Across the First Congressional District, Idahoans are more convinced than ever that Walt Minnick is the right person to serve as their representative. Consider some of the recent news stories about the amazing work Walt has done, showing the same kind of effective, bipartisan leadership he promised to take to Washington, D.C.:
- Walt is a leader in the House of an effort to post bills online at least 72 hours before votes, so citizens can examine legislation. (New York Times)
- Walt is one of the key players in an overhaul of our regulatory system, and is working on legislation to hold Wall Street accountable while protecting small institutions here in Idaho. (Politico)
- Walt has held more town hall meetings than anyone else in Idaho, talking about everything from auditing the federal reserve to the status of health-care legislation. (NIC Sentinel)
- And Walt has joined all Idahoans in calling for a free democracy in China by passing out of the House a resolution calling on the Chinese government to release a pro-democracy activist. (Fox12)
posted on Sep 14, 2009 in
Accountability •
Independence Dear friend:
I am so pleased by the work of my friend and colleague, Walt Minnick. From his first days in the U.S. House of Representatives, it was clear that Walt would not only be one of the most diligent, hardworking members of Congress, but that he would also be a huge asset to our caucus thanks to his intellect and experience.
I am proud to support Walt Minnick, and I want you to support him, too. One of the very best things you can do to demand more fiscal accountability, effective government and creative thinking in Congress is to help re-elect Walt Minnick.
Click here to contribute $250, $100, $50 or $25.
As Walt likes to say, he has not been a Congressman long, but he has been a businessman for most of his life. That experience is very valuable to me and to the U.S. House of Representatives, as we work to turn our nation back to the right path. Like you and I, Walt wants the federal government to pay for what it spends.
Although Walt and I disagree on some issues, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder in the belief that matters most: standing up for your convictions and doing what’s right for your district. Whether it was refusing to accept earmarks, helping take the lead on complex financial regulatory reform or cutting red tape to help schoolchildren back home, Walt believes with all his heart that he was sent here to get the job done.
We must keep Walt Minnick in Congress. Please help by donating today.
Unfortunately, despite Walt’s outstanding record for Idaho as the most independent member of Congress, and as one of the most effective freshman in recent memory, he has a target on his back for no other reason than the letter after his name. That’s the kind of partisan politics we need to end, and one of the best ways to do it is to send a message by helping re-elect Walt Minnick.
He needs your help now.
Click here to contribute $250, $100, $50 or $25.
Very truly yours,
Steny Hoyer
House Majority Leader
Congressman, D-Maryland
posted on Aug 25, 2009 in
Accountability •
Independence Walt was featured on the nightly PBS news show, “NewsHour.” The piece focused on health care and on Walt’s hard work to represent the diverse people and places of Idaho’s First Congressional District.
You can read a transcript of the piece here, and can watch it by clicking here.
posted on Aug 09, 2009 in
Idaho Values •
Independence Last week Walt once again brought Idaho onto the national stage thanks to his strong stance for fiscal accountability and responsible, effective government. This time it was the Sunday show on CNN, “State of the Union” with John King. The crew visited beautiful St. Maries to meet with voters and talk about the coming election year.
There are two clips. You can watch the main story by clicking here and extended interviews with local residents by clicking here.
The backcountry and our state’s rugged wilderness is very much a part of Idaho’s great way of life. But that way of life came under attack by Washington bureaucrats when they decided to suspend critical air-mail service to remote regions of Idaho’s First Congressional District. That is, until Walt Minnick got involved.
The decision to terminate the contract was made at Postal Service headquarters in Washington, more than 2,500 miles away, said Al DeSarro, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Service Western Region in Denver. “They probably did not understand,” DeSarro said. “The initial decision was made with the thinking that there was going to be an acceptable alternative.”
Click here to read the entire story.
posted on Jun 14, 2009 in
Veterans One of the highlights of Walt’s time in office was the opportunity to help a veteran who was long-overdue for a ‘thank you’ from a grateful nation.
Minnick was contacted by (Kenneth) Keene’s daughter, Sandra Wicker, in 2008 while campaigning in northcentral Idaho and learned that the former aerospace worker had been trying to secure his medals for about five years, but to no avail. (Read the entire story here.)
But Walt got it done.
An American medic who landed on Iwo Jima, dodged bullets on the beach and watched friends die in one of World War II’s bloodiest battles is getting a belated thank-you from the U.S. Navy: Four medals he should have received before he left the service in 1945 but didn’t finally arrived Saturday.
posted on May 30, 2009 in
Bipartisanship •
Idaho Values The respected political magazine “Congressional Quarterly” has a new piece out highlighting the great work Walt is doing representing Idaho and our values in Congress. Here’s a snippet:
The 1st District, which encompasses the western half of the state including part of Boise, is a GOP target, but Minnick isn’t making it easy.His tireless constituent outreach, low-key, non-ideological demeanor and centrist voting record has earned plaudits from traditionally Republican-leaning interest groups. “People are very comfortable with him and his views,” said John Thompson, Idaho Farm Bureau Federation spokesman. “I think he’s doing what he knows he needs to do get re-elected.”
Click here to read the entire piece.
I want to thank all of you, both in Idaho and from around the country, who have e-mailed, called and written letters of support for my work in Congress. I learned the values of fiscal responsibility and personal accountability while growing up on my family wheat farm. During my business career I learned how to create jobs while balancing a budget. And now I’m applying those values and skills to my work as a Congressman for Idaho. But to continue that work I need your help. Every donation will help me spread the word that we must move beyond partisan bickering to a new era of effective representation for America. Please take a few moments to donate today. It’s simple to do online—just click on the button to your right.
Congressman Walt Minnick has co-sponsored a bill requiring the Secretary of the Treasury to aggressively pursue legal measures to force AIG employees into returning bonuses paid with taxpayer dollars.
“Like all Idahoans, I am incensed at the actions of this company and the egregious bonuses paid to their executives,” Minnick said. “But I am also incensed that our federal tax dollars were spent with so little oversight. It is my hope that this Congress and the administration will learn from this incident and see that we cannot continue to allow private companies to run amok with taxpayer dollars.”
Minnick also voted for a resolution directing the Secretary of the Treasury to use every possible legal measure to recoup government dollars spent on bonuses. Minnick, a member of the influential House Financial Services Committee, yesterday in a hearing with the current chief executive officer of AIG called for better oversight of all companies receiving federal assistance.
“I opposed the TARP bill and I opposed the bailout for AIG. I’m a businessman, and when I bought businesses I took due diligence seriously,” Minnick said at the hearing. “We taxpayers shouldn’t buy companies or socialize businesses. Having made the mistake with AIG we should not now throw good money after bad. Instead, we should now withdraw taxpayers’ support and let AIG go bankrupt, let a federal bankruptcy judge void these ill-advised bonus contracts, sort out the losses, and bring in new, qualified management to properly manage AIG free of one more nickel of taxpayer support.”
Minnick today voted against H.R. 1586, a bill that would tax employee pay at a rate of 90 percent if their employer received more than five billion dollars under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).
“Tinkering with the tax code is not the solution,” Minnick said. “Instead we need the Treasury Department to use its full weight and authority in administering the rules already in place to better regulate the companies receiving our money.
Our nation is in trouble. Unemployment rates are climbing, people are watching their savings disappear and all of us are worried about what comes next.
That’s why Idaho families, workers, businesses and local governments should get what they have asked for from the U.S. Congress: smart investments to create new jobs and put people back to work.
I do not believe that the largest spending bill in U.S. history is the most effective way to do that. That’s why I voted against the American Recovery and Investment Act, otherwise known as the stimulus bill.
What began with a tight focus on job creation and infrastructure improvements ballooned into a ‘something for everything’ spending proposal. And it will saddle our nation with economic burdens which could be just as onerous as the one we are wearing now.
Hundreds of billions of dollars in the stimulus bill are for programs which have never before been authorized by Congress. Like you, I think it’s a horrible idea to try to appropriate large sums of taxpayer dollars to programs that have never before been debated or authorized.
A Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report on the stimulus bill estimates that only 7 percent of the $358 billion of the discretionary funds in the plan would be spent in this fiscal year. The CBO also estimated that only 38 percent of the bill would be spent by the end of fiscal year 2010 and that a third of the bill would still be unspent in 31 months.
If this bill becomes law, our deficit will grow to nearly $2 trillion, and every penny we borrow will come from foreign leaders who will rapidly gain too much leverage over our economic welfare and decisions. We are in a recession, and we must spend some money to get the economy moving again, but the American people must have guarantees that this stimulus bill will not become an excuse for fiscal irresponsibility.
There is much about the stimulus bill I support. We need to improve health care. Our nation needs a completely new approach to energy. We must improve higher education and increase access for all children.
But those things are not immediate, direct economic stimulus.
To jump-start our economy, Congress needs to fund shovel-ready road projects, and should remove restrictions that force the money to go only to projects meeting federal standards. We should extend unemployment benefits so our workers can hang on until the economy begins to turn the corner as the stimulus funds work into our financial system. We should provide money to states so they can help local school districts carry out planned construction projects and thus save money to help keep teachers in the classroom. And we should offer tax cuts to those who need the money the most, so it will go into our economy quickly, spur spending and increase jobs.
Once the economy is moving again, Congress needs to go back to balancing the budget and start paying for what we spend. Like you, I believe that these tough times could also be the beginning of a new era of fiscal responsibility, but it must start with smart, strategic spending on key projects to put people back to work.
These tough times require quick, direct action, but our obligation to the next generation means spending every nickel in the most cost-effective way.
Walt sent out an editorial yesterday detailing his strong opposition to the auto-industry bailout. Not only did he buck his party with the stance, but he earned strong praise from at least one longtime Idaho political pundit for making a clear case for a viable alternative.
Click here to read the editorial, and click here to read analysis from Randy Stapilus, a blogger, author and former Idaho Statesman political editor
posted on Dec 05, 2008 in
In case you missed it, Walt has hired his first three staffers for his new Congressional office. All are Idaho natives.
Isaac Squyres will be the chief of staff, and will be based in Boise. Kate Haas will be the deputy chief of staff, and will be based in Washington, D.C. And John Foster will be the senior advisor and director of communications, and will be based in Boise.
You can read the press release here.
posted on Nov 21, 2008 in
Our apologies for the lack of content on the Minnick for Congress website. Things have been a little slow on the blog because they’ve been very hectic around the office as things transition from “Walt for Congress” to “Congressman Walt Minnick.”
There is plenty going on, however. We are accepting ticket requests for the inauguration of our next president, but the deadline to make your requests is the last day of this month. You can email your requests to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
We’re also accepting resumes from people who are interested in applying for a job with the Congressional office, or who are interested in seeking an appointment with the new presidential administration. You can e-mail those requests to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
So thanks for your patience as we transition through the transition. Walt’s swearing-in will be here before we know it!
posted on Nov 06, 2008 in
I left the Election Night party just after midnight, unsure of whether I was going to win or lose. After a fitful night of sleep I awoke early on Wednesday to a slim lead and a handful of precincts left to count. By the time I got ready and drove back to the Boise hotel where my bleary-eyed staff had been up all night, the results were clear: We had done it.
We won.
I need to thank so many people but I want to start by thanking all of you, my friends, supporters and volunteers. You won this election. You were the reason we pulled it out and were able to claim a victory already being called “historic” by pundits and press alike.
However, as satisfying as this win was and is, the real work is about to begin. There is still a recession. People are still worried about their jobs. They are still worried about their homes. They are still worried about how they can afford college for their children.
These are still tough times.
That is why I am committed to the same approach I promised throughout the campaign. As your Congressman, I will reach across the aisle, find partners and collaborators, work as hard as I can to change Washington, D.C., and help move this country forward.
The last year has been amazing for A.K. and I, as well as for our family. We traveled a District that spreads from Nevada to Canada. We met thousands of proud Idahoans. We heard uplifting stories of all that’s great about our state, and tragic tales of the hardship so many people face today.
One story stands out. On a hot summer day I was walking back down Main Street in Emmett after spending the afternoon walking in the annual parade. I saw a woman sitting on the front porch of a run-down home. She said hello and I stopped to talk. She told me she was scared.
This woman was working two full-time jobs just to make ends meet, which was hard because neither job paid more than minimum wage. Gas was more expensive, food was more expensive and her employers were struggling, and she was having trouble making ends meet. Things were so bad that was worried she would be evicted from the home she had rented for more than 30 years.
That was a sobering day for me, and I will never forget it. That’s why I am humbled by the responsibility we now have to make this a better Idaho for her, for all of us. It is a responsibility I will honor by always working hard, by listening to every voice and by doing what’s right for Idaho.
We did an amazing thing.
Thank you all, from the bottom of my heart.
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