Keeping an eye on our five representatives

By Andy Cohen

Welcome to the inaugural San Diego “Congressional Watch,” where each month we’ll be taking a look at what the region’s five members of Congress have been up to in doing the business of their constituents — or not doing the business of their constituents. We’ll review any significant announcements, important votes, and policy statements by each member.

We’ll begin the first installment with Darrell Issa (R-D49). In a story published April 14, The New York Times reported that in a letter dated December 2012, Issa — still the controversial chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee at the time — had asked then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about her use of a personal email account. Anonymous congressional sources provided the Times with a copy of the letter written by Issa, along with the response from the State Department, dated March 2013, nearly two months after Clinton had left office.

“Have you or any senior agency official ever used a personal email account to conduct official business,” Issa wrote. He received no reply from Clinton. The State Department’s response only contained a description of the department’s email policies.

Issa also recently expressed his dismay over Saudi Arabian military strikes against the Iranian backed Houthi Rebels in Yemen, taking the opportunity to criticize the Obama administration for the ongoing nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+ powers.

“Months of fairy tale negotiations and appeasement by this administration have led Iran to believe that it can act with impunity on an international scale,” Issa stated in a press release. “Now, more than ever, it is clear that any real settlement with Iran is impossible, and the president must acknowledge this fact.”

It is unclear what, if any, actions short of direct U.S. military strikes against Iran Issa would support. Issa has struggled to regain the notoriety (or infamy?) he enjoyed during his tumultuous and largely unproductive term as the head of the House Oversight Committee.

Duncan Hunter (R-D50) expressed outrage last week over the death of Dr. Warren Weinstein, an American aid worker being held hostage by al Qaeda in Pakistan/Afghanistan border region and killed, President Obama revealed, in a January drone strike against senior operatives of the terror organization.

“Warren Weinstein did not have to die. His death is further evidence of the failures in communication and coordination between government agencies tasked with recovering Americans in captivity — and the fact that he’s dead, as a result, is absolutely tragic,” Hunter said in a statement. Hunter also praised the efforts of Army Special Forces officer Lt. Col. Jason Amerine, who had been leading the efforts to recover Americans held hostage in the region.

Juan Vargas (D-D51) joined Rep. Raul Ruiz of Palm Desert in petitioning the U.S. Department of the Interior to designate “as much of the Salton Sea as appropriate for renewable energy development,” reported the Desert Sun. The Salton Sea covers portions of both Congressmen’s districts.

In the letter to Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, Vargas and Ruiz “kindly request appropriate lands at and underneath the Salton Sea as a renewable energy focus area.”  The Salton Sea is already part of a massive state and federal Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP), a program designed to expand renewable energy projects in the California desert while simultaneously preserving sensitive wildlife habitats. The Ruiz and Vargas letter is intended to encourage the Bureau of Land Management to expedite projects around the Salton Sea, which has seen significant deterioration during the drought.

Vargas also co-sponsored H.R. 825 with Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL), an amendment that would have the U.S. actively intervene to prevent boycotts of Israel, particularly efforts of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which protests the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The amendment was added as part of the Trade Promotion or “fast track” authority, that President Obama is seeking for the Trans Pacific Partnership and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership free trade agreements.

H.R. 825 aims to require U.S. trade negotiators to “make rejection of BDS a principal trade objective in Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership with the European Union,” according to a press statement released by Roskam’s office.

Scott Peters (D-D52), among the busiest of San Diego’s congressional reps, reintroduced the “Treason and Passport Revocation Act” on April 23. The bill would require the Secretary of State to deny or revoke the passports of any individual determined to be a member of or affiliated with a foreign terrorist organization. It would also amend U.S. law to make any affiliation with such organizations an act of treason. “Those who side with terrorist organizations, be it ISIS, Al Qaeda, or others, should not be allowed to freely return to this country. We need to update our laws to reflect the new threats we face, which are more dangerous than ever, given the ease of international travel,” Peters stated in a press release.

“An individual that sides with a terrorist organization loses the privilege of returning to this country for treason,” said Vargas, also a supporter, in the same release. The reintroduction of the legislation comes in the same week that two men from Minnesota were arrested in San Diego in an attempt to cross the border into Mexico and travel to Syria to join ISIS fighters there.

In late March, Peters reintroduced the “Student Loan Repayment Assistance Act,” a bill that would aim to reduce the burden of student loan debt. The bill changes the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers to assist in the repayment of their employees’ student loan debt without penalty to the employees by not counting it as employee income. It also requires that the employee pay at least $50 per month toward their student loans.

Peters also called for a five-day congressional work week, introducing a resolution that would change the House’s standing rules, requiring it to meet for five days per week for 39 weeks every year, reported The Hill.

“Average Americans work five days per week, so there’s no reason members of Congress should not be required to as well,” said Peters’ office in a summary of the ruling.

Rep. Susan Davis (D-D53) joined Peters in opposing a bill that would significantly cut funding to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the agency created by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act and championed by then-Harvard professor Elizabeth Warren.

“The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is there to ensure that Americans are not subjected to discrimination or unfair or deceptive abuses,” Davis said. “Weakening its ability to enforce these laws could mean open season on consumers by any bad actors.”

Davis also stepped up efforts to counter measures that serve to restrict citizens’ right to vote in some states by reintroducing two bills. The Universal Right to Vote By Mail Act would enable all voters to cast their vote by mail without any restrictions placed on them by their state, such as requiring a doctor’s note, information on the voter’s religious affiliation, or pregnancy status.

Her second bill, the Federal Election Integrity Act, would prohibit a state election official from participating in partisan political activities in support of candidates or causes that would appear on their state’s ballot.

“Someone who has a vested interest in a federal campaign should not be able to oversee an election in which that candidate runs,” Davis said.

Davis is also spearheading an effort in Congress to boost federal funding for medical research by $32 billion for the National Institute of Health (NIH).

“San Diego is a national leader in the field of medical research, and NIH plays a key role in the breakthroughs and discoveries that are made every day,” Davis said. “Budget cuts have threatened this critical funding, affecting medical advancements and our local economy.”

—Andy Cohen is a local freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected].