Reid,
Ensign, Heller Announce Funds
for Drug Free Communities
Senators John Ensign and Harry Reid and Congressman Dean
Heller announced funds to help keep our communities drug free. The grants,
issued through the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s Drug Free
Communities Support, total nearly $400,000 and neighborhoods across the state
will benefit.
“These grants are invaluable to the future of Nevada’s
youth,” said Ensign. “Without such resources, our children would be hard-pressed
to protect themselves from the perils of drug abuse on their own. The Drug Free
Communities Support program’s awards promote a drug free life and a bright
horizon for Nevadans.”
“Community organizations are important in the broad
solution needed to end the ravages of drugs on young Nevadans,” Reid said. “This
program has produced positive results over the past decade, and I’m confident
that supporting local programs is the right path to curb substance abuse among
Nevada’s children.”
“These funds symbolize a direct investment of empowering
our neighborhoods with the resources necessary to combat drug use. Helping
local organizations educate our children about the dangers of drug use is
invaluable. I am pleased these funds have been made available to invest in our
children’s future,” said Heller.
The Drug Free Communities Support program endows community
organizations with the funds necessary to help defeat drug use. This program is
designed to help arm our nation’s youth with the tools and confidence necessary
to help combat the drug influences that are so prevalent in today’s society.
The Carson City Community Council on Youth, Reno’s Join
Together Northern Nevada, the Healthy Communities Coalition of Storey and Lyon
in Dayton, and Gardnerville’s Partnership of Community Resources will each
receive $100,000, while Reno’s Join Together in Northern Nevada will receive
$75,000.
Ensign Votes Against Housing Bill
Although
the Housing bill contained several provisions that could help address the
crisis, Senator John Ensign voted against the bill because in its entirety the
bill is too flawed and lacks the proper long-term vision. Ensign supported an
earlier version of the bill, but the final legislation grows the size of the
government by billions of dollars, bails out lenders with an unconditional check
from the taxpayers and could make our situation worse in the long term.
“I support some of the pieces
of this bill because they could help struggling homeowners, and, through
incentives, this bill could address some of the problems of oversupply facing
our housing markets,” said Ensign. “However, I’m seriously concerned with other
parts of the bill that have little or no checks on spending and bailout
programs.”
Ensign supports the $7,500
refundable first-time homebuyers’ tax credit and expanding the Low-Income
Housing Tax Credit. But because of his commitment to fiscal discipline, Ensign
could not support several other provisions. These add up to more than hundreds
of billions of dollars in new federal programs that shift the burden and many of
the risks to the taxpayers. To pay for these expenses, the bill raises the debt
limit by $800 billion.
“I’m disappointed that the
bipartisan bill that passed the Senate with my support in April grew into more
government and expansive bailouts,” said Ensign. “The bill we passed in April
was responsible, properly targeted to those who need the help and didn’t include
massive government growth.”
“The costs and negatives of
this bill outweigh the benefits it offers,” said Ensign. “As policymakers, we
need to consider the long-term effects and consequences of the legislation we
pass. This bill lacks the serious reform needed to protect the taxpayers in the
future and provide adequate stability to the housing industry.”
The Housing bill passed the
Senate today 72 – 13.
Ensign Wants All Energy Solutions Debated
Senator John Ensign released
the following statement after the Senate voted to continue debating solutions to
our nation’s energy crisis:
“Our approach to solving this
energy crisis must include more energy efficiency and conservation; expanded
renewable and alternative energy; and domestic energy exploration and production
to secure our long-term energy needs.
Limiting ourselves to only one of these areas will not provide the necessary
relief that Americans need.
“The
people in this country simply cannot afford for Congress to sit on their hands
and pick and choose which ideas will be heard on this issue. All options, all
ideas, all arguments need to be on the table. It’s time for Congress to
represent the American people and do something about the gas prices that are
gripping family budgets across our nation.
“Addressing oil speculation
will not solve this crisis; increasing our oil supply to satisfy demand will.
Instead of sending $700 billion overseas every year, we should be investing in
the resources we have right here because they can make us energy independent.
Let’s not miss this opportunity again.”
