The National Border Patrol Council (NBPC), a professional union representing more than 17,000 Border Patrol Agents and support staff, sent a letter yesterday in support of H.R. 5016, a bill to prevent the Department of Interior and the Department of Agriculture from implementing policies that restrict or impede Border Patrol from carrying out their mission to secure the U.S.… Read more »
Only weeks after Republican Committee Ranking Members introduced legislation to ensure Border Patrol agents’ operational control of the border isn’t compromised by Department of Interior environmental policies, a shooting occurred on public lands near the border. On Friday, April 30, Pinal County Sheriff Deputy Louie Puroll was ambushed and shot by five drug smugglers in the Table Top… Read more »
House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statements regarding the oil spill and cleanup efforts in the Gulf of Mexico:
“First and foremost, the focus must be on addressing this emergency situation, stopping the leaks and thoroughly investigating the cause of the explosion.
This is a tragic event that has cost lives, caused… Read more »
As the Obama Administration and the Congressional Democrats scramble to cobble together a response to growing concerns on the U.S.-Mexico border - particularly on federal lands, where Border Patrol is unable to effectively monitor and patrol - a recent comment from Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary Ken Salazar has shed some light on DOI’s inability to address the… Read more »
In anticipation of today’s vote on H.R. 2499, the Puerto Rico Democracy Act, House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04) released a video and accompanying fact sheets outlining concerns and questions about the proposed legislation. H.R. 2499 would provide for a two-step vote process in Puerto Rico on their future political status, including the option of… Read more »
The House of Representatives is expected to soon vote on H.R. 2499, the Puerto Rico Democracy Act. This bill would provide for a two-step vote process in Puerto Rico on their future political status, including the option of becoming the nation’s 51st state. Puerto Rico is able to conduct its own local plebiscite or referendum, as they have done three times in the past, yet this bill… Read more »
House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (WA-04) released the following statement after today’s announcement that the Administration will allow the private investment and development of the Cape Wind Energy Project in the Federal waters off the Massachusetts coast:
“For an Administration that has constantly dragged its feet on American energy development, today’s… Read more »
HASTINGS: Backdoor approach to statehood
April 27, 2010
Washington Times
Rep. Doc Hastings
When the Democratic majority was working to push through a government takeover of health care, Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared, "We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it."
Unfortunately, that same kind of backward logic is being used as Congress prepares to vote on the… Read more »
The Puerto Rico Democracy Act would authorize a federally-sanctioned plebiscite (vote) of the people of Puerto Rico regarding their political future. Currently, Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory with Commonwealth status. Puerto Rico residents are U.S. citizens, but do not pay federal incomes taxes and are represented in Congress by a non-voting Resident Delegate.
H.R. 2499… Read more »
Answers Needed Before Another Star is Added to U.S. Flag
April 23, 2010
By Rep. Doc Hastings
Next week the House of Representatives will vote on H.R. 2499, the Puerto Rico Democracy Act, which gives the people of Puerto Rico the opportunity to vote on their political future including the possibility of becoming America’s 51st state. Officially, the bill would create a… Read more »
