Washington, DC – Today U.S. Representative Heath Shuler (D-NC) released the following statement prior to the House vote on H.R. 9:
“H.R. 9 is one of the most fiscally irresponsible, flagrantly hypocritical pieces of legislation House Republican leadership has brought to the floor in the 112th Congress. At a time when House leaders claim to be serious about reducing the debt and balancing the budget, this bill adds $46 billion to our deficit and perpetuates the culture of reckless spending that put us in the fiscal situation we are in today. A more effective and fiscally responsible way to provide tax relief to small businesses would be to pass the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles Commission plan, which would lower tax rates, broaden the base, and simplify the tax code. Passing Simpson-Bowles would strengthen the economy over the long term, provide greater certainty to small businesses, and reassure markets and credit agencies—none of which is achieved by today’s misguided bill.”
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Washington, DC --- Last night the House passed H.R. 4089, the Sportsmen’s Heritage Act of 2012, with strong bipartisan support by 274 to 146. Rep. Shuler and other leaders of the bipartisan Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus crafted and introduced the landmark legislative package to protect and advance opportunities for sportsmen across the country.
“As a lifelong outdoorsman and Vice Co-Chair of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, I was proud to see this unprecedented pro-sportsmen legislation pass the House with bipartisan support,” said Rep. Shuler. “Outdoor traditions like hunting and fishing are not only an important part of our mountain heritage in Western North Carolina, they help fund critical conservation efforts. This bill will help preserve our national sporting heritage and provide much-needed funding to protect our public lands.”
H.R. 4089 is a compilation of four separate bipartisan sportsmen’s bills (H.R. 2834, H.R. 3440, H.R. 991, and H.R. 1558) that promote and advance America’s hunting and recreational fishing and shooting heritage. The bill recognizes the integral role that sportsmen play in the management and conservation of our nation’s public lands and natural resources. Revenue from hunting and fishing licenses and excise taxes on sportsmen’s equipment provide millions of dollars a year to wildlife conservation and management initiatives. H.R. 4089 will help maintain this revenue stream.
The bill is currently under consideration in the Senate.
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Proposal to FY2013 House Budget Calls for Balanced Approach to Fiscal Reform
Washington, DC – On Wednesday evening during markup of Chairman Paul Ryan’s proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 Budget in the House Budget Committee, U.S. Representative Heath Shuler (D-NC) offered an amendment calling for a balanced approach to deficit reduction that includes both spending cuts and tax reform. The amendment received bipartisan support from members of the House Budget Committee, falling just one vote short of passage.
“To responsibly address our fiscal challenges, we need a budget that puts all options on the table and takes a rational, comprehensive approach to deficit reduction,” said Rep. Shuler. “Crafting a balanced budget that puts our country on a long-term fiscally sustainable path cannot be done along party lines, and I was encouraged to see both my Democratic and Republican colleagues come together in a show of support for my amendment. This is a step in the right direction for achieving meaningful, bipartisan compromise down the road.”
Since January 2011, Rep. Shuler has been working to reach a long-term deficit reduction solution with the “Go Big” Coalition, a bipartisan group of more than 150 House and Senate Members from across the political spectrum. Rep. Shuler and other leaders of the “Go Big” Coalition are currently in the process of crafting a comprehensive deficit reduction package based on the recommendations of the Bowles-Simpson Fiscal Commission. This legislation is expected to be completed by early spring.
“Over the past year the ‘Go Big’ Coalition has made tremendous progress in bringing Democrats and Republicans together on the issue of deficit reduction, and last night we saw promising signs that even more Members of Congress are ready to embrace a balanced, bipartisan approach to fiscal reform,” said Rep. Shuler. “I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to reach the comprehensive deficit reduction solution we need to put stability back in the economy and move our country forward.”
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Last week I spent a lot of time at home with my family discussing the possibility of running for governor of North Carolina. This time of reflection and prayer gave us the opportunity to talk about the best course of action for us as a family moving forward. It was during this time that I reached the decision not to seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012.
This was not an easy decision. However, I am confident that it is the right decision. It is a decision I have weighed heavily over the past few months. I have always said family comes first, and I never intended to be a career politician. I am ready to refocus my priorities and spend more time at home with my wife Nikol and two young children.
I have experienced no greater honor than serving the people of North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District over the past five years. I am proud of the work that my office has done to give Western North Carolina a voice in Congress and make life better for the people who entrusted me with the privilege of representing them in Washington. I am also proud of the work we have accomplished with the Blue Dog Coalition to put our country on a sound fiscal path and promote civility and common-sense solutions amid the divisive, highly-partisan political climate in Washington.
Though my time in Congress will come to an end after this year, my work to move our state and country forward will not. Reducing our $15 trillion national debt and crafting bipartisan solutions to the many problems facing our nation remain my highest priorities. Leaving Congress will give me the opportunity to focus my time and energy on these initiatives without the constant demands of a re-election campaign.
I am grateful for the many close friendships I have made with my colleagues in the Blue Dog Coalition and Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle. I thank the people of Western North Carolina for placing their faith and confidence in me as their elected representative. I thank my colleagues and mentors in Washington who have helped me along the way. Most of all, I want to thank Nikol, Navy, Island, my entire family, friends, supporters, and staff, without whom my career in Congress would not have been possible. May God bless you all and continue to bless Western North Carolina.
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Washington, DC --- Today U.S. Representative Heath Shuler released the following statement after the announcement that Chico, California-based craft brewing company Sierra Nevada has selected Henderson County as the site for its major East Coast expansion:
“This is outstanding news for local workers and the regional economy. There is no better place to do business than Western North Carolina, and I am thrilled that Sierra Nevada has recognized this by choosing Henderson County to be home to its East Coast expansion. This project will provide a much-needed economic boon to our local manufacturing and tourism industries now and for years to come. I commend state and local officials for their work to foster the economic environment necessary to secure these good-paying new jobs.”
The Sierra Nevada facility in Henderson County is expected to create approximately 95 jobs.
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Washington, DC --- U.S. Representative Heath Shuler released the following statement tonight in response to President Obama's State of the Union address:
“Tonight the President outlined a blueprint to rebuild the economy, revitalize American manufacturing, and put our country on a long-term fiscally sustainable path. The President is right that we must do more to level the playing field for American workers, reward companies that keep and create jobs here in the United States, and pass an agenda that helps our small businesses succeed. He is also right that we must go bigger than the $2 trillion in cuts and savings Congress has already implemented and pass a comprehensive, balanced deficit reduction plan that includes reforms to the tax code and entitlement programs. The President’s bipartisan Simpson-Bowles Fiscal Commission has already laid out the framework for such a plan --- $4 trillion in comprehensive cuts and savings over the next 10 years and long-term reductions in spending. I am currently working with a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers to turn this framework into legislation and give Congress the opportunity to pass a substantive deficit reduction plan that the President can sign into law.
“As President Obama said in his speech tonight, our nation is great because we built it together. I am hopeful that both Democrats and Republicans in Congress will heed the President’s call to action and work together in a bipartisan manner to rebuild our economy, pay down our debt, and move our country forward.”
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Washington, DC – Today U.S. Representative Heath Shuler (D-Waynesville) joined President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at Ft. Bragg to mark the end of the Iraq war.
“I am proud to stand with President Obama at Ft. Bragg today to honor our troops for their extraordinary service and sacrifice by welcoming them home from Iraq,” said Rep. Shuler. “The conflict in Iraq has cost 4,500 American lives and nearly $1 trillion. Our troops have served our nation bravely and honorably over the course of this 9-year war, but the time has come for our service members to return home and for the Iraqi people to take control of their own destiny.”
More than 200 soldiers based at Ft. Bragg were killed in the Iraq war. In October 2011, President Obama announced his decision to remove all American troops from Iraq by December 31, 2011. The remaining U.S. soldiers in Iraq are scheduled to leave the country within the next few days.
“I applaud President Obama’s leadership to end the war in Iraq and bring our troops home once and for all,” said Rep. Shuler. “Our nation is ready to see this chapter closed, and the American people stand behind the President’s decision. The focus must now be on ensuring our returning troops have the tools they need to transition back to civilian life, which means access to good jobs and the high quality health care, educational, and training benefits our men and women in uniform have earned and deserve.”
Ten service members from the Western Nor
Washington, DC --- U.S. Representative Heath Shuler (D-NC) released the following statement after the announcement that the bipartisan Joint Select Committee, or Super Committee, failed to come up with the $1.2 trillion deficit reduction plan required under the Budget Control Act.
“It is shameful that the Super Committee allowed partisan politics to obstruct the meaningful fiscal reform our nation needs for long-term economic stability and job growth,” said Rep. Shuler. “Failure was not an option for the 12 members of the Super Committee, and their inability to reach a compromise on a deficit reduction strategy may now have a devastating impact on our national economy and global markets. This failure is beyond disappointing, especially in light of the broad bicameral, bipartisan support the Super Committee had from nearly 150 Members in Congress to ‘Go Big’ and come up with a comprehensive, $4 trillion deficit reduction plan that puts our country on a long-term fiscally sustainable path.”
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Washington, DC --- With just over a week before the Super Committee's deadline, today U.S. Representative Heath Shuler (D-NC), Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), U.S. Representative Mike Simpson (R-ID), U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), and U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), lead a bipartisan, bicameral call urging the Super Committee to “go big.”
This bicameral effort represents the first time House and Senate Democrats and Republicans have come together on a large scale to announce their support for a comprehensive $4 trillion plan to reduce the deficit. House Members recently released a bipartisan letter with 102 signatures calling on the Super Committee to “go big,” following a similar bipartisan Senate letter signed by 45 Senators.
“Over the course of the next week, the 12 members of the Super Committee will have the rare opportunity to come up with the comprehensive, $4 trillion deficit reduction plan our nation needs to achieve long-term fiscal reform and bring stability back to the economy,” said U.S. Representative Heath Shuler (D-NC). “The time is now for the Super Committee to be brave and go big. We are coming together as Democrats and Republicans from both chambers of Congress and across the political spectrum to let them know we have their backs.”
"Today's bipartisan press conference with members from both houses is a hopeful sign that the parties can set politics aside and work together to address our fiscal challenges," said Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD). "We may not all agree on what we would like to see in terms of specifics, but we stood together this morning to send a message that we all agree the Joint Select Committee should send Congress a deal that is big and balanced and considers everything on the table. Those of us who joined together today are ready to do our part, and we are urging members of the Committee to do theirs."
“Now that the deficit crisis is looming before us, there’s no more time for partisan finger pointing – and frankly, the American people no longer have the stomach for it,” said U.S. Representative Mike Simpson (R-ID). “No political party has a monopoly on failed policies. What Americans really want is for Republicans and Democrats to set aside their party labels and focus on what is best for the country.”
“Every independent and bipartisan analysis has concluded it will require about $4 trillion in debt reduction over ten years to responsibly address our fiscal challenge,” said Senator Mark Warner (D-VA). “Every analysis also concludes that you can't get there without a rational, balanced approach that puts everything on the table. As we've seen from the fiscal upheaval across Europe, you cannot fool the financial markets with smoke screens or half-measures. That's why we must aim higher and 'go bigger.'”
“I urge our colleagues on the super committee to take note of the momentum today among senators and House members, Republicans and Democrats, elected officials and the American people,” said Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA). “To see the cost of doing nothing – or of pushing off action – to address America’s fiscal challenges, look no further than the crisis in Europe. World markets are looking to America to show leadership. Our failure to act in a major way means losing our role as the international leader on financial matters.”
“As Democrats and Republicans from across the political spectrum, and from both houses of Congress, we have come together to support the Joint Committee in its effort to reduce the deficit,” said Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND). “We want the panel to succeed. We urge the committee to be bold, be brave, and to ‘go big.’”
“We understand the pressures facing members of the Committee, and we want them to see that widespread and bipartisan support exists for larger deficit reductions,” said Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID). “There are already more than 40 Senators willing to embrace significant deficit-cutting proposals from the Gang of Six that will grow our economy by lowering tax rates, broadening the base and simplifying the tax code to make it flatter, fairer and more competitive. We have some of the highest corporate tax rates in the world. We are discouraging new economic activity and are at gridlock over spending cuts. We don’t have to be. We have bipartisan agreement to ‘go big’ and find a solution to our debt crisis.”
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U.S. Coast Guard Required to Give American Manufacturing Priority
Washington, DC --- An amendment offered by U.S. Representative Heath Shuler to require the United States Coast Guard to give priority to businesses that manufacture materials, parts, and components in the United States passed the House by unanimous consent on Friday.
“At a time when people in Western North Carolina and across the country are seeing more and more American jobs shipped overseas, we must do everything we can to bolster our domestic manufacturing industry and put American workers first,” said Rep. Shuler. “This amendment not only protects American manufacturing jobs, but ensures the Coast Guard is able to procure the highest-quality equipment possible from a safe, reliable, domestic source.”
Rep. Shuler has introduced and co-sponsored similar House-passed “Make it in America” initiatives in the past, including an amendment that would encourage federal agencies to give priority to American small businesses in federal contracts and legislation that would require the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to buy American products essential for military readiness. Most recently, Rep. Shuler voted against three so-called “free trade” agreements with South Korea, Colombia, and Panama that are estimated to send more than 8,000 manufacturing jobs in Western North Carolina overseas.
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