Press Releases

Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Napa Valley) renewed his call today to extend the deadline for seniors to sign up for the new Medicare Part D drug benefit. Beneficiaries have until Monday, May 15 to sign up for the plan or face lifetime penalties for failing to do so. Thompson is a cosponsor of H.R. 3860 a bill that would extend the deadline and suspend the penalty for the 2006 calendar year.

Thompson, a member of the Health Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee voted against the Medicare Prscription Drug Benefit in 2003.

Bay Area Members of Congress unveiled disaster assistance legislation today for West Coast salmon fishing communities that will be impacted by this year's slashed salmon season. Reps. Mike Thompson and Lynn Woolsey announced the bill in front of hundreds of salmon fishermen at a rally on San Francisco's Pier 47.

North Coast Congressman Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) today filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with NOAA Fisheries asking for all documents pertaining to federal salmon policy dating back to 2001.

“It's time to shine a bright light into the shady backrooms where the Bush Administration has been making politically motivated decisions about the management of the Klamath,” Thompson said. “These politically motivated decisions are directly responsible for the poor condition of the Klamath and the near loss of this year's salmon season.”

North Coast Congressman Mike Thompson released the following statement today in reaction to the Pacific Fishery Management Council's decision to limit this year's salmon season.

“The Bush Administration's incompetence and gross mismanagement of the Klamath River led to this year's shortened salmon season. The Administration manipulated the Klamath for political gain and as a result the livelihoods of thousands of California and Oregon residents now hang in the balance.

Congressman Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) today introduced legislation (H. Con. Res. 348) that would call for the redeployment of American forces in Iraq following the completion of the Iraqi constitutional amendment process. If passed, the bill would also honor the members of the U.S. armed forces and reserves for their service and express the sense of the Congress that the United States should not maintain a permanent military presence in Iraq or interfere with Iraqi oil revenues.

“I am opposed to the takeover of operations of American ports by any foreign government and I support legislative and legal efforts to block this particular transfer. If anything good can come out of this latest fiasco, it would be the importance of re-focusing our federal government's attention on the critical role that our ports serve in protecting our national security. Only 6% of the 9 million shipping containers that currently enter our ports each year are being inspected. This is unconscionable.

In an effort to help guide seniors through what they are calling confusing and ill-conceived changes in Medicare prescription drug coverage, Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) introduced a bill today that would add $100 million to funding for State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs). Known as HICAPs in California, SHIPs are federally mandated programs that provide Medicare beneficiaries with unbiased information about their coverage options. Lately, they have been focused on helping seniors sign up for the new drug benefit and resolving Part D enrollment disputes.