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Politics & Government

Lance Explains Voting Record During Summit Town Hall

Defends his votes on health care reform, teacher funding bill, stimulus legislation.

U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance (R-Hunterdon County) focused on economic issues, and answered questions about his dissenting vote on a federal teacher funding bill during a town hall meeting Wednesday afternoon in Summit.

Lance, who represents most of western Union County including Cranford, addressed a group of approximately 50 residents during the meeting, which is one of several he's holding during the August congressional recess. Starting his comments on economic and foreign policy issues, before taking questions about the education bill, unemployment and health care reform.

Situating himself at a podium between the American and state flags, Lance spent 20 minutes discussing his views on economic policy, including the federal deficit and the current unemployment of 9.5 percent.

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He focused on fiscal and debt issues while a state legislator, expressed concern that the federal debt is between $13 and $14 trillion and the federal deficit for the fiscal year that ended in September 2009 was over $1 trillion. "This is the fundamental issue of our time," he said, speaking about the current generation passing on to the younger generation an America that is weaker, not stronger.

Lance said the purchasers of the national debt are China, Saudi Arabia, and the Federal Reserve. He said he has written to Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve, in opposition to the purchasing of national debt by the Fed. Lance, a member of the House Financial Services Committee, said he is concerned that it is not a "long term" strategy.

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Lance then shifted to foreign policy. He said that he does support President Obama's plan in Afghanistan as outlined in his policy speech at West Point, as long as we are sure the troops are there to serve American interests only.

"I am no great believer of nation building. I think that is the responsibility of other nations," Lance said.

Lance has expressed the need for bipartisan support on military policy during previous speeches, including one earlier this month in Westfield.

Before opening the floor to questions, Lance expressed his strong support of Israel and said that if Iran develops nuclear weapons it could be detrimental for not only Israel but the stability of the region as well.

Audience members quickly shifted the discussion back to domestic policy, quizzing the congressman on his vote Tuesday against a bill that would provide $26.1 billion in aid nationally for states to hire new teachers, along with Medicaid funding. The state Department of Education said the bill will provide $268 million to New Jersey for teacher hiring. President Obama signed the bill into law Tuesday evening after the House vote.

Lance noted that his vote was in line with the Republican caucus, which saw all but two members dissent on the legislation. He said that the funding for the bill would have been taken from food stamps and that a family of three relying on food stamps would lose an estimated $50 a month.

He also said the National Education Association estimated that Lance's congressional district would see 56 teachers hired. Lance said with 54 municipalities in his district, many of which have more than one school, that would result in one new teacher per municipality.

Another of Lance's concerns was that the bill will be partially funded by the by the abolishment of a tax break given to companies that outsource jobs to foreign countries. Lance believes that will lead to fewer jobs in America.

Lance's remarks came as his Democratic opponent, Ed Potosnak, was hosting a press conference in Hillsborough to blast Lance's decision to vote against the teacher funding bill.

Later, Lance called upon a woman who asked about unemployment and bipartisanship. She said there is "too much mean spirited vitriolic partisan tact" in Congress that is not serving the American public.

The woman claims that Republicans continue to vote against all the attempts made by the Obama Administration to create jobs, and she asked what Republicans propose to put the estimated 30 million people in need of jobs back to work.

Lance said, "The principal reason we are still in an unemployment crisis of 9.5 percent is because of uncertainty."

Most of the new jobs, he said, will be created through small business, and small businesses feel uncertain right now. This uncertainty, according to Lance, keeps businesses from hiring and investing in capital to help them expand. Lance will be addressing small business policy during a press conference Thursday morning at Robert Treat Deli in Westfield.

Lance stood fast to his belief that raising taxes is a bad move during an unemployment crisis. He is in favor of extending the Bush tax cuts when they are up for renewal in December, despite concerns expressed by Democrats that the continuation of the tax cuts would add to the national debt.

Instead, Lance supports the Pay It Back Act, which would take unspent TARP and federal stimulus dollars and use them to pay off the debt. He does not support a system of "Too big to fail," which has resulted in the bail out of financial institutions as the expense of the national debt. He said that the best way to raise government revenue is to have a strong economy.

Lance was questioned on immigration policy by advocates of the Dream Act, which would give alien children who graduate high school in the United States and complete either two years of college or two years of military service a path to citizenship. He said what should come first is the security of our borders and he favors identification legislation that would allow employers to know exactly who they are hiring.

On health care, Lance said that he favors some of the reforms addressed in the health care bill that passed, including the "preexisting conditions" clause and the clause that allows young people to stay on their parents' health care. One audience member asked why he would not favor a single payer health care system.

According to the audience member, 30 cents of every dollar made in the United States goes toward overhead costs of health care, while only 4 cents of every dollar goes toward overhead costs of government sponsored Medicare. He suggested that perhaps universal, government run health care would lower the cost of health care as a whole.

Lance disagreed and said that he, along with many Republicans, and the majority of Democrats do not favor a single payer system.

"I think we are in agreement that we should insure as many Americans as possible," Lance said, to which many members of the audience called out in reply, "Why not all?"

Lance, a former state senate minority leader who was known for his bipartisan nature while in Trenton, also said that he wants to work closely with President Obama and his administration. "I do not want gridlock."

According to Lance, he was one of only two Republicans to be endorsed by the New York Times and was endorsed by all other newspapers that chose to endorse, during his 2008 campaign against Assemblywoman Linda Stender (D-Fanwood).

"I do believe that I have a reputation of trying to be bipartisan," Lance said.

 

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