News

Press Releases

Smith’s Statement on President’s State of the Union Address

January 27, 2010

Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09) made the following statement regarding the President’s State of the Union Address:
 
“As the President outlined tonight, our nation faces a number of difficult challenges. We currently have a growing national deficit, rising unemployment, two wars abroad - which are also dramatically increasing the number of veterans we must support here at home - and a health care system that does not work for tens of millions of Americans.
 
“Additionally, due to nearly a decade of excessive federal spending and irresponsible behavior on Wall Street, at end of 2008 and into early 2009, our economy plummeted into a deep recession, which has exacerbated many of the problems we face. While the President and Congress have done much to address these problems over the past year, we must do more – much more. Congress and the President must now press ahead with more urgency than ever before to move our country back toward prosperity and stability.
 
“I will work tirelessly with the President and my colleagues in Congress – from both sides of the aisle - to ensure we are addressing these problems and working to create jobs, rebuild our economy, get the deficit under control and provide for our men and women in uniform as well as our veterans.”
 
###

Smith Named Air and Land Forces Subcommittee Chairman

January 21, 2010

Today, Congressman Adam Smith made the following statement after being named the new Chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces:

“I am honored to have the opportunity to serve as the new chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s Air and Land Forces Subcommittee (ALF). This is a vitally important subcommittee, with jurisdiction over all Army and nearly all Air Force acquisition programs, many of which face immense challenges. I look forward to working with my colleagues to address the important challenges that lie ahead.

Striking the appropriate balance between the immediate and future needs of our Army and Air Force is one of the most pressing questions this committee will face. In my new role, I will continue to work to ensure that our men and women in uniform not only have the equipment and support they need today, but well into the future.

While I will be taking on a new role on the Committee, I am and will remain interested and engaged in my work on the Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee (TUTC). I find my work on TUTC to be incredibly rewarding and extremely important to our national security. However, the opportunity to serve as Chairman of ALF offers a different perspective on these issues and represents new opportunities to work on other issues paramount to our national security.

Again, I appreciate the support of my fellow committee members and look forward to working with Chairman Skelton, my colleagues on ALF, TUTC and the entire House Armed Services Committee to address all the national security challenges we face.”

 
                                                                                                                                              ###

Statement on Appointment of White House Cybersecurity Coordinator

December 22, 2009

Today, Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09) made the following statement in regard to the President’s appointment of Howard Schmidt as White House Cybersecurity Coordinator:

“The President’s appointment of Howard Schmidt as Cybersecurity Coordinator is wise and much needed. Cybersecurity is a vitally important aspect of our national and economic security and we need a coordinated federal policy to thwart threats that originate or operate in cyberspace. Howard Schmidt is an excellent choice to help lead this effort.

“I applaud the President for this appointment and will continue to work though my role as Chairmen of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities to support Mr. Schmidt in his efforts to develop and coordinate our national cybersecurity policy.”
###

Statement on Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act

December 11, 2009

Today, Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09) released the following statement in regard to his vote in favor of the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act:  

“In order to protect hard working Americans and our overall economy, we must ensure that the financial firms that engaged in the risky and unsafe practices that led to last year’s financial crisis are not permitted to return to business as usual. Today we have taken a significant step toward achieving this goal.

“The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act lays out a comprehensive set of reforms that will modernize America’s financial regulations and hold financial firms accountable. For example, this legislation puts in place tough new rules that will prevent financial institutions from becoming “too big to fail,” and stops risky and irresponsible behavior before it threatens to bring down the entire economy.  It will also place new regulations on derivatives and other complex financial instruments that can inflict serious damage to our overall economy.

“This legislation also creates a new agency to protect consumers and ensure they are not being targeted or taken advantage of by risky or unfair financial products and lending practices. For far too long, Americans have not been adequately protected against predatory lending abuses and industry gimmicks.  Additionally, there has been little authority to ensure products across various financial sectors won’t drive our economic system into a crisis.  Today, by passing these commonsense regulation reforms, this has come to an end.”
###

 

Smith’s Statement on President’s Speech on Afghanistan

December 1, 2009

Congressman Adam Smith (WA-09), who recently returned from a trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan, released the following statement in response to the President’s speech on Afghanistan:

“It is clear that we face an enormous and difficult challenge in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Taliban, al-Qaeda, and other extremist groups in the region have a complex set of relationships spanning across the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, and these ideologies pose a grave threat to the United States and our allies. If the Taliban were to regain control of substantial portions of Afghanistan, or recapture the government they would provide al-Qaeda a safe haven from which to operate, and we can not allow this to happen.

“At the same time we face the limitation of what an outside force can accomplish in a nation like Afghanistan, the deficiencies of our current partners in the Afghan Government, and the cost in lives and dollars of our presence in Afghanistan. Ultimately, I believe that we need a strategy to contain the threat in this region. A strategy that recognizes we cannot completely eliminate the Taliban or completely rebuild Afghanistan, but one that focuses on building the capabilities of Afghanistan’s security forces and improves the effectiveness of the Afghan Government. By focusing on these key elements, we can not only contain the threat posed by the Taliban and al-Qaeda but also reduce and eventually eliminate our presence in Afghanistan.  

“I believe the President outlined such a plan tonight. It will not be easy, and I will continue to closely monitor the progress of this effort, but I believe the President made a strong case tonight that is worthy of our support.”
« First < Prev Next > Last »