I am running for the United States House of Representatives. This is my third term serving the good people of New Hampshire’s First District, and I’ve always worked for what I call the bottom 99% of Americans. I never forget that public office is a public trust. Throughout my years in office, I’ve been honored to pass legislation to help active duty soldiers and veterans, families, working men and women, senior citizens, and students. I am running again because I believe we must keep America the land of opportunity and fairness for your children and mine. I believe that education is the key to prosperity, that renewable energy is key to our economic future and our national security, and that shipping jobs overseas hurts not just American workers but also our country. I believe that fostering job creation and investing in America and our people are both good business decisions and good moral decisions, and that we can reduce the debt without dismantling essential programs. In 2011-12, the 112th Congress passed legislation that hurt average Americans, and it bowed to special interests instead of focusing on job creation and good government. Having returned to office in 2013, I’ve been working to mend a lot of bad policies (like the indiscriminate and reckless sequestration cuts) since Republicans have been working single-mindedly to degrade government programs and services, and even forced a disastrous government shutdown last year. While I am proud of the 110th and 111th Congress, our work was not completed in 2010, and I have initiatives and legislation that I would like to pursue again.
Currently, I am serving on the House Armed Services Committee and the Natural Resources Committee once again. On the Armed Services Committee, I am continuing my work to ensure sufficient oversight and accountability for taxpayer funds used to aid Afghanistan, and also to protect US defense contractors from illegal taxation by Afghanistan. I was able to pass my legislation that prohibited toxic waste from disposal in open-air burn pits, and my amendment to the FY14 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) expanded the list of toxic items banned from disposal in burn pits. This year, the FY15 NDAA made the reporting requirement on burn pits more rigorous so that combatant commanders will be directly accountable for violations of the law. Another of my NDAA amendments directed a study of the Therapeutic Dog Training Program at Walter Reed to determine the effectiveness of this innovative non-pharmaceutical approach to treating PTSD and Traumatic Brain Injury, and I also amended the Defense Appropriations Act to fund this study. I am also working to increase in-state access to VA health care for NH veterans, and to make sure that all veterans get the care and benefits that they need and deserve. On the Natural Resources Committee in the 113th Congress, I am fighting to protect the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Clean Air Act, all of which are under attack. I am also working to give the agencies that protect our nation’s natural resources and wildlife the funding they need. I will continue to work for clean energy and reducing our carbon emissions because I believe that renewable energy is the key to our economic future and our national security. I will also continue to vote to protect Medicare and Social Security and other essential programs from either privatization or elimination, or from benefit cuts. My dad, who was born and died a Republican, never forgot the power of good government to transform lives. He served our country in WWII, and then our country thanked him with the GI bill for college so his children were raised in the middle class. He and my mom worked hard, raised a family, and served their community. They paid their taxes and when they retired, received Social Security benefits and Medicare. It was a contract. My parents supported these programs when they worked, and used them when they retired. My parents lived the American dream. I still believe in it, and I know you do too. Martin Luther King said our fates are tied up in “a single garment of destiny.” Please join me once again as we journey towards a better destiny for all.