Congressman Denny Rehberg

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today sponsored a Resolution preventing Speaker Nancy Pelosi from passing Health Care by “deeming” the Senate bill as passed.  The so-called “Slaughter Rule” would let the House of Representatives pass a law without holding a vote.

“Even with a 40 vote advantage in the House, the policy that we’re being asked to support is so unpopular that Speaker Pelosi can’t find enough votes to pass it,” said Rehberg.  “Pelosi has given up even trying to talk about the merits of the bill, warning that the only way the American people could see what was in it was for Congress to pass it.”

The House Resolution Rehberg sponsored would require an up or down vote so that members of Congress would be held to account for their votes by their constituents.

“When a restaurant doesn’t put the prices on the menu, it usually means someone’s going to be upset when the bill comes,” said Rehberg.  “In this case, Congress is planning to stick Montana taxpayers with the bill for their government takeover of health care.  This isn’t how Democracy is supposed to work.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, has sponsored a House Resolution expressing the sense of the Congress that no one should be fined or put in jail for failing to purchase government-approved health insurance.  Such a mandate, punishable by fines which can result in jail time if unpaid, has been included as a major aspect of health reform packages being debated.

“When Montanans told me they were unhappy with the cost of health care, no one dreamed that Congress would respond by forcing them to buy insurance or risk going to jail,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee.  “Montanans don’t need Washington D.C. telling them how to live and where to spend their money.  They certainly don’t need federal agents throwing them in jail if they disagree with federal bureaucrats.”

Speaker Pelosi is expected to force a vote on her health care package later this week.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today released the following statement following testimony of U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar before a Senate committee today.  Last week, Rehberg asked the Secretary for details pertaining to a leaked memo that lays out plans to use the Antiquities Act to carve out 13 million acres of national monuments in 11 western states including Montana.  That information has not yet been provided.  Rehberg also introduced H.R. 4754, which requires congressional approval of new National Monument designations in Montana, similar to a provision already in place for Wyoming.

“Public input is certainly important, but it’s not enough if that input is ignored or comes after a policy has been written or implemented.  When it comes to executive action, we’ve already seen this Administration shoot first and ask questions later, and now that the sights are on millions of acres in Montana, the responsible action is to reassert congressional oversight, just like Wyoming has already done.”

WASHINGTON D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, cosponsored the Open Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) of 2010, with bipartisan supporters from other Western states. The legislation reinstates oversight and transparency measures for taxpayer payments made to organizations through the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA).

“I think Montanans would be outraged to learn that huge national special interest groups with multi-million dollar endowments are bankrolling thousands of lawsuits with tax dollars meant for small businesses, individuals and non-profits,” said Rehberg a member of the House Western Caucus.  “It’s one thing to have access to the courts, but it’s another to force taxpayers to pay for it.  Since 1995, the federal government has inexplicably stopped tracking how it spends these funds, and it’s time to restore the transparency and accountability.”

Originally passed in 1980, EAJA was meant to help provide fair access to legal remedies for individuals, small businesses and non-profits with limited means.  It does this by reimbursing attorney’s fees for plaintiffs who sue the federal government if they win the case or settle out of court.  The original legislation required annual reports to Congress on the amount and nature of EAJA payments, but those reports ended in 1995.

Two private studies, one by a Wyoming law firm and another by Virginia Tech University, have shown that despite congressional intent to assist small organizations, some large environmental obstructionist groups appear to be the biggest beneficiaries of EAJA payments.  The Wyoming study, for example, found that more than 1,200 federal cases were filed in 19 states and the District of Columbia by just 14 environmental groups.  The cost to the taxpayer was $37 million.

The Open EAJA Act reinstates and consolidates tracking and reporting requirements under the Department of Justice (DOJ), and requires the DOJ to publish a public online, searchable database of EAJA payments.  It would also authorize an audit of the last 15 years, during which the fund has operated with absolutely no oversight.

“The hard working folks of the Montana Wood Products Association appreciate Rep. Rehberg signing on to the Open EAJA Act of 2010,” said Ellen Simpson, the Executive Vice President of the Montana Wood Products Association.  “Changes in EAJA are sorely needed to shine a bright light on obstructionists who have made a cottage industry out of suing the Forest Service to stop active management on Montana’s national forests.  The taxpayers have a right to know how their money is being spent and who benefits while the forests die.  The Open EAJA Act of 2010 will provide that information.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today released the following statement following the President’s unveiling of a proposal to bridge the gap between the current House and Senate health care bills. The introduction of the bill comes just three days before he is scheduled to meet with Republican Leaders to hear their ideas, ostensibly to incorporate them into his proposal.

“Montanans aren’t fooled by the fresh coat of paint. This bill is still the same lemon that was soundly rejected by the vast majority of Montanans I heard from last year at 36 public listening sessions across the state. The American people want real health care reform and they deserve an open, bipartisan process that’s done in the light of day. Today’s theatrics are more of the same; a bill crafted in secret behind closed doors and without public input or scrutiny.

“There are better alternatives to lower the cost of health care and increase access, and the President will hear many of those ideas at a bipartisan summit this Thursday. Instead of introducing his proposals three days early, I encourage the President to come to the table with an open mind to find a workable solution that prioritizes the American people.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today released the following statement regarding the President’s budget proposal for 2011.

“Despite promises of fiscal restraint, this blockbuster budget spends too much, borrows too much and taxes too much. It’s full of the same failed policies that gave us record spending, record debt and double-digit unemployment over the past year. It’s time to get this country on track for a true economic recovery. Instead, this budget plan offers more irresponsible and unsustainable government spending.”

The President’s budget contains $3.8 trillion in spending for Fiscal Year 2011. It pushes the deficit to $1.6 trillion this year and ensures that it will never drop below $700 billion over the next decade. It also raises taxes by $2 trillion through 2020.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman Denny Rehberg issued the following statement on the President’s 2010 State of the Union Address to a Joint Session of Congress.

“ America must look forward not backward, but we also must remember the lessons of the past.  Last year, we saw reckless deficit spending with no tangible benefit to the taxpayers.  While unemployment reached double digits, government spending increased 66% - in a single year.  Clearly, we can’t spend our way into prosperity.

“Last year, I called for ‘bipartisan restraint.’  We must balance the budget by cutting spending, not raising taxes.  Without Congressional action, Americans will face the largest tax increase in our history.  It will further harm our economy and cost real jobs.  There’s never a good time to raise taxes, but I can’t think of a worse time than now.

“It’s time for Congress to abandon its pursuit of job-killing policies.  Whether it’s cap and tax legislation or a government takeover of health care we can’t continue to saddle small businesses with the burden of special interest priorities.  It’s time for a real economic stimulus that empowers small businesses and families.

“Finally, we must not turn our back to the real threat of terrorism.  Recent events have demonstrated the need to increase our national vigilance in order to protect our lives and our way of life.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, joined House colleagues in passing legislation to accelerate the tax benefit for charitable cash contributions made for the benefit of the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. Rehberg is an original cosponsor of this legislation. Similar legislation has been introduced in the U.S. Senate.

“If we can make it a little easier to help those in dire need of assistance in Haiti, Congress has an obligation to act,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee. “This bill is a small fix that can have big ramifications for families that may want to give now, even when they are struggling themselves.”

This bill permits taxpayers to treat charitable contributions of cash made between January 11 and March 1, 2010 to be counted as if they were made in 2009. This gives taxpayers the opportunity to accelerate the tax benefit by claiming the charitable deduction on their 2009 returns. The bill is similar to a provision enacted in the aftermath of the 2005 Indian Ocean tsunami.

“Jan and I continue to pray for the people of Haiti,” said Rehberg. “Like so many Montanans, I’m ready to help in any way that I can.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, is an original co-sponsor of legislation that will be introduced when the House of Representatives reconvenes to accelerate the tax benefit for charitable cash contributions made for the benefit of the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

“When we see people in need, Montanans have always been among the most generous in the world,” said Rehberg, a member of the House Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee. “It’s my job to make that generosity a little easier during hard economic times. We can do that by letting people claim a tax deduction for charitable giving immediately instead of waiting a year.”

It permits taxpayers to treat charitable contributions of cash made between January 11 and March 1, 2010 to be counted as if they were made in 2009. This gives taxpayers the opportunity to accelerate the tax benefit by claiming the charitable deduction on their 2009 returns. The bill is similar to a provision enacted in the aftermath of the 2005 Indian Ocean tsunami.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Haiti,” said Rehberg. “Like so many Montanans, I’m ready to help in any way that I can.”

WASHINGTON, DC – Montana’s Congressman, Denny Rehberg, today issued the following statement supporting a request by C-SPAN that all future health care negotiations be open to the public through media coverage.

“Despite promises that this Congress would be the most open and transparent in history, every single major piece of legislation we have considered has been stitched together in secret back rooms and then rushed through the legislative process, bypassing committees and public scrutiny.

“Now, as the government takeover of health care is being finalized, Republicans have been kicked out of the room and the doors have been closed to the public.  This is not how a Representative Government behaves.

“With health care, we’re talking about more than one sixth of our economy.  We’re literally talking about life and death and the very standard of living we enjoy in this country.  If we get this wrong, we can’t undo it.  The public has a right to see this process in its entirety.

“President Obama, Senate and House leaders, many of your rank-and-file members, and the nation’s editorial pages have all talked about he value of transparent discussions on reforming the nation’s heath care system,” wrote C-SPAN in a letter to House and Senate Leadership.  Now that the process moves to the critical stage of reconciliation between the Chambers, we respectfully request that you allow the public full access, through television, to legislation that will affect the lives of every single American.”

Last year, Rehberg signed a pledge not to vote for any health care bill that hasn’t been online for at least 72 hours and that he hasn’t personally read.  This pledge came after several major bills were passed without enough time for them to be read.

In February, 2009, Congress passed a so-called “stimulus” bill that was the largest spending bill in American history. Members of Congress were given only 13 hours to examine the bill, which was 1,100 pages long. At the time, Rehberg said, “The bill was dropped on us [the U.S. House] at 11 o’clock at night. I would have had to read each and every page in that bill in 24 seconds or less. That’s how much time we had.”

In June, 2009, a 300-page amendment was added to the Cap and Tax bill at 3 a.m. on the day the bill was passed in the House. The complete bill was never made available in its entirety by the time of the vote. Even more troubling, Speaker Pelosi demanded a vote on the legislation even though it included blank pages as placeholders for portions that would be added later.