This career politician is no rocket scientist but plays one in Congress
We continue our Posters on new committee chairs now that the Democrats are the majority in the House. The Democrats assign chairmanships based on seniority, not competence in the focus of the committee. Note that the Republicans use more than tenure as criteria for appointing chairs. Plus, they limit the terms of the chairs to a maximum of 6 years.
The recently appointed chair of the Science, Space and Technology Committee is Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX). She advises, “you can expect to see a renewed focus on climate change” at her committee which has jurisdiction over non-defense federal scientific research and development. It has jurisdiction over the following federal agencies: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and several others including ASA, NSF, NIST and the OSTP. The committee also has authority over R&D activities at the Department of Energy, the EPA, FAA, NOAA, the DOT, the NWS, the DHS and the U.S. Fire Administration.
She is currently in her 14th term in Congress after having been a member of the Texas Senate (1987 – 1993) and a member of the Texas House of Representatives (1973 – 1977). Between her State House and Senate stints Johnson became the psychiatric nurse at the Dallas VA Hospital. She went on to become a regional director for U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare before returning to politics. Johnson was the first registered nurse elected to Congress.
She is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus(CPC) which favors progressive tax system in which wealthier taxpayers and corporations pay their “fair share” for more welfare funding for social programs.
Below is some legislation that the CPC has officially endorsed in 2019 that tells what kind of an organization it is
H.Res.574 – Supporting the Teaching of Climate Change in Schools
H.R.1692 – Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH Woman) Act would … ensure that all women -regardless of their income, insurance plan or zip code – can access abortion coverage.
H.R. 1456 – The Marijuana Justice Act would end the federal prohibition on marijuana… and reinvest in the communities disproportionately impacted by the racist, discriminatory War on Drugs.
H.R. 3760 – the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act would …ensure that federal agencies support domestic workers, create a domestic worker wage and standards board …etc.
H.R. 2214 – the NO BAN Act would repeal the Muslim visa ban from certain countries. These are before 2019 –to show other areas they impose upon.
H. Res. 569 Condemning violence, bigotry, and hateful rhetoric towards Muslims in the United States
H.R. 4611, the No Money Bail Act
H.R. 1004, the Prohibiting Unauthorized Military Action in Venezuela Act
Her membership in CPC tells us a lot about where Rep. Johnson stands. But we’ll now look to see her actual votes that affect us all. Further details on her votes can be obtained by clicking on the links at each named group.
From a solid conservative view we look at the Heritage Action scoreboard which grades on how lawmakers vote to advance the conservative principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values and a strong national defense. After seeing her positions on the CPC it should be no surprise that her current score is 0% and lifetime, 8%.
The liberal scoring group is Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) which gives Rep. Johnson a score of between 85% and 100% over the years. Her voting record is in direct opposition to that of The Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action.
Non-partisan groups that rate congress on economic votes score her as follows:
The National Taxpayers Union (NYU) scores earn her the appellation of Big Spender, no friend of taxpayers. She is a cause of the massive debt being piled on our children and grandchildren.
Citizens Council Against government Waste (CAGW) gives her a 6 out of 100 calling her Hostile to Taxpayers.
The Club for Growth (CFG) Scorecard tracks votes on economic legislation. It urges Congress to vote for “…economic policies that strengthen our nation’s economy and against legislation that would raise taxes, increase harmful regulations and grow our already massive government.” She gets a lifetime vote score of 6 of 100 – votes that put a drag on our economy.
With nearly 50 years of government employment she is put in charge of a powerful committee of Congress covering vastly diverse areas of energy, transportation, aviation, space and others. No wonder FedGov is so inefficient that a person with no experience in the areas they’re given so much authority over. All because she was reelected over and over again.
She’s also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, LGBT Equality Caucus, Caucus for Women’s Issues and other liberal groups that divide us into blocs to be catered to.
She’s been involved in scandals using her position to pay out scholarship money from the Black Caucus Foundation to her relatives, aides and to the daughter of an airport officer where she had some business interests. It is not legal to give this money to relatives, but career pols generally get away with that type of self-serving.
Incumbents enjoy a 95% reelection rate as they raise enormous amounts of money from the lobbyists of the industries their power affects. With term limits there can be rotation in office with chances that those with real life experience in the industries over which they govern. And the incentive to be reelected – currently Job#1 for career pols – is diminished and time can be spent on the job honoring their oath of office.
This makes my blood boil