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WVLT TV Knoxville
Rep. Wamp's statement on Bhutto assassination
December 27 – This evening, Congressman Zach Wamp has released his own statement: "I am deeply saddened and concerned to hear of the death of my friend Benazir Bhutto, who was trying at great personal risk to save her country of Pakistan from the threat of radicalism. As her family and her supporters mourn her loss, my hope is that President Pervez Musharraf will move toward real reform and true democratic government." Bhutto was killed at an election rally early this morning when a man opened fire on the SUV she was riding in, before blowing himself up.
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WDEF TV Chattanooga
Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, Congressman Zach Wamp recap 2007
December 26 – As we start looking back at 2007, we find that two of Tennessee's top political figures have been keeping track of the year that was. The following is Wamp's recap: The new Democrat leadership in Congress failed to build a consensus to bring several critical bills to the floor for a vote in a timely manner this year. Instead of working all throughout the year in a bipartisan manner, the Democrat leadership waited until the last minute to compromise on bills that fund the federal government and our troops.
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Congressional Quarterly
Roll Call
December 13 – If the long-awaited Capitol Visitor Center opens next year as planned, observers may look back at 2007 as the year things turned a corner. Rep. Zach Wamp the ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, begins a push to change the name of the CVC’s Great Hall to “Emancipation Hall.” It’s a way to honor the slaves who built the Capitol while also preventing confusion with the Library of Congress’ Great Hall, Wamp says.

Congressional Quarterly
House set to consider year-end spending package next week
December 13 – The House appears on track to consider a year-end omnibus spending bill early next week, now that Democratic leaders have agreed to move a package that approximates the spending targets set by President Bush. “I think the big decision in the House is what else is attached to it,” said Rep. Zach Wamp of Tennessee, a GOP appropriator. White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said administration officials were “encouraged by what we have heard from Capitol Hill about the budget. We don’t know what their top line would be, we don’t know what policies they might try to put into the bill; we don’t know what tax increases they might try to put into the bill,” Perino said.

Congressional Quarterly
New name of Visitor Center entry hall
December 6 – The Senate cleared legislation that would name the main entry space of the new Capitol Visitor Center “Emancipation Hall,” in honor of the slaves who helped build the Capitol. The bill sponsored by Rep. Zach Wamp passed by voice vote. The space inside the new facility was to be called the Great Hall, but supporters of the bill objected, pointing out that the Library of Congress’ main hall bears the same name.

WDEF TV Chattanooga
Ramsey honored with Harrison Post Office naming
November 21 – The naming of the Harrison Post Office to the Claude Ramsey Post Office marks the first time a post office in the southeast district has been named after anyone. It's due to the efforts of Congressman Zach Wamp. "Over his life he has stayed the same humble, genuine, decent Harrison boy who used to work at the Harrison post office," Congressman Wamp said.
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Washington Times
GOP wants probe of U.N. affiliates
November 15 – Republican lawmakers say the United Nations is allowing nongovernment organizations with ties to al Qaeda to act as technical authorities and advisers, and they are asking for an investigation into the matter. "It is important that Americans know that their taxpayer dollars are not being used to accredit organizations jeopardizing our security," stated the lawmakers, who are lead by Rep. Zach Wamp. Nearly 30 Republican lawmakers are asking U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Zalmay Khalilzad to investigate these and other groups granted such status, and are threatening legislation to withhold funds if the accreditation continues.
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Christian Science Monitor
'Pork' still reigns on Capitol Hill
November 15 – After moving earlier this year to make the federal budget process more transparent to the public, Congress is falling short of its goal of full and timely disclosure of lawmakers' pet projects, or earmarks. "The level of reform presented and adopted by the Congress so far has not convinced the public that things have changed in Washington," says Rep. Zach Wamp, a cosponsor. "We need sweeping reforms in a comprehensive way on how earmarks are decided in authorization, appropriations, tax and tariff bills, and administration requests." A group of House GOP appropriators called for the establishment of a Joint Select Committee on Earmark Reform.
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The Hill
House approves Emancipation Hall bill
November 14 – The House approved renaming the Capitol Visitor Center’s main hall Emancipation Hall. Supporters said the name would memorialize the country’s struggle against slavery and honor slaves who helped build the Capitol. “It is really the right thing to do and the right time in history,” said Rep. Zach Wamp, the bill's sponsor. “It really speaks to freedom. When slaves were emancipated it was a defining moment in our history. It also honors slaves that built the Capitol.”
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Roll Call
Emancipation Hall moves ahead with House vote
November 14 – Nearly 150 years after being freed, the slave laborers who helped build the Capitol are closer than ever to getting official recognition for their work. “Words matter. ... Let us send a message to all that come to this temple of freedom that emancipation lives on. Emancipation brings us all together at a time in this country when we need things to bring us together,” Wamp said. Members easily approved a bill changing the name of the Capitol Visitor Center’s Great Hall to Emancipation Hall in honor of those slave workers.
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Congressional Quarterly
‘Emancipation Hall’ name wins a second vote
November 14 – For a second time, the House has voted to name the main open space in the new Capitol Visitor Center “Emancipation Hall,” in honor of the African-American slaves who helped build the original Capitol. Wamp said reminding the public that much of the work on the Capitol in the first six decades of the 19th century was performed by slaves has important contemporary significance. “Emancipation brings us all together at a time in this country when we need things to bring us together,” he said.

Washington Post
House names new visitor hall
November 13 – The House agreed to name the largest room in the new Capitol Visitor Center in honor of the slaves who helped build the U.S. Capitol. "Let us send a message to people that come to this Capitol that emancipation lives on and was such an important moment in the learning process of this experiment in freedom and democracy known as the American republic," Wamp said. Under the measure, the room would be called Emancipation Hall.

Roll Call
Panel OK's renaming Great Hall
November 1 – The effort to rename the Capitol Visitor Center’s Great Hall in honor of the slaves who helped build the Capitol took a big step forward on Wednesday. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved by voice vote the bill to rename the CVC’s main congregating space “Emancipation Hall,” sending the bill to the House floor for a vote. Introduced in August by Reps. Zach Wamp and Jesse Jackson Jr., the bipartisan measure is expected to easily pass the House, where it has garnered 227 cosponsors. The Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch now is expected to hold its monthly oversight hearing on the facility next week.
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WDEF TV Chattanooga
Local girl bikes 370 miles to raise money to fight childhood cancer
October 27 – Congressman Zach Wamp helped kick off the ride at the Creative Discovery Museum, where Samantha Gilley volunteers to read to children from braille books. 18-year-old Samantha will ride from Chattanooga to Memphis benefiting St. Jude Hospital. Samantha has been fighting cancer since she was six weeks old and it has taken her eyesight.
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Tennessean
Healthier lunch choices, nutrition improves; Physical education making comeback
October 26 – More lettuce and lima beans in the lunch line are just some of the ways in which schools have gotten healthier over the past six years. When it comes to burning off excess calories, schoolchildren across the nation soon could have more hours of physical education. U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, has co-sponsored a bill that would incorporate physical education requirements into the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which is up for reauthorization later this year. “Every young person in America should have a weekly, regimented physical education program,” the congressman said recently to a group of students at Ooltewah High School.
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The Hill
Smackdown in Statuary Hall
October 16 – Myths, rumors and misinformation are rampant on Capitol tours as more than 8,000 visitors churn through the building on a given day. Members of Congress give some excellent tours — rare though they may be. Rep. Zach Wamp is known for giving a performance that even those from outside his district want to see. Foreign dignitaries have signed up. Unless he is out of town, he is the only one in his office to conduct tours — he has done a total of 1,700. Wamp called giving tours his favorite part of the job. He is self-taught, reading histories of the Capitol and Tennessee in his spare time. The red-shirt guides give him tips and answer his questions. “I’m constantly doubling back and saying, ‘What’s the real story on this?’ ” he said.
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Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Study: Ignored parts of Trail of Tears deserve acclaim
October 16 – Twenty years ago, when Congress designated two main routes of the Trail of Tears as historic trails, it left out two routes that cut across Arkansas. A National Park Service draft study confirms what many researchers believe — that the two routes have a place in history. The law directing the study stemmed from legislation in the 109th Congress offered by Rep. Zach Wamp. A park-service report up for public comment calls the routes “historically significant” and finds that they meet all the necessary criteria to be incorporated into the National Historic Trail System.
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WDEF TV Chattanooga
Robotics key to future competitiveness In global manufacturing
October 9 – Tennessee Rand, Inc. designs and builds robotics used by a variety of manufacturers. Congressman Zach Wamp co-founded the Congressional Robotics Caucus. He calls robotics the key to the country's future competitiveness against other countries, "You're going to have low-cost labor in some of these countries. The question is, are we ahead of them, or, are we behind them? They'll get the work if we're behind them. We'll get the jobs, if we're ahead of them." Business has grown tremendously during the last few years.
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The Tennessean
Bill is an attempt to nationalize care
September 28 – The State Children's Health Insurance Program was adopted in 1997 under Republican leadership to bring health-care benefits to children of the working poor. We worked in a bipartisan way to gain support for the program and to ensure it would have stable funding for the 10 years of its authorization. I supported SCHIP then, and I support renewing SCHIP now. However, Democrats do not want to simply renew the program. They propose expansion of government-run health care, which will cause 2 million children to move from private insurance to government health care. This represents the first big push by the Democrats to nationalize health care.

Roll Call
It’s a deal: Visitor Center to open in November 2008
September 26 – Speaking before the Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management, Wamp noted that many visitors to the Capitol are unaware that slaves helped build it. “We should use this as an opportunity to bring the Congress to a better place,” Wamp said. “This is bigger than us. Please do not delay.” Rep. Zach Wamp ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, has offered a measure to officially change the name in the spending bill. So, Wamp teamed up with Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. to introduce a bill to get the name change made quickly. With no major construction delays anticipated, officials from the Architect of the Capitol and the Government Accountability Office announced they have reached a consensus: They expect the Capitol Visitor Center to open in November 2008.
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Congressional Quarterly
Lawmakers finally see progress on Capitol Visitor Center
September 26 – News that an agreement has been reached on an opening date and final projected cost for the beleaguered Capitol Visitor Center was greeted with cautious applause by a House panel. The Architect of the Capitol has concurred with a previous Government Accountability Office projection that the cavernous underground welcome center will open in November 2008. “We’re not going to be satisfied with the cost or the schedule,” said Tennessee’s Zach Wamp, the panel’s top Republican. But, Wamp added, “We’re seeing results. The quality is extraordinary.”

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Kind, others introduce physical fitness bill
September 19 –  Reps. Ron Kind, Zach Wamp and Jay Inslee recently introduced the Fitness Integrated with Teaching (Fit) Kids Act, which would synthesize curriculums for physical education and academic subjects from kindergarten through high school. "The number one antidepressant we can give our children is sweat," Wamp said, citing obesity, Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure as unfortunate trends among children. "I don't care if you're in public school, private school or you're home-schooled," you've got to be active. The bipartisan group of members hope the legislation will be incorporated into the 5-year-old No Child Left Behind Act, which is up for review and reauthorization by the House Education and Labor Committee.
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Roll Call
Billington’s tenure one for the books
September 12 – James Billington’s challenge is to take “the champagne out of the bottle” while “bringing Greece into the room.” It’s a goal he has strived to meet during his 20 years as the Librarian of Congress, a milestone that will be reached Friday. “Rarely does anyone combine the intellectual capacity to lead an institution like the Library of Congress and all his academic connections in the world and all philosophical and financial responsibilities, and still have a keen sense of the political ramifications of everything done in this city,” said Rep. Zach Wamp. “It’s really an extraordinary package of skills that he brings to the table and on top of that he’s just a nice guy.”
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Claiborne Progress
$300,000 invested in Claiborne business development fund
September 5 – U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp and Rural Development Area Director Jerry Amonett announced a federal investment of $300,000 in Powell Valley Electric Cooperative to establish a revolving loan fund (RLF) to promote business development in Claiborne County. The announcement was made at the Claiborne County Hospital & Nursing Home Education Center. "This Rural Development grant to help build a new medical office building will enhance and improve health care in Claiborne County," said Wamp. "Claiborne County Hospital and Nursing Home will be able to recruit new specialists to the facility providing vital services residents in Claiborne County and surrounding areas."

Roane County News
Anti-drug coalition awarded $100,000 from feds
August 31 – The federal government is giving Drug-Free Community grants to more than 700 organizations across the United States. One of those is the Roane County Anti-Drug Coalition, which will receive a $100K grant to raise awareness about the dangers of youth drug use. "Efforts to keep our youth drug-free are critical to communities throughout East Tennessee," U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp was quoted.

The Daily Beacon
GOP Rep speaks on biofuel
August 31 – U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp discussed with UT College Republicans what he called an exciting frontier for the university, the region and the country: alternative sources of energy. “We are finally making the first real steps towards energy independence that our country has seen in 40 years, and it’s a bridge to get us to the technologies of the future on transportation. And the bridge is alternative fuel,” Wamp said. Wamp’s visit to campus preceded a public discussion on the future of switchgrass. Switchgrass is a warm-season perennial that only has to be reseeded every 10 years and has been considered a candidate for biofuel and ethanol production.
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WBIR TV Knoxville
Spallation Neutron Source sets world record
August 30 – A $1.4 billion dollar research facility at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is making its way into the record books. On Thursday, U.S Senator Lamar Alexander and U.S Representatives Zach Wamp and Bart Gordon took a tour of the facility. It's called the Spallation Neutron Source. "This is the month we set the record," ORNL Director Thom Mason. "We reset the bar. Now every time we increase the power, we go up the map. We are going to set a new world record up to 1.4 megawatts which is about 10 times where we are now." The SNS is like a fancy microscope that can see how atoms are put together one at a time. Its beam power beat the United Kingdom's ISIS facility record on August 11th. "From the lightest-weight efficient planes to products you pass through at the gates of airports, it's coming out of places like this," Representative Wamp said. "That's why we need to be competitive."
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Washington Times
New state laws take physical education off bench
August 26 – That's the mantra in some states, where new physical education requirements aim to boost children's activity levels as well as their health and fitness knowledge. Rep. Zach Wamp and Rep. Ron Kind are working with the AMA to include an amendment that promotes PE in schools. Overweight, inactive children don't learn well, they said, so increased activity will help improve test scores. "One of the ways I think you can improve [the federal education law] is to include great incentives for physical fitness to return to public schools," Mr. Wamp said. He called his proposal a compromise from an earlier version that aimed to make PE one of the main requirements of No Child Left Behind, on par with math, reading and science testing.

Fuel Cell Today
US representative announces prospective fuel cell unit funding
August 17 – A House defense bill has included a provision for funding to be granted to test a new, more powerful fuel cell unit at UTC's SimCenter. According to U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, should the money be supplied a 100 kilowatt fuel cell unit will be demonstrated at the SimCenter. "The 100 kilowatt unit goes into a shipping container that fits into a parking space, yet it could heat and cool a downtown office building of five stories," commented Mr. Wamp. The facility has housed a fuel cell unit since January 2006, but the one currently in place is capable of producing just five kilowatts.
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New York Sun
GOP lawmakers urge U.N. to break From Qaeda-linked NGOs
August 6 – A group of Republican congressmen is pushing for a crackdown on U.N. support for nongovernmental organizations with links to Al Qaeda. Led by Rep. Zach Wamp the lawmakers introduced legislation that would condition American funding for the United Nations on the world body dissociating itself from groups tied to terrorism. "The only power that we have over the United Nations is the power of the purse," Mr. Wamp said. "We do not want to send U.S. tax dollars to U. N. agencies that provide accreditation to any organization with known ties to terrorist organizations. How can one arm of the United Nations give legitimacy to an organization, and yet another arm includes it on a watch list of groups known to have ties to Al Qaeda?"
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Washington Post
Police increase alertness level
August 3 –The U.S. Capitol Police have stepped up their vigilance recently because of increased concern about a terrorist attack on the United States, but officials said there is no specific information pointing to a threat to Congress. Fresh concerns had been raised by an alleged al-Qaeda propaganda ad labeled "Wait for the Big Surprise" showing a doctored picture of President Bush and Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, in front of a White House in flames. The Roll Call article cited an unidentified Capitol Police source and quoted Rep. Zach Wamp, ranking minority member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, as saying that "the leaders of the committees of jurisdiction have been briefed on threats to the Capitol." Officials with major federal law-enforcement agencies said they had no indication of any impending plan to attack the Capitol.
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Roll Call
More problems prompt effort to revamp AOC
August 2 – After two consecutive mornings filled with gloomy reports of scheduled changes and rising cost estimates for Architect of the Capitol construction projects, one top Republican on Capitol campus issues said the 200-plus-year-old AOC is an outdated “dinosaur” in desperate need of “sweeping reforms.” Wamp, the ranking member of the subcommittee, added that “the Architect of the Capitol as an institution, because of the way it has evolved, has proven that in this modern world of efficiency in procurement and construction management, it’s a dinosaur.” To begin fixing the system, Wamp said Congress needs to change the way the Architect of the Capitol is selected to ensure that House as well as Senate overseers find someone who is not only a licensed architect but also has a strong construction management background who can do the job effectively.
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Roll Call
Capitol Police boost security to deal with threat of pre-Sept. 11 attack by al-Qaida
August 2 – Capitol Police officials have stepped up the department’s security presence on Capitol Hill in response to intelligence indicating the increased possibility of an al-Qaida terrorist attack on Congress sometime between now and Sept. 11. The August-to-Sept. 11 time frame was confirmed by a Capitol Police source who said Congressional security officials were recently made aware of the potential threat by federal anti-terrorism authorities. Rep. Zach Wamp, who helps oversee Capitol campus issues as ranking member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, would only say “the leaders of the committees of jurisdiction have been briefed on threats to the Capitol.”
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The Hill
Members admit not knowing how to evacuate from Capitol
August 1 – Although security in the nation’s capital has been beefed up since Sept. 11, 2001, many lawmakers cannot remember the last planned evacuation they participated in, nor do they know where to go in an emergency. One Capitol Police officer, speaking on the condition of anonymity, voiced doubt that lawmakers were adequately prepared for an emergency. The U.S. Capitol Police schedules evacuation drills “to minimize the impact to routine business on the Hill,” Capitol Police spokeswoman Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said. Drills are put on the calendar throughout the year. Rep. Zach Wamp, ranking member of the Appropriations Committee’s legislative branch panel, said there aren’t many drills on Capitol Hill. “They do a lot of it in recess. Some of that is for the professionals not the elected officials,” Wamp said. “[The professionals] need to determine when to carry [them] out.”
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Politico
The Crypt- the GOP summer reading list
July 31 – High school students aren't the only ones heading to the beach this August with a hefty bag of books they probably won't read. Republican Reps. Thaddeus G. McCotter of Michigan and Zach Wamp of Tennessee are recommending six books -- and a movie, "Islam vs. Islamists" -- to their GOP cohorts for the August recess. They're all on foreign policy, with a particular emphasis on Islam. And it's not exactly beach reading. This is the duo's third list in two years. And they have included books critical of the administration, including "Imperial Life in the Emerald City," by Rajiv Chandrasekaran, a portrait of U.S. mismanagement in Iraq after the invasion. "We don't want to protect sacred cows," Wamp said. "This is not Republican propaganda for Republicans' sake." Like I said, not exactly Danielle Steel. But something tells me Wamp and McCotter aren't expecting book reports (500 words, double-spaced, etc.) from their Republican colleagues, either.
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Washington Times
Pelosi urged to reprimand Ellison
July 19 – Rep. Keith Ellison's comments earlier this month were "beyond the pale of reasonable discourse," two House Republicans said. A civil rights group and some Republican members of Congress are calling for Rep. Keith Ellison, Minnesota Democrat, to be reprimanded for comparing President Bush's reaction to the September 11 terrorist attacks to that of Adolf Hitler after the German parliament building was set ablaze in 1933. Rep. Eric Cantor, Virginia Republican, and Rep. Zach Wamp, Tennessee Republican, wrote a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Democrat, demanding a reprimand of Mr. Ellison. "We call on you to act swiftly and immediately reprimand Representative Ellison for his flagrant and irresponsible comparison," Mr. Cantor and Mr. Wamp wrote. "These comments inflame hatred and division at a time when we should be promoting unity and reconciliation."
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The Hill
Reps. Cantor, Wamp blast Ellison for 9/11 comments
July 18 – Reps. Eric Cantor and Zach Wamp lambasted a freshman Democrat in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for his remarks likening the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to the 1933 burning of the Reichstag in Berlin. Cantor and Wamp asked Pelosi to reprimand Rep. Keith Ellison who made remarks that insinuated the Bush administration had used Sept. 11 to begin the war in Iraq while addressing a group of atheists. “Even if Ellison asserts that he was not implying that 9/11 was orchestrated by the administration, the comparison he draws between Hitler and the president of United States is disgraceful,” the letter read. “These comments inflame hatred at a time when we should be promoting our unity and reconciliation.”
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Nashville City Paper
Tennessee Republicans show differences on Iraq strategy
July 17 – Although he’s the titular head of the state Republican Party, U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander’s call for a new strategy in Iraq clashes with some party leaders within his own state’s GOP. Alexander’s amendment does have support from one prominent Tennessee Republican, U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp. Wamp is a co-sponsor of similar legislation in the House that would make the Baker-Hamilton Commission recommendations law. Wamp said the Iraq Study Group provides a “bipartisan road map” that could bring the country together to try and find a successful solution in Iraq that has soft deadlines on troop withdrawals. “The Iraq Study Group is the only thing that really has that kind of bipartisan credibility that we can start to follow,” Wamp said. “So I think it’s a very reasonable approach. And I don’t think in anyway it undermines the president or Gen. Petraeus.”
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Minneapolis Star Tribune
Ellison's remarks draw fresh complaints
July 17 – Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison's remarks July 8 comparing 9/11 to the Nazi-era Reichstag fire sparked new furor from the Anti-Defamation League and two GOP congressmen. Ellison -- whose one-time ties to the Nation of Islam raised concerns in some quarters during his campaign last year, particularly about the anti-Semitism linked to that group -- made the comparison at a meeting sponsored by a Twin Cities atheists group. He said 9/11 reminded him of the 1933 Reichstag fire, which produced fear that the Nazis used to justify claiming vast new powers. Republican Reps. Eric Cantor of Virginia and Zach Wamp of Tennessee wrote to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asking her to "swiftly and immediately" reprimand the first-term congressman for the remarks. Wamp wrote that Ellison's comments "inflame hatred and division at a time when we should be promoting our unity and reconciliation."

The Hill
Fun and fireworks
July 3 – Independence Day evokes all sorts of feelings for Americans. We gather together at barbecues, watch fireworks and appreciate our freedom. Many lawmakers, too, celebrate the Fourth by spending time with their families or attending holiday parades. For some, the holiday can be an emotional one. The floodgates also open every Fourth for Rep. Zach Wamp. He celebrates in Collegedale, TN “at a big Fourth of July event with music and fireworks, and I will be emotional,” he said. "There is nothing more patriotic than our country celebrating the Fourth of July – especially when our troops are in harm’s way.”
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Roll Call
New CVC Chief finds her ‘awe moments’
July 2 – While perhaps not quite a technical term in the museum industry, Terrie Rouse knows an “awe moment” when she sees it. As a recognized visitor services expert and self-described museum buff, Rouse, who soon will be handed the keys to the Capitol Visitor Center, already has scouted out several probable locations for awe moments in the 580,000-square-foot facility. “This appointment is timely and very important,” said Rep. Zach Wamp. “I look forward to meeting Terrie Rouse and working with her to see this beautiful expansion fully realized for the American people.” Wamp currently is leading a much-publicized push for a name change to the CVC’s Great Hall. Wamp and several other Members have argued that Emancipation Hall is a more fitting name not only because it avoids confusion with the Great Hall in the Library of Congress’ Thomas Jefferson Building but also because it would be a fitting tribute to the many slaves who were used in the building of the Capitol.
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Roll Call
Absence of delays draws praise for CVC
June 28 – It’s not as if Architect of the Capitol officials were ready to break out the champagne, but [the] Capitol Visitor Center progress hearing did begin with a bit more positive, if not almost celebratory, atmosphere than previous hearings held this year. Nevertheless, subcommittee ranking member Zach Wamp praised AOC officials for getting the project “back on track.” “We are hands-on and I think making more progress than we’ve seen in a long, long time,” Wamp said.
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Roll Call
New caucus raising robotic awareness
June 28 – The aptly named Robotics Caucus is the bipartisan brainchild of Reps. Mike Doyle and Zach Wamp and will focus on educating Members of Congress and the public about this expanding area of science. Both Doyle and Wamp are acutely aware of this, as the National Center for Defense Robotics as well as Carnegie Mellon University, which is a leading institution in robotics research, are located in Doyle’s district and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory is in Wamp’s, but both Members hope awareness of the technology will spread throughout the country. “It’s a really hot thing right now,” Wamp said of the increasing familiarity that Americans have with robotics. “It’s going to have a lot of people exposed to it.”
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Washington Post
Tenn. lab to host 1 of 3 bioenergy sites
June 27 – The Oak Ridge National Laboratory was selected to host one of three U.S. Department of Energy bioenergy research centers, each receiving $125 million in funding over five years. Sens. Lamar Alexander, Bob Corker and Rep. Zach Wamp disclosed the decision in advance of a formal announcement by Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman. "If biofuels are part of the answer to our goal of energy independence, our region will be out front with solutions," Wamp said.

Roll Call
Shuler, Democratic defense can’t stop Republican winning streak
June 27 – The Democratic faithful had put their hope in the bat of former Redskins quarterback Rep. Heath Shuler. They should have focused more on the fielders because it was the defense, or lack thereof, that did in the Democrats at the 46th Annual Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game. Their nine errors paved the way for a 5-2 Republican victory before a crowd of 4,132 at RFK Stadium. “Solid defensive play made the difference in the game,” said Rep. Zach Wamp, who went 2-for-3. Barton “substituted at will, and that speaks volumes about the depth of our team.”
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Roll Call
Errors doom Democratic squad as GOP takes 2-0 Lead
June 26 – Defense, or lack thereof, was the story as nine Democratic errors paved the way for a 5-2 Republican victory in the 46th Annual Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game at RFK Stadium. The GOP now leads the current best-of-five series 2-0. The other star for the Republicans was Rep. Zach Wamp, who went 2-for-3 and turned in several fine plays at shortstop. “Solid defensive play made the difference in the game,” Wamp said.
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The Hill
Congress and golf are back together again
June 26 – We know you were worried. There was that whole effort to besmirch the legislative branch’s favorite pastime, just because of some little ol’ trip to Scotland with some well-connected fellow a few years back. Fortunately lawmakers remembered that the little white ball is really what it’s all about. That’s when Reps. Chet Edwards and Zach Wamp took to the floor to announce that Democrats prevailed in the annual golf tournament. “I just rise as the captain of the Republican team to say that these recruiting classes that you all continue to bring to Washington are a problem for us. Hopefully, the American people will weigh in the near future and send us an athlete or two in a larger class,” Wamp said.
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Congressional Quarterly
Democrats save boost in energy funds
June 25 – House Democrats fended off two days of Republican assaults on spending in the Energy-Water appropriations bill, defending increased funds for energy and other priorities. A final vote on passage will not occur until the addition of a package of earmarks. Subcommittee Chairman Peter J. Visclosky worked closely with Republicans on his subcommittee, and in many cases those lawmakers joined him in defending the bill. “I definitely want to hold the line on spending. There are going to be some vetoes, and rightly so,” said Zach Wamp.

Congressional Quarterly
Democrats beat back Republican attempts to trim construction projects
June 19 – House Democrats handily defeated attempts to scale back spending in the fiscal 2008 Energy-Water spending bill Tuesday. Overall, the bill would increase spending by 4 percent for the Energy Department, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Interior Department’s Bureau of Reclamation and several independent agencies. Visclosky worked closely with Republicans on his subcommittee, and in many cases those lawmakers joined him in defending the bill. “I definitely want to hold the line on spending. There are going to be some vetoes, and rightly so,” said Zach Wamp. But Wamp said Congress has a responsibility to properly fund “national priorities,” which in this case would include research into renewable power and other energy technologies.

Congressional Quarterly
Panel makes a hall of a change to CVC
June 13 – House Democrats handily defeated attempts to scale back spending in the fiscal 2008 Energy-Water spending bill Tuesday. Overall, the bill would increase spending by 4 percent for the Energy Department, the Army Corps of Engineers, the Interior Department’s Bureau of Reclamation and several independent agencies. Visclosky worked closely with Republicans on his subcommittee, and in many cases those lawmakers joined him in defending the bill. “I definitely want to hold the line on spending. There are going to be some vetoes, and rightly so,” said Zach Wamp. But Wamp said Congress has a responsibility to properly fund “national priorities,” which in this case would include research into renewable power and other energy technologies.

The Hill
House panel passes spending bill for legislative branch, tightens scrutiny
June 7 – House appropriators unanimously approved $3.1 billion for legislative-branch operations for full committee review. Ranking member Zach Wamp noted that it is “one of the few bills that was under the president’s request.” Wamp offered an amendment to change the name of the main hall in the Capitol Visitor Center from “Great Hall” to “Emancipation Hall” to honor the slaves who helped to build the Capitol. He later withdrew the amendment after assurances that the name of the hall would be changed after further discussion and evaluation of several possible alternatives.
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Congressional Quarterly
Delayed Capitol Visitor Center continues to vex House appropriators
June 6 – Democrats and Republicans clashed over a variety of minor issues at an appropriations subcommittee markup, but they were unanimous on one point: The Capitol Visitor Center needs more supervision. Zach Wamp, the ranking Republican on the panel, agreed. “Man, the [visitor center] and the Architect of the Capitol have got to be the biggest challenge we have,” Wamp said. “The accountability is not there.” The legislative branch bill is usually the smallest and least controversial of all the annual appropriations bills. Wamp, meanwhile, failed in his attempt to change the name of the visitor center entrance hall from “the Great Hall” to “Emancipation Hall.” Wamp argued that it would be confusing because the Library of Congress already has a well-known, ornate “Great Hall.”

Roll Call
Safety Is job no. 1 in approps bill
June 6 – Republican appropriators in the House are prepared to fight for some of their favored funding initiatives when the legislative branch subcommittee marks up the fiscal 2008 legislative branch spending bill. But after a closed-door meeting, subcommittee ranking member Zach Wamp said Democrats can expect to see at least two amendments to the bill as it will be presented. Wamp said he plans to offer an amendment that would rename the Capitol Visitor Center’s Great Hall to set it apart from the Library’s space with the same moniker. Wamp, who first offered the name Lincoln Hall for the CVC space, is now pushing for the name Emancipation Hall as an alternative. “This new hall is going be second to only the Rotunda in terms of people going through it. ... If we named that hall Emancipation Hall it would send all the signals to the people in this country that this glorious Capitol honors the people who built it who of all things ironically were slaves, and that it is something we recognize was one of the greatest wrongs in the history of our country.”
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Tri–Cities Harold Courier
U.S. can win competition with China for brain power
May 30 – It’s a tale of two countries: China and the United States. China seeks to steal our brainpower as it grows, but the U.S. will win this technological war. U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp said bipartisan efforts such as the America Competes Act are why the Tennessee Valley Corridor group meets annually. He said he just completed a discussion about ethanol and its future in U.S. energy. "These are big issues," Wamp said. "We get together, and we’re helping our country. “

The Hill
Lawmakers grapple with CVC woes
May 30 – Becoming increasingly disenchanted with the Architect of the Capitol's (AoC) management of the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) lawmakers have met to discuss how to get the project under control. Ranking member Zach Wamp said the committee must develop solutions, ideas and suggestions to help the Architect's Office finish the CVC. Although Wamp said he didn't think “anybody wants to rip” the project out of the AoC's hands, he suggested that the committee ask the agency what it can do to help get the schedule under control. Wamp also suggested that AoC officials be barred from leaving the agency until the project is complete. Wamp continued: “Who is actually shaking the contractor by the lapel here?” He said that government bureaus do not typically want such conflict, “but we need it. I'm talking about penalties. Incentives and penalties.”
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WDEF TV Chattanooga
Illegal immigration
May 23 – Last week, an announcement came that Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Senate have reached an agreement on a bill that would give legal status to millions of people. The legislation would tighten the borders; all 12 million-plus illegal immigrants could stay, and they'd have to learn English and pay a $5000 fine for having entered illegally. Anyone who wants to become a U.S. citizen would have to wait between 8 and 13-years behind those who've already applied... but they would be allowed to live and work here while they wait. Congressman Zach Wamp doesn't like the plan...he says it still amounts to amnesty. “'I’m going to vote against and I want the people to know I'm going to vote against it. What it's going to do is increase immigration overall and it's going to cost us a ton of money it's going to be very bureaucratic, problematic, it's not even going to work well.” Congressman Zach Wamp hopes for a solution soon, but he says he will stand his ground. "If comprehensive means amnesty for people, automatic citizenship even if you came here illegally, we are going to vote against it."
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Congressional Quarterly
Spending measure calls for more attention to science, energy initiatives
May 22 – A House panel is expected to approve an Energy-Water appropriations bill that would boost spending on basic science, nuclear non-proliferation and alternative energies while scaling back White House nuclear initiatives. Most of the funding in the annual bill goes to the Energy Department, which spends two-thirds of its money on defense and nuclear activities. The bill also funds the Army Corps of Engineers and the Interior Department’s Bureau of Reclamation, as well as other independent agencies. Chairman Peter J. Visclosky, D-Ind., has kept quiet about his plans, but he laid the groundwork for a bipartisan bill with extensive hearings as well as informal meetings with committee Republicans and Democrats. Aides and lawmakers said they expected a smooth markup. “I don’t expect any surprises, and I don’t expect any amendments,” said panel member Zach Wamp, R-Tenn.

The Hill
Lawmaker seeks $15 million for USCP radio system
May 10 – Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) included $15 million in the Iraq emergency supplemental that would pave the way for an updated radio communication system for the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP). The radio system, which is more than 20 years old, has limited transmitting range and interoperability. Ranking member Zach Wamp has been a vocal supporter of the upgrade. Wamp was "encouraged that Wasserman Schultz has included money for radios in the latest version of the supplemental," but said that the bill itself is destined to be vetoed by President Bush in its current form. "The Capitol continues to need interoperable communications and state of the art communications. It doesn't have [them]," Wamp said. "The sooner the better."
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Occupational Hazards
Bill: tax breaks for off-site fitness memberships
May 10 – The bipartisan legislation – dubbed the “Workforce Health Improvement Program (WHIP) Act of 2007” – proposes to amend Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow businesses to deduct up to $900 per employee per year for the cost of off-site health club memberships. U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp introduced the WHIP Act March 28 in the House and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, introduced the act March 29 in the Senate. “Rising rates of obesity and Americans' sedentary lifestyles are resulting in escalating health care costs,” said Wamp, founder and co-chair of the Congressional Fitness Caucus. “The WHIP Act would be an important step in reversing this health trend by promoting physical activity, combating obesity and preventing obesity-related diseases.”
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Earth Times
International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association applauds introduction of legislation promoting wellness in the workforce
May 7 – The International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association expressed its ardent support for the Workforce Health Improvement Program (WHIP) Act (H.R.1748 and S. 1038) -- legislation that promotes fitness in the workforce to help keep Americans healthy. Introduced in April by Representatives Zach Wamp, Mark Udall (D-CO), Ron Kind (D-WI), and Jim Ramstad (R-MN) in the House, and by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) in the Senate, the WHIP Act already enjoys strong bi-partisan support. "Rising rates of obesity and Americans' sedentary lifestyles are resulting in escalating healthcare costs," said Wamp, founder and co-chair of the Congressional Fitness Caucus. "The WHIP Act would be an important step in reversing this health trend by promoting physical activity, combating obesity and preventing obesity-related diseases."
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Roll Call
Lawmakers may revive technology office
May 3 – The Office of Technology Assessment, the now-defunct legislative branch agency that for more than 20 years helped Members confront scientific issues in crafting policy, could soon get a reboot. There is talk on Capitol Hill of bringing back the OTA, which closed its doors in September 1995 after then-newly elected Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) cut its funding. Discussion of how a revitalized OTA could be used took place during recent hearings of the House Appropriations subcommittee on the legislative branch. Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and ranking member Zach Wamp have spoken about possibly reviving the OTA since being named to their positions a few months ago, Wamp said. “We think there is some value in the Office of Technology Assessment,” Wamp said. “The question is if the money can be found to realistically stand it back up, or if it will have to wait.”
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The Hill
Panel tackles staffing, pensions in police departments
May 2 – Members of the House Appropriations Committee’s legislative branch panel vowed to address security concerns and benefits structures after hearing testimony from legislative branch employees and police officers from three forces. Capitol Police also raised security concerns before the panel, when the chairman of the USCP labor committee, Andy Maybo, urged the panel to fund a new communications system. He called the current one, which is more than 20 years old, a “security concern.” Ranking member Zach Wamp who pressed for new radios immediately, was pleased to hear that money for radios might be included in the bill. “I want to say how encouraged I am that we might consider radios in the rewrite,” Wamp said.
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Chicago Tribune
Bush, Congress aim for war funding compromise
May 2 – The House failed to override President Bush's veto of an Iraq funding bill that included a timetable for withdrawal of combat troops, and the White House and Congress began talks on a compromise. Congressional leaders from both parties emerged with optimism from an afternoon meeting with Bush but with few details on what sort of agreement they expect to reach. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called the meeting "positive." Her Republican counterpart, Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, said it was "very productive," reporting no tense moments. Rep. Zach Wamp defended the president's stand. "The veto was the right thing to do," Wamp said. "The president's not popular. We all know that. But isn't it refreshing that the president's doing the right thing even though it's unpopular?"

Roane County News
Roane County: Wamp announces $1.25 million grant
April 25 – When most people hear "1600 Pennsylvania Ave.," they think of the White House in Washington, D.C. After all, that is the address the president calls home. But U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp also associates the address with ORNL. "The 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. of technology growth in America today is the ORNL," Wamp said. Wamp made those remarks during a press conference at ORNL to announce that the Economic Development Administration has approved a $1.25M grant for the recently formed Oak Ridge Science and Technology Park. "I think we have a new (outlook) here, and I've seen it happen several times. That is "build it, and they will come," Wamp said. "It is happening again at ORNL."
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The Tennesseean
U.S. must take action to diminish the threat
April 24 – When former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson met with dozens of Republicans from the U.S. House of Representatives last week, he shared some thoughts about Iraq. He said that down the road, we'll be able to put Iraq in our rearview mirror. When we do, we'll either be looking at a dangerous world or a more dangerous world. The tough choices we make today will determine just how dangerous the world will be. With or without Iraq, the threat of jihad from radical Islam on a global scale is the national security challenge of our generation. This threat is not going away, and these conflicts may continue for the rest of my life. While many in our country have expressed frustration with the progress of this war, I don't think anyone wants us to give victory to the terrorists by leaving in retreat.

Roll Call
Leaders plan for CVC governance
April 23 – As one Senate staffer put it last week, Congressional leaders have “at long last” devised a governance plan for the new Capitol Visitor Center when it transitions from a construction project to a fully operational facility. “I’m glad they finally have this and it gets the ball rolling,” said Rep. Zach Wamp, the ranking member of the Appropriations subcommittee on the legislative branch.“ Wamp added that the AOC is currently “under the gun right by our committee, and so I think you’re going to see a reluctance somewhat on both sides to just march forward with this proposal even though we understand the top leaders have signed a letter saying this is the path we follow. I think all the committees who have a dog in this hunt ought to have the ability to say what’s the best way to make this work.”
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Daily Times
Congress weighs in on vest debate
April 20 – Questions about military body armor have been in the news just about as long as troops have been serving overseas in the War on Terror. To help clear up the question of Army- and Marine-issue Interceptor OTV body armor versus Dragon Skin body armor, U.S. Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ark., has started a push for an external, independent investigation into "whether the U.S. Army is using the most effective body armor and equipment available for our troops' protection." Tennessee Republican Reps. David Davis and Zach Wamp have also expressed interest in the investigation, but have not announced whether they will support it or not. "I'm looking at this very closely, but before I signed onto a resolution or took an official position I wanted to get the facts and find out what the defense department's response was to this," Wamp said. "I continue to look into this because I'm very interested in making sure these families can be assured that our country is doing everything we can for every man and woman that we put in harms way."
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Roll Call
CVC opening likely to be delayed again
April 11 – Multiple Capitol Hill sources said that acting Architect of the Capitol Stephen Ayers is expected to announce that the opening of the Capitol Visitor Center will be delayed until September 2008. The reason for the latest in a series of postponements for the project: Officials do not expect to get a certificate of occupancy for the complex until June 2008. “This is the 200-pound gorilla that became the 265-pound gorilla [and] is now a 600-pound gorilla and you can convert those pounds into millions of dollars,” Rep. Zach Wamp, ranking member on the Appropriations subcommittee on the legislative branch, said at a February hearing.
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Washington Post
Printing office's work stacks up
April 4 – One of the unintended consequences of the new five-day workweek under the Democratic majority on Capitol Hill is a whopping bill from the Government Printing Office.  The Congressional Record, for instance, is printed daily and captures every debate, vote, parliamentary maneuver, tribute to a fife-and-drum corps, post office naming, and utterance by members on the floor of the House and the Senate. It averages 250 pages. "It's kind of like the newspaper business," said Rep. Zach Wamp. "They know things are going electronic, but they know people are going to want to read their newspaper with their coffee."
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Roll Call
Chief, Appropriators keep pushing for radio upgrades
April 2 – Lawmakers and Capitol Police officials continued to stress the need for a new radio communications system.  Rep. Zach Wamp, the ranking member on the House Appropriations subcommittee on the legislative branch, continued his push to find funding for the radios at a hearing.  Wamp asked House Sergeant-at-Arms Bill Livingood if continued funding of the current system is cost-effective.  Wamp used his closing remarks to again advocate for an upgrade, saying that a Congress that has found hundreds of millions of dollars to fund the Capitol Visitor Center can find the money needed to protect the Capitol itself.  “We cannot ignore communications anymore,” Wamp said.
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The Hill
Beard wants better benefits for House employees
March 30 – Members of the House Appropriations Committee’s legislative branch panel voiced concerns on staffing, security and efficiency issues at a hearing on the House of Representatives budget. For Chief Administrative Officer of the House Daniel Beard, improving the benefits package for employees is a particularly high priority. Ranking member Zach Wamp put it succinctly: “I would say we need to be green, smart and state-of-the-art in terms of way we operate the legislative branch.”
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Washington Post
Republicans soften stance on pullout language
March 27 – Unwilling to do the White House's heavy lifting on Iraq, Senate Republicans are prepared to step aside to allow language requiring troop withdrawals to reach President Bush, forcing him to face down Democratic adversaries with his veto pen. Rep. Zach Wamp, who will be one of his party's negotiators as House and Senate appropriators sit down to hash out a compromise spending bill, suggested that a final version could include language similar to the Senate's version setting goals for withdrawal without strict time limits. “What Republicans do not want is a presidential veto,” Wamp said. "This is a time when we need to find a way to come together through this conference committee and find a way where the country can unite again," Wamp said.
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Roll Call
CR leaves library’s digital program in peril
March 21 – Library of Congress officials testifying at a hearing on the agency’s future digital projects detailed how the fiscal 2007 continuing resolution has endangered a major Library preservation initiative to archive the constantly changing world of Web-based information. In other LOC news, the list of possible new names for the Capitol Visitor Center Great Hall was expanded when Billington tossed the Library’s official recommendations into the ring. Subcommittee ranking member Zach Wamp has pushed for the CVC space to be renamed to avoid confusion with the LOC space with the same moniker. Wamp has suggested for the CVC space to be named the Abraham Lincoln Hall.
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Roll Call
Think, dude: shine on
March 26 – Rep. Zach Wamp is sporting a big ol’ shiner, and he wants colleagues to know that it wasn’t a result of a dust-up with Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), his counterpart on the House Appropriations subcommittee on the legislative branch. Wamp earned the bruise during a charity basketball game, when he threw up a 3-point shot and took an elbow in the face from a defender. The shot, Wamp tells HOH, went in, but no foul was called and his team ultimately lost. Wamp, though, seemed proud of the badge of honor. “I think it makes me look tougher,” he said. And, he notes, the 20th Annual Home Court Basketball Game (which pits a Hill team against Georgetown lawyers) pulled in more than $300,000 to help the D.C. homeless. “A black eye for a good cause is worth it.”
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Roll Call
Appropriators opt to put off new radios for cops
March 19 – An amendment to the emergency war supplemental bill that would have provided the Capitol Police with $16 million to begin modernizing its out-of-date radio communications system was shot down during debate within the House Appropriations Committee. Rep. Zach Wamp, who submitted the amendment at the supplemental markup, said that waiting until 2008 to begin modernizing the radios puts the Capitol at risk. “On Sept. 11, [2001] this Capitol was in fact a target,” Wamp said. “It could be again. I don’t want to wait until the ’08 bill. This is an emergency item. What’s happening overseas is so important but so are the homeland security needs we have here.”
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The Hill
Out of Iraq Caucus starts to split
March 15 – Once-ignored members of the Out of Iraq Caucus are now some of the most sought-after votes in the House as Democratic leaders search for the support they need to pass a carefully crafted Iraq supplemental budget. Republican appropriators plan to offer amendments to strip out various pork projects during the markup. Rep. Zach Wamp ranking member of the Appropriations legislative branch subcommittee, said he will also offer amendments to the bill, but said only that they would have to do with his role on the subcommittee.
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The Hill
Obey readies committee for 'around the clock' work on Iraq supplemental
March 15 – House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) told lawmakers that the markup of the Iraq supplemental could go on “around the clock.” Many Out of Iraq caucus members think that Democratic efforts do not go far enough in bringing U.S. troops home. Rep. Zach Wamp, said during the markup that he wished he had never heard the words “mission accomplished” with regard to Iraq. “I wish they had never been spoken - because it wasn’t and it isn’t.”
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Washington Post
Congressman wants hall named for Lincoln
March 13 – The new Capitol Visitor Center's great hall should be named in honor of President Abraham Lincoln, U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp said at a House subcommittee hearing. Wamp made the suggestion during a hearing on the center before the House Appropriations subcommittee on the legislative branch. Wamp, the subcommittee's ranking minority member, said the hall ought to bear Lincoln's name to honor the president and the slaves who helped build the Capitol. Wamp said it would be fitting to name the hall in time for the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth in 2009.
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The Hill
Senate panel goes relatively easy on Ayers
March 7 – Acting Architect of the Capitol Steven Ayers may have been relieved after giving his testimony before lawmakers on the Senate Appropriations Committee’s legislative branch panel — a body that, compared to its House counterpart, went easy on him. House panel ranking member Zach Wamp prodded Ayers on the morale of the workers in his agency: “What do you think the morale is of the people who report to you?” Wamp was also “still surprised” that Ayers hasn’t “spent more time in the CVC.” In his last statement, Wamp likened the asbestos issue to Hurricane Katrina. “The horror of Katrina shook the foundation of people’s confidence in their government,” Wamp said. “This asbestos issue today is another one of those issues.”
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Roll Call
The CVC ‘Gorilla’
March 7 – Someday, perhaps, we’ll all be proud of the Capitol Visitor Center. Those who have visited the cavernous facility beneath the Capitol’s East Plaza say it will be beautiful and functional when it is finally opened. But right now, no one knows for sure when that will be. So far, the project has been a management disaster. As Rep. Zach Wamp said at the hearing, “This is the 200-pound gorilla that became the 265-pound gorilla [and] is now a 600-pound gorilla and you can convert those pounds into millions.” The current AOC estimate is $568 million, while the Government Accountability Office is projecting more than $600 million.
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Congressional Quarterly
Democrats still struggling over amendments
March 6 – House Democrats were no closer to firm language on the fiscal 2007 spending bill as leaders continued to negotiate with various factions within the party, including a group seeking the promise of an amendment calling for troop withdrawals from Iraq. But at least one appropriator, Rep. Zach Wamp, said he believes GOP members in the end would be willing to back the supplemental, despite the problems Democrats appear to be having among themselves deciding what to put in it. “Ultimately, I think you are going to see most of our conference support it,” Wamp said. “But what is it? It keeps changing.”

Roll Call
Lunch Police
March 1 – Just when things were getting a little too stuffed-shirt around the Capitol, enter fitness guru and “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” star Richard Simmons to bring a little levity. Simmons was in the Capitol and House office buildings, spreading joy — and some unsolicited advice — to unsuspecting staffers. Simmons was dressed in an uncharacteristically sedate suit although his signature wild hair was in effect. Clowning around aside, Simmons’ official mission on the Hill was talking to lawmakers about improving physical-education standards as part of the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act. He was a guest of Rep. Zach Wamp.
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Salon.com
"Switchgrass is cool, dude"
March 1 – The Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a center of U.S. research into renewable energy, including cellulosic technology, the current holy grail of biofuel dreamers who want to cheaply transform fibrous plant matter into ethanol. Maybe that's why when the topic of switchgrass came up during a congressional hearing on energy research and development, Rep. Zach Wamp, was delighted to display some expertise on the subject. "What is switchgrass? It's a bio-stock," said Wamp. "It's a feed stock. And it will replace tobacco and soybean and a bunch of things. It's really pretty cool. A great feed stock for cellulosic ethanol. And if we took 35 to 40 million acres through the Farm Bill and have an energy title, we could grow cellulosic ethanol and in five years begin seriously changing the fuel consumption in this country with E-85 at the pump and save Ford and G.M."
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Roll Call
AOC needs $900 million for fixes
February 28 – The Architect of the Capitol has identified $300 million in “past due” maintenance work on the Capitol campus and another $600 million worth of fixes for “unacceptable conditions” of building components that will exceed their useful lifespans in the next five to 10 years. Subcommittee ranking member Zach Wamp called [the] hearing an opportunity to put Congressional planning into context “and see the big picture in the shadow of the” Capitol Visitor Center, which has become the most visible and publicized building project on Capitol Hill since ground was broken on the facility almost seven years ago.
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Business Week
Tenn. senator cautious on nuclear waste
February 23 – Sen. Lamar Alexander supports nuclear power as a clean-air alternative to coal-burning power plants, but said he wouldn't want the nuclear waste processed in Oak Ridge without the community's support or limits on how much waste is handled. U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp worries about bringing more waste to Oak Ridge, which continues to clean up radioactive and hazardous wastes created decades ago.

The Hill
Wasserman Schultz demands answers from CVC
February 21 – In a heated Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) oversight hearing, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), demanded that acting Architect of the Capitol Stephen Ayers answer a series of questions about the project's management. When panel members learned that the CVC completion date had been postponed until spring 2008 and its final price tag would exceed $600 million, they raised doubts regarding the handling of funds related to the project, as well as its overall organization. Ranking member Zach Wamp agreed with the chairwoman's line of inquiry. "That's a good start," Wamp said. But he also called on Ayers to outline possible names for the CVC's main hall, which now is being referred to as the Great Hall. He said that a different moniker should be considered because the Library of Congress already contains a Great Hall.

Roll Call
Appropriators hit CVC delay
February 20 – As Architect of the Capitol officials announced another six-month delay in the completion of the Capitol Visitor Center, House appropriators demanded that agency officials start getting realistic about deadlines for the massive underground project that broke ground almost seven years ago. “This is the 200-pound gorilla that became the 265-pound gorilla [and] this is now a 600-pound gorilla, and you can convert those pounds to millions” of dollars, said subcommittee ranking member Zach Wamp.
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USA Today
Dems focus on funding as Republicans take sides on Iraq resolution
February 15 – As members of Congress from both parties debate Iraq policy on the House floor for the final day, the extent of the Republican opposition to President Bush's troop escalation plan is the only suspense left. Today, Bush weighed in on the Congressional debate for the second straight day, warning against any attempt to cut off military funding for the war effort. Rep. Zach Wamp, said the troop increase is necessary to "the defense of liberty and our way of life." "This is a religious conflict," Wamp said. "We're at war with Islamic jihadists."
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USA Today
GOP vs. GOP in House debate
February 14 – Republicans argued amongst themselves over President Bush's Iraq policy. Several said they were doing so despite their personal affection and admiration for the president. At the same time, the president took to the airwaves to try to sell his policy at a televised news conference. Rep. Zach Wamp, said the troop increase is necessary to "the defense of liberty and our way of life. This is a religious conflict," Wamp said. "We're at war with Islamic jihadists."
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Roll Call
Hill agencies seek post-CR funding hike
February 6 – Reacting in part to a continuing resolution that kept funding levels in fiscal 2007 at 2006 levels, legislative branch agencies are requesting big boosts in President Bush’s $2.9 trillion fiscal 2008 budget. Rep. Zach Wamp, the ranking member on the newly revived Appropriations subcommittee on the legislative branch, said the steep increases present “a textbook case of the effects of the CR. This is clearly a response to the continuing resolution,” he said. “The budgets are not funded at the normal levels.”
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USA Today
Group wants 9-11 style commission on New Orleans levees
February 6 – With the site of a levee breach as a backdrop, a group of residents called for Congress to set up an independent, bipartisan panel similar to the 9-11 Commission to investigate what caused levees to fail during Hurricane Katrina. U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., is the most high-profile supporter of the idea to set up a 9-11 style commission. Other backers include prominent levee experts and U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal, R-Kenner, and U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp.
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Fuel Cell Today
Congressmen announce fuel cell bill
February 2 – Four U.S. congressmen have introduced bipartisan legislation that they hope will promote the widespread adoption of hydrogen fuel cell technology.  Republicans Zach Wamp and Lee Terry introduced the proposed Hydrogen Fuel Cell Commercialization Act, which includes plans to extend the current 30 percent tax credit on fuel cells and introduce further tax credits for hydrogen fuel.
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Fuel Cell Works
Members committed to energy independence introduce serious hydrogen legislation
February 1 – Congressmen Albert Wynn (MD-4), Mike Doyle (PA-14), Lee Terry (NE-2), and Zach Wamp (TN-3) are introducing bipartisan legislation to promote the widespread adoption of hydrogen fuel cell technology. WAMP: “Alternative energy sources are the nexus between our environment, economy, and homeland security. This legislation exemplifies the bipartisan effort to become energy independent so that we can rely less on foreign oil and increase domestic production of cleaner and more reliable energy sources.”
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Chillicothe Gazette
Future of GNEP site in Piketon still in question
January 28 – Politicians in other communities that received GNEP grants expressed eagerness to cash in on what they believe could be an economic bonanza.  "These nuclear fuel recycling facilities would firmly establish our state as the leader in this field," said Republican Rep. Steve Pearce of New Mexico, where the DOE awarded two study grants. "This is an exciting opportunity for East Tennessee," echoed Republican Rep. Zach Wamp, whose district includes Oak Ridge National Laboratory, another potential GNEP site.

Worldnet Daily
House resolution opposes North America Union
January 26 – Rep. Virgil Goode, R-Va., has introduced a House resolution expressing congressional opposition to construction of a NAFTA Super Highway System or entry into a North American Union with Mexico and Canada. HCR 40 currently has five co-sponsors, all Republicans: John J. Duncan Jr. of Tennessee, Virginia Foxx of North Carolina, Jones of North Carolina, Ron Paul of Texas, Cliff Stearns of Florida and Zach Wamp of Tennessee.
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MSNBC
Plan for nuclear cartel unclear faces reality check
January 24 – Politicians in other communities that received GNEP grants also expressed eagerness to cash in on what they believe could be an economic bonanza. “These nuclear fuel recycling facilities would firmly establish our state as the leader in this field,” said Republican Rep. Steve Pearce of New Mexico, where the DOE awarded two study grants. "This is an exciting opportunity for East Tennessee,” echoed Republican Rep. Zach Wamp, whose district includes Oak Ridge National Laboratory, another potential GNEP site.
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Roll Call
Capitol Visitors Center watch
January 23 – Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.), a 10-year veteran of the Appropriations Committee who was tapped to serve as ranking member of the legislative branch panel earlier this month, said he’s looking forward to “close this thing out and tighten it down. In my view the [AOC] for the last 10 years hasn’t communicated with both the House and Senate equally,” he said. “When new people transition us forward we’ll have an opportunity to share with them what we’d like to see. We need to let bygones be bygones because you can’t fix mistakes that have already been made [and] it won’t do any good to look over our shoulder.”
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Chicago Tribune
KRT Wire: Emanuel joins GOP for dinner
January 23 – A high-ranking member of the House Democratic leadership broke bread with 10 Republican congressmen, hoping to heal the rifts of the last election and possibly find common ground for future legislative endeavors. After mercilessly attacking the GOP for close to two years for what he called incompetence and blind allegiance to the failed policies of a failed president, Emanuel acknowledged that he has some work to do in re-establishing a sense of trust on the other side of the aisle. "The perceptions are that the polarizations and the divisions in this country are beyond repair," said Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.), a Southern conservative who attended. "I know in my heart that's not true."

The Commercial Appeal
Flat-out push from hilly contender
January 21 – The hilliest of Tennessee's four major cities decided to acquire a huge, relatively flat industrial site, provide it with full utilities and dual-line rail service, link it to adjoining Interstate 75, and market it as a "world-class" site for auto plants. The result is Enterprise South Industrial Park, certified as the first automotive "megasite" in the state. Enterprise South is one of the finalists in the region's latest economic development sweepstakes: Toyota Motor Corp.'s eighth North American assembly plant, expected to bring a windfall of direct jobs, thousands more at suppliers and ancillary businesses, and a priceless increase in business publicity for the city that wins it. Working as a team, Chattanooga and Hamilton County officials and U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., persuaded the federal government to sell the site to the city and the county.
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PR News Wire
25 x 25 reintroduced on Capitol Hill
January 19 – A bipartisan group of Senators and Representatives have re-introduced the 25x25 House and Senate Concurrent Resolutions calling for a new national renewable energy goal: 25% of the nation's energy supply from renewable sources by 2025. Lead House sponsors are- Reps. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Mark Udall (D- Colo.), and Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.).
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North American Wind Power
Bill proposed to extend PTC for five years
January 17 – Representative Earl Pomeroy, D-N.D., recently introduced a bipartisan bill that would extend the wind energy production tax credit (PTC) in the U.S. for five years beyond its 2008 expiration. Pomeroy and three primary co-sponsors introduced the bill, H.R.197, on January 4 - the first day of the 110th Congress. The co-sponsors are Jim Ramstad, R-N.M., Mark Udall, D-Colo., and Zach Wamp, R-Tenn.
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Washington Post
Reuters: Democratic-led House votes to raise minimum wage
January 11 – With the gap between rich and poor widening, Democrats promised a minimum wage increase as a part of their campaign that saw them win control the U.S. Congress in last year's elections from President George W. Bush's Republicans. Rep. Zach Wamp of Tennessee voiced reservations about the bill, but like scores of other Republicans ended up backing it. "I'm going to vote to raise the minimum wage because you can't defend not raising it for nine years if we are going to have a minimum wage," Wamp said.
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New York Times
House by a wide margin votes to raise minimum wage
January 10 – The House overwhelmingly approved a $2.10-an-hour increase in the federal minimum wage this afternoon in a decisive vote that Democrats hailed as an overdue raise for low-income workers and a symbol of new leadership on Capitol Hill. 82 Republicans joined all 233 Democrats in approving the plan. “Let’s not trample on the market, but recognize that nine years is long enough,” said Representative Zach Wamp, Republican of Tennessee.
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