Jason Chaffetz tag:chaffetz.house.gov,2008-09-11://4 2010-01-29T20:23:16Z Press Releases from Representative Jason Chaffetz within the last 90 days Movable Type Enterprise 4.24-en Rep. Chaffetz joins Bipartisan Group of Members to Introduce Immigration Resolution tag:chaffetz.house.gov,2010://4.435  

Washington, DC—Today a bipartisan group led by freshman Members of Congress introduced a resolution seeking to bridge the political divide between parties on the issue of immigration by outlining some of the key principles that should guide immigration reform. Representatives Chaffetz (R-UT), Kratovil (D-MD), Hunter (R-CA), and Nye (D-VA) were joined by 18 of their colleagues on H. Res. 1026 the Bipartisan Reform of Immigration through Defining Good Enforcement (“BRIDGE”) Resolution. 
 
The BRIDGE Resolution reaffirms that the continued peace, prosperity, liberty, and national security of the United States depend upon effective immigration enforcement policies which both welcome lawful immigrants and also prevent individuals from entering or remaining in the U.S. illegally.
 
Specifically, the resolution states that Congress should:
·         make E-Verify mandatory for all employers, and hold employees accountable as well;
·         provide sufficient border infrastructure and manpower to secure and control our borders; and,
·         reject amnesty and any legal status which pardons those here in violation of our laws.
“Our government has a duty and responsibility to make our first immigration priority the enforcement of existing laws by ensuring that illegal behavior is punished, not rewarded,” said Rep. Chaffetz. “Any discussion of comprehensive immigration reform must begin with a renewed commitment to enforce our immigration laws. We need to remove the incentives that encourage illegal behavior if we expect to get immigration under control.”
“We are a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws.  The immigration reform debate must start with both an acknowledgement of the historical and contemporary importance of immigration to our nation and a renewed commitment to the rule of law,” said Rep. Kratovil.  “This resolution calls for Congress to take a common sense approach to immigration reform:  enforcing the rules already on the books, punishing those who knowingly choose to violate them, and opposing any plans that reward or incentivize illegal behavior at the expense of those who are trying to play by the rules.”
“Our national and economic security continues to be undermined by our porous borders and the inconsistent enforcement of existing immigration laws,” said Rep. Hunter.  “The immigration reform debate must not be dictated by misguided calls for open borders or amnesty.  The American people expect security to be a priority and immigration laws to be thoroughly enforced in our communities and the workplace.  This resolution reiterates these principles, which should be the basis for immigration reform.”
Complete list of original cosponsors: 
  1. Chaffetz, J. (UT-03) - sponsor
  2. Kratovil, F. (MD-01)
  3. Hunter, D. (CA-52)
  4. Nye, G. (VA-02)
  5. Lummis, C. (WY-At large)
  6. Fleming, J. (LA-04)
  7. Coffman, M. (CO-06)
  8. McClintock, T. (CA-04)
  9. Posey, B. (FL-15)
  10. Roe, P. (TN-01)
  11. Harper, G. (MS-03)
  12. Jenkins, L. (KS-02)
  13. Barrow, J. (GA-12)
  14. Bright, B. (AL-02)
  15. Luetkemeyer, B. (MO-09)
  16. Olson, P. (TX-22)
  17. Taylor, G. (MS-04)
  18. Murphy, P. (PA-08)
  19. McIntyre, M. (NC-07)
  20. Kagen, S. (WI-08)
  21. Shuler, H. (NC-11)
  22. Childers, T. (MS-01)
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]]> Congressman Chaffetz Introduces Bill to Prevent Individuals with Criminal Records from Conducting the Census tag:chaffetz.house.gov,2010://4.434  

Washington, DC- Today, Congressman Chaffetz introduced a bill seeking to preclude individuals who have a pending charge or have been convicted of a crime from serving as enumerators for the collection of census data. The bill, H.R. 4484, was in response to GAO report 10-132T addressing the issue of the Census Bureau’s hiring of temporary workers that may have criminal records.
 
“Allowing individuals with criminal records to be enumerators, who go out into the public and walk up to people’s homes and knock on doors, can have serious detrimental effects on the American people’s confidence in the Census,” said Chaffetz. “The safety and security of Americans in their homes are at stake. Moreover, integrity in the process is vital to successful completion of the Census.”
 
Has the Census Bureau hired anyone with a criminal background?
In October 2009, Congressman Chaffetz sent a letter to the Census Bureau requesting information on what previous criminal offenses disqualify an applicant and which ones do not. Mr. Chaffetz also asked for data identifying how many temporary employees (canvassers) had been hired by type of criminal offense. The Census Bureau has not provided this specific information.
Based on meetings with the Census Bureau and the FBI, staff obtained the following information verbally. Neither the FBI nor the Census provided any written data or documentation to staff.
Census Bureau stated that the following crimes would disqualify applicants from employment:
-          Murder, rape, armed robbery
-          Heavy marijuana usage
-          Dealing drugs
-          ID theft
-          Child molestation/porn
-          Registered sex offenders
 
The following crimes would NOT disqualify applicants from employment.
-          “Certain” property crimes
-          Minimal marijuana use
-          Prostitution
-          Peeping Tom (unless it leads to sex offender registration)
-          DUI
 
 
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]]> Government is Growing, America is Hurting tag:chaffetz.house.gov,2009://4.431  

Washington, DC—Congressman Chaffetz, the Ranking Member Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia,  issued the following statement in response to the overwhelming increase in federal salaries during the recession.
 
“I about fell off my chair when I saw that the number of federal employees making more than $150,000 have more than doubled in the last18 months,” said Chaffetz. “While the American people are hurting, the federal government is padding its pocket. This is totally inappropriate and unacceptable. We will be calling upon Chairman Lynch to convene a hearing to have them justify what is happening here.” 
 
Today  in USA TODAY, Dennis Cauchon compared how federal workers have done in the recession versus private workers. OPM data shows large increases in federal pay, especially at the higher end.

Federal employees earning $100,000+ per year. Change since recession started:

 
Dec-07
Jun-09
% change
over $100,000
263,027
382,758
46%
over $150,000
30,450
66,538
119%
over $170,000
11,460
22,157
93%

 
 For a comparison to private sector:

Salary change during recession, from December 2007 through June 2009:

Employer
Average Annual Salary, June 2009
Average Annual
Dollar increase
% change
Private
40,331
1,498
3.9%
State-local
54,101
2,018
3.9%
Federal
71,206
4,436
6.6%
 

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics; Office of Personnel Management

 
 Inflation was 1.2% during this time.

 

]]> The Omnibus Bill: Bad Government at its Worst tag:chaffetz.house.gov,2009://4.427  

 
Washington, DC— Speaker Pelosi plans to bring a massive spending bill to the Floor that spends nearly half the discretionary portion of the federal budget. The bill will be debated for just one hour. The bill was released from the Rules Committee yesterday and Members and the public have just one day to review this 2,500 + page, $466 billion dollar bill before today’s scheduled vote.  The bill contains more than 5,000 earmarks and for the six departments included in the bill it increases their base funding by 12 percent.
 
“This omnibus bill is bad government at its worst,” said Chaffetz. “It does not provide the necessary openness and transparency the usual appropriations process provides. It makes it easy to overlook egregious spending provisions that would never pass on their own merit.”
 
For example, along with many other inappropriate provisions, the bill allows the District of Columbia to use public funds for abortion, needle exchanges, and lays the groundwork to terminate the DC school voucher scholarship program. It also weakens the ban on funding for registration and benefits to domestic partners and medical marijuana.
 
“These provisions would never pass the House by themselves,” said Rep. Chaffetz, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia. “Democrat Leadership continues to force their agenda on the American people by cramming in multiple anti-family and anti-life provisions in one large omnibus package.”
 
For example, Financial Services Division of the Omnibus Appropriations bill for FY10:
 
  • Abortion - Removes a long-standing provision to prohibit all government funds (federal and local) from being used to provide abortion services in the District of Columbia.  By inserting the word “federal” before funds, the bill allows the DC government to fund abortions using public dollars.– Pg. 188-189, Sec. 814
  • Needle Exchange - Allows local DC funds to be used for needle exchanges and only prohibits federal funds for use at locations determined by local health or law enforcement officials to be inappropriate.  This is a significant change from the House-passed version that would have prohibited funds from being used to operate a needle exchange program in the District of Columbia within 1,000 feet of any school, day care, or youth activity center. – Pg. 185, Sec. 810
  • School Vouchers - Includes $12.2 million for DC school vouchers – known as the District of Columbia Opportunity Scholarships program. However, the legislation will only allow currently enrolled students to receive a voucher, which ultimately will lead to a termination of the program. – Pg. 64-65, “Federal Payment for School Improvement”
  • Registration and Benefits to Domestic Partners- Eliminates the long-standing prohibitions on the use of federal funds for the implementation a DC employee health benefits program for domestic partners, or any system of domestic partnership registration.
  • Medical Marijuana - Contains a provision that changes long-standing policy language regarding the use of funds for implementation of a medical marijuana program in the District of Columbia. As a result, while the use of federal funds for this program is prohibited, DC will be allowed to use local funds to implement a medical marijuana program. pg. 188, Sec. 813

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]]> Provo Post Office Bill to Rex E. Lee Passed House, Senate and Signed by the President tag:chaffetz.house.gov,2009://4.425 Washington D.C. – On November 30th, President Obama signed into law Congressman Chaffetz’ bill dedicating a Provo Post Office to Rex E. Lee. The bill will officially rename the United States Postal Service facility located at 936 South 250 East in Provo the “Rex E. Lee Post Office Building.”
 
“Rex E. Lee cherished Provo and loved BYU. It is appropriate to honor Mr. Lee by dedicating this postal facility. Post Offices are often times synonymous with community. Rex E. Lee was a staple of our community,” said Rep. Chaffetz.
“This is a fitting tribute to one of Utah’s most outstanding citizens,” said Senator Bennett. “I had great respect for Rex Lee. He was always well informed, immensely practical and very funny.”
 
Mr. Lee was a prominent member of the Provo community, serving as student body president of the 1960 graduating class of Brigham Young University, and in 1972 Mr. Lee became the founding dean of the University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School. Mr. Lee went on to serve his Alma Mater as Brigham Young University’s tenth president from 1989-1995. Mr. Lee is also the namesake of the Rex E. Lee Memorial Run, a yearly race in Provo that raises money and awareness for cancer research.
 
Mr. Lee also served his country. From 1975-1976, Mr. Lee was an assistant attorney general in the United States Department of Justice. From there, Mr. Lee served as the Solicitor General of the United States from 1981-1985.   As a litigator, Mr. Lee argued 59 cases before the United States Supreme Court; Mr. Lee’s preparation for his 60th case was interrupted only by his battle with cancer in 1996.
 
“The memory of Rex E. Lee will forever be associated with BYU and the City of Provo.    Rex may be gone, but his life and legacy will never be forgotten” said Rep. Chaffetz."
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]]> Afghanistan: Mr. President, My Recommendations tag:chaffetz.house.gov,2009://4.424  

Afghanistan: Mr. President, My Recommendations

November 30, 2009

 

The United States military is the best fighting force in the world.  I have no doubt in their ability to carry out the missions for which they’ve been trained.

 

Given full resources, unflinching support from the President, and moral authority to win, they can achieve victory anywhere in the world.

 

Tomorrow, after 8 years of war in Afghanistan, the President will announce the results of his year-long deliberation process. I have three suggestions for the President:

 

1) Mr. President, go big or go home.  Our Soldiers, Airmen, Sailors and Marines are trained to fight and WIN wars. They are the best trained and equipped fighting force in the world.  But we’ve tied their hands.  The American people want us to give our troops everything they need to win so they can come home.  In short, give them everything they need or bring the troops home.

 

  • First, we must define the mission:   Our military is not a defensive force for rough neighborhoods around the world.  They are trained to be an offensive, mission-driven military force to protect the United States of America.  They are not trained to be nation builders or policemen.  They are trained to be an aggressive machine that destroys and eliminates the enemy.  Give them a mission and then get out of the way.  They will accomplish the mission swiftly with outstanding results. 

 

  • Second, we must redefine the Rules of Engagement:  A politically correct war is a lost war.  If we are going to sacrifice lives and resources in this fight, we must go in with everything we have.  We must be committed to win.  But then we must go home.  Anything short of an all-out commitment to accomplish the mission puts too many American lives at risk.

 

We can win any war, Mr. President, but only with your full commitment to the mission.  Absent such a commitment, our presence in Afghanistan does nothing more than endanger our troops, compromise our readiness, and waste our money.

 

2) Mr. President, it is time to bring our troops home.  If our mission in Afghanistan is simply to protect the populace and build the nation, then I believe the time has come to bring our troops home.

 

We have successfully rooted out Al-Qaeda from Afghanistan.  Fewer than 100 Al-Qaeda operatives are operating in Afghanistan according to Retired General James L. Jones’ assessment of the situation.  "I don't foresee the return of the Taliban,” he said in an October 4 Associated Press report. Jones, who is President Obama’s National Security Advisor, continued: “Afghanistan is not in imminent danger of falling.  The al Qaeda presence is very diminished. The maximum estimate is less than 100 operating in the country, no bases, no ability to launch attacks on either us or our allies."

 

Mr. President, we all recognize that we will still have to fight Al-Qaeda around the globe.  So let’s bring home the tens of thousands who have fought so valiantly to protect America. Let’s instead use the best human and electronic surveillance available to allow our special forces to target and kill those who actually threaten us. 

 

Retired General Chuck Krulak, 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps, has suggested “Hunter-Killer Teams” with resources and rules of engagement that allow them to root out the enemy and suppress any Al-Qaeda entrenchment.  I concur with the retired General.  If the mission is to root out Al-Qaeda, we do not need to risk the lives of tens of thousands of troops to fulfill it.

 

3) Mr. President, as long as I have your ear, these are the real threats.

While we’re addressing what must be done in Afghanistan, let us recognize the greatest national security threats we face.  Our success in Afghanistan thus far has diminished the threats once posed in that corner of the globe.  However, there remain even greater threats that must be addressed if our security and prosperity are to be protected.

 

·         Iran: From my perspective, as a nation Iran represents the most immediate, genuine threat to world peace.  We must not allow them to achieve nuclear capabilities.  I fear the current administration is giving them precisely what they need . . . time.  The time to take out this threat is now.

 

·         Terrorism: Potential terrorist attacks are a clear and present danger to the United States of America.  Whether they originate in Afghanistan or any other country, we must continue to pour resources into our international efforts to collect and analyze intelligence in real time.  While protecting our domestic liberties, ongoing vigilance will be one of our greatest challenges now and for generations to come.

 

·         Debt:  Finally, the single greatest threat to the long-term stability of the United States of America is our national debt.  Our prosperity and unparalleled quality of life are at stake.  Our inability to control our internal spending creates a national security risk. Our dependence on foreign credit has placed control of our future in the hands of our potential enemies.  Should others decide to dump our debt, or equally as cataclysmic, stop buying our future debt on the world markets, our nation could face calamities we have never before seen.  This danger is real, it is imminent, and it continues to be ignored.  In fact, current policies and actions have put us in even greater danger.

 

Mr. President, in my humble opinion I believe it is time to bring our troops home.  The troops have fought valiantly and won.  Yet, the fight is not over.  For generations the United States must continue to hunt and kill terrorists around the world who want death and destruction for the American people. 

 

Mr. President, if you believe we must continue to fight in Afghanistan with tens of thousands of our men and women, let’s do so with a full commitment to win by giving the commanders in the field everything they need so they can bring all of our troops home swiftly and safely.

 

]]> Twitter-view with Congressman Chaffetz, Dec. 2 at 4pm MST tag:chaffetz.house.gov,2009://4.423 Do you have a question you’re dying to ask Utah’s newest member of Congress, Jason Chaffetz?


Here’s your chance. On Dec. 2 at 4 p.m. (MST), deseretnews.com and Rep. Chaffetz will conduct an hour-long live interview — an electronic town hall meeting — using the social networking site twitter.com. Twitter followers of the Deseret News may join in the conversation using the hashtag #dnews at the end of their tweets. All questions will be selected and moderated by Deseret News editorial page editor Jay Evensen.

Twitter users will be able to follow the discussion using Twitter search. A transcript of this “twittologue” also will be available.

Get ready for this ‘twittologue’ by following Jason Chaffetz http://twitter.com/jasoninthehouse and the Deseret News http://twitter.com/deseretnews on Twitter.

   
If you are not already on Twitter, you can sign up in five easy steps:
 
1.     Go to http://twitter.com and click on the big green button that says "Sign up now."

2.     Enter your full name, select a unique username and password, enter your email and click on "Create my account."

3.     Choose which friends you want to follow by using your email, or click "Skip this step" at the bottom of the page.

4.     Twitter will suggest friends to follow. Select the ones you want to follow and click "Finish," or click "Skip this step."

5.     Now that you have an account on Twitter, follow Jason Chaffetz by going to http://twitter.com/jasoninthehouse and Deseret News by going to http://twitter.com/deseretnews and clicking the "Follow" button under our icons.

Welcome to Twitter, we look forward to hearing from you during our live chat!

For more information about Twitter, we recommend this video from Howcast, http://www.howcast.com/videos/149055-How-To-Use-Twitter  which covers all of the Twitter basics.


]]> New CNN Freshman Year is posted, episode 20 tag:chaffetz.house.gov,2009://4.422  

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2009/freshman.year/
]]> Rep. Chaffetz Makes 1,990-page Health Care Bill Available in Local Libraries tag:chaffetz.house.gov,2009://4.421  

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In order to create more transparency and openness during the legislative process, Congressman Jason Chaffetz has issued copies of the 1,990-page health care bill in selected libraries around Utah’s 3rd Congressional District.
 
“It is important for constituents to have the opportunity to see firsthand a printed version of the massive 1,990-page trillion-dollar government takeover of health care,” said Chaffetz. “I am here to represent Utah to Washington and not Washington to Utah. Reading and seeing a printed version of the bill in local libraries will help more Utahns have the opportunity to understand the implications of Washington’s one-size-fits-all federally-controlled health care bill.”
 
 
Copies of the bill are available at the following libraries:
 
Provo City Library
550 N University Ave
Provo, UT 84601
 
Bingham Creek
4834 West 9000 South
West Jordan, UT 84081
 
Riverton Library
12877 South 1830 West
Riverton, UT 84065
 
West Valley Library
2880 West 3650 South
West Valley, UT 84119
 
 
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