Op-Ed: The Hill Report- Haiti, Health Care, and Justice

Op-Ed

The 2nd Session of the 111th Congress commenced this week with housekeeping work, but our thoughts and prayers quickly turned to the displaced, the missing, and the dead from the horrific earthquake in Haiti.

I am deeply saddened by this catastrophe and its devastating impact on the already impoverished nation. The United States has taken swift action during this crisis, and the outpouring of support from relief organizations and ordinary citizens demonstrates the generosity and character of the American people.

As international aid begins to reach the victims, medical and rescue personnel along with brave citizens are working around the clock to rescue survivors. In the days and weeks ahead, Haiti will need a significant amount of basic resources -- food, water, and medical supplies.

The State Department has provided the following contact and donation information:

* Families seeking information about American relatives in Haiti can call the State Department's Haiti Earthquake Task Force hotline at 1-888-407-4747.

* For those who wish to donate to the relief effort, people can text "HAITI" to "90999" and $10 will be given automatically to the Red Cross. Standard texting charges apply; the donation amount will be charged to the cell phone bill. The Red Cross can also be reached through 1-800-REDCROSS or online at www.redcross.org.

* For those who are interested in making a significant in-kind contribution -- such as a plane, a team of doctors, portable generators or large-scale water purification equipment -- the U.S. government is urging prospective donors to register their donation with the Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI) -- a partner organization of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). Visit www.cidi.org to register, and CIDI plans to respond with information regarding the international community's ability to absorb the offer.

Backroom Deals
As Congressional Democrats continued to negotiate the health care bill behind closed doors at White House this week without any Republican input, the American people are now learning that labor unions are the latest beneficiaries of backroom deals.

To pay for a government-takeover of healthcare, Congressional Democrats plan to tax "high-end" health insurance plans up to 40% -- but exempt labor unions from the tax until 2018. So individual Americans whose health insurance policy costs more that $8,900 a year could incur the tax immediately, but the Majority's labor union friends will receive a special exemption until at least 2018 -- five years after the legislation is scheduled to take effect. Even worse, the Majority plans to target nursing homes, health care providers, and drug makers to pay for this special treatment.

This backroom deal for labor unions is yet another example of the Majority's reckless disregard for the opinions of the American people and commitment to politically-motivated governance.

The American people have every right to know what is being bought and sold for their health care and they deserve access to all health care negotiations. On Wednesday, I joined my Republican colleagues in signing a discharge petition to force a vote on health care negotiation transparency in Congress.

As you may remember, Congressman Vern Buchanan's "Sunshine Resolution" calls for public access to all health care negotiations -- and I am proud to cosponsor this common-sense resolution. There are 178 Republican in the House, and the Sunshine Resolution discharge petition must receive 218 signatures to secure an automatic vote on the House floor.

I will continue fighting against a government takeover of our health care system and working to shine the light on the backroom deals Congressional Democrats are making on the future of your health care.

Military Tribunals for Terrorists
As I mentioned in last week's newsletter, one of my top priorities this year is the security of our nation, and I do not believe that America can achieve lasting security by treating terrorists like common criminals with a trial in civilian courts.

Today, I have co-sponsored the Military Tribunals for Terrorists Act -- legislation requiring any terrorist who attacks the United States or its people to be interrogated, prosecuted and tried in a military court, not a civilian court. Set to be introduced next week by my friend Congressman Vern Buchanan (R-FL), this common-sense bill would designate terrorists as enemy combatants.

As you know, President Obama plans to try some of the most notorious terrorists in our civilian courts -- affording them rights under the U.S. Constitution. So instead of collecting critical intelligence from terrorists, the terrorists, as defendants in a civilian court, could have access to sensitive information related to the discovery process for their trial. This irresponsible approach places the government in the position of providing information to terrorists -- not collecting information from them to help avoid future terrorist attacks.

Military tribunals are an established and secure means of providing justice to foreign terrorists without compromising intelligence methods and operations in open court. Foreign terrorists should not enjoy the constitutional rights of U.S. citizens, and I will continue fighting for terrorists to be tried as what they are: enemies of America.

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