployment of up to 6,000 National Guard troops, but stresses this should not be considered a militarization of the border with Mexico.
These steps would combine with a guest worker program to give illegal immigrants a path to citizenship, but the president reiterated this should not be considered amnesty. 

Republican divisions, meanwhile, are being used by opposition Democrats to score political points. The number two Democratic leader in the House, Congressman Steny Hoyer, described Republicans as "deeply, viscerally and vigorously divided." Hispanic members of Congress used a Capitol Hill news conference to underscore their support for the Senate version of immigration reform. 

Luis Gutierrez is an Illinois Democrat and member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus: "The question we have before us [is] do we continue to welcome people who seek a better life, who are entrepreneurial and hard-working, and ready to roll up their sleeves, and earn each opportunity," said Luis Gutierrez. "Or do we roll up that welcome mat and retreat behind multi-billion dollar fences, mass deportations, militarized borders, and punitive penalties that would make felons of social work or religious leaders, nannies and even a bus-boy?"
While praising President Bush for asserting leadership on the immigration issue, Hispanic lawmakers said his Monday speech failed to offer enough specifics.

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Job skills training on post in danger

Grant dries up for program that helps soldiers' spouses

From: The Clarksville Leaf-Chronicle

By THOMYA HOGAN
The Leaf-Chronicle

Clarksville-based WorkForce Essentials confirmed Monday that a local job training program for military spouses is in danger of closing down.

The Fort Campbell Spouse Employment Program — which provides job search assistance, career counseling and job training assistance for military spouses — may not be continued after a grant that funds it runs out later this year.

The program, which serves 280 military spouses, is facing a budget shortfall, and $800,000 is needed to ensure those participants complete their training, said WorkForce Essentials President Marla Rye. The program is funded through a two-year grant from the U.S. Labor Department.

Participants have been told that the program's funding is in jeopardy but that officials were working hard to restore it, because "I think that's the least we can do for our military families," Rye said Monday. WorkForce Essentials has not yet been told officially the program will no longer be funded.

WorkForce Essentials, a nonprofit organization, stopped enrolling new spouses in the program in February because "we couldn't risk the exposure of continuing to enroll people," Rye said.

"We're hoping the federal government — the U.S. Department of Labor — will come through and fund this so we can continue the services for those currently enrolled and honor our obligations and commitments to our military families," she said.

Help on the way

Tennessee Sens. Bill Frist and Lamar Alexander and Rep. Marsha Blackburn, whose district includes Clarksville, recently wrote to Labor Secretary Elaine Chao asking for the extra $800,000 in grant money. The lawmakers said the program "has continuously exceeded performance goals and expectations."

In an interview Monday, Blackburn said, "I think it would be a tragic error on the part of the federal government and the state government to allow something of this nature to not go forward."

Rye has also requested $3.5 million in grants to allow new participants to enroll in the program. Labor Department spokesman David James declined to discuss the specific requests, but said the department had received the letter from lawmakers.

Tennessee is now considering kicking in $250,000 to help with the current shortfall if the additional federal funds don't become available, said Susan Cowden, administrator of employment and work force development for Tennessee.

How program works

The program is housed at the Fort Campbell Career Center, which opened in 1995. The center originally focused on helping soldiers transfer into civilian careers but later expanded to help military spouses. Since the center opened, more than 2,000 soldiers and spouses have used it.

The Fort Campbell Career Center was the first career center nationally to be located on a military installation.

Program manager John Watz said the goal of the Spouse Employment Program is to give people portable skills because military families move around frequently. He said program graduates have gone on to become computer technicians, accountants and X-ray technicians, among other things.

"We're taking those folks with low skills or no skills and giving them a new lease on life," he said.

If the grant is not renewed, local officials say spouses would still be eligible for services available at the Clarksville Career Center. Located at 350 Pageant Lane, the center offers such free services as access to employers, admittance into job fairs, use of the computer resource center, access to job openings, networking opportunities and job readiness workshops.

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Tennessee becomes battleground in immigration debate

From: The State.com

BY DAVE MONTGOMERY
Knight Ridder Newspapers