Dear Friend,
I recorded a brief video message this week to share with you some of the important work I did back home while Congress was adjourned for the August district work period. It was a privilege to travel throughout the district to participate in many tours, events and constituent meetings and hear directly from you the concerns and issues which impact the Valley.
On Tuesday, we solemnly remembered the thousands who lost their lives eleven years ago in the September 11th attacks. We remember and thank the amazing emergency first responders, who bravely served their country in the face of an enormous threat and unknown fate; and as always, we honor and thank those men and women who bravely serve our in our armed forces. Let us remember the strength and sense of community Americans showed in the days following the attacks, making our home a safer, better, and more united nation. You can watch my video remarks on the 9/11 anniversary here.
This week violent protesters launched an attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya by which resulted in the killing of four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens. I condemn the violent assault on our consulate in Benghazi and Embassy in Cairo, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Ambassador Chris Stevens and the other brave Americans who lost their lives. There is never justification for such violence, and the United States remains committed to liberty, democracy and religious tolerance throughout the region and the world.
Congress returned to Washington this week to continue our work to enact serious, common-sense reforms to get our local economy back on track to creating jobs in the Valley. This week, the House, with overwhelming bipartisan support, adopted a six-month Continuing Resolution (CR) that is consistent with the spending cap level in the Budget Control Act. This will allow us to continue work on final, full-year appropriations legislation and get our government moving in the right, fiscally responsible direction by cutting spending and addressing the deficit.
We learned a costly lesson last year when the Department of Energy issued a $535 million loan guarantee to Solyndra, the California solar panel manufacturer that ultimately went bankrupt, despite repeated warning signs by those within the Administration questioning the project's viability and the company's financial condition. On Friday we voted to pass H.R. 6213, the No More Solyndras Act, to provide greater transparency in the future and ensure taxpayers will never again have to bear the burden of paying hundreds of millions of dollars for the Administration's risky bets and executive branch negligence. H.R. 6213 further protects taxpayers by holding the Department of Energy and other executive branch officials and policymakers accountable for their actions by imposing penalties, including removal from office, suspension without pay, and fines up to $50,000, for violations of the law.
I joined my House co-chair and fellow veteran Representative Tim Walz to launch our bipartisan, bicameral HireAVet website to promote the Congressional Veterans Jobs Caucus, which aims to decrease the unemployment rate of the nation's 857,000 veterans who are currently looking for work. We are working with Senate co-chairs Senators Joe Manchin and Mark Kirk through the "I Hire Veterans" initiative to decrease the unemployment rate of the nation's 857,000 veterans who are currently looking for work. I'm proud to work with my colleagues in the House and Senate on both sides of the aisle to uphold our commitment to our veterans, and we invite members of the public -- especially business owners -- to join us in this important mission.
On Thursday morning, I addressed attendees at the International Facility Management Association's seventh annual Public Policy Forum to discuss my common-sense legislation, the Civilian Property Realignment Act, to help eliminate government waste and save billions of taxpayer dollars. I also had the opportunity to meet with David Butler, CFO of WinCo Foods, which is an employee-owned company currently generating approximately 14,000 jobs on the west coast, and a major distribution center in Modesto, to discuss increasing tax burdens that are affecting his business' ability to grow and hire.
I was humbled to be recognized by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) as a recipient of the 2013 Guardian of Small Business Award. The Valley's small business owners are our job creators, and I will continue to support legislation that will provide them with the certainty they need to not only keep our family and friends working, but to expand and innovate for a brighter and more secure future.
This week's Intern Spotlight featured Ryley Buchanan, who began her summer internship in our Modesto District Office in July. You can read more about Ryley on my Facebook page here. Our bright and talented interns have demonstrated tremendous dedication to serving the constituents of the 19th Congressional District. You can find the weekly Intern Spotlight highlighting one of our outstanding interns from our Washington, D.C., and District offices in the Notes section of my Facebook page at http://facebook.com/RepJeffDenham. For more information on Congressional Internships opportunities, please visit my website here.
Thanks for taking the time to read this week's newsletter, and please feel free to forward my weekly newsletter to your friends, family and neighbors. You may also visit my website, Facebook, and Twitter, where you can find regular updates about my work at home in the Valley and in Washington.
Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
JEFF DENHAM