Labrador looks back on first year as a good start

January 2, 2011

By U.S. Congressman Raul Labrador Last year, I campaigned on a promise to change the way Washington works. I am proud to report that in the first year, I’ve done just that. Statesman reporter Dan Popkey noted in a July article that Speaker Boehner considered me a “leader of the freshman class” who was instrumental in requiring the U.S. House of Representatives to vote on a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution as a part of the debt ceiling compromise. As a result, for the first time in history, a debt ceiling increase was granted only with actual spending cuts, and ultimately, a vote on a Balanced Budget Amendment in both the House and the Senate. Additionally, the U.S. House of Representatives took seriously their obligation to govern responsibly. That’s why earlier this year, we overwhelmingly passed a budget that tackled entitlement reforms and took legitimate steps to paying down our national debt and eliminating budgetary deficits. Unfortunately, our colleagues in the U.S. Senate have not passed a budget in more than 970 days, or nearly three calendar years. Of course, the foremost concern facing most Americans this year has been the widespread joblessness that plagued our economy. When I began my first term in Congress, 9.7 percent of Idahoans were unemployed and thousands more were underemployed, or simply stopped looking for work. That’s why the U.S. House of Representatives passed 28 bills that spur job creation, 26 of which were bipartisan. Back in Boise, I also conducted an eight-hour jobs forum with more than 20 businesses from around Idaho to learn how I can help our job creators start hiring again. There have been some significant legislative achievements. In just my first year in Congress, two bipartisan bills I co-sponsored have been signed into law by President Obama: • H.R. 4, which repealed a costly and burdensome Internal Revenue Service reporting requirement on businesses as part of the president’s health care bill. • H.R. 674, which repealed a hidden tax on payments to certain government contractors. Both bills attracted bipartisan support and improved the economic climate for hundreds of Idaho businesses. I am proud to have co-sponsored them and commend the president for signing them into law. On Capitol Hill, I have fought for Idaho, and your concerns remain my paramount focus each and every day. In response to Idaho’s overwhelming opposition to President Obama’s health care overhaul, the first bill I ever co-sponsored in Congress was a repeal of this disastrous legislation. I have also voted to reduce the regulatory and tax burdens on America’s job creators, as well as to make energy more accessible and affordable. My staff and I remain committed to our constituents, working tirelessly each and every day for the people of Idaho. In my first year in Congress, my district offices have returned more than $2.5 million to citizens of the First Congressional District in the form of military benefits, Social Security payments and so much more. But what cannot be quantified are the thousands of lives forever changed by the work of our staff. We’ve kept families in their homes, obtained life-saving medical treatments for seniors and arranged for the awarding of medals for our veterans. It has been a very busy legislative year. I have participated in 158 congressional committee hearings and cast more than 800 votes. Although Boise is nearly 2,400 miles away from our office on Capitol Hill, we make it a top priority to keep constituents updated on these votes and the issues that matter to them. We have maintained frequent and open channels of communication with the public, promptly responding to more than 72,000 letters in less than a year. Most importantly, my focus has always been and will always remain on Idaho. That’s why I returned to the district continuously to meet with constituents. I have hosted nine town hall meetings in the district and have met with hundreds of constituents one-on-one in both our local offices and on Capitol Hill. I’ve also held three telephone town halls with more than 16,000 constituents from across the district. My aim is to maintain the best constituent services in the United States, and I think that’s a goal we’ve achieved. But there is so much left to do. Our great nation faces many challenges — challenges that are urgent and that are real. Still, I remain encouraged by the support of patriotic Idahoans who have bestowed upon me the honor of representing them in Congress. Together, we have and will continue to change the way Washington works. We’ve only just begun.