Chu picks Domenici for nuclear commision

Sen. Pete Domenici (retired) and wife Nancy live in Washington, but were in Albuquerque two weeks ago for their son Pete Domenici Jr's 2010 gubernatorial announcement.

As part of President Barack Obama's commitment to restarting America’s nuclear industry, U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced the formation of a Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future and retired U.S. Sen. and Chairm on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Pete Domenici has been named to the panel.

"Nuclear energy, in my view, has to be a key component of a new American energy policy that moves toward renewable, non-carbon emitting energy sources," Domenici said after being selected. "The 2005 Energy Policy Act...attempted to encourage nuclear, wind, bio-mass, solar and other forms of renewable energy. I am pleased that Secretary Chu has indicated that the Administration will expand the loan guarantee provisions in that law that help nuclear energy."

Finding long-term solutions for nuclear waste

The commission, which will be chaired by former Congressman Lee Hamilton and former National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft, will provide recommendations for developing a safe, long-term solution to managing the Nation’s used nuclear fuel and nuclear waste.

In light of the Administration’s decision not to proceed with the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, President Obama has directed Secretary Chu to establish the Commission to conduct a comprehensive review of policies for managing the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle. The Commission will provide advice and make recommendations on issues including alternatives for the storage, processing, and disposal of civilian and defense spent nuclear fuel and nuclear waste.

"This Commission has the potential to make a very positive contribution to national energy policy and I intend to participate fully," Domenici said. "In that capacity, I will once again call upon the unique resources available to us in New Mexico, where we have some of the most knowledgeable nuclear scientists and engineers in the world. The President deserves our commendation for establishing this Commission under the leadership of Secretary Chu, one of the outstanding scientists in the world."

A record of tackling tough issues

Chu said the administration is committed to promoting nuclear power in the United states because it's energy "provides a clean, safe, reliable power" and will have an important role to play "as we build a low-carbon future."

"The United States and developing a safe, long-term solution for the management of used nuclear fuel and nuclear waste," Chu said. "The work of the Blue Ribbon Commission will be invaluable to this process," Secretary Chu said.

The Commission is made up of 15 members who have a range of expertise and experience in nuclear issues, including scientists, industry representatives, and respected former elected officials. The Commission’s co-chairs have a record of tackling tough challenges in a thoughtful, comprehensive manner and building consensus among an array of interests.

The Commission will produce an interim report within 18 months and a final report within 24 months.

Kennedy Remembered in New Mexico for Supporting Mental Health Care

Updated 10:19a

Tributes are pouring in on both sides of the aisle as American's wake up to the news that Senator Edward Kennedy died late last night after a year long battle with brain cancer. The Massachusetts senator fought right up until the end for health care reform, and now that battle will continue on capitol hill without him.

Kennedy, an early supporter of President Barack Obama's candidacy, campaigned in New Mexico for the then Illinois Senator in January 2008.

Photographer and blog commentator Mark Bralley captured this image of Kennedy who worked closely with New Mexico's Pete Domenici in the Senate. Their 10-year joint effort led to passage of the 2008 Mental Health Parity Act, which for the first time required insurance companies to cover mental illness on a par with physical illness.

This morning Domenici said Kennedy's death is especially sad to him:

The nation has lost a good and great man, and I have lost a close and valued friend. He was my friend, my colleague, and my ally in many legislative battles during our 36 years together in the Senate. His commitment to Mental Health Parity legislation, in my judgment was the key factor in that concept becoming law in the 110th Congress. Even battling his cancer, he would travel to the Capitol to move that legislation forward when I asked him to.

From civil rights and immigration, his earliest concerns, to education and workers rights, there were few major pieces of social legislation that did not bear his mark over his 47 years in the Senate.

Governor Bill Richardson, who studied in Boston, learned about Kennedy's death in Cuba, where he is on a trade mission. Richardson said Kennedy was a gladiator for protecting people who need help.

He was probably responsible for my first victory in Congress, and became a political mentor of mine. His legacy is one of legislative excellence, compassion and as a protector for those who have been left behind.

Senator Jeff Bingaman said Kennedy's extraordinary list of accomplishments were not just a function of his passion and ideals, but also his pragmatism and ability to reach across party lines to get done what was needed for the good of the country.

His leadership will be particularly missed in the Senate at this critical time for health care reform. The American people have lost a great champion, but his legacy will endure.

Domenici said he respected Kennedy's willingness to work for compromise:

I always knew from our earliest interaction that I could trust his word, that he would dedicate himself with all of his energy to any cause that he championed, and that he was willing to work for compromise to get the legislative work done, but would never compromise his fundamental beliefs. His help behind the scenes on many issues from fiscal policy to national health care policy - often made the difference between legislative success and failure.

The issue the lifelong Democrat called the cause of his life was healthcare. It was what kept him on the line to the Capitol through months of medical treatment during the past 15 months. Of course he did not live to see his latest bid for comprehensive healthcare insurance enacted into law.

Freshman U.S. Senator Tom Udall said Kennedy committed his life to fighting for Americans who could not fight for themselves:

His tireless drive to provide access to health care, civil rights, and improve education for all will forever serve as a model for true public service.

Even New Mexico's Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish offered her toughts on the Massachuetts Senator's passing.

Ted Kennedy was sent to the Senate by the people of Massachusetts, but he was a public servant for the entire nation. The Senator was a true statesman in every sense of the word. His legislative accomplishments have bettered the lives of countless American workers, children and families. He championed the cause of female athletes through Title 9. And he fought for health care for American families every day, even in his closing days. Senator Kennedy was a man who gave his last full measure of devotion to the American people.

For Pete's Sake

After all the memorials and tributes, perhaps the Democrats will decide to truly honor Kennedy, by knuckling down and passing a comprehensive health care plan this fall.

His spirit, patriotism and dedication to realizing a greater vision for America will be missed.

Republicans Respond to Corruption Indictments

770KKOB is still trying to determine Rebecca Vigil-Giron's employment status with the state's Workforce Solution's Department following her indictment on 50 Felony counts involving the accounting of $6 million in Help America Voter Act [HAVA] award money.

I spoke to Vigil-Giron on her cell phone just before lunch about her employment status. She told me she had just left her attorney's office and was directed not to talk to the press. She did ask us "to pray" for her.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the state's Republican Party, Harvey Yates Jr., isn't wasting any time responding to a state grand jury's indictment of former Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron:

Unfortunately, yesterday's indictment of a Richardson-Denish administration political appointee and former elected Democrat official, along with more mainstays of the Democrat political machine, is this month’s reminder that this state is headed in the wrong direction.

Chairman Yates said political corruption in the state needs to be stopped:

The pattern of corrupt behavior and inept management exhibited by prominent Democrat public servants, while becoming routine, has got to stop. I congratulate the attorney general for joining the fight against corruption; it is not easy to take on one’s own party.

Vigil-Giron’s indictment is one of several scandals currently plaguing Democrat politicians. In addition to Manny Aragon’s departure to prison (June) and the indictments of PRC Commissioners Jerome Block Jr. and Jerome Block Sr. (April), other notable scandals including the indictment of Vincent "Smiley" Gallegos, a former lawmaker and regional housing director, and the convictions of former State Senate President Pro-tem Manny Aragon, Joe Ruiz, a Deputy Insurance Superintendent, and State Treasurers Michael Montoya and Robert Vigil.

Of course the state Republicans are running for cover with legal battles of their own. Democrats want to know if former U.S. Senator Pete Domenici and Congresswoman Heather Wilson interfered with or obstructed justice before the White House firing of Assistant U.S. Attorney David Iglesias and eight other prosecutors.

Chairman Yates statement concludes with:

Along with New Mexicans statewide, we look forward to the Democrats’ account of ‘every last nickel that was spent’ of voter education funding entrusted to the former secretary of state.

NM GOP Candidate for Governor, Dona Ana County District Attorney Susana Martinez, also responded to the fraud, embezzlement and money laundering indictments:

[This is] a sad reminder that for too long public officials in New Mexico have used elected office to serve themselves as opposed to serving the public who entrusted them to lead our state. Corruption and misuse of taxpayer dollars and public funds are simply inexcusable and those responsible should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law. As we move forward in examining the records of candidates seeking our state’s highest-elected office, it is critically important voters match rhetoric with action, and support someone who has a track record of identifying fraud and corruption and rooting it out. New Mexicans deserve to have faith and confidence that elected officials in state government are conducting themselves with integrity and honesty.

Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish, who is also running for Governor, has not issued a public statement, although she did talk to our blogging colleague Heath Haussamen.

Audio Post: Iglesias Says Wilson's Email Proves He Was Fired For Not Playing Ball.

Photo Credit: MG Bralley -- Audio Credit: Pat Allen On Tuesday in Washington, DC, the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by John Coneyrs, released thousands of pages of interview transcripts around the firing of U.S. Attorney David Iglesias of New Mexico and eight others.

But, Wilson is blasting the committee's report. She says her email simply dealt with media leaks from an FBI investigation centered around Pennsylvania Congressman Curt Weldon.

The documents suggest an email from then Congresswoman Heather Wilson began a chain of emails in which, according to the committee, Iglesias was criticized for not bringing forward public corruption and voter fraud cases in the run up to the whisker close 2006 Election between Rep. Wilson and then New Mexico Attorney General Patricia Madrid.

But Wilson's email never mentions Iglesias.

UPDATED: Wilson released a statement and notes, including the entire email, on her Facebook page.

Wilson, who has been considering running for governor in New Mexico next year, responded to the committee's report. She told 770KKOB News Director Pat Allen the committee deliberately mis-characterized her October 2006 email.



While the email does not mention then U.S. Attorney David Iglesias directly, the committee's report says Jennings forward Wilson's email to Rove with a note complaining that Iglesias had been "shy about doing his job on Madrid," who appears to have been under investigation for work she did with a political action committee, Justice for America

A day after the Wilson's email was released she told us:

The documents released yesterday confirm that I had no contact with the Administration about Mr. Iglesias until after the decision was made to fire him.

Wilson said at the time she believed it was possible "we would see a similar leak from law enforcement concerning Mrs. Madrid and that we could be asked by the media to comment on it:

My staff had contingency press guidance that, if asked, we would confirm that we had received an inquiry from the FBI about Attorney General Madrid and we were cooperating with law enforcement. The recipients of my email knew about the FBI inquiry and the contingency press guidance.

Wilson said the email to her staff, and Sen. Domenici's Chief of Staff Steve Bell, was intended to be "a heads up" to them. Wilson said because the investigation was not leaked, and did not become public, she didn't commented on her email until September 2008.

Iglesias Claims Reports Totally Vindicates Him

David Iglesias, has long contented he was a victim of a political witch hunt by state Republican leaders.

Iglesias tells 770KKOB that there was never any performance issues. He says they wanted to politicize U.S. Attorneys which the law can not allow. He says he wishes the White House would have shot straight with the American people.



Iglesias says he wanted to remain politically independent once he was in the office, and was punished for not playing ball.

Iglesias called from Washington, D.C. He's back on active duty in the Navy, working as a JAG on the Guantanamo Bay detainee cases and says it's the most challenging work of his career.


The Judiciary Committee's report also criticized former U.S. Senator Pete Domenici who allegedly asked Bush's Chief of Staff Josh Bolten to have Iglesias replaced. The report says, in October 2006 Domenici stepped up his campaign to have Iglesias replaced. And, according to White House phone logs and emails, as well as Rove's own testimony, Domenici spoke with Bolten about Iglesias as late as October 5th and four other times the same month.

Blogger Heath Haussamen reports Conyers, D-Mich., said the documents, which include e-mails and transcripts of testimony from Rove and Harriet Miers, prove that “Karl Rove and his cohorts at the Bush White House were the driving force behind several of these firings, which were done for improper reasons.”

“When Mr. Iglesias said his firing was a ‘political fragging,’ he was right,” Conyers said in a news release.

The committee's reports are available online for the public's review.

"Drowning In Red Ink," Domenici Urges Reform

Calling the size of the federal debt unsustainable and a critical economic threat to America, Former U.S. Senator Pete V. Domenici and the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) today released a special report entitled, “Drowning In Red Ink” that offers five recommendations for a path forward to fixing the nation’s daunting federal deficit and debt crisis.

The recommendations are based on remarks by a prominent bipartisan group of budget experts during a BPC symposium on May 6, 2009, “Unprecedented Federal Debt: Putting Our Fiscal House in Order” that focused on various dimensions of the problem.

Senator Domenici, a Senior Fellow at the BPC and former Chairman of the U.S. Senate Budget Committee, spearheaded the organization’s first major federal debt event and report in an effort to inform the American public about the nation’s fiscal state of affairs.

Domenici said its time to take action.

The fiscal health of our nation is at stake. We can no longer continue on the present path of unprecedented deficits and debt. Without dramatic changes in fiscal policy, America will find itself far weaker in the world, economically and strategically.”

“Drowning in Red Ink” calls for creating a commission, outside Congress, empowered to make recommendations on a global solution to deficits, including tax reforms, entitlement changes, and new ways of measuring and controlling government finances, and compel Congressional Action on such recommendations.

The new report urges immediate reform to Medicare and Social Security in order to bring solvency to those systems long-term. The report embraces comprehensive tax reform to make the system more streamlined, understandable, equitable and competitive while also generating adequate revenues. And, it promotes re-enacting true statutory budget control (like a firm PAYGO regime) that addresses discretionary and mandatory spending as well as tax preferences. The report also encourages leaders to recognize the international dangers America faces as it transfers more and more of its wealth to other countries that own and, hopefully, continue to buy U.S. sovereign debt issuance.

“Drowning In Red Ink” has been distributed to members of Congress with a letter of support from U.S. House of Representatives Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) and Jim Cooper (D-Nashville). Urging their colleagues to take action on the issue of the national debt, representatives Ryan and Cooper highlighted the BPC report saying:

While we may not agree on all the proposed solutions or ideas, there is a clear consensus that current projections of debt levels are unsustainable. Without action, the United States faces dramatic increases in borrowing costs that pose a grave risk to our economy and will place an enormous burden on our children’s backs.

Under Senator Domenici’s leadership , Congress produced three consecutive federal balanced budgets – the first time such a balance had been achieved in four decades.

To read the full report, go to http://www.bipartisanpolicy.org/

House Passes Revised Bailout Plan!

The House votes to pass historic legislation providing $700 billion in government money to bring stability to reeling financial markets.

Before the 263-171 vote, member after member went to the well of the chamber to voice discomfort and displeasure with many aspects of the bailout legislation. But they also said they would vote for it anyway.

Congresswoman Heather Wilson voted yes today in favor of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, HR 1424.

After the vote Rep. Wilson released this statement:

It continues to be important for Congress to act to stabilize our financial markets. A failure of our financial system will hurt every American who has a 401(k) or needs a car loan or can't close on the house they want to buy because banks are stopping lending to banks.

There are also some important tax provisions in this bill that will also help boost our economy. For example, the package includes an extension of the patch of the Alternative Minimum Tax. Congress recognized that the failure to act would unacceptably drag twenty-one million additional families into the AMT’s clutches based on their 2008 income, with the total tax increase on American families exceeding $62 billion.

It also extends the now-expired research and development tax credit, which encourages cutting edge research – and the good jobs it supports – to be conducted here in the U.S. This provision is particularly good for New Mexico.

U.S. Senators Pete Domenici (R-N.M.), Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) and Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) today praised final House passage of legislation that includes their bipartisan mental health parity agreement that will improve mental health coverage for an estimated 113 million Americans.

In approving the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (HR.1424) Friday, the House also agreed to a tax extenders package that includes the mental health parity legislation. The package will now be sent to President Bush, who has indicated his support for the measure.

Final passage of the parity legislation and its expected enactment culminates years of effort by Domenici, Kennedy, Enzi and Dodd. The Senators made it a priority to enact new legislation in the 110th Congress to build on the 1996 Mental Health Parity Act authored by Domenici and the late Senator Paul Wellstone, who died in 2002.


“We are ushering in a new era of health care for those with mental illnesses. No longer will we allow mental health to be treated as a stepchild in the health care system. If you have insurance, then your mental health care must be equal to the benefits you get for any other disease,” Domenici said. “I appreciate all the partners I’ve had in this long, long effort but most especially Senator Kennedy, who has been remarkable and stepped up to this work after Paul Wellstone’s tragic death. This has been a labor of love for us.”

“Today’s historic passage of mental health parity legislation will make a huge difference for the one in five Americans facing mental illness. The miracles of modern medicine make mental illnesses just as treatable today as physical illnesses,” said Kennedy. “After 10 years of debate, Congress has finally agreed to end the senseless discrimination in health insurance coverage that plagues persons living with mental illness for so long. It will now be the law of the land that people with such illnesses deserve the same access to affordable coverage as those with physical illnesses. It’s a great day for everyone who believes in fairness and fundamental justice for all.”

“Final passage of this mental health parity legislation is a watershed moment for millions of Americans with mental illness and their families. This landmark achievement unites the mental health advocacy, health care provider, employer, and insurance communities to bring fairness and relief to individuals and families who need help. The bill is years, if not decades, in the making, and reflects countless hours of sweat and negotiation. I want to thank Senator Domenici, Senator Kennedy, and Senator Dodd for their invaluable leadership to bring an end to the legislative paralysis on this important issue,” Enzi said.

“Today, Congress has given hope to the millions of Americans and their families who live with mental illness,” said Dodd. “No longer will they have to suffer alone. Instead, they will be treated with the same level of care, dignity and respect as those with physical ailments. It has been a long, hard struggle, but knowing that this bill will help millions of our nation’s citizens, it was well worth the fight.”

Domenici, Kennedy and Enzi authored the Mental Health Parity Act of 2007 (S.558), which was passed in the Senate by unanimous consent in September 2007. That bill had 57 cosponsors, including Dodd who has been instrumental in moving the parity legislation forward. The lawmakers reached a subsequent agreement with parity advocates in the House of Representatives and have since worked to find suitable offsets to pay for the legislation.

The new Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act would require health insurance plans that offer mental health coverage to provide the same financial and treatment coverage offered for other physical illnesses. The legislation was developed in talks with mental health, insurance and business organizations to craft compromise legislation. It does not mandate that group plans must provide any mental health coverage.

The 1996 parity law, authored by Domenici and Wellstone, only provided parity for annual and lifetime limits between mental health coverage and medical-surgical coverage.

The new parity legislation expands parity by including deductibles, co-payments, out-of-pocket expenses, coinsurance, covered hospital days, and covered out-patient visits. The measure also includes a small business exemption for companies with fewer than 50 employees, as well as a cost exemption for all businesses.

Nearly 30 U.S. Representatives who voted against it on Monday said they had changed their minds. President George W. Bush was ready to sign it into law, and the Dow Jones industrial average on Wall Street was up in early trading in anticipation of the climactic vote. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called it a vote for "Mr. and Mrs. Jones on Main Street."Republicans and Democrats alike said appeals from credit-starved small businessmen and the Senate's addition of $110 billion in tax breaks had persuaded them to drop their opposition.But, some votes appear to have also changed to a likely "no."A handful of Republicans who voted for it on Monday appeared less likely to do so Friday.

Enticing Tax Breaks

Virtually all the tax breaks added to make the bill more palatable to the House already exist. But many expired Jan. 1. Others will expire in three months.The largest group of beneficiaries is about 20 million mainly upper-middle income taxpayers. Without congressional action, the Alternative Minimum Tax, or AMT, would add about $2,000 in taxes this year for people mostly earning under $200,000 a year. It originally was supposed to affect only the very rich.Thousands of businesses are anxiously awaiting renewal of the research-and-development tax credit.Still, the outcome is far from assured. Vote-counters in both parties need to come up with a dozen or so supporters to reverse Monday's stunning defeat of the $700 billion measure.

Fallout Reaching Main Street

The financial system rescue plan may save parts of the financial industry, but it's not likely to help hundreds of thousands of homeowners who are behind on their mortgages avoid foreclosure.It only requires the Treasury Department to "maximize assistance for homeowners," and to write up monthly progress reports.It's estimated that within 12 to 18 months, about 40 percent of U.S. borrowers will owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth.

That's almost the same number of American households that are spending 30 percent or more of their income on housing, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.And as Congress considers the rescue plan, some consumer advocates are upset that it would help the same Wall Street banks that gave funding for the explosion of subprime loans -- without any definitive relief for homeowners.Even if the government were to push aggressive efforts to modify troubled loans, it could take months to put such an effort in place.

Meanwhile, current financial turmoil is also hitting stores nationwide.In order to attract more shoppers, they've posted sale signs on everything from fall sweaters to furniture, and are getting out the Christmas goodies even earlier than last year.One industry analyst said holiday items are already starting to flow into stores and are expected to be discounted immediately.

Senate Passes Sweetened $700B Bailout. Will Udall & Pearce Reconsider Earlier Votes?

Tom Udall, Photo by MG Bralley
A bailout for the financial industry has cleared the Senate. Now its backers, including Pete Domenici, hope Representatives, including Tom Udall and Steve Pearce, get it passed in the House by Friday.

770KKOB News Director Pat Allen talked to Rep. Tom Udall ahead of the Senate vote. Udalls says there has to be protection for taxpayers and he'll vote for a measure that fixes the root causes of the economic crisis including more upping FDIC insurance to $250,000 for each bank account.



After the bill passed, U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman released this statement:

My decision to vote for this plan is not to say that it represents what I see as the ideal solution. In particular, we should be doing more for Americans who are struggling to keep their homes.

We cannot afford to sit by idly and let this economic crisis take a further toll on the economy. But we also must be realistic about the limitations of this legislation: It is a band-aid intended to stop the bleeding. It will not address the inadequate regulatory framework that enabled this crisis, and Congress must commit to enacting comprehensive reforms that will ensure we never again find ourselves in such a precarious position.

Before the vote, Domenici’s office announced his mental health parity legislation had been added to the bailout bill.

It “was a decision made by the leadership, in consultation with other senators,” Domenici spokesman Chris Gallegos said, adding that, “Domenici supports the Senate package to be voted on today.”

Gallegos said the adding of the mental health legislation doesn’t mean a lot of extras are being slipped into the financial bailout bill. He said the legislation that will be voted on tonight includes the economic bailout proposal, a range of tax relief proposals and the mental health parity legislation.

In the final vote, 40 Democrats, 33 Republicans and independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut voted "yes." Nine Democrats, 15 Republicans and independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont voted "no." Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama cast "aye" votes.

The rescue package would allow the government to spend billions of dollars to buy bad mortgage-related securities and other devalued assets held by troubled financial institutions.

The legislation has extra tax breaks and other sweeteners for holdouts in the House. Even as the Senate voted, House leaders were hunting for the 12 votes they would need to turn around Monday's defeat.

DOMENICI: Now is the Time To Rescue the Economy.

Sen. Pete Domenici
He's preparing to retire, but for now he's working hard to keep the economy afloat. Before he took the podium on the senate floor this afternoon, the former Senate Budget Chairman told 770KKOB News Director Pat Allen he will for for the Senate Financial Rescue Package. He says it's an economic recovery plan not a Wall Street bailout. He says there will be a huge ripple affect throughout the economy if it's not passed.

Listen to Domenici's analogy of a six-car pile up if the measure fails.



Domenici, the former Senate Budget Committee chairman, today said he is confident the Senate will pass a modified Emergency Economic Stabilization Act and stressed the importance of the measure for limiting further damage to the U.S. economy.

Domenici signaled his intention to vote for the financial rescue plan when the Senate takes up the package Wednesday evening.

“I will vote for this plan because it is what our nation needs now. We must take action to restore confidence not just in the U.S. financial markets, but on every Main Street and in every home.

“I am certain the Senate will pass this financial rescue plan, which includes strong taxpayer protections, stronger regulatory oversight and reduction in executive compensation.

“This is not a ‘bailout.’ It is a ‘buyout’ plan to allow the government over the next two years to buy the toxic assets that today are drying up credit to virtually all aspects of American life. Without a freer flow of credit, banks and lending institutions won’t have the money to lend to small businesses, home buyers, college students or car buyers. Job creation will stop all over the country.

“This bill can’t cure all America’s economic problems, but if we don’t act things will get much worse. We cannot risk the consequences of doing nothing. It’s just that simple.”

The Senate bill builds in new regulatory oversight and expands the FDIC ability to cover accounts up to $250,000.

The Senate economic recovery plan has been paired with the tax extenders bill that includes Alternative Minimum Tax relief, renewable energy tax credit extensions, small business and individual tax breaks. It also contains the bipartisan Mental Health Parity legislation that Domenici authored with Senator Edward M. Kennedy and others.

Photo Credit: MG Bralley

Creating Jobs So Everyone Can Bring Home the Bacon!

The State Republican party is accusing 2^nd Congressional Democrat Harry Teague, who has worked in the oil and gas industry since he was a teen, of receiving $1.2 million in “Corporate Welfare” in 2004.

But, Teague’s staff tells The Word the "government funding" Teague received was actually a loan guarantee as part of the Department of Agriculture's Rural Business Cooperative Service [RBCS].

The Federal loan-guarantee program was designed to invest financial resources and provide technical assistance to businesses and cooperatives in rural communities. Each business is responsible for repayment, which includes interest.

Retiring Senator Pete Domenici originally championed the RBCS program that his colleagues now claim “is the kind of pork barrel, corporate welfare spending that is running up the federal budget deficit and threatening the economy.”

The Word has learned the loan guarantee was privately funded by the Western Commerce Bank of Hobbs and at no cost to tax payers. According to democratic staffers the RBCS the loan was paid back on time, in full, and with interest in 2006.

Teague’s company, ABC Rental Tool, only employed 13 people before the loan, but The Word has learned the Rural Business Cooperative Service program help create another 37 jobs in Hobbs and other rural areas of New Mexico where 17% of the population lives below the poverty level. Teague owns several companies and employees around 250 people.

"I'm proud to have taken part in one of Sen. Domenici's most successful programs," Teague said. "Because of the Rural Business Cooperative Service, I was able to create over 70 good paying jobs in places like Eunice and Jal. In Congress, I look forward to supporting bi-partisan legislation which, like the Rural Business Cooperative Service, helps rural Americans achieve the American Dream."

The Agriculture Department program has also helped numerous other projects in New Mexico, including the renovation of the Eklund Hotel in Clayton, NM, which Sen. Domenici praised as "wonderful news."

"Any good businessman would know the difference between a loan guarantee and a loan - and that this program, championed by Sen. Domenici, helped create good paying jobs for rural New Mexicans," said Teague Campaign Manager Frank Costanzo.

Republican party leaders say, “Harry Teague knows the system, worked the system and used the system to reap windfall profits in his private companies, the revenues of which are a secret.”

“He will have you believe his business is an American success story, but the reality is that he’s a well-connected insider who can – and does - pick up the phone to reach well- established Democrat political operators,” said State GOP Communications Director Shira Rawlinson.

Earlier this year, the Diana M. Alba at the Silver City News reported that Teague told a small group, “You can check my past record. … I don’t think I’ve ever been incompatible with being anything other than just fair with the oil and gas industry. They don’t need any handouts.”

Meanwhile, Teague’s team told The Word voters should be focused on Republican Ed Tinsley’s $52,000 federal subsidy (between 1995 and 2006) to help operate a privately owned ranch.

The Word met up with Teague who talked to us about the Southern District, the 8th Largest in land area in the U.S. being selected by the DNCCC as a "Red to Blue" contest this fall.

To hear the interview click the pink play button (sometimes twice).

N.M. Senators Recommend Action on Aamodt & Abeyta Indian Water Settlement Bill

U.S. Senators Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman today advised that the Bush administration’s ongoing opposition should not dissuade Congress from moving forward on legislation authorizing Indian water rights cases in northern New Mexico.

Listen to Domenici questioning Interior Department witness on northern New Mexico water settlements legislation.

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee today received testimony on the Aamodt and Taos Pueblo Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 2008 (S.3381), legislation introduced by Domenici and Bingaman in July. Domenici serves on the committee, and Bingaman today testified at the hearing on behalf of the bill.

S.3381 would resolve Indian water rights claims associated with the Rio Pojoaque Basin (Aamodt case) and the Taos Pueblo Indian Water Rights Settlement (Abeyta case).

At the hearing, Interior Department officials, as they have with other New Mexico Indian water settlements, explained the Bush administration’s opposition to S.3381—primarily citing cost concerns raised by the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This opposition comes despite the fact that the two statements include an agreement by the state and local parties to contribute 33 percent of the implementation costs—a substantially higher percentage than other enacted settlements.

“I’m not very happy. After years of difficult negotiations, all the give and take, and all these very real changes to reach this point we only hear about opposition from the administration,” Domenici said. “We ought to approve this bill despite the administration’s opposition. We do not believe we can negotiate for any lesser amount of money and I believe the OBM is making some bad mistakes in its judgment of this bill.”

“The Bush administration’s opposition to this carefully negotiated bill is disappointing but not surprising. These settlements cost less and require a bigger state and local contribution than water rights settlements that this administration has supported in the past,” Bingaman said. “I see no reason for us to stop building support for our bill’s passage. We have a few weeks left in this session and Senator Domenici and I will work hard during that time to gain strong Congressional support for these important water settlements.”

S.3381—as well as a companion House bill (HR.6768) introduced by Congressman Tom Udall—is based on years of extensive negotiations between many parties, including Indian, local, state and federal parties.

The outcome of those talks, reflected in S.3381, will assure water resources for the pueblos while providing for the current and future water needs of non-Indian interests in north-central New Mexico. It would also resolve litigation that has been pending in the federal courts since the 1960s.

The bipartisan legislation would authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Commissioner of Reclamation, to develop water infrastructure in the Rio Grande Basin, and to approve the settlement of the water rights claims of the Nambé, Pojoaque, San Ildefonso, Tesuque and Taos pueblos.

The Aamodt settlement includes the construction of a regional water system in and around Santa Fe County that will benefit the pueblos and their non-pueblo neighbors. Project construction plus other benefits to the pueblos are expected to cost the Federal government approximately $160 million within the next decade. The state of New Mexico and Santa Fe County are expected to contribute approximately $117 million towards the cost of the project.

Implementing the Taos Settlement requires funding a number of small projects to help improve water use efficiency; groundwater management; and improve water quality in the Taos Valley. The pueblo will also receive direct funding to manage its water resources. In total, the Taos settlement is expected to cost the Federal government approximately $114 million. The state of New Mexico is expected to contribute another $20 million to the effort.

The Aamodt-Abeyta settlement legislation represents two of the three pending Indian water settlements pending in New Mexico. In April, the lawmakers introduced legislation to authorize the settlement reached to resolve the Navajo Nation’s water rights claims in the San Juan River Basin.

At today’s hearing, testimony was also received from Charles J. Dorame, chairman of the Northern Pueblos Tributary Water Rights Association, and Gilbert Suazo Sr., councilman, Taos Pueblo.