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Army Corps of Engineers Briefs Delegation in Response to Feb. 4th Letter

March 2, 2010

Today, in response to a letter sent on February 4th, Senators Murray and Cantwell and U.S. Representatives Smith, Reichert and Inslee met with Army Corps officials to receive a briefing on the path forward on a permanent fix to the Howard Hanson Dam. Attending the meeting on behalf of the Corps were General Grisoli, Army Corps Civil Works Commander, Brigadier General McMahon, Northwest Division Commander and Colonel Wright, Seattle District Commander.

After the meeting, the delegation released the following joint statement:

“This evening’s meeting provided an opportunity for our delegation to meet with officials at all levels of the Army Corps to reiterate the importance of this issue and discuss a path forward for a permanent fix for the Howard Hanson Dam.

“We were pleased to hear that the Army Corps has an estimated timeline, including tentative plans for future budgeting and completion of phases, as well as how federal resources would be most effectively utilized.

“In addition, following the meeting, the Army Corps confirmed it would be releasing a more comprehensive and complete issue sheet to local stake holders. It is important that our local partners and officials have the most up to date information moving forward.  

“Over the last year, we have been in constant contact with the Army Corps and other key partners to ensure they have the resources and support necessary to permanently fix the weaknesses with the Howard Hanson Dam. We are committed to restoring the dam’s full operating capacity for the protection of the Green River Valley and will continue to work with the Army Corps to ensure we provide them with what they need to get the job done.”
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Smith’s Statement on Intelligence Authorization Act

February 26, 2010

Today, Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09) released the following statement regarding House passage of H.R. 2701, the FY2010 Intelligence Authorization Act:

“I am pleased to see that H.R. 2701, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 passed the House of Representatives today. This bill clarifies our policies, provides vital funding and authorities for our intelligence community in the field and strengthens Congress’ ability to conduct oversight.  

“This bill fully supports our intelligence community. It provides the resources and tools necessary for our intelligence professionals to address emerging threats around the globe and provides more than ample resources to address our current conflicts.  It also installs additional safeguards and mechanisms that enhance Congress’ ability to carry out its oversight responsibilities.

“This legislation makes important investments to maintain current satellite manufacturing capabilities and encourages the intelligence community to continue to work with the commercial imagery industry to improve them. It also encourages the Administration to review ways to improve the ability of the U.S. aerospace industry to be more internationally competitive. Intelligence support is essential to effectively administer the regulation of our exports and this legislation clarifies that the Director of National Intelligence has a role in supporting a review of our controls.    

"We must do more to reform our export control regime, which currently jeopardizes our national security by making it difficult for U.S. companies to compete internationally. Restricting U.S. companies from competing internationally threatens to erode our country’s position as a leader in military and dual-use goods and technologies. That in turn hurts the viability of American industry and will make us reliant upon international companies for these vital technologies within our defense apparatus and that undermines our national security.
 
"To be clear, we must not pull back all restrictions on military and dual-use exports. What we must do is strike a balance between more stringently protecting important information that would otherwise expose our national security and allowing U.S. companies to compete with goods and technologies already readily available and traded on the global market. Right now our current regulatory regime is not only hindering U.S. companies, but it is also creating the real possibility that we may soon have to rely on foreign companies for our defense needs – and that undermines our national security. This is an issue that must be addressed.

“Further, this bill makes significant investments to enhance our cybersecurity capabilities – the intelligence community needs the ability to stop threats that arise in cyber space and respond quickly and with the best technologies.”
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Smith Testifies to Support Military Families

February 25, 2010

Today, Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09) testified before the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity regarding a bill he introduced last July, the Military Family Leave Act of 2009. The bill provides military families with the ability to spend time with their deployed or deploying loved ones or take time off of work to address personal or family issues that may arise in connection with a deployment.  Specifically, the legislation would provide two weeks of unpaid leave to the spouse, children, or parents of a member of the military who receives notification of deployment or is currently deployed.

To see Congressman Smith testify before the Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity click here.

More about the Military Family Leave Act

While the Fiscal Year 2008 National Defense Authorization Act added a provision to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) allowing military families to take time off for a number of reasons connected with a deployment, not all employees are eligible under current law. The Military Family Leave Act of 2009 seeks to ensure that all military families have the ability to take at least two-weeks of unpaid leave in response to an upcoming or current deployment of a loved one.

Statement on Air Force Tanker RFP

February 24, 2010

Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09) released the following statement after being briefed this morning on the Air Force’s Request for Proposals (RFP) for the aerial refueling tanker:

“I am pleased to see that the Department of Defense and the Air Force are moving forward with Request for Proposals (RFP) for the aerial refueling tanker.  It is critical that we replace our current aging fleet and provide the warfighters with a new tanker that will meet their current and future mission requirements.

“After several delays, the new RFP seems to have addressed a number of concerns raised in the last round of bidding, and will factor in the operation costs of the aircraft over its service life. Though the changes are minor between the draft and the final RFP released this afternoon, the RFP seems to more clearly lay out the overall criteria being used in the selection process and will help clarify the bidding process.

“As the Air Force moves towards the goal of awarding a contract in September, I will continue to follow the process closely to ensure the competition is fair, open, and transparent so that all proposals are evaluated on equal merit. Any contract awarded must provide the best product to support our men and women in uniform in the most cost effective way possible.

“Again, I am happy to see that the Air Force is now moving forward with providing our men and women in uniform with this vitally important piece of equipment. I hope that the new RFP will lead to an equitable and open tanker competition and ensure the mistakes of the past are not repeated.”

 

Smith Reaffirms Commitment to Restoring Fiscal Discipline

February 4, 2010

Today, Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09) reaffirmed his commitment to restoring fiscal discipline and reducing our nation’s deficit by voting for pay-as-you-go legislation. The legislation ensures that all new spending is paid for and does not add to the deficit.

“I supported pay-as-you-go legislation in the 1990s and I strongly support it now,” said Congressman Adam Smith. “In order to restore our economy and ensure long term, sustainable economic viability we must reign in government spending and reduce the federal deficit. PAYGO helped to take us from deficits to surpluses in the 1990s, and it will do so again”

The PAYGO bill passed today is a critical part of Congressional efforts to restore fiscal discipline. It is based upon the bipartisan PAYGO law that was in place in the 1990s and helped turn massive deficits into record surpluses. The 1990s PAYGO law was allowed to expire in 2002, which contributed to the dramatic turnaround from a surplus of $236 billion in 2000 to average deficits of more than $443 billion annually for the past 8 years.

PAYGO laws will once again help protect against reckless, debt-financed tax cuts and spending increases, while ensuring that we prioritize investments in critical areas like job creation, education and health care that will strengthen our economy.  
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