Press Releases

Members Continue to Push Administration to Take Immediate Action to Address Foreclosure Crisis
Washington, DC, Jan 19 - Representatives Mike Thompson (CA-1), Zoe Lofgren (CA-16) and Anna Eshoo (CA-14) led a group of 27 California Members of Congress in calling on President Obama to take immediate action to address the nation’s foreclosure crisis. The Members have requested a meeting with the President to discuss policies that would reduce foreclosures and provide relief to homeowners.

“Our economy will continue to suffer and consumer confidence will never return if we do not help hard working families navigate through this housing nightmare,” said Thompson. “Nothing the Administration has tried is working and Californians are the ones suffering, living paycheck to paycheck and struggling to keep roofs over their heads. That is why we are calling on the President to meet with us so we can work together and fix this housing mess.”

“For over a year-and-a-half, we’ve corresponded with the President and met with Secretaries Donovan and Geithner and FHFA Acting Director DeMarco, urging swift and immediate action to help our constituents. There still seems to be no bold or effective action taken by the Administration.  We have asked to meet with the President as soon as possible to discuss ways to advance meaningful relief and effective solutions for the housing market,” said Lofgren.

"The California Democratic Congressional Delegation has spent the last year meeting with one Administration official after another to present our legislative ideas, and the actions the Executive Branch can take to mitigate the foreclosure crisis", said Eshoo. "The time has come for the delegation to speak directly to the President on behalf of our constituents whose lives have been upended, and present to him our bold and workable proposals to address this crisis."

In California, more than 34% of homeowners with mortgages are considered “underwater” because they owe more on their homes than their homes are worth.

In a letter to President Obama, Thompson, Lofgren, Eshoo and other California Members of Congress wrote, “We have also offered several specific recommendations to reduce preventable foreclosures and provide relief to aggrieved homeowners, including a principal paydown plan to reduce negative home equity which is necessary as the remedy for the housing woes in America. Despite our efforts, we have concluded that efforts by both the government and the private sector have not addressed our nation’s foreclosure crisis with sufficient urgency.  We therefore request a meeting with you at the earliest opportunity to discuss additional actions your Administration can take to tackle the foreclosure crisis that is hurting so many of our constituents and slowing our economic recovery.”

The full text of the letter is below.

Dear President Obama:

As Members of Congress from California, a center of the nation’s foreclosure catastrophe, we’ve written to you and your Administration regularly for a year-and-a-half, requesting more aggressive action to prevent foreclosures and resuscitate the ailing housing market.

We have repeatedly met with Secretaries Donovan and Geithner during this time and have presented numerous constituent cases to them demonstrating the questionable, possibly fraudulent, and irresponsible practices of the mortgage servicing industry.  We have also offered several specific recommendations to reduce preventable foreclosures and provide relief to aggrieved homeowners, including a principal paydown plan to reduce negative home equity which is necessary as the remedy for the housing woes in America. Despite our efforts, we have concluded that efforts by both the government and the private sector have not addressed our nation’s foreclosure crisis with sufficient urgency.  We therefore request a meeting with you at the earliest opportunity to discuss additional actions your Administration can take to tackle the foreclosure crisis that is hurting so many of our constituents and slowing our economic recovery.

As of the end of the third quarter in 2011, 10.7 million homeowners nationwide owed more on their mortgages than their homes are worth.  In California alone, more than 34% of homeowners with mortgages faced negative equity or were very close to being underwater. These homeowners confront the highest risk of foreclosure, and could most benefit from meaningful mortgage principal reductions.

Though the Administration has adopted the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) as its signature housing initiative, the overwhelming feedback from our constituents is that HAMP has not helped them.  We believe additional and more effective approaches are necessary.  One idea we proposed in previous correspondence to you is a temporary reduction in the interest rates of certain homeowners who file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, so that the entirety of their monthly payments would be dedicated to paying down their principal balances for five years.  We discussed this proposal with Secretaries Donovan and Geithner, and also with Ed DeMarco, the Acting Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, all of whom expressed an interest in the idea.  However, we have yet to receive a decision from your Administration.  Why not?

Our constituents and the health of our economy are dependent on swift and immediate action on ideas like this to prevent more foreclosures.  We, as Members of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation, look forward to meeting with you so we can discuss ways to advance meaningful and effective solutions to address a foreclosure crisis that is ravaging communities and hurting families.  We stand ready to work with you to help the people we serve.


Sincerely,

Washington, DC, Jan 18 - Congressman Mike Thompson (CA-1) today released the following statement in opposition to the Stop Online Piracy (SOPA) Act, H.R. 3261, and in support of the bipartisan Online Protection & Enforcement of Digital Trade (OPEN) Act, H.R. 3782. Thompson is an original co-sponsor of the OPEN Act, which was introduced today.

“Today, thousands of Internet sites such as Wikipedia and WorldPress have gone dark, giving us a glimpse of what it could be like if the overly broad SOPA legislation became law. SOPA would stifle innovation, resulting in fewer new businesses, fewer new investments and fewer new jobs. From 2004-2009, 15 percent of our country’s GDP growth came from the Internet industry.

“Under the rules SOPA would impose, our innovation driven economy would take an enormous blow. Startups wouldn't be able to handle the costs that come with defending their sites against a barrage of alleged violations. Domestic companies could be held liable for unknowingly linking to rogue website content. And people won’t invest in Internet startups for fear their money will be tied up in litigation, not innovation. The next Facebook or Google could never get off the ground.

“While online piracy is something we must continually fight, SOPA is the wrong way to do it. That is why I am working with global leaders like Google and Twitter, to instead enact the OPEN Act, which still combats piracy but does so in a way that doesn’t let broad government oversight stifle the innovation and creativity that has been a driving force behind the Internet industry’s economic success.”

The Open Act, H.R. 3782, would enable holders of intellectual property to petition the International Trade Commissions (ITC) to launch an investigation into whether a foreign website’s only purpose is to engage in infringement of U.S. copyrights and trademarks. While complex and difficult issues would take time to resolve, investigations into simple and obvious cases, like the worst foreign rogue websites, could be handled in a matter of days. In either case, the process would create a transparent system in which all parties would have a chance to be heard.

If the ITC investigation finds that a foreign registered website is primarily and willfully infringing on the intellectual property rights of a U.S. rights holder, the commission would issue a cease and desist order that would compel payment processors, like Visa and PayPal, and online advertising providers to cease doing business with the foreign site in question. This would cut off financial incentives for this illegal activity and deter these imports from reaching the U.S. market.

The OPEN Act takes a much narrower and more targeted approach to combating online infringement than other proposed legislation such as SOPA by only targeting sites “primarily and willfully” engaging in infringement. By employing a clear and targeted definition of infringement, the OPEN Act will ensure that only legitimate cases are pursued. Other pieces of legislation such as SOPA employ broader standards that would require many website operators to employ lawyers to argue that it is not engaging in intellectual property infringement. Such broad definitions could be used to discourage innovation and quash free speech.

While SOPA would employ a one-sided process in which judges would only hear from rights holders, by putting the ITC in charge of intellectual property investigations, the OPEN Act would ensure a fair and transparent process in which all parties have an opportunity to be heard.

Unlike SOPA, the OPEN Act does not go after sites or search engines that simply link to websites that host infringing content. Rather the OPEN Act would combat online infringement by cutting off a foreign site’s ability to profit from the sale of fake merchandise or content they don’t own.

The OPEN Act is supported by a bipartisan group of 22 House Members and 3 Senators, as well as AOL, eBay, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Mozilla, twitter, Yahoo!, Zynga, the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA) and netcoalition.com.

Urge President Appoint Director of Federal Housing Finance Agency

January 10th, 2012

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representatives Mike Thompson (CA-1), Zoe Lofgren (CA-16) and Anna Eshoo (CA-14) led a group of 25 California Members of Congress in calling on President Barack Obama to address the housing crisis and appoint a Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). The FHFA, which oversees mortgage backers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, has been without a permanent director for two and a half years.

“For far too long, partisan politics in the Senate have prevented the FHFA from having a permanent Director who can effectively address our nation’s housing crisis,” said Thompson. “Families are living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to keep roofs over their heads. Doing nothing is not an option. We need an FHFA Director who is willing to help Americans get out of this housing nightmare.” 

Representative Lofgren said, “Republicans in the Senate have been playing games with the American people by blocking the Federal Housing Financial Authority from having a proper leader.  These are difficult times and we need to be doing everything we can to prevent foreclosures and keep families in their homes. I urge President Obama to take immediate action and appoint a permanent director."

"Our national economy cannot fully rebound unless and until housing is addressed. The current situation of foreclosures is unacceptable,” said Eshoo.  "That's why President Obama should appoint a permanent Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency immediately."

In California, more than 2 million homeowners are considered “underwater” because they owe more on their homes than their homes are worth, which equals 30 percent of all California homes with mortgages.

In a letter to President Obama, Thompson, Lofgren, Eshoo and other California Members of Congress wrote, “The FHFA regulates and oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which together hold 70 percent of mortgages in the US.  The current economic crisis began in the housing market and our economic recovery is dependent on the important work pending before the FHFA.  It is time to move forward and put in place a permanent FHFA Director.”

The full text of the letter is below.

The President

The White House

Washington, DC  20500

Dear President Obama:

We urge you to act on behalf of the American people and immediately make an appointment for the Director of the Federal Housing Financial Agency (FHFA).  For two and a half years, Senate Republicans have been blocking the appointment of this position, causing there to be no permanent Director.  The FHFA regulates and oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which together hold 70% of mortgages in the US.  The current economic crisis began in the housing market and our economic recovery is dependent on the important work pending before the FHFA.  It is time to move forward and put in place a permanent FHFA Director.

According to RealtyTrac, 224,394 U.S. properties had foreclosure filings in November, 2011.  This means that 1 in every 579 housing units received a foreclosure filing nationwide.  In California, 1 in every 211 housing units received a foreclosure filing.  And there are fears that a new set of foreclosure waves may come in the next few months.  According to RealtyTrac cofounder, James Saccacio, “November’s numbers suggest a new set of incoming foreclosure waves, many of which may roll into the market as REOs or short sales sometime early next year…some bellwether states such as California, Arizona and Massachusetts actually posted year-over-year increases in foreclosure activity in November.” 

It is clear that we must take immediate steps to prevent more foreclosures.  As part of the FHFA’s ability to promote policies that will prevent foreclosures, they have the authority to establish rules over residential mortgages that Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and other government enterprises are able to underwrite.  FHFA has consistently and erroneously interpreted its mandate far too narrowly and as such has failed to take adequate action to help homeowners and has brought an end to successful, local initiatives—such as the PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) program.  The PACE program allows property owners to finance energy efficiency measures and renewable energy projects for their homes and commercial buildings, thereby reducing their energy costs and making them better able to make mortgage payments.  It has been successful in many of our districts, however, in July of 2009 FHFA issued a decision that essentially put an end to PACE programs across this country.

As the fiduciary of government-backed entities, there are steps that the FHFA can take to help prevent future foreclosures while also protecting taxpayers.  Installing a permanent Director of the FHFA will allow the FHFA to move forward to make key decisions that will help keep families in their homes and improve our economy.  We appreciate your recent appointment of Richard Cordray as the new Director of the United States Consumer Financial Protection Bureau over similar Republican opposition and we urge that you take the same action to put in place a permanent Director to the FHFA.

Sincerely,

Washington, Jan 3 - Congressman Mike Thompson’s (D-CA) provisions to H.R. 1892, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 were signed into law today by President Barack Obama. The legislation included two bipartisan provisions authored by Thompson, a senior member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

The first provision requires the Intelligence Community to compile a threat assessment of foreign drug traffickers that are increasingly turning to public lands in the United States to further their operations.  This assessment will examine the ability of law enforcement and the intelligence community to gather, process, and share critical intelligence information regarding the presence of foreign drug traffickers on federal public lands.

“Foreign drug traffickers and their illegal grow sites are threatening lives and destroying our public lands,” said Thompson. “Our law enforcement and intelligence community’s response to this threat must be coordinated and unified in order to take our public lands back from these illegal activities, and that’s what my provision in this bill requires.”

“Having required threat assessments helps to identify resource allocations to enhanced law enforcement’s ability to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking organizations’ lucrative businesses in narcotics production and distribution,” said Tommy Lanier, Director of the National Marijuana Initiative. “For many years, drug trafficking organizations have invaded our national icons for the purpose of producing marijuana which poses a threat to the public and employees.  Threat assessments will help to support public lands agencies in developing strategies to disrupt and dismantle these drug trafficking organizations thus supporting the mission in combating illegal drug production, distribution and demand.”

Should this threat assessment identify any gaps or inefficiencies in the sharing of this information, this provision will require that these issues be corrected.  Importantly, this provision does not authorize the use of any of the intelligence community’s resources or assets to spy on U.S. citizens. 

The second provision to H.R. 1892 authored by Thompson requires the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to provide Congress with a full and classified report on the events surrounding the May 2011 Osama bin Laden raid. The report will include a description of the events leading up to the discovery of the location of Osama bin Laden, the planning and execution of the raid, and the results of the intelligence gained from the raid for the purposes of establishing a permanent account of this historic operation.  A final copy of this report, including intelligence information and assessments used to generate this report will then be housed at the Center for the Study of Intelligence, based at the CIA. Thompson authored this provision with the help of Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (CA-14).

“It is necessary that we know and never forget what actually happened in the bin Laden raid,” said Thompson.  “We must recognize the amazing contributions of our intelligence community to this historic success, and that is why we need to document and preserve all that went into this operation, so that in the future, our history books will be accurate and complete.”

H.R. 1892 was agreed to by unanimous consent by the United States Senate on December 14, 2011, and was later passed by a vote of 396-23 by the United States House of Representatives on December 16, 2011.

Washington, Dec 21, 2011 - Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-18) yesterday introduced H.R. 3761, The Support and Defend Our Military Personnel and their Families Act. The bi-partisan legislation cosponsored by 11 other members of Congress allows active duty soldiers and veterans who serve honorably to expedite the citizenship of their family members.

“This legislation will help fix our broken immigration system that unnecessarily burdens active-duty service members and veterans who honorably serve our nation, and their families,” said Thompson. “The brave men and women who serve in our armed forces are willing to fight and die for our nation – the last thing they should have to worry about is their family’s immigration status while they are on the battlefield.” 

“I am proud to cosponsor this piece of legislation.  This bill will help veterans, who have served honorably, attain U.S. citizenship,” said Ros-Lehtinen. “It will also help reunite active-duty servicemen and women with their families.  Our veterans and active-duty personnel are selfless patriots who have put their lives on the line so that we can enjoy the freedoms this country has to offer.  This bill honors our brave men and women while helping promote family unity.”

The Congressional Research Service reports that more than 45,000 non-citizens are serving in the United States Armed Forces (Air Force, Army, Marines, Navy, National Guard, Reserves). In addition, many U.S. citizens serving in the military have close non-citizen family members. Such individuals represent a significant portion of U.S. Armed Forces, and they often face daunting and complex immigration law and procedure.

The Support and Defend Our Military Personnel and their Families Act addresses these immigration concerns of America’s military personnel, our veterans, and their family members back home by:
•    Helping Veterans Who Have Served Honorably Become U.S. Citizens: The legislation allows soldiers who serve honorably during times of war to become U.S. citizens expeditiously.
•    Reuniting Lawful Permanent Residents Serving in Active-Duty with Family Members: The bill exempts immigrant petitions filed for the spouses and children of military personnel from numerical caps that limit the number of immigration petitions that can be granted each year.
•    Preserving Family Unity of Military Personnel: The bill permits immediate family members of military personnel to apply for lawful immigration status, subject to all necessary criminal and security background checks; and codifies existing guidelines for placing active-duty soldiers or veterans into removal proceedings.

H.R. 3761 has since been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary and the House Committee on Armed Services where it awaits further action.

Washington, Dec 19, 2011 - California Members of Congress who have led the effort to make the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) a more transparent and accountable process reacted today to the statement by Governor Brown and U.S. Interior Secretary Salazar.

U.S. Representatives Mike Thompson (D-CA), George Miller (D-CA), Doris Matsui (D-CA), Jerry McNerney (D-CA) and John Garamendi (D-CA) wrote to Salazar in October, calling for the rescission of a signed MOA that was developed behind closed doors. In response, the process was opened up to brief public comment. The lawmakers submitted several public comments, as did hundreds of other individuals and local, state, and national organizations.

The lawmakers released the following statements after today’s announcement:

“Today’s announced agreement by Governor Brown and Secretary Salazar is nothing more than lipstick on a pig,” said Thompson. “This backroom deal creates a flawed process for moving forward that is not based on science and puts the interests of South-of-Delta water contractors before our farmers and fisherman.  If this moves forward, families and small businesses that depend on the Delta would have their livelihood stripped away and the Delta’s diverse wildlife would be destroyed. We need a BDCP plan that is transparent and based on sound science so that our Delta communities, businesses, wildlife and environment are not harmed.”

“While the Secretary and the Governor are right that the Bay Delta Conservation Plan must be more open and transparent than it has been to date, they still haven’t addressed the plan’s fatal flaw: at the end of the day, this planning process is tainted as long as it’s beholden to the special interests who are funding it,” said Miller. “Sanding off some of the rough edges won’t cut it. That’s a real problem for California, and for the hundreds of people and organizations who wrote in to request further changes – including water and wastewater utilities, local officials, hundreds of conservation organizations, commercial and recreational fishermen, the League of Women Voters, and other stakeholders across California. A new plan for the Bay-Delta won’t work if the water exporters in the Central Valley and Southern California maintain their undue influence over what must be a public process. Today’s announcement is just one small step in what must be a serious effort to improve the BDCP. It’s going to take real leadership from the federal and state governments to truly re-balance this process.”

“Unfortunately, the revisions made to the MOA do not address the potential detrimental consequences of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan to Northern California,” said Matsui. “Northern California, and the Sacramento region in particular, continue to be left out of the real decision making process. I am particularly concerned about impacts of the BDCP to the Sacramento region’s flood protection. Without a study of the impacts of the proposed changes in the Yolo Bypass there is no way to determine how our flood system will change. Additionally, the plan calls for five water intakes to be constructed in Sacramento County, but no study has been done of these intakes that will forever change our landscape and river flow. Further, the indirect impact of guaranteeing water for South of Delta exporters, the beneficiaries of the BDCP, could have a tremendous impact on Northern Californians who do not stand to benefit from the BDCP. I am not satisfied that the BDCP has been properly vetted, or that its consequences for Sacramento and the entire Northern California region thoroughly examined.”

“I am disappointed and upset that the Department of the Interior has decided to move forward with this Memorandum of Agreement,” said McNerney. “Despite a few changes, the MOA remains deeply flawed and is an affront to the people of the Delta communities. From its inception, the Bay Delta Plan has been crafted by, and for, water exporters from Southern California.  They have used their economic power to influence the state and federal governments, and the Delta communities will suffer as a result. Make no mistake, the Delta communities and I will never accept a Bay Delta Plan that includes a peripheral canal that was conceived without our input.  I will continue to stand with the families, farmers, and small business owners of the San Joaquin Delta whose livelihoods would be destroyed by a peripheral canal.”

“The Bay Delta Conservation Plan process remains deeply flawed, and the voices of Northern California communities, farmers, fishermen, and recreation enthusiasts are being shut out from the conversation,” Garamendi said. “I will continue to raise concerns about this process so long as it continues to be controlled by well-connected water receivers who are more interested in draining the Sacramento River and Delta and less interested in smart, comprehensive water policies.”

Washington, Dec 16, 2011 - Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA) and Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) today lead a bi-partisan group of 19 members of Congress in sending a letter to the House leadership calling on them to extend Medicare health benefits to rural communities. The benefits include assistance for rural facilities and health providers to recruit and retain skilled practitioners, provide quality outpatient care and mental health services and respond to emergency health events.

“Every person deserves access to high quality health care regardless of if they live in a big city, small town, or rural community,” said Thompson. “Congress must act to extend these benefits, like it has done many times before, to help ensure that the people living in rural areas can continue to receive the same level of health care services.”

“Access to quality health care is a rapidly-growing challenge in Eastern Washington’s rural communities,” said McMorris Rodgers. “To deal with that challenge, Congress has on previous occasions wisely enacted a number of programs to help rural health facilities and those they serve.  It’s critical that those programs be protected to ensure the health and well-being of the 1 in 4 Americans who live in our country’s rural communities.”

Approximately one fourth of all Americans live in rural areas that rely on local community hospitals, clinics and independent practices for their health care.  Many of these facilities face significant challenges that these benefits help them overcome such as remote geographic location, small size, workforce scarcity, physician shortages, and constrained financial resources.

In addition to the health benefits provided by these facilities, they also provide jobs to hard hit rural communities. The average Critical Access Hospital directly employs more than 100 people and provides more than $4 million in direct salary, wages and benefits.  An independent physician in a rural area supports more than 20 jobs and provides $1 million in economic benefit to their communities.

“These Medicare “extenders” are vital to ensuring rural health care facilities remain open.  We commend Representatives McMorris Rodgers and Thompson for recognizing these challenges and working to extend these vital programs,” said Maggie Elehwany, Vice President of Government Affairs for the National Rural Health Association.

“The Medicare “extender” provisions are vital to ensuring that rural hospitals, doctors and other health care professionals can provide needed emergency and primary care,” stressed Gail Nickerson, President California State Rural Health Association.  “The expiration of Medicare extenders will inhibit the ability of hospitals and providers to recruit and retain professionals, negatively impact patient access, and will have a devastating impact on the economies of our rural communities, because health care is a major employer and business in most rural areas.”


Below is the full text of the letter.

December 15, 2011
   
The Honorable John A. Boehner
Speaker of the House
H-232, U.S. Capitol
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Eric Cantor
House Majority Leader
H-329, U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515   

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
House Minority Leader
H-204, U.S. Capitol
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Steny Hoyer
House Minority Whip
H-148, U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Speaker Boehner, Leader Pelosi, Leader Cantor, and Whip Hoyer,

Approximately one fourth of all Americans live in rural areas across our country-areas that take up around ninety percent of the country’s total land mass. These areas rely on local community hospitals, clinics and independent practices as vital access points to critical health care.  These facilities also provide critical jobs in hard hit rural areas.  In fact, the average Critical Access Hospital (CAH) directly employs over 100 people and provides over $4 million in direct salary, wages and benefits.  An independent physician in a rural area supports over 20 jobs and provides $1 million in economic benefit to their communities.

Despite their intrinsic and vital nature to the rural delivery system and rural economy, many of these facilities face significant challenges– remote geographic location, small size, workforce scarcity, physician shortages, constrained financial resources among others. Because of these challenges, Congress has enacted a number of programs that help these facilities and other rural providers recruit and retain skilled practitioners, provide quality outpatient care and respond to emergency health events. These programs, which were extended in PL 111-309, have long received bipartisan support. 

Across the country, these programs have helped sustain fragile health care delivery systems and ensure that these facilities remain open. Because of the vital nature of these facilities and the fragile nature of the delivery system in rural areas, we urge you to extend these vital provisions as part of any current legislation.

Sincerely,
____________________                    ____________________
Cathy McMorris Rodgers                     Mike Thompson
Member of Congress                            Member of Congress

____________________                    ____________________
Ron Kind                                             Nick Rahall
Member of Congress                            Member of Congress

____________________                    ____________________
Glenn Thompson                                  Robert Latta
Member of Congress                           Member of Congress

____________________                    ____________________
Ben Chandler                                       Dan Boren
Member of Congress                           Member of Congress

____________________                    ____________________
David Loebsack                                   Leonard Boswell
Member of Congress                            Member of Congress

____________________                    ____________________
Peter Welch                                          Tim Holden
Member of Congress                            Member of Congress

____________________                    ____________________
Larry Kissell                                         Peter DeFazio
Member of Congress                            Member of Congress

____________________                    ____________________
Bill Owens                                           Michael Conaway 
Member of Congress                           Member of Congress

____________________                    ____________________
Rick Crawford                                     Mike Ross
Member of Congress                           Member of Congress

____________________                   
Dennis Cardoza                        
Member of Congress

Washington, Dec 14, 2011 - Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA), a senior member of the House Committee on Ways and Means, today released the following statement on House Majority’s passage of their tax extension bill:

“Congress has important work to do before we break for the holidays. We need to extend a payroll tax cut that will put about $1,000 into the pockets of the typical middle class family, we need to extend unemployment benefits for folks who are out of work through no fault of their own, and we must fix the Medicare physician payment rate so that our seniors’ health care will not be disrupted. These extensions will cost money, and they should be paid for in a fiscally responsible and fair way.

“However, the bill passed last night by the House Majority represents the wrong way forward for American families. The plan increases Medicare costs for millions of seniors, cuts unemployment insurance benefits for more than 500,000 Californians, increases taxes on working families by forcing large, end-of-the-year health care payments, reduces access to medical care in rural communities  – and it does all of this while refusing to ask the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share.

“I voted against this approach because it hurts middle class families, those fighting to get into the middle class, and our seniors. I remain committed to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to come up with a fair and balanced plan that strengthens the middle class, protects our seniors, helps our economy grow and asks those who have benefited the most in the new economy to pay their fair share.”

Washington, DC, Dec 7, 2011 - Today 88 members of the U.S. House of Representatives called for an extension of the successful 1603 Treasury Grant Program supporting renewable energy projects, urging in a letter to House leaders that such an extension will continue a proven track record of job creation and promote further growth in domestic clean energy industries.

Created in 2009, the 1603 program has provided essential financing for clean energy projects via grants in lieu of investment tax credits, and has created tens of thousands of jobs by leveraging more than $22.8 billion in private financing to support 22,000 renewable energy projects in all 50 states. Signatories of the letter - led by Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Rush Holt (D-NJ), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Mike Thompson (D-CA), and backed by the House Sustainable Energy & Environment Coalition (SEEC) - argue that a failure to extend the 1603 program beyond its current December 31 expiration date would have significant adverse effects on American clean energy industries; shrinking the total financing available for renewable energy projects by 52 percent in 2012, and eliminating tens of thousands of jobs.

“The 1603 Treasury Grant Program is a job creator and economic stimulator,” said Rep. Thompson. “It has created tens of thousands of jobs across the clean energy sector and pumped nearly 23 billion private sector dollars into the economy. Nearly 12,000 projects in my state of California have benefited. Congress must act to renew this program – it is good for our environment, good for our economy and helps reduce our dependence on foreign oil.”

“It is absolutely essential that we extend the 1603 clean energy program to ensure that these job-creating projects continue to have access to financing and that we continue to lead the world in clean energy innovation,” said Rep. Blumenauer. “My office has received a flood of encouragement for continuing this program from businesses that are creating good jobs in Oregon, the urban and rural communities that these projects support, and from consumers interested in purchasing clean energy across America. With countries like China and Germany deploying renewables like solar and wind at a faster rate than the United States, we need to support the entrepreneurs and workers who are launching clean energy projects here in America.”

“Congress must support innovation and job creation by extending the 1603 program,” said Rep. Holt. “At a time when our economy is already fragile, abandoning investment in the sustainable energy sector would cause the U.S. to lose even more high-tech jobs to our foreign competitors, and it would undermine the progress of much-needed new energy technologies.”

“In the global race on clean energy and innovation, we must make certain that America finishes first,” said Rep. Tonko. “A critical step in remaining competitive is the extension of the 1603 Treasury program, which provides the necessary financing and investment to enable American ideas, American intellect and American know-how to develop the ideas and products of the future. This bold investment has helped create jobs, rebuild the economy and support small and large businesses nationwide – that’s why it must be extended.”

Last month over 750 small businesses, companies, and trade organizations wrote to Congress urging an extension of the highly successful 1603 program.

Below is the text of the letter sent by the members of Congress:

Dear Speaker Boehner, Leader Pelosi, Leader Cantor, and Whip Hoyer:

We write to urge extension of the highly successful grant program for specified energy property in lieu of tax credits (the “1603 Treasury Grant Program”) before it expires on December 31, 2011.  Since enactment, this program has leveraged more than $22.8 billion in private sector investment for 22,000 projects across the clean energy industry, including solar, wind, biomass, fuel cells, combined heat-and-power, and hydro, in all 50 states.  Extension of this successful and effective program will create jobs, spur economic growth, and promote private sector development of clean energy technologies.

Prior to the 2008 financial crisis, clean energy project developers primarily relied on tax equity partnerships with investors to utilize clean energy tax incentives.  Since 2008, however, the availability of tax equity declined dramatically.  According to a report issued by the Bipartisan Policy Center in March 2011, the number of tax equity investors shrunk by nearly half, with associated tax equity financing tumbling over 80 percent from $6.1 billion in 2007 to $1.2 billion in 2009.  This decline severely limited the financing available for energy projects. 

Congress enacted the 1603 Treasury Grant Program to restore the availability of financing for renewable energy projects and to create domestic jobs in a hard hit sector of the economy.  Under the program, developers receive a federal grant in lieu of the tax credit—changing the timing of when the energy incentive can be claimed.  This change in timing, however, provides the liquidity and funding needed to develop domestic energy projects.  As a result, the program underpinned strong growth in the renewable energy sector during the current economic downturn. 

Despite some improvement, the tax equity market is still unable to support the clean energy industry adequately.  In July 2011, the U.S. Partnership for Renewable Energy Finance surveyed tax equity investors and found that expiration of the program would shrink the total financing available for renewable energy projects by 52 percent in 2012.  Allowing the 1603 Treasury Grant Program to lapse would eliminate tens of thousands of jobs across all clean energy industries.  Given the program’s importance, as well as its proven record of success, we urge you to include its extension in any year-end legislation considered by the House.

Sincerely,

Representatives Earl Blumenauer, Rush Holt, Paul Tonko, Mike Thompson, Steve Israel, Lois Capps, Jared Polis, Jay Inslee, Chris Van Hollen, Edward J. Markey, Henry A. Waxman, George Miller, Barney Frank, Maurice D. Hinchey, Gerald E. Connolly, Rick Larsen, Shelley Berkley, Jim Langevin, Joe Courtney, Doris O. Matsui, John Garamendi, William R. Keating, Ben Ray Lujan, Martin Heinrich, Steve Cohen, Jim McDermott, John W. Olver, Mike Quigley, Jerry McNerney, Allyson Y. Schwartz, David N. Cicilline, John Conyers, Carolyn M. Maloney, Richard E. Neal, Howard L. Berman, Barbara Lee, Lynn Woolsey, Dale E. Kildee, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Peter A. DeFazio, Chellie Pingree, Tim Ryan, Emmanuel Cleaver, Zoe Lofgren, Susan A. Davis, Grace F. Napolitano, Raul M. Grijalva, Michael M. Honda, Russ Carnahan, Steven Rothman, Bob Filner, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Jesse Jackson, Jr., Bill Owens, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, Peter Welch, Brian Higgins, Mazie K. Hirono, Stephen F. Lynch, Michael H. Michaud, Brad Sherman, Diana Degette, John D. Dingell, Gary L. Ackerman, Rosa DeLauro, Anna G. Eshoo, Mark Critz, John F. Tierney, Pete Stark, Sam Farr, Adam B. Schiff, Marcy Kaptur, John Yarmuth, Jackie Speier, Laura Richardson, Kurt Schrader, Norm Dicks, Jim Costa, Tim J. Walz, Niki Tsongas, Leonard L. Boswell, Dave Loebsack, James P. McGovern, David Price, Dennis Cardoza, Jim Moran, Linda T. Sanchez, Dan Lipinski

CC:      The Honorable Dave Camp, Chairman, House Ways & Means Committee
            The Honorable Sander M. Levin, Ranking Member, House Ways & Means Committee

Washington, Nov 21, 2011 - Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA) today released the following statement on the Deficit Reduction Super Committee’s failure to reach an agreement to cut the national deficit:

“The Super Committee’s failure is yet another example of politics getting in the way of what’s best for our country.  The only reason we had a Super Committee in the first place was because some new Members of Congress were willing to take our economy over a cliff and we had to avoid an economic catastrophe.

“Now that the Super Committee has failed, Congress has to do the job we were elected to do. We need to put partisan politics aside and take the steps necessary to get our fiscal house in order through an approach that is fair and balanced.  That means creating jobs, cutting spending and putting responsible revenue policies in place. 

“There is a lot that can be done between the extremes to solve our fiscal crisis and I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to get our nation on a fiscally sustainable path.”