Congressional Scorecard: What The Delegation Brings To RI
Saturday, June 04, 2011
With Democrats and Republicans seemingly at a standstill, getting things done in Washington these days is more difficult than ever. But each member of Rhode Island's Congressional delegation maintains that they're doing everything they can to help deliver for residents of the Ocean State.
The question is, how are they doing? GoLocalProv asked the four person all-Democratic delegation to provide specific examples of what they are working on in Washington and how it's helping Rhode Islanders.
Reed Continues To Deliver
As the veteran member of the state's Congressional delegation, Senator Jack Reed continues to be the go-to source for federal funding for Rhode Island. A member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Reed helped obtain $97,818,831 in earmarked dollars for the state in the 2008-2010 fiscal years, according to legistorm.com. When working with other sponsors, Reed has helped bring in over $300 million during that time span.
This week, the senator, who serves as a senior member of the Banking Committee, helped direct over $25 million in federal funds for community development and affordable housing to the state. He says the money will help create work for more Rhode Islanders.
"This is a flexible source of federal funding that will help create jobs and boost economic development in neighborhoods and communities throughout Rhode Island," Reed said. "These targeted investments will help get more people working again. They will enable cities and towns to increase affordable housing, upgrade public facilities, and partner with non-profits to address some of their greatest needs."
Reed has also worked with the entire Congressional cohort to help steer funding for high speed rail, jobs training programs, the new health care exchange, and the AmeriCorps program to the state.
Supports DREAM Act, Opposes Ryan Budget
On the legislative side, Senator Reed has continued to voice his opposition to the Ryan budget, voting against the proposal last week. According to his website, Reed has also renewed his push for the DREAM Act, a plan that would allow immigrant students the ability to earn legal status. The bill passed the House last year but was blocked by Senate Republicans.
"We should be encouraging these young people to realize their dreams of higher education and service in the only country they know and love,” Reed said in a statement last month. “Giving these students the chance to earn legal status by going to college or serving in the military will help strengthen our communities and our economy. I am pleased to stand with my colleagues in reintroducing this important piece of legislation.”
Whitehouse Working To Solve Everyday Problems
As a first-term senator, Sheldon Whitehouse (left) hasn't had the opportunity to deliver the same sort of federal dollars as Senator Reed. But Whitehouse has earned respect among Senate Democrats for his "progressive" voting record and his work on problems affecting everyday Rhode Islanders.
"So many of the Rhode Islanders Sheldon's met across the state need just a little help to get by - seniors are worried about prescription drug costs, working families are struggling to keep their homes, and everyone sees gas prices just keep going up and up," Larson said. "Sheldon came to the Senate to fight for them and make sure Rhode Islanders' voices are heard, and that's what he's focused on every day."
Larson said Whitehouse has also been credited with helping deliver federal funding for the communities devastated by flooding last year as well as delivering close to $80 million in funding to help Rhode Island families avoid foreclosure.
Langevin Committed To Building RI Economy
On the House side, Congressman James Langevin (below right) has continued to be considered one of the safest politicians in the state. Langevin has consistently cruised to reelection and the reason, according to one Democratic insider, is simple: "He never screws anything up," the source says.
Langevin has consistently committed to building the the state's economy, whether it be through signing on with the rest of the Congressional delegation for the high speed rail money or helping bring back federal dollars for flood victims.
Langevin, who helped generate collect $2.5 million in solo earmarks for the state over the past three fiscal years, said he is also committed to making the state and country a safer place. He points to his work on more fire safety as well as cybersecurity as issues he is passionate about.
Cicilline Just Getting Started
David Cicilline seemed to take office with folks already talking about his reelection in 2012, but the Congressman has quietly been able to set the minority agenda in the House, according to Communications Director Jessica Kershaw.
Cicilline has been recognized for his Make It In America Block Grant, a plan that "includes measures to make trade more fair and give tax incentives to companies engaged in research and development," Kershaw said Friday.
The congressman campaigned on jobs being the most important issue and he's continued that message since taking office. He has also worked on legislation that requires any agency that expends more than 50 million dollars in Small Business Innovation funds to report to Congress how they are enhancing manufacturing efforts.
And similar to the work he did as Mayor of Providence, Cicilline has made education one of his top priorities.
"The congressman wrote to the Secretary of HHS and DOE to request funding to establish an Early Learning Challenge Fund which was announced just last week - this fund includes 500 million dollars," Kershaw said. "The congressman is working with organizations in Rhode Island to apply for this funding, which would help bring money to the state to help young children get the educational foundation they need to succeed in the later grades."
Challenging Time
Because everything appears to be at a stalemate in Washington, it is not going to get any easier for Rhode Island's Congressional delegation. According to Darrell West, Vice President and Director of Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C., politics have become to polarized in Washington.
"It is a challenging time to get things done in D.C.," West said. "Between the polarized politics and the triumph of opinions over facts, it is virtually impossible to address policy problems and get bills through Congress. People prefer to shout than address real issues."
On the bright side, West maintains Rhode Island's small delegation has done a good job in recent years.
"Rhode Island has a well-respected Congressional delegation," he said. "People in D.C. think each of the members works hard and seeks to represent the State of Rhode Island in Congress."
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