Statement from Congressman Zach Wamp

As we began the 109th Congress of the United States on January 4, 2005, I am still in awe of the enormous responsibility you have entrusted to me for the past ten years as the Representative of Tennessee’s Third District. While a decade can go by faster than we would like, the five terms I have already served were historic in so many ways. We have overcome many challenges at home and abroad, but much work is left to be done.

I know for certain that public service is a noble profession, and we must do all we can to uphold this tradition through our generation and the next.

Recently, I was quoted on the front page of USA Today that “the Congress needs to assert itself more.” As I begin my sixth term, my intention is to help bring this about for the good of the legislative branch and the necessary “checks and balances” that go along with the “separation of powers” established by our Founding Fathers.

President Bush is a decisive Commander-in-Chief who has led us with consistency and resolve. I strongly support his overall agenda, especially when we stand our ground for limited and effective government, strong national defense and homeland security, lower taxes, and the traditional values that strengthen families and secure our liberty through personal responsibility.

However, the legislative branch must rise to meet its constitutional responsibility, particularly on when and how we invest taxpayer dollars. We must hold the agencies and programs (most of which were created by the Congress) more accountable through exhaustive oversight. The Congress should be more diligent in passing legislation. We should move bills individually and stop the trend toward “omnibus” authorization bills such as Intelligence Reform, the Farm Bill or the Prescription Drug legislation where so many different provisions are included. It takes weeks to determine what was and what was not included in the final legislation.

With disciplined organization and a clear mandate to fulfill our constitutional responsibility, the Congress must assert itself in the months ahead. As your representative, I plan to push legislation that would reduce our dependence on foreign oil supply by encouraging investments in renewable and alternative energy sources, lower the skyrocketing cost of health care by supporting preventive health care measures and incentives for healthier living, retain American jobs by introducing a bill requiring the government to use American manufacturers as we secure our homeland, and attack the Methamphetamine production problem head-on by creating a national strategy that mirrors the East Tennessee model, just to mention a few. I also want to see our complicated, tax code with five different tax brackets simplified and free of inefficient bureaucracy so it can function in a more equitable, understandable manner.

Regionally, we will continue the development of the nationally award-winning Tennessee Valley Technology Corridor, the implementation of the Moccasin Bend National Archeological District, and advance the very strong missions of national security, scientific research and environmental management coming out of Oak Ridge.

We will actually begin construction of the new Chickamauga Lock on the Tennessee River this spring. From the terms of the new tobacco settlement we helped get through Congress to the details of the new sales tax deduction we also sent to the President, citizens of East Tennessee will greatly benefit from what we accomplished in the last two years, but the 109th Congress must be a Congress of action at this critical time in history.

And most importantly, our courageous troops are risking their lives every day on our behalf and for freedom around the globe. The Congress must make sure our troops have the resources, technology and equipment they need to fight for our interests and ultimately bring peace to that region of the world.

We must not fail in Iraq. The upcoming free election in Iraq will be the first of its kind in the Arab world. This is a bold investment in a troublesome region. We must stand in unwavering support of every man and woman in uniform until they are again home with their families in this - the greatest nation in the history of the world.

Working together, we will “keep the faith” and preserve our way of life.