Moving the Agenda
While serving on the International Relations and Judiciary Committees, I've also attempted to advance our legislative agenda through informal congressional caucuses and task forces.
One of my first initiatives in Congress
was to create a bipartisan caucus on the US Coast Guard. I now co-chair
the Caucus with two other Coast Guard veterans, Reps. Howard Coble (R-NC)
and Gene Taylor (D-MS).
Anyone who lives or works near the sea depends on Coast Guard search-and-rescue capability. But in recent years, the missions assigned to the Coast Guard -- from drug interdiction to fisheries enforcement, from oil spill protection to illegal immigration -- have far outpaced its resources.
Of the 40 naval fleets in the world today, our Coast Guard is now the 39th oldest. And now, in the wake of September 11 , Coast Guard port security is the front line of Homeland Security . The Coast Guard's budget crunch is a deadly serious matter, and our 58-member House caucus helps keep these priorities front and center.
I also co-chair the Older Americans
Caucus. In the next decade, the number of older Americans will nearly
double, and the Caucus keeps the House focused on the challenges facing our
aging population.
With my fellow caucus co-chairs -- Reps. Ralph Regula (R-OH) and Shelley Berkley (D-NV) -- the goal is to stay close to the legislative dynamics on Capitol Hill. And to alert seniors to the broad array of available resources, including online.
From long-term care to affordable housing, from prescription drug pricing to retirement security, from telemarketing fraud to Social Security -- the Older American Caucus is a bipartisan player in the hallways of Congress.