Obama warns against Syria inaction

Obama warns against Syria inaction (via AFP)

President Barack Obama on Saturday warned US lawmakers against turning “a blind eye” to Syria, as Washington sought to muster European Union support for military strikes against the Damascus regime. Fresh from a G20 summit in Saint Petersburg where…

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House leader: expect Syria vote within two weeks

House leader: expect Syria vote within two weeks (via AFP)

The US House Republican leader told his caucus Friday to expect a vote on authorization of the use of force in Syria within the next two weeks. In an internal memo to fellow Republican members, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor laid out a busy schedule…

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Pallone’s Vulnerability Exposed

Reports out of Long Branch are that Frank Pallone was shocked and dismayed that he lost his first election ever last night.

The story is that it took him two hours after the Associated Press called the primary for Cory Booker to show up at McLoone’s Pier House because he was holed up in his office, unable to compose himself.  It was only after he heard the media was leaving that he was able to pull himself together and join his own party while Senate nominee Cory Booker was delivering his victory speech on live TV from Newark.

But the big story, and what Pallone should really be upset about, is not that he lost a primary few thought he could win, but that he is now exposed as vulnerable for reelection in the 6th Congressional District.  Pallone performed poorly in his Middlesex and Monmouth base.Numbers and graphics from Politico.

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Tell Me Why I Should Bother Voting In A Gerrymandered District

By Tommy DeSeno

I think I need a political intervention.   I’m apathetic. I can’t find a reason to vote next year in the midterm congressional races.  Upon self-reflection I can’t decide if I’m enlightened or jaded.  Or both.   I just know I no longer care to cast a ballot.

I grew up schooled with the same civic lessons as the rest of America.  Served to me in full measure was that good government is  the result of the patriotic duty of voting and I swallowed it all.

I have been voting for more than 30 years and don’t recall having ever missed an opportunity to vote for a congressman.

Yet I’ve come to realize that I’ve been denied the opportunity to ever vote for a congressman.

Like elsewhere, the year after the census New Jersey gets redistricted.   Some connected political sorts from both parties negotiate in a hotel and as best I can tell, decide how the parties will split the state’s congressional delegation for the next 10 years.   Following that, the rest of us dutifully vote and pretend like it matters, doing nothing more than adding a façade of legitimacy to the literal backroom deal of the redistricting committee.

I lived for many years in what is now New Jersey’s 6th Congressional District (the number of the district has changed but the same suspect remains at-large).

The Congressman in NJ 6 is Democrat Frank Pallone, Jr.   Pallone serves many Monmouth County residents.  On the County level, Monmouth has been overwhelmingly a Republican county for decades.  Pallone represents  28 Monmouth County towns and 9 from Middlesex County.  However, Frank’s district has in it tentacles that grab certain neighborhoods (not even whole towns) from two other counties that are Democrat strongholds (and you can guess why).

In doing so the 6^th district lumps together sleepy little shore towns in one county with industrial settings in another, creating a varied constituency where the people have little in common.

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House Votes To Continue Domestic Spying

photo via facebook

Yesterday, the House of Representatives defeated, 205-217, an amendment to the 2014 Defense Appropriations Bill that would have defunded the National Security Agency’s  Domestic Phone Metadata program.

Congressman Frank Pallone was in New Jersey campaigning for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate which will be decided in the Special Primary on August 13.  He did not vote on the measure.

The rest of the New Jersey delegation split, 4-7, to continue domestic spying.

Voting for the amendment (against the spying) were Republicans Chris Smith and Scott Garrett and Democrats Rush Holt and Bill Pascrell.

Voting nay (for funding the spying) were Republicans Rodney Freylinghuysen, Frank LoBiando, Leonard Lance and Jon Runyon, along with Democrats Rob Andrews, Donald Payne, JR, and Albio Sires.

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Congressman Chris Smith: FEMA OK’s 90% Reimbursements For Towns Hit By Superstorm Sandy

FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate, left, and Congressman Chris Smith, center, meet with their staff members in Smith’s office on June 6, 2013

FEMA will be reimbursing New Jersey towns impacted by Superstorm Sandy 90% of their cleanup and rebuilding costs, Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ4) announced on Tuesday evening.

The approval will provide an immediate and additional $262 million for already obligated funding and it will cover all additional local government approved funding.  Funds will cover: Public Assistance Grant emergency work and permanent work including debris removal; emergency protective measures; road systems and bridges; water control facilities; buildings; contents and equipment; utilities, and; parks.

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Speaker Tasks Smith to Lead Congressional Delegation to Pope Francis Inauguration

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Speaker of the House John Boehner has tasked Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and leader on many international human rights efforts, to lead the bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation to attend the investiture of former Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as Pope Francis.

“It is an honor to lead this bipartisan group of House members to this international event,” said Smith, who chairs the House Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations Subcommittee. “The world is a challenging place, in terms of wars and peace, basic human rights and freedoms. The Holy Father has a major role to play in global affairs. I wish him well as he begins his pontificate and am honored to be a part of this historic occasion. The Pope is more than a spiritual leader for the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics, he is an inspiration of holiness and goodness, and above all, the faithful proclamation of the Gospel.”

While in Rome, Smith plans to meet with Vatican officials to discuss human rights issues, including human trafficking, religious freedom and culture of life issues. He expects to meet with Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary of State, The Vatican; Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace; Cardinal Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Council for the Family, and two of the top U.S. prelates, New York City’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley.

In selecting Smith, Boehner said: “I’m pleased Congressman Smith and this bipartisan group of Members will join the Vice President in communicating the prayers and warm regards of the American people to Pope Francis as he begins his papacy.”

The Smith co-del to the Vatican will also include Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Sean Duffy (R-WI), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE), Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX), Jim Langevin (D-RI), Daniel Lipinski (D-IL), and Loretta Sanchez (D-CA).

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Smith Bill That Will Allow Churches To Collect FEMA Aid Passes House By 82%

Would Allow Houses of Worship Same Status as Other Non-Profits in Seeking Federal Disaster Assistance

The House of Representatives voted today to put houses of worship—many of which were severely damaged by Superstorm Sandy but nonetheless continued to serve ravaged coastal communities—on an even playing field with other non-profit organizations seeking disaster assistance.

 H.R. 592, the “Federal Disaster Assistance Nonprofit Fairness Act of 2013,” is co-authored by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ-04) and Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY-06), and co-sponsored by Peter King (R-NY-02), Eliot Engel (D-NY-16), Trent Franks (R-AZ-08), Michael Grimm (R-NY-11), Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ-02), Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY-04) and Bill Pascrell Jr.(D-NJ-09).

The legislation stipulates that the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, which funds the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) disaster relief program, is a general government program under which federal assistance following a natural disaster can be rendered using criteria that are neutral with regard to religion. Congress has previously enacted laws providing financial assistance to religious nonprofit institutions, including houses of worship, on terms equal to other eligible nonprofit organizations. The bill now moves to the Senate.

The bill had 10-2 support in the New Jersey delegation.  Congressmen Rob Andrews and Rush Holt voted NO.

If passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Obama, the following Monmouth County churches that sustained over $100,000 each from Superstorm Sandy stand to received FEMA funds for rebuilding:

This bill applies to “houses of worship” only and will not impact FEMA’s decision to deny funding to the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association for the rebuilding of the Ocean Grove boardwalk, according to Smith’s office.

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House Republicans Seem To Be Coming To Their Senses

Republicans in Congress have decided to put their own personal finances, and those of their Democratic colleagues in both the House and Senate, at risk, rather than to risk a global economic meltdown if the Democrats don’t get serious about reigning in our government’s runaway spending.

The New York Times is reporting that House Republicans have agreed to raise the debt ceiling for three months, with a requirement that both chambers of Congress pass a budget in that time and engage in deficit reduction negotiations.   Rather than drive the nation over a “fiscal cliff” or risk the government defaulting on its debt, the Boehner Brigade’s debt ceiling bill will include a provision that federal lawmakers not get paid if the Senate does not produce a budget.

Senate Majority Leader Harry’s Reid’s office issued a statement that sounded like they might go along.  Reid’s Senate has not passed a budget in four years.

Finally!  Washington Republicans have stopped drinking stupid juice!

Whoever came up with such a common sense idea of punishing the Congress for not doing its job rather than risking the global economy deserves a Nobel Prize.

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House OK’s $60B Aid for Sandy Recovery

Aid Passes 241-180 Assists New Jersey residents from worst natural disaster in their history

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The House of Representatives tonight approved the full disaster recovery funding that will help the victims of Superstorm Sandy rebuild their communities.

            “Sandy was the most destructive storm ever in our region and arguably the second or third most costly in America’s history,” said Congressman Chris Smith, R- Robbinsville, N.J., who represents the Fourth Congressional District—the hard-hit area of northern Ocean County & southern Monmouth County where Sandy made landfill. “We are not crying wolf here, I say to my colleagues. There are huge gaps—people who have filed for insurance claims—and find insurance covered only this much. How do they ever recover?”  Smith, who took the House floor no less than three  times today to speak in favor of passage, pointed out that the Governor’s office estimated the damage in New Jersey alone to be $36.9 billion. Click here to watch Cong. Smith’s appeal to his House colleagues to pass the Sandy aid.

             Two votes today providing $17 billion and $34 billion would supplement $9.7 billion already provided by both Houses of Congress Jan. 4, for a total of $60 billion emergency spending aid package.
             “There is an immediate need to rebuild and restore.  In particular, our residents and neighbors need assistance with temporary housing and permanent home restoration,” said Smith.  “The Jersey Shore needs to be open for business by or near Memorial Day, or else many will suffer economic hardships, including losing jobs or businesses.”

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