PELOSI HEALTH CARE REFORM NOT FAIR TO STATES
November 6, 2009
“Republicans are united against the Pelosi-Obama health care takeover, but it’s not a partisan issue. Seven Democrat governors came out in strong opposition to the plan this week because it adds millions of people to states’ Medicaid rolls, without the money down the road to pay for it,” Rep. Wamp said during the U.S. House of Representatives debate on the Pelosi health care bill. “States have to balance their budgets. They cannot borrow a trillion dollars, print more money and add it to the next generation. This is not fair to the states and it’s the wrong thing to do.”

BIG GOVERNMENT IS NOT THE SOLUTION
November 5, 2009
“Big government is not the solution, big government is the problem,” said Congressman Zach Wamp before thousands of Americans who traveled to Washington to speak against a government takeover of their health care. “What most people don’t realize is that this bill increases Medicaid without the money to pay for it. That’s why yesterday seven democratic governors spoke loudly against this bill, including my governor, Phil Bredesen who called this ‘the mother of all unfunded mandates.’”

HONORING THE U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY
November 4, 2009
“We rightly honor the U.S. Air Force Academy and the graduates who have made extraordinary contributions to our way of life and freedoms,” said Congressman Wamp during debate of a resolution congratulating the first graduating class on its 50th anniversary. When Zach gave the keynote address at the Academy’s Character and Leadership Symposium last year, the cadets spontaneously joined him in quoting John Stuart Mill, “The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight…is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.”

REMEMBER OUR COLD WAR HEROES
October 28, 2009
“Many of our citizens have been called upon to serve our country in tanks, airplanes, ships and submarines. Others were in plants and factories serving our country in a different venue, but one that was just as patriotic and sacrificial,” said Congressman Wamp. On October 30, people will come together across the country to remember and honor all those who worked to create the deterrent that made the world safer. Zach cosponsored a resolution that passed the House of Representatives today, recognizing the service of the nuclear workers who helped our country win the Cold War. He was an author of the original legislation passed in 2000 to provide compensation to many of these nuclear workers who became ill as a result of exposure to toxic substances or chemicals during their work at a Department of Energy facility.

KEEPING THE TENNESSEE RIVER OPEN FOR COMMERCE
October 1, 2009
Congressman Ed Pastor, Chairman of the Energy and Water Committee, agreed with Congressman Zach Wamp that a fix is needed for the Inland Waterway Trust Fund to replace the Chickamauga Lock. “The one million dollar request by the Administration is not sufficient to begin construction on the replacement lock. We must step up, fix the Inland Waterway Trust Fund and keep the Chickamauga Lock open to support the flow of goods up and down the Tennessee River,” Zach said on the House floor. Keeping the Chickamauga Lock open has been a top priority for Congressman Wamp since he took office. One of the oldest locks on the Tennessee River, the Chickamauga Lock is vital to the economy of the region and national security interests.

HIT THE RESTART BUTTON ON HEALTH CARE REFORM
September 9, 2009
“If I were the president, I would push the restart button and say, ‘Let's find some bipartisan middle ground and start incremental reform,’” said Congressman Wamp. Zach shared a few thoughts on the health care debate in a television interview for PBS’s NewsHour with Jim Lehrer before President Obama’s special address to the U.S. Congress. Incremental changes to health care would expand coverage to more families and reduce the cost of care for everyone without jeopardizing current benefits.

REFORMING HEALTH CARE
July 28, 2009
“Healthcare reform is a matter of life and death,” said Congressman Wamp. “These challenges are not Republican challenges or Democratic challenges; they are in fact American challenges.” Zach went to floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to voice his opposition to a government takeover of healthcare. “We need to change it; we need to reform it; we need to improve it but we don’t need government control of healthcare,” he continued.

INNOVATION NOT REGULATION
July 21, 2009
“American innovation can pull this economy back in a good direction,” said Congressman Wamp. Zach and his Republican colleagues took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to urged Democrats to focus more on job creation, lower taxes and less on regulation. “Where are the jobs?” Zach questioned. “They are in innovation and entrepreneurship, not regulation; they are in our free enterprise system but the government chokes it with regulation, taxation and litigation.”

LEADING IN NUCLEAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY
July 15, 2009
“Without question, we could build 100 nuclear reactors in next 20 years and again lead the world in energy technology,” said Congressman Zach Wamp during debate of energy policy on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. “Step one, is a bold nuclear agenda where we reprocess 80 percent of the spent fuel to turn it back into energy and lead the world in the energy technology. The best chance for success is nuclear, yet it is not advanced nearly enough in this bill.”

SUPPORTING OUR NATIONS MILITARY AND VETERANS
July 10, 2009
“Today, we come together to do what is right for the men and women in uniform, our military installation around the world and our veterans and their families,” said Congressman Zach Wamp on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. Zach led his Republican colleagues during debate of legislation to provide the necessary resources for the VA and improve military quality of life. “The burden is on us to extend our way of life, extend freedom and secure our liberty,” Zach continued.

Zach’s remarks can be seen in two parts: part I, part II

TURNING ENERGY CHALLENGES INTO OPPORTUNITY
June 25, 2009
"We need to grasp energy challenges and turn them into opportunities by offering green initiatives to create a robust U.S. led economy,” said Congressman Zach Wamp as he discussed energy solutions during a forum hosted by the Alliance to Save Energy and the Committee for Economic Development. Zach highlighted his hometown of Chattanooga as an example of introducing sustainable energy initiatives to help communities and create new jobs.“ The nexus between the environment, energy and national security is the most important policy issue of our time,” Zach continued.

ADVANCING NUCLEAR ENERGY
June 19, 2009
"Nuclear is the way to go,” said Congressman Zach Wamp on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, where he urged his colleagues to advance nuclear energy in the United States. “All around the world, countries are thinking ‘Why doesn’t the U.S. move toward nuclear power?’” Zach said. “If we really want to take a global leadership roll on climate change, we can reprocess the spent fuel and return it into energy.”

AN AMBITIOUS NUCLEAR AGENDA
June 10, 2009
Congressman Zach Wamp and U.S. Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker joined representatives from a leading energy-generation equipment manufacturer for the introduction of a next-generation nuclear reactor. At the press conference Zach said, “This represents the kind of innovation and excellence America needs to remain competitive. A nuclear renaissance would have a far greater impact on our economy than any other stimulus plan.” This smaller, modular reactor is being considered for construction in Tennessee.

CHU TESTIFIES AT ENERGY & WATER HEARING
June 3, 2009
Congressman Zach Wamp pressed Secretary of Energy Steven Chu during a House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on a needed cost of living increase for DOE retirees, the importance of nuclear energy and nuclear weapons. Secretary Chu agreed to consider a pension increase during his current review of the underfunded retirement system for retirees who haven’t received a cost of living increase in years. Zach also highlighted inadequate funding in the DOE budget for the Oak Ridge Uranium Processing Facility, known as UPF, and asked the committee to increase the funding level above the administration’s request.

GIVE YOUR LIFE AWAY IN SERVICE
May 16, 2009
“Life is not about what you have; it’s what you do and pouring your heart into others. The motive is not money, it's not having things or where you live or even how you look. It is impact," Congressman Zach Wamp told more than 200 graduates during his keynote speech at Tennessee Wesleyan College's 152nd Commencement. Zach charged the graduates to encourage others and to give their lives away helping those in need. "Encourage means to give courage. With courage, you have everything you need to impact the world for the good. Go forth."

PETRAEUS TESTIFIES AT MILCON-VA SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING
April 24, 2009
“We thank you for what you’ve done and what you continue to do, and your willingness to head up Central Command at this crucial moment where success is imperative,” Congressman Wamp told General David Petraeus during his opening remarks of a House Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee hearing. As the head of the U.S. Central Command overseeing operations in the Middle East and South Asia, General Petraeus testified on rebalancing the force from Iraq to Afghanistan and how it will be accomplished. General Petraeus said that the success in Iraq is still “fragile and reversible.” Zach asked him for details on how much security and war fighting capabilities will be required and what we can do to make sure the situation is not reversible in either Iraq or Afghanistan after further American investment.
Question 1 | Question 2 | Question 3

MOVING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY FORWARD
March 25, 2009
Congressman Wamp discussed the future of the Republican party with MSNBC’s Chris Matthews on Hardball. During the interview Zach said, “We need to go forward on a solid platform of limited and effective government. It is time for new faces and new leadership to lead our party. We can’t rewrite history, but we can turn the page for our party. We need to go out with a positive spirit and a good platform and put our best communicators on the field.”

PROTECTING HUMAN LIFE
March 4, 2009
“The protection of human life is fundamental to the kind of people we are. There is no gray area; it’s black and white,” said Congressman Wamp opening an hour debate on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives dedicated to protecting human life from conception forward. Zach and Congressman Bart Stupak of Michigan recently introduced the bipartisan Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2009 to ban all forms of human cloning in America. Seven of the G8 countries including Canada, France, Germany and Italy have banned human cloning, but Zach says, “not the United States. It should have been the other way around.”

MASSIVE SPENDING BILL MAY SLOW ECONOMIC RECOVERY
February 13, 2009
Congressman Wamp went down to the floor to encourage his colleagues to vote against this massive spending bill: “We know there’s a problem and Republicans have great empathy with the people that are hurting. Our constituents are your constituents, but there’s little faith that the federal government is going to make things better. They are looking and seeing home budgets being cut to get through hard times, local governments being cut, and state government budgets being cut. But only in Washington can we spend our way into prosperity – it’s an ill-conceived thought, a wrong approach and confidence is lost. If ever there was a massive bill where the devil was in the details, it is this bill. And there are many devils in the details of this bill. The government is ill equipped to ramp up and do these things. We’re going to be disappointed over time, there’s going to be waste, fraud and abuse everywhere you look.”

INVESTMENT NEEDED MORE THAN SPENDING
January 27, 2009
Congressman Zach Wamp discussed concerns with the Democrat economic stimulus proposal on CNN Newsroom. During the interview he said, “We need investment more than spending, and that’s really what the problem is. At the local and state level, we see governments cutting their budget to get through, the family budget at home is being cut to get through hard times, yet Washington is spending more money than you can even imagine. Only about 10 percent of it is going to be productive and create jobs, the rest is just a transfer of wealth. Japan is an example of how you can’t borrow your way out of debt or spend your way into prosperity. We're in a real mess right now with too much government, but nobody is talking about streamlining to get through, they’re just spending more money. The debt and the deficit are huge long-term problems that are going to make the recession longer.”

C-SPAN WASHINGTON JOURNAL
January 22, 2009
Congressman Wamp was invited to appear on C-SPAN’s Washington Journal for an interview with Susan Swain about the economic stimulus bill and to answer viewer questions. “The vast majority of this economic stimulus bill is social spending and includes many things that will not stimulate the economy,” Zach said. “According to the Congressional Budget Office, 90 percent of the items in the bill will not be helpful until 2010 or after. I want to work with the new President, but this bill is much more than what he requested.”

The C-SPAN interview can be seen in two parts: part I, part II

2009 videos | 2008 videos | 2007 videos | 2006 videos |