MTS EXCLUSIVE : Interview With Congressman Tom Allen (D-ME)
I recently contacted Congressman Tom Allen's office after the November elections, and asked him a few questions about the new 110th Congress, and what we can expect, both as Mainers, and as a nation.
Here is that interview:
I am excited to have the opportunity to participate on “My Two Sense” blog. Electronic communications, including blogs, provide an exciting new frontier, offering unprecedented opportunities for elected officials to keep in close touch with the people we serve.It has been an honor to serve the people of Maine for the past 10 years and I am excited about the opportunities the 110th Congress will bring. I hope you find my answers helpful and informative. You can always find more information on my recently redesigned Congressional website.
1. How will the new Democratic Congress differ from the previous Republican Congress when it comes to Maine specifically and the nation as a whole?
The most important change in the 110th will be in attitude. Democrats have learned from the Republicans’ mistakes. The former Majority became servants of special interests and to power for its own sake. Democrats in Congress are determined to remain servants of the people. One of the first actions of the 110th Congress was to pass the Honest Leadership Act, which is modeled on a bill I introduced in 2005 with Congressmen David Obey, Barney Frank, and David Price. The Honest Leadership Act will restore the people’s voice to the people’s House and ensure that your voices will no longer fall on deaf ears. I strongly believe that every American family will benefit from legislation that is advanced in an open and transparent manner, rather than written by lobbyists behind closed doors.
In December 2005, David Broder wrote a column in the Washington Post about my ethics bill that may be of interest. You can find a copy on my website, “Allen, Others Have Strong Ethics Case”
2. What are your top 3 priorities in this new Congress and what will you do to make sure they are implemented?
Addressing the Health Care Crisis
Our goal must clearly be universal coverage. I believe we can take three important steps to drastically reduce the rolls of the roughly 48 million Americans who have no health coverage. First, we can expand the SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Program) to cover all children. Second, we can allow workers 55 and older who do not have coverage to buy into Medicare. Third, we can enact my legislation to create a national insurance program for small businesses offering a choice of plans similar to the coverage available to Members of Congress and all federal employees.
With my support, the House has already taken action to lower the cost of prescription medications in the Medicare D drug program by requiring the government to negotiate for lower prices. I introduced the first legislation in Congress to negotiate drug prices for Medicare recipients back in 1998. This first step in tackling the high cost and accessibility of health care signals the new approach of the 110th Congress in aggressively confronting the health care crisis in this country.
Ending the Conflict in Iraq
I am the only current member of the Maine delegation to have voted against going to war with Iraq in 2002. On January 10th of this year, President Bush made clear his intention to escalate the conflict in Iraq. This is unacceptable; I strongly oppose this reckless plan to send more Americans into the crossfire of a sectarian civil war. I continue to urge that we begin immediately to bring our troops home with all of our forces deployed out of Iraq by the end of this year. America’s armed forces have served in Iraq with skill, determination and courage. We owe them and their families our gratitude and unwavering support. We also owe them and all Americans a Congress that will use its constitutional powers to appropriately question and challenge the President’s Iraq policy. Unlike previous Congresses, this Congress will not be bullied into giving the President a “blank check” when it comes to Iraq. You can learn about my plan for redeployment from Iraq on my website.
Global Warming and Alternative Energy
I sit on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over environmental issues and oversees energy policy. From my position on this committee, I am working to adopt an energy policy that encourages conservation and efficiency, that invests in research and development, and that challenges American ingenuity to find new fuel-saving technologies and alternative energy sources. Congress should follow Maine’s lead in curbing greenhouse gas emissions, not just from power plants, but from all industry sectors so that we can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow or stop global warming. The House of Representatives has already taken the first steps with the passage of H.R. 6, the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007. I hope Senate Republicans and the President will not block this landmark legislation from becoming law.
3. How important do you feel it is to investigate the President's actions on the Iraq war and various other measures some find to be either unconstitutional or illegal?
My constituents have repeatedly expressed outrage at the fact that recent Congresses have refused to conduct meaningful investigations into the misleading justifications for war made by Administration officials. Since the start of the war, I have joined colleagues in responding to the public’s outcry by writing numerous appeals to committee chairmen, introducing legislation, and making public appeals for proper investigations. For the past several years, all have fallen on deaf Republican ears. Under Republican control neither of Congress’ two premier oversight committees, the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee or the House Government Reform Committee, held even one hearing on the White House’s incorrect statements on threats posed by Iraq in the lead-up to the war. This will change under the 110th Congress. It is vital that we find out what mistakes have been made so that we do not repeat them in the future.
4. How will Mainers be affected by your new status as a member of the Majority and what can Mainers look forward to as a result of the Democratic control of Congress?
I would refer you to a column I wrote last fall titled “A New Direction to Save Our Country"
I would like to thank Congressman Allen for granting me this interview.
Chris Achorn
