What You Are Writing About

 

Top concerns from Idahoans

Medicare & Soc. Security

Postal Reform Act of 2011

NLRB Elections

Keeping All Students Safe Act

Keystone XL Pipeline Project

Each year, I hear from thousands of Idahoans who write, e-mail, fax and call my offices to let me know how they feel about issues facing our country today. On average, I receive approximately 1,000 letters and e-mails a week. In recent years, an increasing number of that correspondence has come via electronic means. Even with such a volume of correspondence, I try to respond to each Idahoan as promptly as possible. In an effort to be even more responsive and to fully utilize the technology available through the Internet, this web page features the top five issues of concern from Idahoans and my response on each from the previous week. You may also wish to review information in the Issues Section or details from my Legislative Record, which lists bills I have sponsored and co-sponsored.

Medicare & Soc. Security

The Budget Control Act, which passed on August 2, 2011, created the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. This committee, unfortunately, was unable to reach agreement on a bipartisan plan to present to both chambers of Congress. A sequester, which will reduce spending by $1.2 billion over 10 years, will trigger in 2013 if Congress does not achieve deficit reduction targets. Medicare can only be reduced by a maximum of 2 percent and Social Security will not be affected by the sequester.

Needed reforms to the Social Security program must be done as a means to ensure the continued solvency of the program. Social Security has not significantly contributed to our debt and should not be viewed as a means to reducing the deficit. Social Security has been an important, successful program for over sixty-five years, providing benefits to millions of senior citizens and the disabled. However, I also recognize that Social Security must remain a system on which our children and grandchildren can depend. In recent years, there has been widespread acknowledgement that the government must address the long-term health of the Social Security system. Accordingly, a national discussion has evolved regarding the future of Social Security. Our first and foremost concern in this effort is to maintain the promises we have made to protect current recipients, while strengthening the system in order to guarantee benefits for future retirees.

According to the most recent report by the nonpartisan Social Security Trustees, the Social Security program will be will be exhausted in 2033, three years sooner than projected last year. This is the largest projected deficit since 1983 and serves as a warning that meaningful reforms must be enacted now to ensure the program���s continued solvency. After 2033, income to the Trust Fund will be sufficient to pay only three-quarters of scheduled benefits.

The Medicare program also faces similar, serious difficulties. The Medicare Trustees report the program faces an unfunded liability of nearly $25 trillion, and the program is currently on track to be insolvent in 2024, if action is not taken to reform the program.

I agree that Congress must act now to enact meaningful reforms to these vital programs to ensure that current seniors, and all future retirees, do not face the automatic benefit cuts that will be unavoidable if the programs continue on their current course. I also agree that the first place to look for savings to preserve these programs is the well-documented waste and fraud that has been found in these programs. The longer Congress takes to enact these reforms, and the more imminent the date of insolvency, the less ability Congress will have to protect the full benefits of those seniors who will be enrolled in those programs at the time of insolvency. In fact, according to the Social Security Administration, each year of inaction increases the bill to the next generation by more than $600 billion. I wholeheartedly agree that this Congress must take up the responsibility to secure Social Security and Medicare for our seniors, their children and their grandchildren.

As we begin to implement spending caps on certain areas of federal spending, I will continue to work to protect both current and future Medicare and Social Security beneficiaries.

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Postal Reform Act of 2011

As you know, on June 23, 2011 Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA-49) introduced H.R. 2309, The Postal Reform Act of 2011. This legislation creates the Postal Service Financial Responsibility and Management Assistance Authority which will have a broad mandate to restructure the Postal Service and reduce costs. The Authority will be disbanded once USPS meets several benchmarks that ensure financial health. This legislation also empanels a separate body, the Commission on Postal Reorganization (CPR) to review postal infrastructure and recommend closures and consolidations to Congress. If Congress does not reject the CPR's recommendations, they become law. The legislation will also remove several legal hurdles that USPS currently faces when it comes to reducing costs, including allowing financially unsustainable retail postal facilities to be closed. This legislation has not yet been introduced in the United States Senate.

Before 1970, the United States Postal Service (USPS) was a cabinet-level department and Congress directly controlled its revenue and operations. However, in 1967, amid rising mail costs and decreasing revenues, the Postmaster General recommended that the agency be reorganized into an independent, government-owned corporation with a Board of Directors answerable to both Congress and the President. The 1970 Postal Reorganization Act renamed the agency the USPS and took steps to ensure that it would be run like a private corporation. While the USPS was created by Congress, it functions on a day-to-day basis as an independent entity. In addition, the USPS has not been funded by taxpayer dollars since 1983.

Unfortunately, the Postal Service has been experiencing significant financial challenges related to declining mail volumes and the difficult economy. As the son of a former postmaster in Idaho, please rest assured that I remain committed to ensuring that the USPS remains an institution synonymous with responsibility and reliability. I understand the vital role that the hard-working USPS employees play in the timely and efficient delivery of the mail.

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NLRB Elections

S.J. Res 36 was introduced by Senator Michael Enzi (R-Wyoming) on February 16, 2012. I am currently a co-sponsor of this joint resolution. The resolution would nullify the rule submitted and published by the NLRB on December 22, 2011. S.J. Res 36 is currently awaiting further action on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

The NLRB rule was first proposed on June 22, 2011. The final rule was published in the Federal Register on December 22, 2011 and is effective April 30, 2012. This rule would eliminate the 25 day waiting period previously required before an election. It also requires a request for Board review within 15 days or the right will be waived to raise certain issues that arise during this time. The rule places many restrictions on how a union election is to be conducted and limits the time employees and employers have to fully comprehend and explore all facets involved in the consideration of becoming a unionized establishment.

I will continue to work with my colleagues to provide a work environment that is conducive to both employees and employers. We must preserve a workplace that creates and maintains the ability to hire and retain employees. These steps will help achieve the positive turnaround that is necessary for our nation���s economy.

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Keeping All Students Safe Act

As you may know, S. 2020 was introduced by Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) on December 16, 2011. This bill would require states and local education agencies that receive federal funds to prohibit seclusion, restraint or aversive behavioral intervention by any school personnel with some exceptions. The Keeping All Students Safe Act is currently awaiting further action in the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

As Congress continues to look at the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, I will continue to work for more state and local autonomy. While I agree that it is important that there are certain limitations on the treatment of students by school administrators, this decision should remain in the hands of the states. As No Child Left Behind clearly displayed federal management of our nation���s schools does not produce effective or efficient results.

States and localities face unique circumstances and challenges that affect the performance of their students. This requires more flexibility at a state level and less involvement by the federal government. I will continue to push for educational reforms and improvements that fairly and accurately measure performance as well as those that enhance the learning process and overall experience of the student.

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Keystone XL Pipeline Project

As you know, in 2008, Canadian oil company TransCanada filed an application with the Department of State (DOS) for the purpose of constructing and operating a pipeline to transport Canadian crude oil to facilities in the United States. The Keystone XL project would be an extension of the existing Keystone pipeline that currently links Canadian sedimentary oil deposits in Alberta to refineries in Illinois and Oklahoma. TransCanada estimates that the 1,700-mile pipeline would greatly increase U.S. import capacity for Canadian oil sands crude. However, environmental concerns in Nebraska have delayed the project’s initial timetable and led to discussion on re-routing the pipeline through an alternate part of the state if the project receives approval.

As you may also know, H.R. 3765, the Temporary Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011, was signed into law on December 23, 2011. A measure included in this bill requires the White House to make a decision within 60 days of enactment on whether to approve or deny the Keystone XL pipeline. A final decision by President Obama was expected by the end of February 2012. On January 18, 2012, President Obama announced the decision of the State Department to deny TransCanada’s permit application due to inadequate time to determine whether the project was in the national interest.

Our decreasing ability to influence supply and demand is the main obstacle to affordable energy, and increasing our level of energy independence is the best solution to overcome it. With transportation in our country accounting for two-thirds of our oil consumption, I support efforts that focus on conserving and diversifying our transportation fuels and resources. Please rest assured that I recognize the importance of this issue to our nation and will continue to seek opportunities that will develop needed energy from diverse sources that balance environmental and economic issues.��

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