Walberg Weekly Wrap-Up

Press Release

WALBERG WEEKLY WRAP-UP

Oil Prices Skyrocket, Yet Congress Does Nothing

Oil jumped to over $140 a barrel this week, but sadly the House considered no legislation to increase the supply of American energy and lower gas prices for American working families and small businesses.

So another week has passed and Michiganders are still paying well over $4 at the pump. Congress still has yet to take action on increasing American energy production, which is unacceptable. Just as with the Manhattan Project or the race to the moon, breaking our dependence on foreign oil should be a national priority. We need a comprehensive plan that returns our energy production back to the United States and creates good paying, American jobs.

The discharge petition I introduced on June 10 to bring the No More Excuses Energy Act up for a vote now has 153 signatures. This legislation to increase U.S. energy production and invest in alternative sources of energy would go a long way towards bringing down gas prices.

This week I also signed the American Declaration of Energy Independence. The full petition is available on my blog at walberg.house.gov/blog, but in short, this is a pledge to do what it takes to break America of our dependence on foreign oil. I will continue to fight for more American energy supplies to bring down the price of energy.

Foreign Intelligence Gathering Update
Gathering intelligence to defend America's national security should never be a political issue. After months of political gridlock, the House recently came together in a bi-partisan manner and passed an important bill to protect our national security.

Important updates to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) expired on February 17, and though the Senate stood ready to pass the much-needed updates, special interest groups hindered its passage. Thankfully, last week many Democrats crossed the political aisle and worked with Republicans to pass an updated version.

Congress originally passed FISA during the Cold War era, and the legislation enabled our intelligence community, with appropriate congressional and judicial oversight, to perform surveillance on foreign operatives and protect our national security. However, this was before e-mail, Internet phone calls and satellite phones.

Modernization of this legislation would give the American intelligence community tools and flexibility to respond quickly to terrorist threats. Glenn Sulmasy, a Harvard University national security expert, said updated FISA legislation "has allowed the United States to close a significant intelligence gap by enabling intelligence professionals to collect, without a court order, foreign intelligence on targets located overseas."

The House passed version should be approved in the Senate in early July.

Supreme Court Upholds Second Amendment
Thursday morning the Supreme Court weighed in with a landmark decision affirming the Second Amendment's right to bear arms. The framers of our Constitution purposely created the Second Amendment to ensure that Americans retain a measure of freedom to protect and defend themselves. This decision affirms the Constitutional rights provided under the Second Amendment, and is a victory for the millions of Americans who responsibly enjoy the use of firearms for recreation, collection and protection.

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