Congressman Denny Rehberg

BILLINGS, MT – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today contacted Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano urging her to immediately freeze additional funding for the soon-to-be-one-way Port of Entry at Whitetail in Montana and to conduct a review before completing the $8.5 million project. The funding for the port has been a matter of national criticism for some time, all the more now that Canada has decided to close its side of the port, effectively making the port available only for Canadian entry into the United States.

“After hearing from the folks who live in northeast Montana, I can say that despite the popular myth that government waste is embraced by those who are supposed to benefit from it, Montanans aren’t happy about how their tax dollars are being wasted,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee. “$8.5 million is too much to spend for a press release and a ribbon cutting ceremony, and at this point, that looks to be the only benefit this project has. It’s my job to safeguard tax dollars, and I’m making sure this boondoggle doesn’t slip through the cracks.”

When it comes to the ‘so-called’ Stimulus, Rehberg has been a vocal critic of ongoing waste and an advocate for accountability and transparency. For example, he expressed frustration when the cost of the Billings Federal Courthouse ballooned from $35 million to almost $60 million as a result of the influx of stimulus funding. He has also fought against wasting millions of dollars creating the political highway signs crediting the ‘so-called’ Stimulus with funding for construction projects.

“I recommend that the Department of Homeland Security conduct a thorough review to determine whether the Port of Whitetail should remain open,” wrote Rehberg in his letter. “Furthermore, I recommend that the Department freeze any further ARRA spending at the Port of Whitetail until this review can be completed. I believe the Department would do a great disservice to the American taxpayer if it completed construction at the Port of Whitetail and later closed the Port due to lack of use.”

Dear Secretary Napolitano:

Last week, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced its intention to close Saskatchewan’s Port of Big Beaver on April 1, 2011. As you know, Big Beaver is the sister location to Montana’s Whitetail Port of Entry.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 allocated $420 million for the modernization of land ports operated by Customs and Border Patrol. According to Recovery.gov, $8.5 million of this allocation is to be spent modernizing and upgrading the Port of Whitetail.

Given that fewer than five vehicles per day pass through Whitetail, its proximity to the Port of Scobey just 12 miles away, and the upcoming closure of its Canadian counterpart; my constituents and I question the wisdom of spending millions of taxpayer dollars modernizing the Port of Whitetail.

Last Fall, following widespread concern about the cost of port modernization projects on the Northern Border, your office appointed an independent committee to conduct a 30-day review of the project allocations. During this review, the independent committee visited the Port of Whitetail and a handful of other ports before making several recommendations in a document entitled 30-Day CBP Port Modernization Review: Summary and Department Response. Among their recommendations, the independent committee suggested that:

“The Department should conduct periodic studies to determine whether any ports of entry should be closed. Although permanent closure of a port of entry involves a number of complex considerations (international relations and impacts on local residents to name just two), some of the facilities that currently exist are separated by only several miles and have low traffic volumes.”

According to that same document, the Department of Homeland Security responded to this suggestion, saying that: “This recommendation will be taken under advisement and reviewed in consultation with the interagency.”

While I understand the need for interagency consultation, I believe that CBSA’s closure of the Big Beaver port dramatically impacts the current plans for the rehabilitation and expansion of the Port.

Due to the Canadian decision to close the Port of Big Beaver, I recommend that the Department of Homeland Security conduct a thorough review to determine whether the Port of Whitetail should remain open. Furthermore, I recommend that the Department freeze any further ARRA spending at the Port of Whitetail until this review can be completed. I believe the Department would do a great disservice to the American taxpayer if it completed construction at the Port of Whitetail and later closed the Port due to lack of use.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 225-3211.

Sincerely,

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today offered an amendment during the initial stages of writing next year’s State Department and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill that would reduce the cost to the taxpayer by $4 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 State and Foreign Operations 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 in place.”

Rehberg, who has been a vocal advocate for spending reform in Congress, made the case that the 60 percent increase in funding since 2008 is excessive in normal times, let alone when deficits are running at record highs.  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has added 2,250 taxpayer funded positions to her staff and USAID has added 820 taxpayer funded jobs.  Funds for Climate Change have more than quadrupled in the last three years.  All while the national debt grew 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 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee has requested $57 billion for next year.  That figure was $49 billion this year, and last year it was $37 billion.  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, has cosponsored legislation to prohibit the Department of Interior (DOI) and Department of Agriculture (USDA) from preventing the U.S. Border Patrol from fulfilling its congressionally mandated mission to control our borders.  Some DOI and USDA policies, including forbidding the use of motorized vehicles on certain lands, have seriously undermined border control efforts on the northern border.

“Once again, bungling bureaucrats have put Montana families at risk,” said Rehberg, a co-chair of the House Northern Border Caucus.  “As long as we have holes in our border security, they will be exploited by terrorists, drug smugglers and human traffickers.  It’s one thing to deal with the logistics of protecting ourselves, but it’s another thing to enact policies that actively prevent controlling the border.”

While Americans are demanding border control, inflexible environmental policies instituted on DOI and Forest Service lands have closed off large segments of the border to necessary control efforts.  More than 1,000 miles of the U.S.-Canada border are on federal lands, crossing 13 states, 12 National Parks and 4 Indian reservations.

Unfortunately, Border Patrol access has been limited by public land managers who have literally locked out Border Patrol vehicles.  To address this serious problem, Rehberg joined Western Caucus colleagues in sponsoring H.R. 5016, which would prohibit DOI and USDA from impeding the Border Patrol.

“No state other than Alaska has a longer border with Canada,” said Rehberg.  “That makes Montana particularly vulnerable to the consequences of failing to control our border.  Let’s get the federal government on the same page, and get our borders secured.”

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.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has sponsored the European Bailout Protection Act (H.R. 5299), which prevents U.S. participation in the proposed bailout to European Union (EU) countries, including Greece.

“I strongly opposed using taxpayer dollars to bail out private American companies because of the poor business decisions they made,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee.  “Now we’re talking about bailing out foreign countries and currencies that are in trouble because of the poor fiscal choices they made.  I cannot and will not support that.  While Americans are generous in situations of humanitarian disasters, using tax dollars to bankroll failed European governments is what forced us to declare our independence in the first place.”

The European Union’s members and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have pledged $145 billion to bail out Greece after it’s unsustainable fiscal policy finally crossed the tipping point.  Of that, $40 billion are from the IMF.  Since the United States is the largest contributor to the IMF, American taxpayers could be on the hook for up to $6.8 billion in loan guarantees from the IMF.  But this figure could increase to as much as $1 trillion in total, putting U.S. taxpayers on the line for up to $50 billion in additional loan guarantees to bail out Europe.

This legislation prevents the disbursement of new International Monetary Fund (IMF) funds to any EU countries until they are in full compliance with the debt to GDP ratio requirement in their own collective growth pact.  More importantly, it also requires the Treasury Secretary to oppose any IMF loans to EU nations until all EU countries are in compliance with their debt to GDP ratio requirement.

Rehberg also pointed out parallels between what’s happened in Greece and is currently happening in the United States.  “The U.S. isn’t immune to the consequences of ongoing unsustainable deficits.  As Washington, D.C. pushes America kicking and screaming toward a European system of government, the failures in Greece ought to serve as a warning.  California proves that it can happen here too, and if our country collapses, there won’t be enough money in the world to bail us out.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has been recognized for promoting “the principles of liberty and the strength of the Constitution,” by the American Conservative Union (ACU), the nation’s oldest and largest conservative grassroots organization.  Rehberg was named an “ACU Conservative” with a 92% percent rating in 2009 based on 25 votes covering government bailouts, wasteful spending, taxes, and health care reform.  Rehberg has a 90% lifetime rating with the ACU.

“I voted with Montanans who believe that government isn’t the solution to all our problems and that government is most effective when it empowers individuals with freedom and opportunity,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Liberty Caucus.  “It’s these ideals, shaped by the input from Montanans at 44 listening sessions that shape my voting record.”

The American Conservative Union was founded in 1964 as a grassroots organization promoting traditional values, a market economy, a strong national defense, and the doctrines of the Constitution.  The ACU has published an annual rating of Congress since 1971 based on 25 votes each in the House and Senate.  Key issues in the first session of the 111th Congress included the financial industry bailouts, stimulus spending, energy policy, federal abortion funding, and health care reform.  Rehberg is the only member of the Montana delegation to vote against every bailout and the $1 trillion so-called stimulus package.

“This award is a reflection of Representative Denny Rehberg’s consistent support of conservative principles on a wide range of issues of concern to grass roots conservatives in 2009,” said David A. Keene, Chairman of the American Conservative Union.  “At a challenging time when the fundamental principles on which the American system of government are being challenged, Representative Denny Rehberg stands with those who are trying to preserve those principles.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, met with officials from the State Department and the Agency for International Development this week to continue fighting to streamline the process for Haitian orphans waiting to be adopted by families in Montana and elsewhere in the Untied States. Approximately 40 Haitian children are already in the process of being adopted, and Rehberg is requesting federal assistance in clearing the final hurdles and arranging safe passage out of the earthquake-torn country.

“These orphans are not only going to be American citizens, but Montanans as well, and I’m working with the State Department and USAID to help ensure their safety,” said Rehberg, a member of the House State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee. “There is understandably fear and frustration on part of the families who want to get their children home. I’m asking the State Department to speed up the paperwork, and that USAID use its resources to unite these orphans with their adoptive parents.”

Rehberg met this week with Ambassador Craig Kelly, of the State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, and Dr. Rajiv Shah, Administrator Designate with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Rehberg noted there are around 140 humanitarian flights into Haiti on a daily basis, and is asking the agencies to look into the possibility of using those departing planes as an emergency means of transportation to the U.S. for the orphans. In a letter to Dr. Shah, Rehberg also asked the organization to do whatever is necessary to see that these parents have access to USAID flights into Haiti to assist in the rescue.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, was recognized for promoting “the principles of liberty and the strength of the Constitution,” by the American Conservative Union (ACU), the nation’s oldest and largest conservative grassroots organization.  Rehberg was named an “ACU Conservative” with an 84% percent rating in 2008 based on 25 votes covering taxes, wasteful government spending, cultural issues, defense, and foreign policy.  Rehberg has a 90% lifetime rating with the ACU.

“This award recognizes my core belief that government cannot solve problems alone, and that government is most effective when it empowers individuals with freedom and opportunity,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Appropriations Committee.  “It’s these ideals, along with input from Montanans, that shape my voting record.”

The American Conservative Union was founded in 1964 as a grassroots organization promoting traditional values, a market economy, a strong national defense, and the doctrines of the Constitution.  The ACU has published an annual rating of Congress since 1971 based on 25 votes each in the House and Senate.  Key issues in the second session of the 110th Congress included the financial industry bailouts, stimulus spending, energy policy, illegal immigration, and 2nd Amendment rights.  Rehberg is the only member of the Montana delegation to vote against every bailout and the $1 trillion so-called stimulus package.

“Congressman Rehberg received the ACU Ratings Award for 2008 for his support of conservative principles on a wide range of issues,” said ACU Chairman David A. Keene.  “Congressman Rehberg’s lifetime rating of “90” over 8 years of service reflects a consistent devotion to conservative principles of government.  Denny is a member of Congress that grass roots conservatives in Montana and across the country can look to for leadership.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today released the full text from his address to a Joint Session of the Montana State Legislature.  Rehberg, a member of the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, served in the Montana Legislature for three terms beginning in 1984.

The speech is available for download at http://www.house.gov/rehberg/Rehberg_Address2009.pdf and included below.

The text of the speech, except for the excerpts distributed yesterday, is embargoed until the speech is delivered at around 2 pm, Friday, March 13, 2009.

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WASHINGTON, DC – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, will fill an expanded role on the powerful House Appropriations Committee in the 111th Congress. He will retain his appointments on the Energy & Water Subcommittee and the Labor, Health & Human Services, Education Subcommittee, while picking up a seat on the State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Subcommittee. All three subcommittee assignments give Rehberg leverage on issues of importance to Montana.

“The seniority I’ve been able to gain in the Appropriations Committee means that Montana’s values have a loud voice in Washington, D.C.,” said Rehberg. “Montanans offer the common-sense perspectives that Congress needs, and I’m proud to sit at these negotiating tables on their behalf.”

The Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development plays a key roll in crafting a comprehensive energy policy that secures our energy future without relying on unstable and unfriendly regions of the world. “Montana is a warehouse of energy opportunities, but we have to act quickly and decisively if we’re going to realize them,” said Rehberg. The Committee also funds several important Montana water projects, such as the St. Mary’s Diversion, the Ft. Peck/Dry Prairie Regional Water System, and the Rocky Boys/North Central Regional Water System.

The Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education provides funding that keeps Montana on the forefront of innovative solutions to the unique problems faced by rural America. “Montana faces many challenges in healthcare and education,” said Rehberg. “I will continue to work with my colleagues to find solutions to these important issues.”

The Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs oversees spending through various agencies involved with all aspects of U.S. foreign policy. Rehberg is returning to the Committee, where he previously served in 2005 and 2006. “When it comes to foreign aid, Montanans are generous,” said Rehberg. “But we also demand accountability for the money that we spend. This subcommittee allows me broad oversight to ensure that our tax dollars are not being wasted.”