Dateline: June 7, 2007

Thornberry gives update on current issues

Congressman Mac Thornberry (R-Clarendon) updated his hometown supporters on the issues now before Congress during a town hall meeting at the Burton Memorial Library last Wednesday.

The seven-term member of the US House of Representatives said the current session has been a new experience for him being in the minority party for the first time since 1995.

“The mode we’re in is just trying to keep bad stuff from happening,” Thornberry said.

A lot of regulatory ideas have been on the backburner since the Republicans seized control of the legislative branch in 1995 and especially since President Bush has been in office. But with the Democrats back in control of both houses of Congress, many ideas are starting to surface, Thornberry said.

Topping the issues in Washington is the continuing war in Iraq.

“I hope someday we can talk about what’s good for the troops and good for the country and not have this partisan debate,” the congressman said. “It’s important for the troops to know that there are huge numbers of people who support them. The few people with a microphone don’t speak for everyone.”

Thornberry said the situation in Iraq is improving, but he said US troops will have to remain there for some time to keep al Qaeda disrupted.

Immigration has also proven to be a vexing problem for the federal government.

“Our offices have been flooded with people upset about the immigration issue,” Thornberry said.

The congressman said the government has to set priorities in dealing with the number of people in the country illegally.

“We need first things first, and the first thing is to control who and what comes across the border,” he said. “Secondly, employers need to be able to find out if a person is here legally.”

Thornberry also raised concerns about the pending expiration of the Bush tax cuts, particularly the estate tax.

“Be very careful about the year you choose to pass away,” Thornberry said, noting that the “death tax” will come back to life in 2010.

Thornberry said energy is another issue facing the United States and said that energy policy has been neglected for 25 years.

“We haven’t built a new refinery since 1975, and we’ve closed 100 down,” he said.

He said he supports efforts to build up all segments of energy production, including oil and gas, nuclear, and wind power.

Regarding the partisanship in Congress, Thornberry said, “There are good folks on both sides and nuts on both sides,” and he pointed to his medical justice bill as an example of both Democrats and Republicans working together to solve problems facing the American people.

Thornberry said he hopes people won’t let the partisanship sour them on voting.

“I worry that people will get so disgusted that they will just stay home (on election day), and that’s not good for the country,” he said.

Thornberry closed his town hall by encouraging people to contact him about the issues important to them.

“It always helps me if you let me know what you’re thinking,” he said.