Washington, D.C.—U.S. Rep. Walt Minnick promised to fight for Idahoans when he took office, making it his top priority to hold federal government accountable. He fought to get Idahoans all they were owed from their government. He directed his staff to work hard for constituents and to get results.
Minnick keeps promises.
In 2009, Minnick’s offices put more than $2.5 million back into the pockets of individual Idahoans. That was money the federal government owed or was trying to take from businesses, seniors, veterans, and families. On top of that, Minnick’s offices ran lean enough to return $100,000 from his $1.5 million congressional budget to taxpayers. That budget covers the costs of staffing and running four offices in Idaho and one in Washington, DC.
“Fighting for constituents is the most important work that a Congressional office should do,” said Minnick. “I am proud that my staff has been able to cut through red tape to help Idahoans obtain money that was owed to them from our federal agencies.”
Minnick helped Bill Martin of Boise, owner of Metro Express Car Wash, get back money unjustly taken by the IRS. As a businessman, Martin is impressed with how efficiently Minnick runs his offices, calling $2.5 million a “great” return on investment.
“That’s a pretty good use of taxpayer dollars,” Martin said.
Work a congressional office does for individual Idahoans gets little publicity (work on legislation makes the headlines), but it makes a big difference. Minnick’s team closed 1663 cases last year, 802 of which involved veterans.
The $2,507,420.15 Minnick’s caseworkers fought to give back to Idahoans does not include monetary value associated with helping farmers get Conservation Reserve Program payments through the Farm Service Agency; or helping businesses to get HUBZone certification so they can bid on federal contracts; or helping get IRS penalties waived; or helping to get SSI overpayments waived; or helping veterans collect GI benefits; or helping people who struggle to repay student loans; or helping with home loan modifications; or in some cases helping people find jobs.
The following people have agreed to share their stories with the wider public:
Adoption—Scott and Abby Hoefer of Boise still had a year’s worth of paperwork to process to adopt Alex, a Haitian orphan. When the terrible earthquake hit, they contacted the Minnick team to help. Alex is now an Idahoan living in a loving family.
Medicare—After a lifetime of being healthy and independent, Todd Sorensen of Middleton, suffered a spinal injury. He couldn’t work and lost his insurance. A clerical error from 1994 kept him from getting his Medicare benefits. Frustrated, Todd contacted the Minnick team. He began receiving monthly payments within a month.
IRS—When Metro Express Car Wash owner Bill Martin of Boise was wrongly fined a late fee on his taxes, he went to Walt Minnick. The IRS agreed to return money he’d paid.
FAA—Bob Barnhart’s business, EC Power Systems of Boise, was not paid for work for the Federal Aviation Administration. The Minnick team got him paid.
Medicare—Lynda Bayford of Meridian needed medical equipment approved by Medicare. Minnick’s team stepped in and discovered that the doctor’s office was using the wrong billing code. Lynda now can afford the medical equipment she needs.
Walt Minnick - Right for Idaho
posted on Mar 10, 2009 in
Accountability •
Bipartisanship •
Idaho Values Washington, D.C. – In a letter sent to the House Judiciary Committee, Congressmen Mike Simpson (R-ID), Jim Matheson (D-UT) and Walt Minnick (D-ID) requested an oversight hearing on the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA), its amendments of July 2000, and the possibility of expanding the legislation to cover individuals exposed to radioactive fallout that are not currently covered. The letter was addressed to Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) and Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R-TX).
The United States carried out more than 1000 nuclear weapons tests for more than two decades. The radioactive debris from these tests entered our nation’s atmosphere and was later deposited, in the form of radioactive fallout, all across our nation as can be seen in the accompanying Iodine-131 map produced by the National Cancer Institute.
In their letter, Congressmen Simpson, Matheson and Minnick addressed the relationship of exposure, poor health and compensation, “For decades, individuals living within the fallout areas have lived with adverse health effects caused by radiation exposure. Today, several claimant categories exist which allow individuals meeting certain criteria to apply for compensation ranging from $50,000 to $75,000 per individual, depending on their category.”
The letter also stressed the importance of treating fallout victims fairly, “Eligibility for compensation, however, is limited to certain counties in just a few states. These geographical boundaries are, quite frankly, arbitrary boundaries that do not account for the fact that radioactive fallout does not abide by lines on map. Some of the counties experiencing the largest concentration of fallout in the entire nation are not included in the current RECA program – including areas in our home states of Idaho and Utah.”
In 2000, Congress enhanced the RECA program by adding additional categories of compensable illnesses, but has not received serious review by the Congress in the past seven years. For this reason, Simpson, Matheson and Minnick believe now is an appropriate time for the Judiciary Committee to hold an oversight hearing on this important federal law.
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Brad Close, Director of Federal Public Policy of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), issued the following statement in reaction to Congressman Walt Minnick’s vote on H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act:
“NFIB appreciates Congressman Minnick’s concerns for how small businesses have been impacted by the recession, and his recognition that the bill voted on today did not contain the kind of immediate relief to help small businesses weather this economic storm and begin to create new jobs.
“Congressman Minnick understands that to be effective, we need an economic stimulus that can be implemented immediately and that does not keep spending federal taxpayer dollars for years to come. We appreciate Congressman Minnick’s willingness to put aside politics and work in the best interest of America’s job creators.
“America’s small businesses are the risk taker and job creators in our economy—they created 60-80 percent of the net new jobs over the last decade. But in the current economic environment, small businesses, like the rest of the country, are struggling. With the right relief and incentives small business can play a major role in creating a strong and lasting economic recovery. NFIB is concerned that with the limited relief and assistance in the economic recovery legislation, the bill will do little more than spend a generation’s of taxpayer dollars on programs that have no significant connection to economic growth or job creation.
“NFIB looks forward to working with Congressman Minnick on implementing the kind of economic stimulus that small business needs.”
Boise, Idaho – U.S. Representative Walt Minnick addressed both houses of the Idaho Legislature today. Minnick highlighted the cooperation he values with Republicans and Democrats on the national level. He urged his fellow Idaho leaders to build bridges over partisan divides and be a model for Congress.
The speech:
For the House:
Speaker Denney, Majority Leader Moyle, Minority Leader Rusche.
For the Senate:
President Pro-Tem Geddes, Majority Leader Davis, Minority Leader Kelly.
I very much appreciate the opportunity to stand before you today and offer this report from that other Capitol, the one in the East whose decisions so often seem foreign, but whose money we rarely refuse. I must admit it’s a bit strange going there after a career as a businessman from the West. And it has not always been smooth sailing. Like those before me have said, Washington is not at all like Idaho.
After all, in Idaho we do know how to handle snow!
In fact, we in Idaho know how to handle a lot of things better than do the folks in Washington. Those who get elected to the Legislature and other offices in Idaho tend to be proud and independent, not easily intimidated, and determined to stick up for what they believe. (Too determined, the Governor might add!) Idaho legislators are willing to stand up against their own leadership, are skeptical of big government, are determined to spend only what comes in and are anxious to make friends from across the aisle.
This determination to think things through and do what’s best for the people, regardless of which party proposes it, is too often lacking in our nation’s capital. While the vast majority of my colleagues are very bright, work hard, and care deeply for the districts they represent, they way too often let leadership do their thinking for them.
That’s unfortunate. Because in Congress today, the leadership of both parties is very sharply partisan. So partisan that blaming the other side has become more important than solving problems. This doesn’t sit well with me. Nor with most Idahoans.
Partisan battles have left our nation in a perilous place. Its legacy includes an out of control budget deficit that, ironically, both parties helped to create. And runaway entitlements which will soon self destruct unless radically reformed. The decisions required to solve these fiscal issues are so hard that they can’t be made unless both parties agree. How to get this done before China stops buying our debt is the biggest single issue we in Washington must face.
But whether it is jump starting the economy and putting people back to work, reforming health care, rescuing Social Security or protecting our citizens from terrorism , Congress has defaulted to the partisan and too often failed to solve the problem . Those of us who have tried to stand firmly in the middle, focused on finding cost effective solutions, have had to duck the grenades hurled from both the left and the right.
To be honest, when I went to Washington a year ago I expected more statesmen—and fewer people acting like children.
But there is hope.
One of your former colleagues and my good friend, Congressman Mike Simpson, happens to be one of the most respected members of the House of Representatives. Mike has applied the lessons he learned here in the Idaho Legislature – forging consensus, working across the aisle, getting things done– to become one of the select group of Congressmen who are deeply respected by their peers in both parties and across the political spectrum.
Mike’s given me valuable advice, and we have worked very effectively together. Our partnership mirrors the work of many others in this Congress, from the two friends who serve as the chair and ranking minority member of the House Agriculture Committee to the kind words offered by Senator Orrin Hatch when his close friend Senator Ted Kennedy passed away last year.
Now it’s true Mike and I sometimes disagree. After all, we are members of different political parties, we have different backgrounds and we approach issues in different ways. But far from being a cause for friction, it is a source of strength for Idaho. We learn from each other—and we work both sides of the political street. When we run into each other on yet another uncomfortable flight back home, suitcases at our feet and bags under our eyes, it is not about Republican or Democrat. It is not about who won and who lost. It’s about getting things done and what’s best for our state.
Staring, yelling and posturing at each other from across a chasm of political divide has gotten our country nowhere. It has grown so dysfunctional that the leaders of both parties now taunt each other, daring them to show “bipartisanship” by jumping in front of that freight train, by leaping into the abyss.
This must change.
The only way to deal with the chasm that has disrupted our political discourse is not to ask people to jump, but to ask for their help in building a bridge.
Here in Idaho there are many areas where we can agree.
One example is the importance of education. For our kids to earn a decent living in the 21st century and for us to succeed as a nation, education must get better and be delivered in a more cost effective fashion. Most of us agree it needs to start earlier, become more robust in K-12 and continue on through college or other technical specialized training.
As a businessman who looked carefully at the costs and the benefits, I came to believe firmly that our local school systems should be given the right to establish formal pre-k classes so that all kids start school equally prepared to learn. And as a conservative who believed that the best government is that which is closest to the people, I also thought that local school districts and local governments should be given the authority to make and fund these decisions for themselves. Now, as an elected official, I understand better why such change, which I still believe is critical if Idaho is to compete in the information age, must be achieved through bi-partisan consensus.
I also think we must beef up the requirements for high school graduation, especially in math and science, and give our schools the ability to access local sources of funding when, as now, state revenue is so limited.
Access to higher education must become universal by increasing scholarship assistance, expanding certificate programs and relying on enhanced broadband technology for delivery of content. All of these changes, which I hope you will continue to evaluate, will require input and buy in from both political parties.
I know that times are tough, and that you face very difficult choices. I will do what I can to help backstop your efforts by providing federal assistance where it is available.
There are other areas in which you can show the way for this Congress and our nation. For example, your mandate to balance Idaho’s budget gives you ample reason to try some of the ideas that Congress is only just talking about.
For example, while we in Washington wait to implement a special commission to make recommendations on reforming out of control entitlement spending—an idea I very much support—you can act on this idea. I suggest you might consider creating such a bipartisan commission of experts, appointed by the Governor and the Legislature, who would be tasked with offering ideas for closing next year’s budget deficit by taking a fresh look at both spending and our state’s sales tax structure.
Unlike the Congress, where we recoil at the idea of giving such groups real authority, you could specify that you will give the Commission’s recommendations a straight up “yes or no” vote in the next legislature.
So to the Majority running this legislature, I say to you exactly the same thing I do to the Democratic leaders in Congress: Reach across the aisle and bring your colleagues to the table. Good ideas come from both Republicans and Democrats. The loyal opposition may have different views and occasionally a different approach, but their constituents have the same needs as yours.
And, like you, your fellow legislators across the aisle love this state and have put their lives on hold to help make Idaho a better place. And to my fellow Democrats, become part of the process, recognize that compromises have to be made in these tough times, and be constructive in your public comments.
The Idaho Legislature can show the rest of the nation the way. Not through partisan bickering or headline-grabbing bills, but through the kind of quiet, colleague-to-colleague hard work that can effect real change for a community, a legislature, and a state.
So I ask for your help. I ask you to stand together and to work with the four us in the federal delegation to show the rest of our nation that while we may sometimes disagree, we share common values and can get things done.
We run as Republicans and Democrats, but we must govern as Idahoans.
It has been an honor and a privilege to speak to you today. Thank you for all you do for Idaho.
Walt Minnick - Right for Idaho
posted on Feb 26, 2010 in
Bipartisanship •
Fiscal Responsibility •
Idaho Values Washington, D.C. - Idaho’s Congressional Delegation is asking the Chief of the U.S. Forest Service not to cut discounts for senior citizens and disabled Americans under the Interagency Pass Program. The program provides discounted use rates for activities on Forest Service lands, but a plan is under discussion to reduce the discounts from 50% down to about 10% for programs and services operated by Forest Service concessionaires.
Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, and Congressmen Mike Simpson and Walt Minnick sent the following letter today to Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell:
The Honorable Tom Tidwell
Chief
U.S. Forest Service
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250
Dear Chief Tidwell:
We are writing to express concern with a U.S. Forest Service (USFS) proposal to allow a decrease in discounts for senior citizens and the physically disabled on USFS lands, as proposed in the Federal Register on December 1, 2009.
As you know, the USFS is a participant in the Interagency Pass Program, authorized by Congress in December 2004. Congressional intent in establishing this pass program was to continue the multiple benefits of an earlier fee program (Fee Demo Program) by simplifying and standardizing the fee types and providing for public input in establishing fee locations and amounts, among other things. However, that authorization also provided the Forest Service with authorities – unused up to this point – to reduce discounts for senior citizens and the disabled in some circumstances.
Under the aforementioned proposed regulations, some pass holders will find the cost of recreation on their public lands prohibitive. Of equal concern to the actual economic impact is the demographic groups that it will effect; the recession has been especially hard on senior citizens and the disabled, who already must shoulder the burden of high healthcare costs and depleted retirement savings.
As the recession has gone on, more American families have turned to our public lands for vacationing and recreation purposes than they had in the past. In part to address this rising demand, Congress has provided funding increases for the National Forest System activity in recent appropriations bills. Furthermore, the Forest Service received $650 million for capital improvement and maintenance in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. As such, we are confused as to why the Forest Service would find it necessary or appropriate to levy increased fees on seniors and the disabled.
We urge you to maintain these discounts at their current levels. In this economic climate, we cannot eliminate the opportunity for our senior and permanently disabled citizens to enjoy our public lands.
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