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Labrador looks back on first year as a
good start |
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January 2, 2011 |
By U.S. Congressman Raul Labrador
Last year, I campaigned on a promise to change
the way Washington works. I am proud to report
that in the first year, I’ve done just that.
Statesman reporter Dan Popkey noted in a July
article that Speaker Boehner considered me a
“leader of the freshman class” who was
instrumental in requiring the U.S. House of
Representatives to vote on a Balanced Budget
Amendment to the Constitution as a part of the
debt ceiling compromise. As a result, for the
first time in history, a debt ceiling increase
was granted only with actual spending cuts, and
ultimately, a vote on a Balanced Budget
Amendment in both the House and the Senate.
Additionally, the U.S. House of Representatives
took seriously their obligation to govern
responsibly. That’s why earlier this year, we
overwhelmingly passed a budget that tackled
entitlement reforms and took legitimate steps to
paying down our national debt and eliminating
budgetary deficits. Unfortunately, our
colleagues in the U.S. Senate have not passed a
budget in more than 970 days, or nearly three
calendar years.
Of course, the foremost concern facing most
Americans this year has been the widespread
joblessness that plagued our economy. When I
began my first term in Congress, 9.7 percent of
Idahoans were unemployed and thousands more were
underemployed, or simply stopped looking for
work. That’s why the U.S. House of
Representatives passed 28 bills that spur job
creation, 26 of which were bipartisan. Back in
Boise, I also conducted an eight-hour jobs forum
with more than 20 businesses from around Idaho
to learn how I can help our job creators start
hiring again.
There have been some significant legislative
achievements. In just my first year in Congress,
two bipartisan bills I co-sponsored have been
signed into law by President Obama:
• H.R. 4, which repealed a costly and burdensome
Internal Revenue Service reporting requirement
on businesses as part of the president’s health
care bill.
• H.R. 674, which repealed a hidden tax on
payments to certain government contractors.
Both bills attracted bipartisan support and
improved the economic climate for hundreds of
Idaho businesses. I am proud to have
co-sponsored them and commend the president for
signing them into law.
On Capitol Hill, I have fought for Idaho, and
your concerns remain my paramount focus each and
every day. In response to Idaho’s overwhelming
opposition to President Obama’s health care
overhaul, the first bill I ever co-sponsored in
Congress was a repeal of this disastrous
legislation. I have also voted to reduce the
regulatory and tax burdens on America’s job
creators, as well as to make energy more
accessible and affordable.
My staff and I remain committed to our
constituents, working tirelessly each and every
day for the people of Idaho. In my first year in
Congress, my district offices have returned more
than $2.5 million to citizens of the First
Congressional District in the form of military
benefits, Social Security payments and so much
more. But what cannot be quantified are the
thousands of lives forever changed by the work
of our staff. We’ve kept families in their
homes, obtained life-saving medical treatments
for seniors and arranged for the awarding of
medals for our veterans.
It has been a very busy legislative year. I have
participated in 158 congressional committee
hearings and cast more than 800 votes. Although
Boise is nearly 2,400 miles away from our office
on Capitol Hill, we make it a top priority to
keep constituents updated on these votes and the
issues that matter to them. We have maintained
frequent and open channels of communication with
the public, promptly responding to more than
72,000 letters in less than a year.
Most importantly, my focus has always been and
will always remain on Idaho. That’s why I
returned to the district continuously to meet
with constituents. I have hosted nine town hall
meetings in the district and have met with
hundreds of constituents one-on-one in both our
local offices and on Capitol Hill. I’ve also
held three telephone town halls with more than
16,000 constituents from across the district. My
aim is to maintain the best constituent services
in the United States, and I think that’s a goal
we’ve achieved.
But there is so much left to do. Our great
nation faces many challenges — challenges that
are urgent and that are real. Still, I remain
encouraged by the support of patriotic Idahoans
who have bestowed upon me the honor of
representing them in Congress. Together, we have
and will continue to change the way Washington
works.
We’ve only just begun. |
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