Texas Republican Calls On Obama To Send National Guard To The U.S.-Mexico Border

By Sofia Sanchez University of New Mexico/ Talk Radio News Service

Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) outlined Wednesday the details of a letter recently sent to President Barack Obama calling for the deployment of National Guard Troops along the U.S.-Mexico border to assist both local law enforcement and border patrol agents.

“Our local border patrol agents and local Sheriffs on the border are out manned, out-gunned and out-financed by the drug cartels who wish to come into the United States,” Poe said during a morning press conference.

According to Poe, the letter was prompted by the murder of Arizona rancher Robert Krentz, which was believed to have been carried out by illegal immigrants. The murder was also a key factor in the rise of Arizona's controversial new immigration law, which allows law enforcement official to ask individuals suspected of immigrating illegally for proof of citizenship.

The request for the National Guard's presence at the border was first proposed by governors of many southwestern states.

Poe added that attacks on the border patrol in the Tucson sector have increased by 200 percent in the first two months of this year and that the jails in southern Texas are packed with immigrants.

“37 percent of [prisoners] in southern Texas are foreign nationals both in the United States legally and illegally... they are not charged with immigration violations, they are charged with crimes,” said Poe.

Poe claimed that this issue is not an immigration issue, but a border safety issue.

“This country protects the borders of other nations better then it protects our own border,” said Poe.

Arizona Immigration Bill Is Wake Up Call For Congress, Says Hoyer

By Sofia Sanchez
University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said Tuesday that a controversial immigration bill signed into law last week by Arizona Governor Jan Brewer was an attempt by that state and its residents to tell Congress that they are tired of waiting for federal action.

With the public wondering how Democrats are going to balance pleasing their Hispanic base, which desires federal immigration reform, with courting voters who support the Arizona bill this upcoming election season, Hoyer acknowledged that doing nothing is not an option for his party.

“We need to keep the border secure, we cannot have porous borders...we can’t have people coming into the United States of America when they are not authorized to do so,” said Hoyer.

The Leader said he would prefer a similar bill to the one that was debated in the Senate in 2007.

“In the last administration, President Bush clearly indicated he thought some sort of comprehensive immigration reform was necessary,” said Hoyer.” I shared that view then and I share it today.”

This Time, Pelosi Lets The Kids Do The Talking

By Sofia Sanchez
University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

“Why are there so many problems with the government?” A question commonly asked by anti-government tea party'ers came straight from the mouth of a child during House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) weekly press conference.

On the annual ‘Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day,' the Speaker fielded hard-hitting questions not from Washington journalists, but rather mainly from children in attendance.

“I am getting a tenure of the dinner conversations at home,” joked Pelosi. "Here come the real tough questions."

During her time at the podium, Pelosi took questions on topics ranging from the environment, to politics, to how she became the elected Speaker of the House.

Surely, not being bombarded by seasoned reporters with follow-up questions on Wall Street reform and ethics investigations was a nice change for Pelosi.

New Mexico Indian Pueblo Cultural Center Gets Clarification On Tax Exemption

By Sofia Sanchez
University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

New Mexico’s Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (IPCC) can breathe a little easier now that they know where they stand on taxes after a clarification hearing Wednesday before the House Committee on Natural Resources.

The Indian Pueblo Center Cultural Clarification Act, H.R. 4445, would clear up an inconsistency in Public Law 95-232 under section (b) of the Act.

“It is clear that Congress intended to afford the cultural center trust land with the same exemptions from state taxation and regulation enjoyed by other tribal trust land,” said Ron Solimon, President and Chief Executive Officer of the IPCC. ”But the sentence indicating that the property shall “not” be Indian Country has caused some confusion.”

The IPCC is part of a $5 billion industry in the state of New Mexico. The city of Albuquerque, where the center is housed, takes in $2.5 billion worth of revenue for the state through travel.

Following the hearing, Rep. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) told Talk Radio News Service that passage of H.R. 4445 will greatly benefit members of the state's 1st Congressional District.

“This was a case of trying to fix something that was unintended and the result of court decision to get rid of any ambiguity,” he said. "So it gives them the certainty to continue with their economic development activities on the site and hopefully create jobs in the Albuquerque area.”

Waxman: Republicans Had Their Chance On Health Care Reform

By Sofia Sanchez University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

While some Republicans are still fuming over the passage of health care reform weeks ago, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), a key player in the health care debate, said Tuesday that the GOP could have steered the bill toward more conservative principles if they had come to the table instead of working solely to defeat the legislation.

“We could have engaged in the discussion on how to modify it and how to change it, but that’s not what they wanted to do,” said Waxman during a forum held by Atlantic Magazine.

Waxman compared the effort from conservatives to derail health care reform to President Bill Clinton’s attempt to overhaul the health care system during the early days of his administration.

“Their objective was to repeat 1994 ... defeat the bill, then get the Republican party in power,” said Waxman.

Waxman, who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, brushed away concerns that the passage of the bill could hurt Democrats in November.

“Victory breeds more victory," said Waxman. "We are not going to lose control in the fall."

Added the 18 term Congressman, “We would if we had failed.”