Congressman Denny Rehberg

BILLINGS, MT - Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, released the following statement regarding the closure of the Canadian border crossing at the Whitetail Port of Entry near Scobey, MT. The port made national news (http://www.nyegateway.com/2009/09/wasting-millions-of-stimulus-money-on-remote-montana-canada-border-posts.html) recently when it was announced that $8.5 million in stimulus funds are being spent to modernize the port, which averages only five vehicles per day making it the least used port of entry on the U.S./Canadian Border.

Rehberg hosted listening sessions yesterday in Daniels and Sheridan Counties where the port situation was a hot topic of conversation. With the news that the Canadian government was closing its side of the border, the Whitetail Port will now only allow cars to enter the United States from Canada. U.S. travelers will be unable to enter Canada at that crossing. However, the Scobey Port of Entry remains open, just 12 miles away.

“You might expect the folks actually living near the Whitetail Port to be the port modernization’s biggest cheerleaders, but after personally talking with many of them, that’s just not the case. As taxpayers, they’re on the hook to pay for these wasteful projects, and they’re not happy about it.

“In fact, the ’so-called’ stimulus has literally wasted billions of dollars on projects that were approved with little to no public input or Congressional oversight. This money should have been used to pay down America’s huge national debt or beef up security along the northern border instead of being used to remodel a barely utilized, one-way port of entry. It’s no wonder Montanans from across the state are telling me they’re outraged by the wasteful spending going on in Washington. They rightly believe their tax dollars shouldn’t be wasted building a nicer, more modern port for Canadian travelers.”

Rehberg is the co-chairman of the House Northern Border Caucus.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has cosponsored legislation to cut all non-defense/homeland security/veterans affairs spending by five cents for every dollar in fiscal years 2010 and 2011. Rehberg has offered several solutions for spending reform in Congress.

“If the State of Montana can save a nickel for every dollar it spends, there’s absolutely no reason the federal government shouldn’t be able to do the same,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “The record deficits are adding to a record debt that is bogging down economic recovery and destroying jobs. Montanans have tightened their belts, and it’s way past time for Congress to follow their lead.”

Rehberg has been leading by example among his colleagues in the House. This legislation is only the most recent example of him putting taxpayer money where his mouth is. Earlier this year, he decided to forgo earmarks and sponsored legislation to apply the money saved back to the national debt. He has also offered amendments in all of his Appropriations Subcommittees to freeze spending levels and has sponsored a Constitutional Amendment to require a balanced budget.

When Democrats took over control of Congress in 2006, the federal budget was well on its way back to the surpluses prior to 9/11. Since the majority changed, however, the federal deficit has quadrupled and the debt has ballooned to $13 trillion – more than $40,000 for every man, woman and child in America.

H.R. 5542, which Rehberg cosponsored, mandates a five percent across-the-board reduction in federal spending that isn’t going toward defense, homeland security or veterans affairs. That cut is roughly equivalent to one made by the state of Montana earlier this year in order to balance the budget.

“When it comes to spending reform, I’ve led by personal example, sponsored legislation and offered amendments,” said Rehberg. “Unfortunately, this majority is more interested in talking about the deficit from previous years than in doing something about the deficit today. That’s got to change, and this bill embodies that.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has joined with House colleagues from both parties in urging the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Education and Labor to protect programs that meet the unique needs of rural schools. The letter relates to the pending reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also known as No Child Left Behind. Eighty-five-percent of Montana’s schools are classified as either rural or frontier.

“Rural interests have really taken a back seat lately, and when it comes to education, Montana’s students can’t afford to be at the back of the bus,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Rural Education Caucus. “Everyone knows about the challenges faced by inner city schools, but the unique challenges affecting rural districts are less well known, but just as important. Unfortunately, the Obama Blueprint for education is a one-size-fits-all plan that doesn’t address the needs of rural schools.”

The letter expresses support for the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP), and asks the government not to force rural school districts into a situation where they are competing for funding against urban schools with more resources. The letter also expresses concerns about the urban-based “turnaround models” recommended by President Obama’s Blueprint.

Under the turnaround models, schools that do not live up to the Obama Administration’s benchmarks would be forced to fire principals, teachers and staff in order to continue receiving federal funding. The turnaround models do not account for the inability of many rural schools to recruit and hire new educators.

“Rural states aren’t asking for any special favors or advantages,” said Rehberg. “I’ve talked to educators from across Montana, and they just want a level playing field and a chance to compete fairly.”

“With the reauthorization of ESEA, we have a chance to change America’s education system for the better,” said Dave Puyear, Executive Director of the Montana Rural Education Association. “If we miss that chance, it will be five years before we are able to fix our mistakes. I thank Rep. Rehberg for supporting rural educators and giving voice to our concerns. Our chance to protect Montana’s kids is now, and I hope the bill will consider rural and urban students as equals.”

The letter is included below:

Dear Chairman Miller and Ranking Member Kline:

As Members representing rural districts, we would like to offer our comments on the upcoming reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and the issues facing rural education. Your attention to these concerns is greatly appreciated.

SUPPORT THE RURAL EDUCATION ACHIEVEMENT PROGRAM
We would like to express our strong support for the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP), an important tool that provides funding to rural districts for a wide variety of purposes including hiring new teachers, providing professional development opportunities, and bringing new technology to the classroom.

REAP is specifically designed to help level the playing field for small and high-poverty rural school systems. In many of these districts, federal formula programs do not produce enough resources to carry out the purposes of the grant. In addition, small and rural school districts are often forced to forgo federal education dollars because they lack the personnel and the resources to apply for competitive grants. REAP enables school districts to undertake significant reform by allowing them to combine their funding and by providing them with necessary additional funds.

We are deeply concerned that the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2011 budget proposal would allow the Secretary of Education to set aside an unspecified amount of REAP dollars to fund competitive grant initiatives. We strongly encourage the Committee to reject redesigning any component of REAP to provide for competitive grants. In addition, we strongly oppose any changes that allow the Secretary to set aside funding for national rural activities because the program is already facing more demand than it can meet. We, however, support changes to REAP which would allow federal funds to be even more closely targeted to rural, in-need districts.

PRESERVE FORMULA FUNDING
We are concerned by the Administration’s proposal to shift all or portions of program funding, including Title I allocations and REAP funding, to competitive grants and the impact this will have on rural education.

To begin funding these federal programs through competitive grants will lead to greater inequality of federal aid. The districts with more administrative resources are the ones who will be able to apply for competitive grants and the districts without the administrative capacity will be left behind. We ask that you maintain formula funding to ensure rural schools have equal access to much needed federal funding.

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Also at issue are the current School Improvement Grant (SIG) intervention models authorized under the Race-to-the-Top (RTTT) competition and highlighted in the Administration’s Blueprint for Reform. We are deeply concerned that limiting turnaround models to four – three of which lack a strong basis in research – unfairly hampers the efforts of rural communities to invest in turnaround.

As mentioned earlier, rural schools lack the capacities of their urban and suburban counterparts and are often at a distinct disadvantage in recruiting and retaining highly qualified and effective personnel. For these reasons, we ask that additional research-based turnaround models be permitted that would allow rural communities the flexibility they need to address school improvement adequately.

In closing, the policies of the last ESEA did not sufficiently account for the vast differences in school districts throughout the country, making it incredibly difficult for smaller school configurations with limited resources to meet the demands required under the law, particularly as they relate to highly qualified teachers and Supplemental Education Services (SES). During this reauthorization, we encourage you to look at those areas of the law that have failed our rural schools and communities, and ask that you promote policies to support rural schools and enable them to overcome the unique challenges they face.

Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to working with you on this critical reauthorization.

Sincerely,

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today offered an amendment during the initial stages of next year’s Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations Bill reducing the cost to the taxpayer by $13 billion.

“While talking about spending freezes next year, House Democrats are blowing up the spending this year to compensate,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Labor, Health and Humans Services, Education Appropriations Subcommittee.  “This slight of hand is at best ineffective and at worst completely dishonest and cynical.  This freeze is empty rhetoric because it won’t actually reduce spending, or even hold it steady.  Montanans expect better.  My amendment essentially implements the spending freeze a year early – locking last year’s funding level in place.”

The national debt has grown to more than $13 trillion, which is more than $42,000 for every man, woman and child in America.  Despite not passing a budget for the coming year, the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations Subcommittee has requested $176 billion for next year.  That figure was $163 billion this year.  Rehberg’s Amendment reduces the 2011 funding figure to the 2010 level.

“I’ve joined Republicans in forgoing earmarks this year, promising it was the first step toward true comprehensive spending reform,” said Rehberg.  “My amendment gave my Democratic colleagues a chance to actually put taxpayers money where their mouths are, and they said no.  When it comes to fiscal reform, the distinction couldn’t be more clear.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today offered an amendment during the initial stages of next year’s Energy and Water Appropriations Bill reducing the cost to the taxpayer by $1.2 billion.

“While talking about spending freezes next year, House Democrats are blowing up the spending this year to compensate,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee.  “This slight of hand is at best ineffective and at worst completely dishonest and cynical.  This freeze is empty rhetoric because it won’t actually reduce spending, or even hold it steady.  Montanans expect better.  My amendment essentially implements the spending freeze a year early – locking last year’s funding level in place.”

The national debt has grown to more than $13 trillion, which is more than $42,000 for every man, woman and child in America.  Despite not passing a budget for the coming year, the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee has requested $34.7 billion for next year.  That figure was $33.5 billion this year.  Rehberg’s Amendment reduces the 2011 funding figure to the 2010 level.

“I’ve joined Republicans in forgoing earmarks this year, promising it was the first step toward true comprehensive spending reform,” said Rehberg.  “My amendment gave my Democratic colleagues a chance to actually put taxpayers money where their mouths are, and they said no.  When it comes to fiscal reform, the distinction couldn’t be more clear.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today joined House Republican colleagues in unveiling America Speaking Out.  By providing an online forum for Montanans to voice their opinions in setting priorities for a national agenda, this initiative mirrors the public input that Rehberg has solicited at 44 public listening sessions and through online social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

“Montanans are sick and tired of the vote-first-ask-questions-later approach to lawmaking that Speaker Pelosi has adopted.  It’s a recipe for bad laws, and worse, it’s a sign of an unresponsive government that serves its own interests before the interests of the people.  That’s why I hosted 44 public listening sessions.  That’s why I asked for 30 days to come back to Montana and listen before any vote on a health care bill.  That’s why, on a daily basis, I interact with thousands of Montanans on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.  It’s time Washington, D.C. listens to the people.  We want to know what you think.  And that’s what America Speaking Out is all about.”

America Speaking Out is the first legislative website of its kind.  Using modern online tools, it empowers users to submit their own ideas or weigh in on the ideas of others.  It creates a one-of-a-kind pipeline to Washington, D.C. that will help make Congress look a lot more like Montana.  Montanans can access America Speaking Out online at http://www.americaspeakingout.com.

Urges Full House to Join in Moratorium

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has sponsored a house resolution urging Democrats to join the Republican moratorium on earmarks and to support spending reductions equal to the money saved as a result of the decision to forgo earmarks for Fiscal Year 2011.  The Resolution also calls for a complete overhaul of budget and spending practices in Congress, a step in the spending reform that Rehberg has been fighting to implement for almost a decade.

“In the face of record deficits, this Congress has passed record spending and record government expansions,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee.  “In just one year, this Administration quadrupled the deficit as a percentage of America’s economy.  This crisis is here and it’s real.  This Administration must put its fiscal house in order quickly.”

Rehberg joined House Republicans in declaring a unilateral moratorium on earmarks, including tax and tariff-related earmarks for fiscal year 2011.  This moratorium came in the wake of a year that saw record spending, record deficits and record expansions of government.  In 2008 the federal deficit was 3.24% of the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).  In 2009, that number had exploded to 12.93%!

As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, Rehberg has long fought for spending reform, even challenging his own Party when they were in the majority.  In 2006, for example, he broke Republican ranks to support doing away with anonymous earmarks – or representatives slipping money for local projects into bills without attaching their names to it.

Rehberg has also repeatedly sponsored the Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution which would require the Federal Government to act a little more like Montana and not spend money it doesn’t have.

“Real spending reform will require real leadership,” said Rehberg.  “That means replacing tough rhetoric with difficult actions.  Montanans want Congress to tighten our belt, and that’s exactly what I intend to do.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today joined colleagues in passing legislation to prevent an automatic pay rise in Fiscal Year 2011.  He is an original sponsor of this measure.

“With a job-killing agenda and record-setting deficits the majority of members in Congress frankly don’t deserve a pay raise.  This is about more than tightening our belts – it’s about the fact that our bosses – the American people – expect us to practice what we preach.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, this week pressed the Bureau of Reclamation for information pertaining to their priorities and funding of Montana water projects.  The Bureau testified before the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, on which Rehberg sits.

“For tens of thousands of Montanans, water is the key to economic prosperity, job creation and a better quality of life that some in more urban areas take for granted,” said Rehberg.  “It’s my job to ensure Montana gets the biggest bang for its buck.  Unfortunately, this budget request makes Montana a donor state, and it’s my job to ask tough questions and hold Washington bureaucrats accountable for their decisions.”

At the hearing, Rehberg asked why the Bureau requested only $3 million for Montana’s rural water projects in Fiscal Year 2011 despite Montanans having paid roughly $50 million into the Reclamation Fund in previous years.  He asked how the Bureau prioritized projects and whether the budget request reflects the Bureau’s priorities.

Rehberg also asked how long he expected it to take to finish the Rocky Boy’s/North Central and Fort Peck/Dry Prairie projects at the current rate of $1-2 million a year, emphasizing that a more rapid investment in authorized projects would be preferable.  He emphasized that the Bureau should take a more proactive approach to completing construction on its ongoing projects to ensure these projects are completed in a timely manner.

“The Fort Peck Tribes and DryPrairie really appreciate Congressman Rehberg raising the issue of why Montana’s taxpayers are only getting back a fraction of what they pay into the BOR fund,” said Clint Jacobs, Manager, Dry Prairie Rural Water.  “Reclamation needs to do more, and the Tribes and Dry Prairie appreciate Denny’s efforts and support over the years to provide safe drinking water for Northeast Montana.”

Long after the unsinkable Titanic settled at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, people asked whether the disaster had been avoidable.  Titanic had been the greatest ship the world had ever seen, but hubris excused reckless speeds in dangerous waters and critical warning signs were ignored.           

Today, at the helm of the greatest nation the world has ever seen, the same hubris threatens the same results putting our future in real jeopardy.  With every dollar of new debt to countries like China and Saudi Arabia, we steam deeper into dark waters riddled with fiscal icebergs. And our Captain is ordering more speed – more debt.

Deficit spending is not new, but the unprecedented rate of spending in Congress is.  In fact, after the huge spending increases of the past year, the money we owe is predicted to be almost as much as the nation’s total economic output for an entire year.  Beyond unsustainable, we are on a collision course with an economic disaster every bit as dangerous as the iceberg that sank Titanic.

The source of the problem is the spending culture in Washington, D.C.  With every new challenge we face – from the economy to health care costs to overreliance on foreign energy – the only solution that Washington offers is more spending.  Even the deficit itself will supposedly be fixed by spending a trillion dollars on health care.  Only in Congress would anyone think that the answer to overspending is more spending. It’s time to right our fiscal course, which is why I have joined House Republicans in a self-imposed moratorium on earmarks.  This is only the first step toward true spending reform that will make Washington look a little more like Montana. As a portion of the total spending in Washington, earmarks are just the tip of the iceberg.  Eliminating them doesn’t fix the bulk of ice under the water’s surface, but earmarks are important because they provide a peek at the bigger problem.

I recently asked Montanans what they thought about earmarks.  Of the thousands that responded to my survey, nine out of ten viewed earmarks unfavorably.  Together, they indicated that of the various types of federal spending, earmarks were the worst, which is why 90% supported my decision to forgo earmarks this year. These Montanans get it.  They understand the importance of earmarks isn’t in their dollar amount, but how they reinforce the spending culture in Congress.

To change how Congress spends, we need to first change the culture that rewards spending over saving.  For every announcement of a funding decrease in Congress, you could find ten funding increases. Earmarks give each member of Congress a small piece of the massive spending pie.  Voting against these bills, then, means voting against pet projects and that can lead to “bad press” back home. Last year, I voted against 10 of 12 spending bills, and each time, I was criticized by some for voting against Montana projects.  Every politician claims they want to help children, and the best place to start is by making sure our kids don’t have to inherit the $41,000 in debt that every American currently owes.

Like the Titanic, we can’t turn on a dime.  Spending reform will take time and sacrifice, but it’s a sacrifice Montanans are willing to make.  Once we start to change the culture that glorifies spending, we can focus on more fundamental reforms. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I’m in an ideal position to bring some Montana values to Washington.

We can start by zero-basing the budget.  Currently, each year’s budget is based on the previous year’s allotment, plus inflation and increases.  Because everyone has a horse in the race, no one questions the starting point.  But we should, because a dollar spent last year isn’t by itself a good reason to spend another dollar this year.

By avoiding the icebergs that we can see, we can start navigating out of the dangerous waters completely.  That means a serious conversation about entitlement reform.  Two out of every three dollars the federal government spends are on entitlements like Social Security and Medicare.  This year, Social Security will pay out more than it takes in.  Entitlements are a time bomb that needs to be defused.

We need to balance the budget.  If it’s good enough for Montana’s families and our state government, a balanced budget ought to be good enough for Congress.  I’ve sponsored an Amendment to the Constitution that would require just that – a balanced budget.

As Titanic steamed through the North Atlantic, the crew ignored the small chunks of ice because they didn’t see them as a threat.  They didn’t realize they were warnings of much bigger problems ahead. The federal government can still turn this ship around, but we have to start now by paying heed to the little warnings that will lead to big changes.