Press Releases

Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) announced the introduction of the War Funding Accountability Act at a press conference in the U.S. Capitol today. The bill would require the administration to account for the money it is spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “We need to support our troops and ensure that they have the resources needed to do their job,” Rep. Thompson said. “This bill will make certain that Congress exercises its oversight responsibility and accounts for the $82 billion supplemental appropriation that the president has requested for Iraq and Afghanistan.

Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein (both D-Calif.) reintroduced the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act in the Senate today. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Napa Valley) introduced the bill in the House earlier this month on the first day of the 109th Congress (January 4, 2005). “We drafted this bill in a bipartisan manner, it's supported by numerous individuals, businesses and organizations in the First District and throughout California,” Thompson said.

Congressman Mike Thompson (D-North Coast) has secured a seat on the powerful Ways and Means Committee. Thompson was appointed to the post this morning by a vote of his legislative peers at the nation's Capitol. The Committee on Ways Means ranks as one of the oldest and most prestigious standing committees in the House of Representatives. It has long been recognized as the most powerful committee on Capitol Hill and carries jurisdiction over all major legislative matters including Social Security, Medicare, health care financing, international trade and tax reform.

Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Napa Valley) represents a district contiguous to Rep. Robert Matsui's district in Northern California and considered Bob his best friend in Congress. The following is a statement from Mike regarding Bob's passing last night: “Bob was not only a great leader, he was my best friend in Congress. He was a thoughtful and compassionate mentor who championed the causes of the less fortunate by consistently being the most skilled and informed person in the room. He won monumental legislative victories not by being the loudest but by being the smartest.

The House of Representatives approved legislation yesterday (H.R. 4569) that would direct the Secretary of Agriculture to develop a national plan to control and manage Sudden Oak Death. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Napa Valley) worked with House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas (R-CA) and Rep. Max Burns (R-GA) to introduce the legislation. “Sudden Oak Death is not unique to California, it is prevalent in many regions of the country,” Thompson said.

Announcing that he will vote against the bill, Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Napa Valley) called today's surprise vote on reinstating the military draft a shameless political maneuver unfitting of our troops' service. Thompson, a combat veteran and former member of the House Armed Services Committee, charged the Republican House Leadership with abusing House rules for their own political gain.

Congress today approved a key appropriations bill that moves toward correcting low Medicare reimbursement rates for physicians in Sonoma County. Under language requested by Sonoma County Representatives Mike Thompson and Lynn Woolsey, the federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services must present a plan to Congress by January 1 for fixing a decades old discrepancy in the reimbursement rates paid to doctors in Sonoma and three other California counties. “Remedying this problem is one of the most important steps we can take to improve health care in Sonoma County,” Thompson said.