Press Releases

U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (WA-09) today issued the following statement on H.R. 5825, a bill that would egregiously expand executive surveillance power, which passed the House of Representatives tonight:

"We face a real threat from violent Islamic extremists. To fight them effectively, we must not only hunt them aggressively at home and abroad, but also preserve our ability to motivate other countries to fight with us. At the same time, we must stand firm in the defense of our nation's ideals.

U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (WA-09) today issued the following statement on the Republican-backed "compromise" military commissions act, H.R. 6616:

"I oppose the legislation creating military commissions because it would sacrifice our moral leadership in the world, delay our fight to prosecute and punish terrorists, and risk our troops.

U.S. Rep. Adam Smith today announced more than $10 million in funds for projects in Washington's Puget Sound region. The funds were included in H.R. 5631, the Defense Department appropriations conference report for fiscal year 2007.

"I am pleased to have been able to work with my colleagues to secure these key funds for Puget Sound area defense projects," Smith said. "These projects will, among other things, fight cancer, improve aircraft safety, and fight drug trafficking."

Smith announced funding for the following projects in H.R. 5631:

U.S. Rep. Adam Smith applauded the passage of H.R. 5835, a bill to create a high-level position in the Veterans Affairs (VA) Department to protect veterans data. The bill was drafted in response to the May theft of a VA laptop that held personally identifiable data on more than 26 million veterans. Smith cosponsored the legislation, which passed the House of Representatives today by voice vote.

U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (WA-09) today joined his colleagues to pass legislation addressing the massive humanitarian crisis in Sudan:

U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (WA-09) issued the following statement on H.R. 4484, the Republican Voter ID bill, which the House of Representatives will vote on today:

"Congress should remove barriers between citizens and the polls, not erect new ones," Smith said. "This legislation will needlessly prevent many married women, minorities, Katrina victims, low-income people, rural residents and elderly citizens from voting. These people are less likely to have the kind of identification this bill would require and would therefore be prevented from casting a ballot.

Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09) today voted in favor of House Concurrent Resolution 622, which recognizes and honors the service of Filipino World War II veterans for their defense of democratic ideals and their contributions to the Allied victory in the Pacific. Smith is a co-sponsor of the resolution. The measure passed in the House of Representatives tonight by a vote of 402 - 0.

Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09) today voted in favor of House Concurrent Resolution 210, which expresses Congress's support for eliminating suffering and death due to cancer by 2015. Smith is a co-sponsor of the resolution. The legislation passed in the House of Representatives tonight by a vote of 403 - 0.

"As a member of the House Cancer Caucus, I was glad to see my colleagues support the goal of ending suffering and death due to cancer by 2015," Smith said. "I will keep working with my colleagues in Congress to help provide the needed funds and make that goal a reality."