A Weekly e-Newsletter
from Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA) 

November 4, 2005

Dear Friends,

On Monday, President Bush nominated Judge Samuel A. Alito from the Third Circuit Court of Appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court.  Judge Alito has an impeccable record and appears to meet every qualification for a Supreme Court nominee.  The confirmation hearings have been set for early January and I expect the Senate to consider this nominee fairly and for Judge Alito to receive an up or down vote.

This week, the Senate’s debated the Deficit Reduction Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 2005which will result in an estimated savings of $35 billion over five years and an estimated $109 billion over 10 years.  I am pleased that the Act passed, but disappointed an amendment I co-sponsored that would have capped discretionary spending at fiscal year 2006 levels did not.  Balancing the federal budget is an obligation that those of us in Washington owe to future generations of Americans, and this amendment would have been a huge step in the right direction.  Congress must become better stewards of the taxpayers’ money.

Fortunately, the Senate rejected an amendment that would have prevented oil and gas development in a portion of the Artic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).  With skyrocketing gas prices and the damage to our refineries from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the exploration of ANWR is critical to America’s national security and economic well-being.  This area contains up to 10.4 billion barrels of crude oil and will eventually be capable of producing 1 million barrels of oil per day.  Opening a portion of ANWR will also create between 700,000 and 1 million American jobs. It would raise an estimated $2.4 billion in leasing fees for the federal government, and development in ANWR and related activities is estimated to add $350 billion to the U.S. economy in direct spending.  We must seek to end our reliance on foreign energy sources by responsibly exploring potential energy sources here at home. 

Also yesterday, Senator Chambliss and I joined with Senator John E. Sununu, (R-NH) to introduce an amendment to S. 1932, the Deficit Reduction bill, to create a five-year pilot program that would allow disabled veterans who live with their families to qualify for up to $10,000 to install wheelchair ramps, widen hallways or make other adaptations to their homes. The amendment, known as the Specially Adapted Housing Grants Improvement Act was accepted and attached to the final bill that passed the Senate Thursday by a vote of 52-47. I recently visited with a number of wounded Georgia soldiers at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, and I saw firsthand how young some of these men and women are.  This amendment will help those returning disabled veterans who live with relatives to make the necessary modifications to their relatives’ homes to accommodate their needs. It is the least we can do for their sacrifice.

We also defeated an amendment that would have lowered the federal crop payments that were established in the 2002 farm bill. This amendment would have adversely affected many farms in Georgia and across the South, because Southern farmers tend to have larger, more costly farming operations than farmers in other parts of the country.  We had this debate in 2002, and passed a carefully crafted farm bill that established fair crop payment limits.  Since that time, our farmers have made business decisions based on that 2002 farm bill. They’ve made significant investments based on that farm bill.  Changes in limitations or eligibility would have undermined the objectives of the legislators to provide a stable and predictable farm policy through the 2007 crop. Make no mistake, passage of this amendment would have resulted in many traditional family farms going out of business.

Another key amendment I voted for and passed the Senate by a voice vote during debate on Thursday will use excess funds to protect coastal areas where energy is being produced to help the United States become less dependent on foreign energy sources. The amendment will provide up to $1.2 billion in assistance over four years to the six coastal energy producing states: Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Alaska and California. The state of Georgia also would be eligible for the funds only if it is given the ability to opt out of the moratorium on oil and gas production in the Outer Continental Shelf.  Given our dependence on foreign energy in this country, it is critical for us to consider the development of our untapped domestic energy supplies, but we also must provide environmental as well as aesthetic protection for our coastal areas.

What’s on Tap for Next Week?

Next week, the Senate will debate the Department of Defense Authorization bill.

Sincerely,
Johnny Isakson