109th Congress

31 Blue Dog Democrats today sent a letter to Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Bill Young and Ranking Member John Murtha urging them to include the McCain anti-torture amendment in the FY2006 Defense Department Appropriations conference report. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), a Vietnam combat veteran, authored the letter.

The text of the letter is below:

The Honorable Bill Young, Chairman, Subcommittee on Defense, Committee on Appropriations, H149 Capital, Washington, D.C. 20515

In an effort to encourage Congress to lead by example, Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) introduced a resolution today that would direct the House and Senate to coordinate its recycling and reuse of obsolete computers and electronic equipment. Thompson, himself a founding member of the E-Waste Working group, was joined by the group's other founding members, Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.) and Rep. Mary Bono (R-Calif.), in cosponsoring the measure.

Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) and Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.) today introduced the “Veterans Right to Know Act,” a bill that would establish an independent commission to investigate chemical and biological weapons testing conducted on American servicemen and women.

Rep. Mike Thompson denounced new recommendations released today by the President's Advisory Panel on Federal Tax Reform. The recommendations would eliminate important tax deductions for Californians, costing taxpayers thousands of dollars each year in increased taxes.

“The panel's recommendations do little to simplify our tax code, instead they saddle middle-class Americans with higher taxes,” Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Napa Valley), a member of the House of Representatives' tax writing committee, said.

Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Napa Valley) has secured $57 million for local agriculture priorities in the federal spending bill for 2006 which was approved by the House of Representatives today.

“Agriculture is vital to the 1st Congressional District and contributes millions of dollars to our local economy each year,” Thompson said. “The programs funded in this bill will provide essential services to protect our crops from harmful pests and disease.”

The $57 million includes funding for the following projects:

The national debt rose to $8 trillion today marking a record high for the federal government's deficit spending. Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Napa Valley) called this milestone a consequence of the Congressional leadership's abhorrent fiscal track record.

“$8 trillion dollars is the price of the Congressional leadership's failed policies,” Thompson said. “Unfortunately, the Congress won't be paying this price, our children and grandchildren will.”

Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) issued the following statement today in reaction to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals' rejection of the Bush administration's water diversion plan for the Klamath River. The court rejected the plan on the grounds that it would not protect threatened Klamath River Coho salmon. Thompson was one of the plaintiffs in the case.

The Senate today passed U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer's (D-CA) Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act, which would protect approximately 300,000 acres of public lands in California.

“This bill ensures that some of Northern California's most treasured wild places will remain wild,” Boxer said. “By protecting the natural beauty that is part of California's identity, future generations will be able to cherish and enjoy this land.”