Excerpt: “Their primary concern is family and community,” says Rep. Adam Smith who represents Washington’s newly drawn 9th district, which is home to a large population of immigrants, referring to the young immigration-rights activists he’s spoken with “Their primary concern is that current immigration laws are ripping families apart.”
House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (WA-09) issued the following statement on the President’s support of immigration reform and a bipartisan framework in Congress:
“Addressing our immigration system in a comprehensive way is incredibly important and long overdue. The announcement of a framework Monday morning by the bipartisan group of Senators and President Obama’s vocal support of similar principles today are critical steps forward. While there are still many details to be figured out and significant work to be done, I’m encouraged by this initial action and look forward to working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to make immigration reform a reality this Congress.”
“[Ambassador Susan Rice] has been an outstanding Ambassador to the U.N. on countless issues, from leading efforts to secure the toughest sanctions against Iran and North Korea to date, to building international support to end Muahamar Qadafi’s brutal reign in Libya and strongly condemning Russia’s unwillingness to denounce Assad’s regime in Syria.”
Read the whole article here.
“The United States needs to use trade rules to assure that Asia’s buyers can “buy American.” If we can do this, growing tallies of exports to Asia will make the economic arithmetic add up for America, leading to a stronger economy and a more prosperous middle class here at home.”
Read more here.
Adam voiced his support for the Supreme Court’s recent ruling upholding the Affordable Care Act. The Congressman states: “The Affordable Care Act will help nearly 30 million uninsured Americans obtain health insurance and will cut our deficit by more than $1 trillion in the long-term with mechanisms in place to curb fraudulent and wasteful medical spending. It gives Americans the promise of better care by keeping health care and insurance providers accountable for the well being of their patients.” To read Adam’s full statement click here.
Currently under the Defense of Marriage Act, the Military does not permit same-sex couples to collect the same military benefits as straight couples. Because the Congressman believes that all military families should receive equal benefits for their incredible sacrifice and service to our country, Adam has introduced legislation that would require the Pentagon to change their definition of spouse to include same-sex couples. Click here for more information.
Election results are in and Adam took the primary election with nearly 61% of the vote in a district that has been significantly redrawn. Adam will face off against the second place winner this November, Republican Jim Postma. Click here for more information on Adam’s win, or click here for up-to-date elections results.
Adam Smith and several other members of the Washington State delegation announce that they have secured almost $50 million for schools at Joint Base Lewis McChord. Click here for more information.
Click here to read the official House Armed Services Committee Democrats’ press release on the new legislation introduced by Rep. Adam Smith and Sen. Mark Udall, of Colorado.
The Due Process and Military Detention Amendments Act of 2012 is aimed at protecting the Civil Liberty of Due Process for all those detained on American soil or by American forces.
Rep. Dutch Ruppersburger, Rep. Norm Dicks, and I recently wrote an article in Politico in which we analyze Chairman Paul Ryan’s recent Budget Proposal. Click here to read the full article.
It is up to Congress to find a solution to our nation’s budgetary problems. With sequestration looming in our near future it is time for my colleagues and I to work together to set our country on a path to financial solvency while upholding the necessary spending that provides for our national security and social programs.
The plan introduced by Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan does not meet the criteria that a successfully balanced budget would yield. His truly partisan approach will surely continue to divide Congress and our nation on this issue.