Hoekstra RSS Articles

Hoekstra a Leading Member of Congress in Voting against Wasteful Spending

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

A recently released report from the Club for Growth shows that U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, was a leading member of Congress with a 97 percent rating in voting against wasteful spending projects in 2009.

"Controlling spending and eliminating costly unnecessary parochial projects should remain a top priority for Congress," Hoekstra said. "Struggling taxpayers in Michigan want to see their hard-earned money spent wisely, not on special projects that don’t serve their needs."

Hoekstra voted against funding projects such as the Maine Department of Marine Resources in Augusta for the Maine Lobster Research and the Inshore Trawling Survey, the Summer Flounder and Black Sea Initiative of the Partnership for Mid-Atlantic Fisheries in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. and the Myrtle Beach International Trade and Conference Center in South Carolina.

"When given an opportunity to save taxpayer dollars and to limit spending to true national priorities, most members of Congress took a pass," said Club Executive Director David Keating. "The RePORK Card will help taxpayers measure the dedication of their representatives to changing the culture of corruption that surrounds pork-barrel spending."

The Club for Growth is a national network of thousands of Americans, from all walks of life, who believe that prosperity and opportunity come through economic freedom. It works to promote public policies that promote economic growth primarily through legislative involvement, issue advocacy, research, training and educational activity.

CLICK HERE to view a copy of the report.
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Republicans Respond to Misleading White House Statements on National Security

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and House Intelligence Committee top Republican Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) issued the following joint statement in response to an op-ed published in USA Today that misleads the American people on key intelligence issues and accuses critics of the Administration of helping al Qaeda:

"Asking hard questions about the White House’s lack of an overarching plan to confront and defeat the terrorist threat is a core responsibility of elected leaders in Congress. We have consistently raised concerns about the Administration’s handling of key intelligence issues over the last year, and those concerns came to a head with its handling of the thwarted Christmas Day terrorist attack in Detroit.

"This Administration has no clear plan to identify, confront and defeat avowed terrorists as terrorists instead of treating them as common criminals. There is a lack of certainty and now a confirmed lack of operational capacity to detain and interrogate terrorists and a willful ignorance to the dangers posed by releasing the ‘worst of the worse’ detainees at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility to third countries, which cannot effectively detain them. Our national security is being threatened to meet the Administration’s self-imposed political imperative.

"Mr. Brennan’s cheap, irresponsible political smear doesn’t help keep the American people safe. We would like to think – given the public testimony given by Intelligence Community officials of the possibility of a terrorist attack within the next six months – that the Administration would become serious about closing such painfully obvious and public gaps in our security. The Administration needs to demonstrate that it is willing to take responsibility for leading a nation at war against a violent, radicalized and extremely capable and adaptive threat.

"We have said that we will work with the President when he demonstrates his commitment to defending the country, and it is our hope that the President, if not certain members of his staff, has received a wake-up call. The next time, we might not be so lucky."

House Republicans have raised a number of concerns with the Obama Administration’s counterterrorism policies, including:

1. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano eliminating the term "terrorism" and using "man-made disasters."

2. The President committing to closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility within one year.

3. The Obama Administration committing to moving the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed from Cuba to New York City.

4. The Obama Administration’s national security team’s refusal to identify Fort Hood as a terrorist attack.

5. Mirandizing the Christmas Day terrorist in Detroit.

Hoekstra Statement on Brennan's Comments on Meet the Press

Sun, 07 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, today issued the following statement concerning statements by White House Deputy National Security Adviser John Brennan on Meet the Press.

"Can anyone take seriously the White House's assertion that it consulted with Republicans when President Obama didn't even consult his own Director of National Intelligence, FBI Director or Homeland Security Secretary concerning Abdulmutallab? Anyone who knows my record and the leadership of Republicans on national security issues knows that we have not been shy about expressing our thoughts and strategies with the administration.

"The mishandling of this case is the Obama administration's failure, and they have no one to blame but themselves. President Obama failed to respond after the terrorist attack at Fort Hood, and failed to respond immediately after the terrorist attack in Detroit.

"Instead of lashing out politically and attempting to deflect blame, Obama and his advisers need to settle on a coherent and rational national security strategy to help secure our homeland.

"I have focused squarely on protecting our nation and giving the intelligence community the tools, resources and authorities to prevent the next attack. If the Obama administration is serious about seeking Republican consultation, we would be happy to discuss our concerns about:

1. President Obama's bungled attempt to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.

2. The risks of his strategy to ship jihadist terrorists off to al-Qaeda safe havens and to hold others in communities around

America

.

3. His failed attempt to give Khalid Sheikh Mohammed an international platform to bash America by holding a civilian trial for him and his fellow conspirators in New York City.

4. President Obama's decision to target Americans for killing without due process while at the same time denouncing the Bush administration's handling of foreign terrorists and investigating CIA officers for carrying-out presidentially authorized and congressionally supported aggressive counterterrorism efforts."

Facts:

Hoekstra had a brief, non-secure conversation with Brennan. Brennan only informed him that Abdulmutallab had severe burns and was being treated.

Contrary to what he attempts to imply, he at no time informed Hoekstra that Abdulmutallab had been Mirandized nor did he seek Hoekstra's consultation or provide any sort of meaningful briefing. The faulty decision to Mirandize Abdulmuttalab was the Obama administration’s, and its decision alone.

Hoekstra Offers Condolences to Family and Friends of Army Sgt. Dillon Foxx

Sat, 06 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, issued the following statement upon receiving confirmation on the loss of Army Sgt. Dillon B. Foxx, 22, of Manton. Foxx died in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Bala Murghab, Afghanistan on Feb. 5.

"Our sympathies and heartfelt prayers are with the family and friends of Sgt. Foxx who suffer for their loss," Hoekstra said. "Sgt. Foxx was a brave young man who sacrificed his life as he defended his country abroad, and he will not be forgotten."

According to initial reports provided by the Army, Foxx died of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his dismounted patrol. Sgt. Foxx was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

Sgt. Foxx’s family resides in Manton (mother) and Old Hickory, Tenn. (father).
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Chart of Interest: Record Level Deficits

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

*Click the above chart to enlarge

This week, President Obama released his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2011. Overall his budget would spend $3.83 trillion in 2011 and contributes to a record deficit of $1.55 trillion this year. Over the next ten years, deficits are projected to average $917 billion. For your reference, I have posted a chart above which details the path we have been on through previous three administrations and where we are heading.

My colleagues and I are ready to work with the president on his recent calls for bipartisan efforts toward fiscal discipline. Unfortunately, the administration’s recent proposal not only keeps America on the unsustainable path of unrelenting government growth and skyrocketing deficits, but significantly increases our pace toward insolvency.

Hoekstra Introduces Bill to Fight Invasion of Asian Carp into the Great Lakes

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, has introduced a bill that would make the Army Corps of Engineers the lead agency and provide them with the authority to fight the invasion of Asian carp into the Great Lakes.

"Asian carp pose a devastating threat to Michigan’s environment and economy," Hoekstra said. "The Asian Carp Action Plan will provide the Army Corps of Engineers with a host of tools to prevent the carp from establishing a habitat in the Great Lakes."

The bill that Hoekstra introduced would authorize the Army Corps of Engineers to expedite a number of measures to prevent the Asian carp from reaching the Great Lakes, including applying fish poisons, fixing locks and installing new barriers that include electrical, air-bubble and sound barriers that disorient fish.

"We don’t need to take another six years of studying what needs to be done as it did with the installation of first electrical barrier," Hoekstra said. "Michigan’s economy cannot afford such bureaucratic delay."

Hoekstra will be discussing his legislation and Asian carp prevention as a featured speaker at 10 a.m. on Monday, February 8 at the Annis Water Resources Institute, 740 W. Shoreline Drive, in downtown Muskegon.

Hoekstra to Present Congressional Bronze Medal to Spring Lake Student

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, on Monday, Feb. 8 will present Spring Lake High School student Shannon McAvinchey with the Congressional Award Bronze Medal, one of the highest awards bestowed upon America’s young people.

"Shannon has certainly worked extraordinarily hard to win the Congressional Bronze Medal, and it is an honor to present it to her," Hoekstra said. "She represents the best of America by committing to setting high standards for bettering herself and giving back to the Spring Lake community."

The event is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. at Spring Lake High School, 16140 148th Ave. Hoekstra will later address nearly 100 junior and senior high school students in the building’s auditorium.

The Congressional Award encompasses four areas: Voluntary Public Service, Personal Development, Physical Fitness, and Expedition. For the Bronze Medal, Shannon has provided more than 100 hours of voluntary public service to her community through her participation in various projects such as working at food pantries and soup kitchens. She has also served a village overseas. For personal development she worked weekly in her church’s infant nursery. She also worked two jobs at a library and Subway.

As her goal for physical fitness, she obtained her Brown Belt in Tae Kwon Do. She also improved her skills as a soccer goalie. Shannon’s expedition took her on a solo overnight camping trip.

"I am thrilled to be receiving this Congressional Award Bronze Medal and feel privileged Congressman Hoekstra will be presenting it to me personally," McAvinchey said. "The experiences proved to be worthwhile not only to earn the award but to meet the challenges that I set for myself. I am thankful for this great opportunity, and my next goal in the Program is to receive the Gold Medal!"

She is the daughter of Chuck and Helen McAvinchey of Spring Lake.

Congress established the Congressional Award in 1979 to recognize initiative, achievement and service in young people. It began as a bipartisan effort in both the United States Senate and House of Representatives. The only other medal awarded by the United States Congress is the Medal of Honor.
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Hoekstra to Speak on Threats, Solutions to Asian Carp Entering the Great Lakes

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, on Monday, Feb. 8 will speak in Muskegon about the potential environmental and economic threats from, and potential solutions to, Asian carp entering the Great Lakes.

The free public meeting, hosted by the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce, is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Grand Valley State University Annis Water Resource Institute, 740 W. Shoreline Drive.

Hoekstra intends to soon introduce a bill that will help to address the matter.

Seating for Monday’s event is limited. Please RSVP by calling Janessa Stroud at the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce at (231) 722-3751 by Friday, Feb. 5.
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Article of Interest: Deficit imperils United States' top credit rating

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

By Patrice Hill || Washington Times

The United States is drawing closer to the kind of debt crisis plaguing some European countries, where a financial emergency forces political leaders to make draconian spending cuts and tax increases to maintain the confidence of international investors.

Moody's, a top Wall Street credit agency, brought the U.S. closer to such a point this week by, for the first time, warning that the U.S. could lose its gold-plated AAA credit rating in coming years unless it quickly puts into place plans to curb budget deficits of more than $1 trillion that have the potential to destabilize government finances and the financial markets.

"Unless further measures are taken to reduce the budget deficit further or the economy rebounds more vigorously than expected, the federal financial picture as presented in [President Obama's Feb. 1 budget] will at some point put pressure on the AAA-government bond rating," Moody's said in a report Tuesday.

Mr. Obama and Senate leaders, during negotiations last month over a $1.9 trillion increase in the government's debt limit, had hoped to put into place a process for coming up with major budget reductions by creating a bipartisan commission to recommend ways of reducing the debt that Congress could consider by the end of the year.

But the commission proposal failed to pass, and Republicans immediately dismissed a back-up plan for the president to create a commission by executive order with the same mission.

Mr. Obama's budget includes the commission plan for tackling the deficit, while offering one major concrete stab at deficit control: a three-year freeze on non-security discretionary spending expected to save $250 billion over 10 years.

Moody's senior credit officer, Steven Hess, called the freeze a "positive step," but said that it won't bring deficits down to a level where they no longer pose the threat of a fiscal crisis.

That would occur when the debt gets so large that interest payments on the debt are growing faster than the economy and government revenues, and the Treasury can no longer keep up with the debt payments while trying to fund the rest of the government.

"The debt trajectory is clearly continuously upward if further measures are not implemented," Mr. Hess said.

Moody's understands that "the government is constrained for the time being by the high unemployment rate," and that "a big fiscal adjustment right now would be politically difficult and could slow the economic recovery," he said.

But he cautioned that "extra spending for employment creation in the current fiscal year adds to the long-term debt" problem.

Some private watchdog groups have sounded the same warning as Moody's, though none of them has the power of the Wall Street rating agency to help bring about the budget crunch that they are predicting.

Similar, though less veiled, warnings by Moody's and other credit agencies triggered financial turmoil and played a critical role in forcing Ireland, Greece, Portugal and other European countries to take drastic measures to grapple with their huge debt problems in recent months.

Former Sen. Pete V. Domenici, New Mexico Republican and a major player in drafting bipartisan deficit reduction plans in the 1980s and 1990s, said today's political leaders need to focus on how serious the debt problem has become.

"For the first time in our nations history, we risk undermining U.S. economic and military strength and becoming a second-rate power," he said, adding that he is particularly "concerned about the unprecedented level of U.S. debt held by foreign creditors," which leaves the U.S. vulnerable to the whiplash of sentiment changes in international financial markets.

It doesn't matter whether the debt was created by Republicans or Democrats, he added, "the severity of this problem will require members of both parties to come together to find a solution."

Jerry Jasinowski, former president of the National Association of Manufacturers, credits Mr. Obama for trying to get bipartisan action on the economy and deficits.

Republicans should "see if common ground can be found," he said. "Historically, the Democrats resist spending cuts, especially for entitlement programs, and the Republicans have hissy fits at the mere mention of tax increases. But leadership demands tough decisions. We must have some combination of spending cuts and tax increases. There is no other way."

Mr. Jasinowski said that while the current economic challenges are the most "daunting" since the Great Depression, a crisis can be averted.

He noted that bipartisan cooperation between the Clinton administration and the Republican-led Congress in the 1990s produced three years of budget surpluses and a dynamically growing economy.

While no one knows for sure what would happen if U.S. Treasury bonds - once considered the safest haven for investment in the world - were to lose their AAA status from Moody's or other credit-rating agencies, cash-strapped countries in Europe who have lost their AAA ratings are providing a clue about the consequences.

Ireland, which lost its AAA rating last summer as it financed unprecedented large bank bailouts and recession-related spending, was forced to make drastic cuts in spending and raise taxes to ensure it can continue to borrow at affordable rates. Other European countries, including Greece, Italy and Portugal, have faced similar or worse pressures, and their struggles have cast a cloud over the economic outlook for the entire European Union.

Japan's sovereign debt was downgraded from AAA status last year without major consequences. But Japan's savings rate is high enough to finance its own deficits, something not true of the U.S.

On the other hand, a U.S. downgrade could have greater consequences than elsewhere because of the dollar's status as the world's reserve currency and Treasury's status as the world's leading safe haven for investors.

Click HERE for article at the Washington Times

Hoekstra Reintroduces Bill to Allow for the Recall of Federal Officials

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:00:00 GMT

U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, has reintroduced a bill that would allow voters to recall members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate.

"Government does not merely allow for citizen participation – it depends upon it." Hoekstra said. "Voters elected a Republican candidate opposed to the health care overhaul in Massachusetts in one of the most liberal states in America. They made their voices heard in what was effectively a recall of a Senate seat that had been held captive by one political party for 31 years.

The recall amendment (H.J.Res.71) would be an amendment to the Constitution that allows voters in all 50 states to circulate petitions to demand a special election to recall members of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate.

It is part of a series of five legislative initiatives titled the "Voters’ Bill of Rights" that Hoekstra introduced initially in 1994. The legislative package also includes the following:

The right to enact and repeal laws in a national election.
The right to propose amendments to the Constitution.
The right to an advisory voter initiative so that you can impact congress' agenda.
Right to vote "none of the above" in elections for federal office.

"The American people have been the ignored majority for far too long. Congress needs to create the opportunity for Americans to play a greater role in the direction of their country," Hoekstra said. "Most importantly they should have the opportunity to recall elected officials and demand accountability on the host of issues that they care about, including job creation, health care, taxes and national defense.