A Record of

Independent,
Bipartisan and
Effective Leadership

www.shaysforcongress.org
Christopher Shays for Congress 98 East Avenue , Norwalk, CT 06851
phone: 203/853-7429 fax: 203/853-7403
Paid for and authorized by the Christopher Shays for Congress Committee,
Ralph DePanfilis, Treasurer
Not paid for at government expense.
 INDEX

Christopher’s Biography 1
Committees and Caucuses 5
Christopher’s Awards and Recognitions since November 2006 6
National Journal and CQ Ratings 7

POSITIONS

Christopher’s Bills and Democratic Bills 13

Federal Grants to Fourth Congressional District 2005-2008 15
Appropriations Map 2005-2008 18

ECONOMY AND TAXES

Economic Stimulus 20
Emergency Economic Stabilization Act 21
Balancing the Budget 22
Expiring Tax Cuts in 2011 23
Connecticut’s Federal Spending, Taxes Paid and the AMT 24
Green Jobs 26
One Coast, One Future 27

HOUSING

Housing Assistance 28
Government Sponsored Enterprise (GSE) Reform 29
Predatory Lending Reform 30

ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT

Energy for Our Future Act 31

Energy Solutions 32
Home Heating Assistance 33
Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards 34

TRANSPORTATION

Transportation Infrastructure 35
FAA Redesign 36

HEALTH CARE

American Health Benefits Program 37

State Children Health Insurance Program 38
Community Health Centers 39
EDUCATION

Elementary and Secondary Education 40

Student Loans 41

IRAQ

Oversight Trips to Iraq 42

Iraq Timeline Votes 43
Iraq Timeline Positions: Shays, Obama and McCain 44
Trip 14 Observations and Recommendations – 10/2/04 45
Follow-up Letter to Defense Secretary Rumsfeld – 10/6/04 52
Trip 21 Observations and Recommendations – 9/10/08 54
Letter from Senator Richard Lugar 65
Security Incidents in Iraq 66

OTHER ISSUES

Immigration and Blue Card 67

Ethics Reform 68
Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations 69
Six for ’06 Agenda 70

NEWS ARTICLES

New York Times: A Survivor Reflects on Political Casualties, and Real Ones 71
Hartford Courant: Republican Chris Shays Confronts a Tough Election Cycle 74
The Advocate: House race is defined by taxes 77

IN THE INTEREST OF TRUTH

Torture 80
Federal Funding 81
Tom DeLay 82
Student Loans 83
Social Security 84
The Economy 85
Republican Votes 86
George Bush Votes 87

Highlights: 21 Years of Results 88

 CHRISTOPHER’S BIOGRAPHY

Congressman Christopher Shays is a nationally recognized bipartisan leader and

reformer.

He has been at the center of most major debates in Congress, going where the truth
takes him, regardless of the political consequences.

The only remaining Republican from New England in the House of Representatives,
Christopher reaches out to his colleagues in both parties, building consensus around
real solutions to the challenges we face.

The solutions can be found where most Americans reside, in the center of the
political spectrum. Christopher, who has been recognized for his outstanding
bipartisan leadership by the Panetta Institute, understands we need to put our country
first and our political parties second.

Ethics and Congressional Reform

No member of Congress has done more to make the government accountable and
transparent than Christopher.

He was responsible for the first bill signed into law in the new Republican Congress
in 1995, the Congressional Accountability Act, which requires Congress to live by
the laws it writes for the rest of the nation. He was the driving force along with
Senator John McCain for the landmark Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, which
enforces the 1907 law banning corporate treasury money; the 1947 law banning union
dues money; and the 1974 law banning unlimited sums from wealthy individuals.

Economy

Serving on the Financial Services Committee, Christopher has worked to address a

continuum of economic challenges.

Christopher authored the bipartisan Leave No Securities Behind Act, to bring Fannie
Mae and Freddie Mac under the 1933 and 1934 Securities laws. His bill would have
increased transparency of the companies, thereby reducing systemic risk and
enhancing investor protection -- without compromising the housing mission of these
two companies.

1
He is also a proponent of legislation establishing a national standard for mortgage
brokers to rein in the abusive lending practices that contributed to the current
mortgage crisis.

To help spur urban development, Christopher works to attract businesses to the

District’s three urban areas, Bridgeport, Norwalk and Stamford. Christopher helped
establish the National Brownfields program in 1995, when he and former
Congressman Jim Maloney (D-CT), introduced the Brownfield Economic
Revitalization Act, to provide financial assistance to communities for the clean up of
contaminated industrial sites returning them to productive use. The Brownfields
Program empowers states, communities and other stakeholders in economic
development to work together to identify, assess, clean and reuse Brownfields.

Christopher also launched the “One Coast, One Future” project, which takes a
regional approach to spurring economic development along the Bridgeport-Stamford
corridor. One Coast, One Future unifies 15 coastal and near-coastal towns, getting
them to think and act as a unit, by identifying collective opportunities for the region
designed to make the Coastal Fairfield County development corridor a highly
desirable place to live, work and do business.

Energy Independence

With families struggling to cope with over four-dollar-a-gallon gasoline, we cannot

wait a day longer to mount a true American effort to make our country energy
independent.

Working with Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Christopher, who is

considered an “Environmental Champion” by the League of Conservation Voters
(LCV), proposed bipartisan legislation requiring manufacturers to build more energy-
efficient appliances and more fuel-efficient automobiles, significantly increasing the
mileage standards for minivans, SUVs, trucks and cars.

Their historic legislation significantly increases funding for renewable energy (solar,
wind, geothermal and biofuels), and provides subsidies for public transportation.
Their bill ends tax breaks for the oil, gas, nuclear and coal companies and reduces our
dependence on oil and other fossil fuels, which will lead to a reduction in price.

Christopher believes we must adopt an energy policy promoting conservation and

reducing demand, while increasing our supply of energy. We should build new
nuclear power plants and explore for oil and gas off our coasts, using the substantial

2
royalties to fund a massive renewable energy program in wind, solar, geothermal and
biofuels.

Freedom from fossil fuels will help stimulate the economy, it will begin to combat
climate change, and it will make our nation more secure.

Health Care

Access and affordability are the biggest issues our healthcare system must address.
To make health insurance more accessible and affordable we need to make it
universal.

Along with Representative Jim Langevin (D-RI), Christopher has introduced H.R.
5348, the American Health Benefits Program (AHBP) Act, the universal health care
plan, which uses the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) -- the
coverage all members of Congress and federal employees have -- as a model to
extend coverage to all Americans.

Animal Protection

The way society treats its animals speaks to the core values and priorities of its
citizens. Christopher, who was named 2006 Humane Legislator of the Year from the
Humane Society of the United States, is Co-Chairman of the Friends of Animals
Caucus and spearheaded the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS)
Act. This common-sense law requires state and local preparedness groups to include
plans for evacuation of pet owners, pets and service animals in the event of a major
disaster.

He is also leading the fight for strengthening standards for farm animals. Just as
Congress decided a half century ago that farm animals deserve a merciful death,
Christopher believes they deserve a merciful life. Additionally, the more humanely
we treat animals, the safer they will be for consumers.

Iraq and the War on Islamist Terrorism

Christopher has been to Iraq 21 times and is arguably more knowledgeable about this
conflict than any other member. He goes to the Middle East every 3 or 4 months,
traveling both inside and outside the umbrella of the military.

3
Upon his return, he outlines a series of observations and recommendations to
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, others in the Administration, and congressional,
military and foreign leaders.

He worked with Representative Frank Wolf to create the Iraqi Study Group (ISG), a
group of bipartisan experts led by Jim Baker and Lee Hamilton, which issued a
thoughtful assessment of Iraq. He also offered a successful amendment to
reconstitute the ISG so they can provide Congress with an updated evaluation of Iraq
to augment the recommendations of General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan
Crocker.

Christopher was on the cutting edge of the war on Islamist terrorism well before
September 11, 2001, chairing 20 hearings to warn the public about the need to wake
up to the terrorism threat before the attack on the twin towers and Pentagon.

As Co-Chairman of the 9/11 Commission Caucus with Representative Carolyn

Maloney (D-NY), Christopher was a leading advocate for creating the 9/11
Commission. He authored legislation that became the basis for the law implementing
the Commission’s recommendations, and was a key advocate for the Intelligence
Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act signed into law in 2004.

Political Continuum

Congressman Shays has never been a partisan politician, and his voting record
reflects this fact. A study by Congressional Quarterly, a nonpartisan Washington
magazine, shows that over the past four years, he voted with his party 65 percent of
the time, among the most non-partisan scores on either side of the aisle. This same
publication shows over the last four years he voted with the President 50 percent of
the time.

Similarly, another nonpartisan publication, National Journal, rates his voting record
in 2007 as being more liberal than 48 percent of his colleagues and more conservative
than 52 percent of his colleagues, which is almost exactly in the center of the political
spectrum - a place he has consistently resided during his 21 years in Congress.

4
 CHRISTOPHER’S COMMITTEES AND CAUCUSES

Committees

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

• Ranking Member, National Security and Foreign Affairs

Subcommittee
• Domestic Policy Subcommittee

Committee on Financial Services

• Capital Markets, Insurance and Government Sponsored

Enterprises Subcommittee
• Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee

Committee on Homeland Security

• Intelligence, Information Sharing and Terrorism Risk

Assessment Subcommittee

Caucuses Christopher Co-Chairs

• Bipartisan Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus

• Bipartisan Task Force on Nonproliferation
• Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus
• Congressional Arts Caucus
• Congressional Long Island Sound Caucus
• National Service Caucus

5
 Christopher’s 110th Congress Awards/Recognitions
Congressional Leadership Award Congressional Champion Award
Population Institute The Corps Network
November 13, 2006 February 12, 2008

2006 Humane Legislator of the Year Congressional Leader

Humane Society of the United States Planned Parenthood
February 28, 2007 March 5, 2008

Human Rights Advocacy Honor Humane Champion

Amnesty International USA Humane Society of the United States
May 9, 2007 March 12, 2008

Congressional Leadership Award Award for Support

American Jewish Committee Ridgefield Boys and Girls Club
May 14, 2007 March 26, 2008

Honoring Inclusive Congressional Allies Congressional Champion

Log Cabin Republicans Alliance for Appalachia
July 12, 2007 April 8, 2008

Congressional Friend of Farm Animals Award Spirit of Enterprise Award

Farm Sanctuary U.S. Chamber of Commerce
September 8, 2007 April 9, 2008

Wilderness Hero Award Distinguished Public Service Award

Alaska Wilderness League National Family Planning & Reproductive Health
September 25, 2007 Association
April 29, 2008
Connecticut Against Gun Violence 1st Annual Award
Connecticut Against Gun Violence Best of Congress Award
October 12, 2007 Corporate Voices for Working Mother’s
April 29, 2008
HONORS Award
Matthew Shepard Foundation Connecticut Dream Award
October 25, 2007 Connecticut Association of Homebuilders
April 30, 2008
Torch of Liberty Award
Anti-Defamation League of Fairfield County Greenest Republican in Congress
October 14, 2007 and November 4, 2007 Republicans for Environmental Protection
May 28, 2008
Eugene J. Keogh Award for Distinguished Public
Service 2007-2008 Crime Fighter Award
New York University Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network
November 8, 2007 June 11, 2008

Congressional Champions for Leadership on the U.S. Best of Congress Award

International Affairs Budget Working Mother Media and Corporate Voices for
U.S. Global Leadership Campaign Working Families
December 11, 2007 August 12, 2008

Annual Leadership Award

Connecticut First Coalition
February 4, 2008
6
 Congressional Liberal/Conservative Ratings
2007 Political Continuum
John Boehner 7% 93%
Dennis Hastert 10% 90%
Mitch McConnell 13% 87%
Roy Blunt 16% 84%
Trent Lott 17% 83%
Chuck Hagel 39% 61%
Christopher Shays 48% 52%
Joe Lieberman 57% 43%
Chris Murphy 68% 32%
Joe Courtney 73% 27%
Christopher Dodd 77% 23%
Steny Hoyer 79% 21%
John Larson 81% 19%
Hillary Clinton 83% 17%
Rosa DeLauro 85% 15%
Barack Obama 96%

Congressional Member
0% Liberal 50% Conservative 100%

Source: National Journal

 Christopher Shays' Liberal/Conservative Ratings
1988 - 2007 Political Continuum
0.00% Liberal 50.00% Conservative 100.00%

2008

2007 47.7 52.3

2006 56 44

2005 54 46

2004 56.7 43.3

2003 53.8 46.2

2002 51 49

2001 56.9 43.1

2000 54.8 45.2

1999 50 50

1998 57.5 42.5

Year
1997 56.5 43.5

1996 60.8 39.2

1995 59.8 40.2

1994 47.7 52.3

1993 45.3 54.7

1992 56.7 43.3

1991 54.8 45.2

1990 55.2 44.8

1989 58.5 41.5

1988 52.8 47.2

Source: National Journal

 2007 Party Unity
Nancy Pelosi 99
John Larson 99
Rosa DeLauro 99
Steny Hoyer 98
Hillary Clinton 98
Barack Obama 97

Democrats
Christopher Dodd 97
Joe Courtney 97
Chris Murphy 96
Joe Lieberman 81
Christopher Shays 67
Mitch McConnell 95
John Boehner 99
John McCain 90

Republicans
Dennis Hastert 94
Roy Blunt 98

50 60 70 80 90 100

Source: Congressional Quarterly

 Christopher Shays' Party Unity
1987 - 2007
100

80
80 78
75
71 71 69.5
69
67 66 66 67 67
65
62 63
59 60
60 58 58
53 54

Percent
40

20

0
1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Year

Source: Congressional Quarterly

 2007 Presidential Support
John McCain 95

John Boehner 93

Roy Blunt 90

Mitch McConnell 86

Elizabeth Dole 85

Dennis Hastert 81

Joe Lieberman 62

Olympia Snowe 57

Edward Kennedy 40

Barack Obama 40

Christopher Dodd 40

Harry Reid 39

Hillary Clinton 35

Congressional Member
Christopher Shays 33

Steny Hoyer 8

Nancy Pelosi 5

Christopher Murphy 5

John Larson 4

Rosa DeLauro 4

Joe Courtney 3

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Percent of Votes

Source: Congressional Quarterly

 Christopher Shays' Presidential Support
1987 - 2007
100

82
80

67
65
58 59
60 57 56.5
55 56 55
53 53
48 49
44

Percent
42
40
40 36
34 33
32

20

0
1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Year
Source: Congressional Quarterly
Christopher’s Bills with Democratic Cosponsors

Christopher introduced legislation to address critical priorities for our country. He always tries to
team up with a Democrat. The lead Democratic cosponsors are italicized below:

• Recognizing the 20th anniversary of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act – H.Res.
561 – Maxine Waters (D-CA)

• Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that future Iraq reconstruction should be
paid for by the Government of Iraq – H.Res. 1108

• Resolution Addressing Oil Futures Speculation – H.Res. 1289 – Ed Perlmutter (D-CO)

• Telecommuter Tax Fairness Act – H.R. 1360 – Christopher Dodd (D-CT)

• Wounded Warriors Joint Health Care Patient Navigators Act – H.R. 1577

• Wounded Warriors Joint Health Care Performance Metrics and Transparency Act – H.R. 1578

• Requiring the President to develop a plan containing dates certain for the commencement and
completion of a phased redeployment of United States Armed Forces from Iraq – H.R. 1837

• Energy for Our Future Act – H.R. 1945 – Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)

• Independent Expenditure Opt Out Act – H.R. 2598 – David Price (D-NC)

• Claire Collier Social Security Disability Insurance Fairness Act – H.R. 2944 – Christopher
Dodd (D-CT)

• Limit the length of deployment of members of the Armed Forces for Operation Iraqi Freedom –
H.R. 3178

• Commission on Natural Catastrophe Risk Management and Insurance Act – H.R. 3644 – Earl
Blumenauer (D-OR)

• Emergency Relief Tax Check-Off for Our Armed Forces Act – H.R. 4337 – Chet Edwards (D-
TX)

• Require the Secretary of State to conduct ongoing assessments of the effectiveness of sanctions
against Iran – H.R. 5084

• Authorize the Secretary of the Navy to repay Federal educational loans of officers of the Marine
Corps commissioned on or after September 11, 2001 – H.R. 6626 – Joe Courtney (D-CT)

• Home Heating Oil Assistance Act – H.R. 6784

On Iraq, I work closely with 2 Democratic members: Jim Marshall (D-GA) & Brian Baird (D-WA)

13
Democratic Bills with Christopher as Lead Cosponsor

Because Christopher is consistently bipartisan, Democrats seek him out to be the lead Republican
cosponsor on legislation they are introducing. Below are these bills:

• American Health Benefits Program (AHBP) Act – H.R. 5384 – Jim Langevin (D-RI)
• Focus on Family Health Worldwide Act – H.R. 1225 – Betty McCollum (D-MN)
• Military Readiness Enhancement Act – H.R. 1246 – Marty Meehan (D-MA)
• Child Nutrition and School Lunch Protection Act – H.R. 1363 – Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)
• Microbicide Development Act – H.R. 1420 – Jan Schakowsky (D-IL)
• Responsible Education About Life Act – H.R. 1653 – Barbara Lee (D-CA)
• Farm Animal Stewardship Protection Act – H.R. 1726 – Peter DeFazio (D-OR)
• Section 8 Voucher Reform Act – H.R. 1851 – Maxine Waters (D-CA)
• Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act – H.R. 1975 – Carolyn Maloney (D-NY)
• Clean Water Protection Act – H.R. 2169 – Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
• U.S. Commitment to Global Child Survival Act – H.R. 2266 – Betty McCollum (D-MN)
• Capital Gains and Estate Tax Relief Act – H.R. 3170 – Harry Mitchell (D-AZ)
• Hope VI Improvement and Reauthorization Act – H.R. 3524 – Maxine Waters (D-CA)
• To prohibit employment discrimination based on gender identity – H.R. 3686 – Barney Frank
(D-MA)
• Presidential Funding Act – H.R. 4294 – David Price (D-NC)
• Drug Sentencing Reform and Cocaine Kingpin Trafficking Act – H.R. 4545 – Sheila Jackson-
Lee (D-TX)
• End Racial Profiling Act – H.R. 4611 – John Conyers (D-MI)
• Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act – H.R. 4838 – Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
• To establish a fund to support international efforts for political reconciliation in Iraq – H.R.
5925 – Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)
• United States Commission on Rebuilding America for the 21st Century Act – H.R. 5976 – Earl
Blumenauer (D-OR)
• Farm Animals Anti-Cruelty Act – H.R. 6202 – James Moran (D-VA)
• To develop a policy to address the critical needs of Iraqi refugees – H.R. 6328 – Howard
Berman (D-CA)
• Transportation and Housing Choices for Gas Price Relief Act – H.R. 6495 – Earl Blumenauer
(D-OR)

14
 Federal Grants to Fourth Congressional District
2005-Present

BRIDGEPORT

ABCD $16,303,554 HOME Investment Partnerships Program 1,519,451

Hall Neighborhood House 2,039,000 CDBG $13,688,449
Optimus Health Care 608,081 HOME 4,234,815
Fire Prevention & Education 132,572 Bpt Housing Capital Fund 4,469,870
Safe Asleep Pgm (over 5 yrs) 725,000 Bridgeport Neighborhood Trust 2,021,952
Youth Power Partnership 245,570 BHA/ROSS Family 350,000
Mt. Aery Development Corp. 49,020 Homes for the Brave SHPR 103,615
Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (GBAPP) 500,000 ESG 144,734
Council of Churches Runaway and HOPWA 2,227,000
Homeless Youth 165,000 Healthy Homes Lead Hazard Control 3,000,000
Jesus Saves Ministry 33,637 Regional Network of Programs, Inc 261,196
Bridgeport Compassion Capital grant 1,500,000 ABRI, Inc. SHPR 99,878
Miracle House 12,000 Liberation Programs, Inc. SHPR 179,626
Bridgeport Fire Department Fire 943,452 Smaller Learning Communities 896,388
Decision Support Tool plus Emerg Mgmt 4,115 The Workplace, Inc. 434,290
First Responder Interoperability 6,000,000 Bridgeport University TRIO program 331,101
Bridgeport Port Authority 1,595,500 Handicapped Pre-School 172,106
The WorkPlace, Inc. 3,153,006 Drug Free School Entitlement 239,735
STRIVE – Career Resources 100,000 Adult Education 170,000
WorkPlace- WIRED Initiative 5,000,000 Homeless Children & Youth 50,310
Brownfields – Assessment, Cleanup, Job 21st Century Community Learning Ctrs. 338,250
Training, Revolving Loan Fund 4,838,764 Comprehensive School Reform-Beardsley 355,000
ASPIRA of Connecticut, Inc. 465,659 Smaller Learning Communities-Central 152,104
Greater Bridgeport Continuum of Care Mathematics and Science Partnership 152,513
Homeless Management 39,999 Title I Supplemental 15,117
Bridgeport TRA/Shelter Plus Care 971,624 Smaller Learning Comm. Program 1,226,753
Micah Housing, Inc. 294,408 Six to Six Magnet School 690,755
Permanent Supportive Housing Program 278,862 ABCD – Teacher Training 478,492
New Beginnings Supportive Housing 372,973 MACH 2005 Coming Up Taller Award 10,000
Project Thrive 286,440 International Institute of CT. 500,000
American Dream Downpayment Initiative 156,814 Center for Women and Families Safe Start 376,875
Mutual Housing Association of SW CT 1,501,900 Bridgeport Police Department 1,476,309
Catholic Charities 558,973 Gang Resistance Training 139,050
United Way of Eastern Fairfield County 79,998 City of Bridgeport – Port Security 24,968
ReFocus Outreach Ministry, Inc. 520,404 Secure our Schools (Bpt. Bd of Ed) 170,406
Hall-Brooke Behavioral Health Services 491,364 Sikorsky Memorial Airport – Runway 300,000
The Connection, Inc. 278,860 Music and Arts Center for Humanity 25,000
Emerge, Inc. Supportive Housing 89,780 Big READ 80,000
LMG Programs, Inc. 143,220 Bridgeport Public Library 3,625
Career Resources 322,846 Homes for the Brave (ABRI) 277,000
Bridgeport Emergency Shelter 578,876 RYASAP 100,000

15
 NORWALK

Head Start $1,443,412 Norwalk Housing Authority $1,745,166

NCC TRIO Program 323,134 Interfaith Housing Association 48,513
Mentoring Program 184,378 Hall-Brooke Behavioral Health 309,030
NCC Health & Science Center 100,000 Mid Fairfield Aids Project, Inc. 289,400
21st Century Community Learning 125,400 Family and Children’s Agency 292,353
IDEA Part B Section 611 1,827,053 United Way of Norwalk & Wilton 228,612
IDEA Part B Section 619 83,311 State of Connecticut 239, 244
Comprehensive School Reform 285,040 Housing Capital Fund 1,290,574
Math & Science Partnership 182,934 CT AIDS Resource Coalition 114,000
School Improvement 4,903 Brownfields Assessment-City 200,000
Carl D. Perkins 164,742 Brownfields Assessment- 200,000
Long Island Soundkeeper 463,000 City of Norwalk Edward Byrne 173,990
City of Norwalk 497,000 Weed and Seed Program 225,000
Norwalk Fire Department 381,396 Bulletproof Vest Act 8,123
UASI 1,967,000 COPS 1,316,000
Norwalk Emergency Shelter, Inc. 474,969 City of Norwalk- Interoperability 223,250
Greater Norwalk Shelter 349,992 Gang Prevention Assistance grant 189,400
Supportive Services for Homeless 145,513 City of Norwalk – Big READ 20,600
Homestead Residential Services 798,801 Regional Action Council 67,822
CDBG 4,262,417

STAMFORD

Childcare Learning Centers/Head Start 3,932,801 St. Luke’s Community Services, Inc $1,235,599
CTE, Inc./Assets for Independence 150,000 City of Stamford (CDBG) 4,621,513
Counseling for the Elderly 55,476 City of Stamford (HOME) 2,522,052
AIDS Education Risk Reduction 55,200 Laurel House 595,325
Bio-Terrorism Emergency Response 161,925 Liberation Programs, Inc. 179,626
Immunization Expansion Program 117,372 Mutual Housing Association 165,900
Senior Health Program 78,017 Stamford Housing Authority FSS 65,000
Preventive Health Services 18,292 Stamford Police Department 165,712
Stamford Schools 23,639,535 Bullet Proof Vests 5,025
Universal Services Fund/E-Rate 400,000 Edward Byrne Justice Grant 264,264
Long Ridge Assistance to Firefighters Pgm 253,368 Domestic Violence Crisis Center 395,258
Belltown Fire Dept. 16,103 Project Safe Neighborhoods 20,000
CEDAP – Portable Video Surveillance System 11,400 American Institute for Foreign Study Foundation 193,864
Homeland Security Grant 93,418 DUI Comprehensive Enforcement grant 64,800
Turn of River Fire Department – SAFER grant 48,000 Housing Development Loan Fund 950,000
United Way of Stamford 152,499 Brownfields 384,000
Greater Stamford/ Shelter Plus Care 17,184 Emergency Management Performance grant 7,437
Shelter for the Homeless 252,153 Soundwaters 149,880

16
 OTHER TOWNS

City of Greenwich CDBG $3,882,776 Connecticut Nature Conservancy $31,000

Greenwich Housing Authority 130,500 Hartley Film Foundation 25,000
Greenwich Housing Capital Fund 454,641 Fairfield Bulletproof Vests 7,518
Cos Cob Brownfields 200,000 Westport Fire Department 152,306
American Classical Orchestra, Inc. 45,000 Interfaith Housing SHP 49,017
Greenwich Fish and Wildlife 65,000 Hal-Brook Behavioral Health 2,180,956
Greenwich Bulletproof Vests 13,676 Boys and Girls Club of Lower Naugatuck Valley 198,820
Greenwich Police Department 54,652 Shelton Brownfields 1,000,000
Bruce Museum 40,000 Shelton Police Department 3,000
Sound Beach Assistance to Firefighters 98,280 Shelton Historical Society 5,000
Fairfield University Trio Program 553,013 Monroe Bulletproof Vests 6,490
Sacred Heart University Fish and Wildlife 43,050 Monroe Assistance to Firefighters Program 64,496
Mid Fairfield AIDS Project 120,000 Bulletproof Vest Act 8,264
Mutual Housing Association of SW CT, Inc. 165,900 Darien Assistance to Firefighters 14,298
Fairfield Supportive Housing for the Elderly 1,288,400 Bulletproof Vest Act 14,113
Sacred Heart University, Nursing 9,722 New Canaan Assistance to Firefighters Program 157,282
Fairfield University, Nursing 160,797 New Canaan Fire Dept (equipment) 30,935
Fairfield Historical Society 105,931 Weston Historical Society 3,565
Fairfield CDBG 1,678,131 Weston Department of Emergency Management 32,274
Police – Bulletproof vests 37,800 Ridgefield Space Science Institute 373,816
Fairfield Fire Dept. 48,800 Ridgefield Assistance to Firefighters grant 28,980
Southport Fire Dept 9,500 Trumbull Senior Center 600,000
Stratfield Volunteer Fire Dept. 51,774 Trumbull Public Schools 110,050
Fairfield University two-year grant 155,396 Easton Police Department 34,318
Fairfield U Professional Development Program 264,698 Easton Bulletproof Vests 975
Sacred Heart University Upward Bound 283,142 Redding Police Department 12,919
Fairfield University Upward Bound 351,650 Oxford Ambulance Association 11,794
Fairfield University FIPSE BRAZIL grant 29,011 Oxford Fire Department 12,936
Friends of Sherwood Island State Park, Inc. 40,000 Oxford Police Department 11,794

17
 Contact Team Shays
Campaign Headquarters
98 East Avenue, Rear Building, Norwalk, CT 06851
phone: 203/853-7429 ● fax: 203/853-7403
Campaign Manager Michael Sohn msohn@shaysforcongress.org
Deputy Campaign Manager Sarah Richards srichards@shaysforcongress.org
Finance Director Kathleen Pierce kpierce@shaysforcongress.org
Communications Director Sean Phillips sphillips@shaysforcongress.org
Field Director Rob Sobelman rsobelman@shaysforcongress.org
Field Coordinator West Jackie Effren jeffren@shaysforcongress.org
Field Coordinator East Zach Eastright zeastright@shaysforcongress.org
Director of Outreach Stephanie Moore smoore@shaysforcongress.org
Volunteer/Grassroots Coordinator Michael Fontneau mfontneau@shaysforcongress.org
Office Volunteer Coordinator Janet Schmitz 203/853-7429
Scheduler Christina Ciak christina@shaysforcongress.org

Visit us at: www.shaysforcongress.org

YouTube: www.youtube.com/shaysforcongress

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Christopher-Shays/7191614778

Twitter: www.twitter.com/shayscongress

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/christophershays
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 ECONOMIC STIMULUS

Our economy is at risk, with millions being put out of work and wages stagnating. Wall
Street bankruptcies and mergers are threatening the retirement security of millions of
Americans. Christopher believes we need an economic policy that creates jobs, grows
our economy and helps laid off workers get back on their feet.

Christopher’s Agenda for Economic Growth

• Maintain Low Tax Rates – Extend the current tax rates, particularly on capital gains
and dividends, which encourage investment, even in this slowing economy.

• Expand Free Trade – Create access to American products in new markets by

enacting new free trade agreements. Trade is particularly crucial to Connecticut,
which exported $12.2 billion worth of goods in 2006.

• Invest in America – Invest now in rebuilding our transportation, water and energy
infrastructures to enable our country to grow and create good-paying American jobs.

• Become Energy Independent – Adopt a comprehensive energy plan to end our

dependence on foreign oil and stop $700 billion going overseas. Increase
conservation, invest in renewable energies (solar, wind, geothermal and biofuels) and
expand domestic production of oil, gas and nuclear power.

• Increase National Savings – Reduce debt and encourage long-term savings.

Encourage banks and credit card companies to promote policies to discourage debt,
extend tax incentives for retirement savings and prevent predatory lending.

• Help Struggling Americans – Improve and increase funding for programs to help
displaced workers, including unemployment benefits, workforce reinvestment, and
trade adjustment assistance.

• Create a First-Class Education System – Provide our children a world-class

education to compete successfully in the global marketplace. Put greater focus on
Early and Head Start, provide significant federal assistance for math and science, fund
innovative programs in our primary, middle and secondary schools and provide far
more generous assistance for college loans and grants.

• Stimulate Housing Market – Promote aggressively the FHA Secure and Hope for
Homeowners programs to provide hundreds of thousands of homeowners facing
foreclosure with secure 30-year, low-interest fixed-rate mortgages.

20
 Emergency Economic Stabilization Act

Our goal is to prevent Wall Street from bringing down Main Street. Money is simply
not being lent to businesses and individuals who need it.

For businesses, this means inability to borrow, expand, invest in new equipment, stock
shelves or even meet short-term cash needs, such as payroll. For individuals, it makes it
harder to buy a house, a car, or obtain a student loan. It also threatens the assets of
everyone who has an IRA or 401(k), college savings, pension plan or owns a home.

What Christopher Supported

Christopher supported the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act both when it failed in
the House and when it passed the House four days later.

The core economic component of this package:

• Authorizes government to purchase debt instruments at a discount – The bill

provides up to $700 billion for the purchase of troubled financial instruments
• Creates strong oversight – Created an Inspector General and an oversight board to
ensure taxpayers’ money is spent wisely
• Limits executive compensation – Eliminated tax deductions for executive salaries in
corporations that choose to participate in the plan.
• Allows equity sharing – Authorizes the new entity to purchase equity in the
companies being helped so that when they recover, taxpayers will benefit.

Christopher helped champion raising the FDIC insurance limit on bank deposits from
$100,000 to $250,000, which was included in the final package.

Other Provisions

• Requires insurers to treat mental illnesses same as physical illnesses

• Prevents 21 million families being subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)
• Provides energy tax credits for alternative energy (solar, wind, geothermal, biofuel)
• Extends research and development tax credit
• Includes $8 billion over 10 years in disaster relief
• Includes a number of earmarks for special interests unwanted by most members
(Christopher voted to remove these provisions)

Christopher sent a letter to Chairman Cox of the SEC urging him to use his authority to
re-examine mark-to-market rules, which are causing businesses to take significant write-
downs and not account for the future value of their assets.

21
 BALANCING THE BUDGET

As a senior member of the Budget Committee when we balanced the budget in

1997, Christopher knows we need to slow the growth of both discretionary and
entitlement spending and continue to support sensible tax reductions. Our
problem is not a lack of revenues, but excessive spending.

GDP Growth Revenue % Change Spending % Change

2001 0.8 1,991.4 -1.7 1,863.2 4.1
2002 1.6 1,853.4 -6.9 2,011.2 7.9
2003 2.5 1,782.5 -3.8 2,160.1 7.4
2004 3.6 1,880.3 5.5 2,293.0 6.2
2005 2.9 2,153.9 14.5 2,472.2 7.8
2006 2.8 2,407.3 11.7 2,655.4 7.4
2007 2.0 2,568.2 6.9 2730.4 4.7

Christopher advocates four legislative changes to restore fiscal discipline:

1. Pass the Balanced Budget Constitutional Amendment. Just as states are

required to end each fiscal year in balance, so should our federal
government be required to balance its budget.

2. Restore Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO). We should restore PAYGO with the

force of law so it cannot be waived. This principle ensures when we create
new entitlement programs or cut taxes, we have a corresponding reduction
in spending or increase in revenues.

3. Restore Sequestration. We should require automatic, across-the-board

budget cuts when deficit levels exceed projections. The across-the-board
cuts can be prevented if Congress passes legislation to bring other parts of
the budget into compliance.

4. Enact Discretionary Budget Caps. Congress should give its annual

budgets the force of law. Caps that can be waived by a simple majority
vote are routinely exceeded and do not provide an effective deterrent to
more spending.

22
 EXPIRING TAX CUTS IN 2011

Christopher voted in favor of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, which are set to expire in
2011. Unless Congress proactively votes to extend them, there will be a significant
tax increase. We simply cannot allow this tax increase to occur.

• Individual Rate Cut. Rates were reduced from 28% to 25%; 31% to 28%,
36% to 33% and 39.6% to 35%.

• 10-percent bracket. Created a 10 percent income bracket for individual

income tax filers for income currently $8,025 for individuals ($16,050 for joint
filers) and below.

• Child tax credit. Doubled the credit from $500 to $1,000.

• Marriage penalty relief. Immediately expands the 15-percent bracket and the
increase in the standard deduction for married persons filing joint returns.

• Dividend tax rate reduction. Treats dividend income as capital gains, not
personal income, thereby effectively reducing the rates.

• Capital gains tax rate reduction. Reduces the tax rate on capital gains to 5
percent for taxpayers in the lowest tax brackets and to 15 percent for all other
taxpayers from 20 percent.

• Estate Tax Relief. In 2010, the estate tax is scheduled to be fully repealed,
although there is a huge cliff from 2009 to 2010.

Christopher and Rep. Harry Mitchell (D-AZ) are sponsoring legislation to

permanently reduce the capital gains tax rate to 15 percent, reduce the tax for
estates between $5 million and $25 million to 15 percent, and 30 percent for
estates above $25 million. Estates below $5 million are exempt.

• Adoption Tax Credit. Doubled the adoption credit from $5,000 to $10,000 for
qualified adoption expenses.

• Contribution limits for IRAs and 401(k) pension plans. Increased

contribution limit for IRAs from $2,000 per year to $5,000 per year. Allows an
employer credit for IRA and 401(K) contributions.

23
 CONNECTICUT’S FEDERAL SPENDING AND TAXES PAID

Christopher believes low federal taxes are the best way to keep money in our state to
address our state’s unique needs.

According to the Tax Foundation, Connecticut receives $8,795 per capita, the 13th highest
dollar total in the nation.

The problem is Connecticut sends $11,522 per capita in total federal taxes to
Washington, ranking us first in the nation, which means we pay the most taxes per capita
of any state in the U.S.

The bottom line…we receive $0.69 for every $1.00 we send to Washington, the third-
worst rate of return in the nation. The federal government spends a lot in Connecticut,
but the solution lies in the federal government taking less dollars from us.

ALTERNATIVE MINIMUM TAX (AMT)

Reducing the impact of the AMT is a top priority. According to a 2007 study by the Tax
Foundation, Connecticut’s Fourth Congressional District is the 7th-most affected by the
AMT. Over 10 percent of residents' tax returns are subject to the AMT, and the average
tax liability of those affected by it is $5,235.

What Christopher Supported

Christopher voted to extend the AMT exemption and index it to inflation for 2007 and
2008. This prevents an additional 21 million taxpayers from being affected by the AMT.

Christopher is an original cosponsor of the Individual AMT Repeal Act. While the
revenue loss would need to be made up in other ways, this outdated tax should be totally
eliminated because it is a significant burden on the middle class.

What Christopher Opposed

Christopher voted against two bills that paid for a one-year AMT exemption with
permanent tax increases. Christopher supports offsetting tax cuts with spending cuts or
tax increases, but does not believe we should enact permanent tax increases to pay for a
one-year fix.

24
State Dollars Per Capita Return
Spending Rate of
Taxes Paid Rank Received Rank Return Rank
Alabama $ 5,434 42 $ 9,263 9 $ 1.66 7
Alaska $ 5,434 18 $ 13,950 1 $ 1.84 3
Arizona $ 6,099 31 $ 7,564 25 $ 1.19 21
Arkansas $ 5,030 47 $ 7,364 30 $ 1.41 14
California $ 8,028 9 $ 6,709 38 $ 0.78 43
Colorado $ 7,721 15 $ 6,708 39 $ 0.81 41
Connecticut $ 11,522 1 $ 8,795 13 $ 0.69 48
Delaware $ 7,898 13 $ 6,553 41 $ 0.77 44
D.C. $ 11,582 $ 65,109 $ 5.55
Florida $ 7,649 16 $ 7,615 23 $ 0.97 34
Georgia $ 6,160 29 $ 6,589 40 $ 1.01 32
Hawaii $ 6,709 20 $ 10,001 6 $ 1.44 12
Idaho $ 5,440 41 $ 6,756 36 $ 1.21 20
Illinois $ 7,824 14 $ 6,334 45 $ 0.75 45
Indiana $ 6,088 32 $ 6,770 35 $ 1.05 30
Iowa $ 6,019 37 $ 6,867 32 $ 1.10 24
Kansas $ 6,350 27 $ 7,463 28 $ 1.12 22
Kentucky $ 5,283 45 $ 8,321 18 $ 1.51 9
Louisiana $ 4,565 49 $ 8,798 12 $ 1.78 4
Maine $ 5,868 38 $ 8,629 15 $ 1.41 13
Maryland $ 8,812 4 $ 11,956 3 $ 1.30 18
Massachusetts $ 9,792 3 $ 8,677 14 $ 0.82 40
Michigan $ 6,568 23 $ 6,415 43 $ 0.92 37
Minnesota $ 7,928 11 $ 6,415 48 $ 0.72 46
Mississippi $ 4,281 50 $ 9,014 10 $ 2.02 2
Missouri $ 6,078 34 $ 8,342 17 $ 1.32 17
Montana $ 5,605 39 $ 8,378 16 $ 1.47 11
Nebraska $ 6,415 26 $ 7,283 31 $ 1.10 25
Nevada $ 8,417 6 $ 5,889 50 $ 0.65 49
New Hampshire $ 8,162 8 $ 6,386 44 $ 0.71 47
New Jersey $ 9,902 2 $ 6,740 37 $ 0.61 50
New Mexico $ 5,153 46 $ 10,733 4 $ 2.03 1
New York $ 8,737 5 $ 7,503 26 $ 0.79 42
North Carolina $ 6,084 33 $ 6,850 33 $ 1.08 27
North Dakota $ 6,031 36 $ 10,408 5 $ 1.68 6
Ohio $ 6,130 30 $ 6,791 34 $ 1.05 31
Oklahoma $ 5,532 40 $ 7,811 22 $ 1.36 15
Oregon $ 6,503 24 $ 6,285 46 $ 0.93 36
Pennsylvania $ 7,093 19 $ 8,025 20 $ 1.07 28
Rhode Island $ 7,414 17 $ 7,836 21 $ 1.00 33
South Carolina $ 5,364 43 $ 7,568 24 $ 1.35 16
South Dakota $ 6,256 28 $ 9,669 7 $ 1.53 8
Tennessee $ 6,041 35 $ 8,132 19 $ 1.27 19
Texas $ 6,437 25 $ 6,514 42 $ 0.94 35
Utah $ 5,311 44 $ 5,994 49 $ 1.07 29
Vermont $ 6,568 22 $ 7,468 27 $ 1.08 26
Virginia $ 7,981 10 $ 12,610 2 $ 1.51 10
Washington $ 7,923 12 $ 7,390 29 $ 0.88 38
West Virginia $ 4,861 48 $ 8,872 11 $ 1.76 5
Wisconsin $ 6,695 21 $ 6,113 47 $ 0.86 39
Wyoming $ 8,286 7 $ 9,414 8 $ 1.11 23

Source: Tax Foundation, "Federal Taxes Paid vs. Federal Spending Received by State, 1981-2005."
 GREEN JOBS

Christopher believes Connecticut must embrace the “green jobs” revolution and is
working to help make our state a leader in bringing these jobs to our region.

What are “green jobs?”

“Green jobs,” or “green-collar jobs,” are paid positions providing environmentally-

friendly products or services, with fair wages, equal opportunity and healthy
working conditions in the private, government, non-profit or cooperative sector.

Green-collar jobs can be found in construction, manufacturing, installation,

maintenance, agriculture and many other sectors of the economy.

What Christopher is Doing

Christopher saw the promise of the green jobs revolution and is working to ensure
Connecticut can become a leader in this field. In the last two years, he has:

• Co-hosted a briefing on June 30, 2008 entitled, “Understanding Green Collar

Jobs for Stamford and the Region.” The purpose of the forum was to inform
business and community leaders and key policy makers about what we need to
do to bring green jobs to Connecticut.

• Supported passage of the Green Jobs Act, which provides the workforce with
resources to implement innovative energy and environmental regulations and
authorizes $125 million each year to create an Energy Efficient and Renewable
Energy Worker Training Program.

• Pushed for full funding of the Green Jobs Act, which will jump start the green
jobs revolution.

What Preparations Are Necessary

Many of these jobs exist in the economy, but the workforce may need new skills to
adapt from their current jobs. We need to give our workforce the tools and training
necessary so that we have a skilled and ready workforce. By doing this, we can
lead the green jobs revolution in the 21st Century.

26
 One Coast, One Future:
The Fairfield County Economic Integration Initiative

One Coast, One Future is a consortium formed by the Bridgeport Regional

Business Council and the Business Council of Fairfield County in
consultation with the Greater Norwalk Chamber of Commerce. It was
created with an investment of $1.25 million in federal funding, in three
separate grants, secured by Congressman Shays.

One Coast, One Future seeks to encourage growth through cooperative,

regional efforts. The goal is to stimulate economic growth, job creation and
individual economic opportunity by linking the Coastal Fairfield County
region’s business centers in a new and stronger alliance.

One Coast’s long-term plan consists of eight key objectives, including:

1. Crafting the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy;

2. Designing a marketing campaign focused on development and
housing opportunities;
3. Creating a growth strategy for jobs in healthcare
4. Linking employer needs with available employee skills through a
JobsNet;
5. Designing marketing campaign focused on cultural and entertainment
opportunities; and
6. Establishing a WiFi network in city centers.
7. Developing minority and women’s business development groups.
8. Creating a Higher Education Council to improve workforce
development through local colleges and universities

You can learn more about One Coast, One Future by visiting the website
established for this initiative:

http://www.coastalfairfieldcounty.org/

27
 HOUSING ASSISTANCE

As a senior member of the Financial Services Committee, Christopher is working to improve

oversight of our financial institutions and help owners stay in their homes. The sheer volume
of loans facing default in today's mortgage market is hazardous to investor confidence, home
values, communities and our entire financial sector.

Our Region’s Problem

Over 5,000 families in Bridgeport and 2,500 families in Stamford hold subprime mortgages.
Bridgeport and Stamford lead the state in mortgage defaults. Many of these families will need
a loan modification or repayment plan to mitigate higher monthly payments.

When a house enters foreclosure, everyone loses. Families lose their homes, neighborhood
property values drop, and municipalities lose tax revenue. The Foreclosure Prevention Act
was a crucial fix towards righting the housing market.

Christopher’s Solutions

Christopher supports giving homeowners multiple tools to remain in their homes. He

supported the Foreclosure Prevention Act from the start. It will:

• Extend FHA refinancing ability to an additional 400,000 homeowners

• Increase federal conforming loan limits in high cost areas
• Provide a first-time homebuyer tax credit of up to $7,500
• Create stronger regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac oversight
• Authorize capital infusions for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac so they cannot fail
• Provide $4 billion for communities to purchase foreclosed homes.
• Establish loan origination requirements for FHA-insured home mortgages.
• Create an affordable housing trust fund

Christopher also supports the FHA Secure program, which allows homeowners to refinance
with FHA if they were current on payments before their mortgage interest rate reset but not
current after the rate went up. Under this program, homeowners in default do not need the
consent of the bank to participate but can refinance with an FHA low interest, 30-year
fixed rate.

As former homeowners return to the rental market, our housing crisis will be exacerbated.
Christopher is working to expand affordable housing for those who rent as well as buy by:

• Supporting a newly-created housing trust fund

• Increasing funding for the community development block grant program
• Improving HOPE VI program, which helped transform two Stamford communities
• Expanding the Section 8 program, which keeps rents to 30 to 40 percent of income

28
 GOVERNMENT SPONSORED ENTERPRISE (GSE) REFORM

Christopher has worked to strengthen regulation of our GSEs, Fannie Mae and Freddie
Mac, after the corporate scandals at Enron and Worldcom. The entities are too important
to our housing sector to fail. Congress has enacted overdue reforms for their long-term
viability and must thoroughly oversee their progress.

Christopher’s Foresight and Oversight

As early as 2002, Christopher saw problems developing in the housing market. Of

particular concern was Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These huge financial institutions
were under weak regulation and did not have to answer to the SEC. As a result, he:

• Introduced the Uniform Securities Disclosure Act in 2002, requiring Fannie and
Freddie to file like all other public companies under the 1933 & 1934 Securities Acts.
Because of his efforts, Fannie and Freddie agreed to place themselves under the
1934 Act without passage of our legislation.
• Reintroduced the legislation as the Leave No Securities Behind Act in 2003.
• Offered an amendment in Committee in 2003 to prevent Fannie and Freddie from
misleading investors by implying they are federally backed. This amendment failed
on a voice vote in the face of overwhelming opposition
• Advocated stronger regulator for Fannie and Freddie at hearing in 2003
• Warned in 2004 that Fannie and Freddie would “crash if this Congress does not wake
up and do something about it.”
• Supported Royce Amendment on House floor in 2005, which only 73 members voted
for, requiring Fannie and Freddie to dispose of high-risk assets or liabilities they held.
• Supported creating a new regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in 2005 as
one of only 19 cosponsors and cosponsored it again in 2008 when it was signed into
law as part of the Foreclosure Prevention Act.

Strong Regulation Enacted

The provisions in the Foreclosure Prevention Act ensure the GSE’s continued viability in
the secondary mortgage market. The provisions:

• Replace the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO), with a

stronger independent regulator, called the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
• Give the new regulator broad authority over the GSEs’ investment portfolios and
capital requirements. The regulator is headed by a presidentially-appointed director
who is confirmed by the Senate for a five-year term.
• Allow the Treasury Department to make loans and buy stock from the GSEs, who
together securitize over half of the nation's $12 trillion mortgage market.

29
 PREDATORY LENDING REFORM

Christopher believes we can all agree on stopping abusive lending practices

and is committed to ensuring the subprime loan crisis is not repeated.

Christopher will continue working to expand affordable housing

opportunities for all Americans through his work on the Financial Services
Committee and its Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity.

What Christopher Supports

Christopher voted for H.R. 3915, the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory
Lending Act, which:

• Creates minimum regulatory standards for mortgage brokers and lenders

• Requires licensing for all brokers
• Establishes disclosure requirements in an effort to protect borrowers from
bad loans.

How Christopher is Helping

Christopher is working to expand financial literacy programs that will

help individuals understand loans, credit cards and money management.

Christopher also co-hosted three mortgage forums in Bridgeport, Norwalk

and Stamford where banks, community organizations, housing experts, and
loan servicers came together to educate homeowners in the Fourth District.
At these forums, we were able to provide affected borrowers with the
resources they need to work on getting into mortgages they can afford.

Christopher’s office created a comprehensive resource packet for

troubled homeowners facing foreclosure. The information encouraged
borrowers to act early if they are having trouble paying their mortgages or if
they foresee trouble ahead. The worst thing a homeowner can do is nothing.

30
 The Energy for Our Future Act
Christopher Shays (R-CT) and Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), November 17, 2005

Endorsed by Sierra Club, National Resources Defense Council, U.S. PIRG, Environmental Action, UCS, and LCV

SAVES OIL

• Increases fuel economy to 40 miles per gallon (mpg) for cars, trucks and SUVs by 2016. Current
law calls for a standard of 35 mpg by 2020.

• Closes the SUV tax loophole and brings vehicles under 10,000 pounds under the same fuel
economy standards as cars.

• Doubles the tax credit for purchasing hybrid vehicles and eliminates the cap on how many
purchasers qualify for it.

• Creates R&D tax incentives for auto manufacturers to create more fuel efficient vehicles.

• Promotes public transportation by subsidizing fares, encouraging companies to subsidize fares and
authorizing funding to build energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly clean buses and light rails.

REDUCES HEAT AND ELECTRIC BILLS

• Funds home weatherization fuel assistance programs and doubles Energy Star funding.

• Extends tax incentives for energy efficiency through 2014 to encourage energy-efficient appliance
production and consumption and solar, photovoltaic and fuel-cell energy use.

• Establishes renewable energy standards, which save money: Energy Efficiency Renewable
Standards (EERS); Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS); net-metering.

• Extends tax incentives for energy-efficient commercial buildings, homes, and equipment.

REINVESTS EXTRANEOUS TAX BREAKS

• Repeals $8 billion in extraneous tax breaks for oil, gas, nuclear, and coal companies.

RESTORES STATE AND LOCAL AUTHORITY IN ENERGY DECISIONS

• Restores state authority in the siting of Liquefied Natural Gas facilities like Broadwater and setting
CAFE standards, for example

INCREASES FUNDING FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY R&D

• Increases funding for biofuel, hydrogen, solar, photovoltaic, and wind energy R&D

• Instructs the DOE to carry out a R&D and commercial development program on geothermal
energy, hydropower, co-generation, and distributed energy production.

31
 ENERGY SOLUTIONS

Christopher is working to create a long-term energy policy that requires everyone’s

sacrifice so our country attains energy independence.

What are our long term goals?

• Be independent of foreign oil by 2020.

• Reduce our overall energy use by 20 percent from today’s levels.
• Require 85 percent of our vehicles to be gasoline-free within 20 years.
• Produce 20 percent of our energy from renewable sources.

Christopher’s Four Key Energy Policies

1. Requiring Conservation and Greater Energy Efficiency

Our long-term policy must reduce the amount of fuel we consume. By setting higher
corporate average fuel economy standards for cars (40 miles per gallon by 2016),
increasing the investment in energy efficient appliances, light bulbs and technologies,
expanding tax credits to incentivize the purchase of these products and investing in new
technologies like fuel cells, we can reduce our fuel consumed by 20 percent.

2. Increasing Domestic Energy Production

Our long-term policy must make us independent on unstable governments for our energy.
We must enact tax incentives for wind, solar, geothermal, biofuels, create a renewable
portfolio standard to require the use of this energy, open up new areas off our coast to
drilling for oil and natural gas, and create incentives for nuclear power. This is a must if
we are to achieve energy independence.

3. Encouraging Financial Market Transparency

The futures markets have a legitimate role to play in keeping energy affordable, but
excessive speculation creates greater volatility in the price of oil. We must require
transparency in our own energy markets and in foreign markets to ensure no one is
unfairly gaming the system and artificially driving up prices.

4. Improving Public Transportation

Americans will use public transportation if it is improved, but our commuter rail and bus
lines don’t receive the kind of investment they need. We should incentivize commuters to
use mass transportation by investing in bus and high-speed rail corridors.

32
 HOME HEATING ASSISTANCE

Christopher is working to provide relief for homeowners who are going to be

significantly affected this winter.

The Problem: Average home heating oil costs are expected to reach $2,897 per
household this winter, an increase of 50 percent over last year.

Christopher’s Solutions

1. Home Heating Oil Assistance Act

Christopher introduced the Home Heating Oil Assistance Act to provide a $500
refundable tax credit for individuals and couples making income up to the 28
percent tax bracket, which will include much of the middle class.

2. Increasing Low Income Heating Energy Assistance Program Funding

Along with Peter Welch (D-VT), Christopher is the lead cosponsor of the Warm in
Winter and Cool in Summer Act, which doubles LIHEAP funding to $5.1 billion.
This program helps low income families pay their heating bills. Their proposal
was adopted into law in the Fiscal Year 2009 Continuing Resolution.

3. Increasing Home Weatherization Funding

Christopher realizes the most successful long-term solution is to reduce our energy
use by using energy more efficiently. The Home Weatherization program pays for
improvements such as insulation, new window panes and weather stripping in the
homes of low-income families. He successfully offered an amendment to the
Energy Policy Act of 2007 that doubled funding for home weatherization
assistance from $700 million to $1.4 billion. Weatherization is estimated to reduce
heating bills by 32 percent at current prices.

4. Incentivizing Energy Efficiency through the Tax Code

Christopher’s Energy for Our Future Act extends tax credits to consumers to
incentivize the purchase of Energy Star appliances. This saves families money
over other comparable units on the market.

33
 CORPORATE AVERAGE FUEL ECONOMY STANDARDS

Christopher has long been a leader advocating a CAFE standards increase. This is one of
the most significant ways we can reduce our energy consumption.

Christopher’s Solution

As part of his Energy for Our Future Act, Christopher is advocating a fuel economy
standard of 40 miles per gallon by 2016. Energy legislation Christopher supported in
2007 raised the CAFE standard to 35 miles per gallon by 2020, which is a good start, but
more is needed.

Farther, Faster

Christopher has always pushed Congress to increase these standards as much as possible.
When Christopher introduced H.R. 4384, the Energy for Our Future Act in 2005, the
standard of 40 miles per gallon (mpg) set the most aggressive roadmap for reducing our
consumption.

Other legislation increasing CAFE Standards in the 109th Congress:

HR 705 2013: light trucks CAFE standard up to 27.5 mpg

HR 3544 2014: passenger cars standard raised to 45 mpg and lighttrucks
standard raised to 34 mpg
HR 3762 2015: All vehicles’ standard raised to 33 mpg
HR 5543 2016: All vehicles’ standard raised to 33 mpg
HR 5926 2015: passenger cars standard raised to 33 mpg
HR 5927 2016: passenger cars’ standard raised to 45 mpg

Christopher’s Record

Christopher has supported CAFE standard increases to cars, minivans, light trucks and
SUVs each time they have been considered in the House.

• H.R. 6 – December 18, 2007 – Passed 314-100 – 35 mpg by 2020

• H.R. 3221 – August 4, 2007 – Passed 241 to 172 – 35 mpg by 2020

• Amendment to H.R. 6 – April 20, 2005 – Failed 177 to 251 – 33 mpg by 2015

• Amendment to H.R. 4 – August 1, 2001 – Failed 160 to 269 – Just automobiles and
light trucks to 27.5 mpg by 2007

34
 TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE

Our transportation infrastructure is slowly failing. Accidents like the collapse of the Mianus
River Bridge on I-95 or the bridge on I-35 in Minnesota will happen again unless we take bold
action to better maintain and improve the our infrastructure. Christopher is working to:

• Fix the Highway Trust Fund – Christopher voted to guarantee the trust fund does not run
out of funding in the short term, but the fund needs more revenue for the long-term. With
spiraling gas prices, it is not in our nation’s interest to raise the gas tax at this time, which
means we must be open to other options, such as tolls, congestion pricing and user fees.
Additionally, the formula to distribute funding must continue to be based on need, which
provided Connecticut $1.57 for each $1 we paid into the federal highway trust fund in
Fiscal Year 2007.

• Expand Public Transportation – Christopher voted to authorize $1.7 billion in additional

formula grant funding to transit authorities for the purpose of reducing fares and expanding
services. According to the Federal Transit Administration, Connecticut will receive $25.5
million, with Bridgeport and Stamford receiving $6.6 million, under such an approach.
Christopher also cosponsored legislation to increase employer and individual tax incentives
for the use of public transportation.

• Utilize our ports and waterways to move people and freight – Christopher has worked
to secure $8.9 million and $6.25 million for high-speed ferry ports in Bridgeport and
Stamford, respectively, which when functional will run to lower Manhattan. Christopher is
also supporting legislation to end the double taxation for cargo shipped by water that results
in a tax levied for each port the cargo enters.

• Expand Freight rail capacity – Nationwide, 40 percent of freight is delivered by rail, but
only 2.8 percent of freight east of the Hudson is delivered by rail because the only viable
freight rail crossing of the Hudson is 140 miles north. Christopher and Rep. Jerrold Nadler
(D-NY) secured $14 million to do the environmental study to build a freight rail tunnel
under the Hudson river, which would make rail a more efficient way of shipping freight and
get trucks off our overburdened highways.

• Create a High-Speed Rail Network – Christopher voted to authorize $14.4 billion for
Amtrak over the next five years, which will allow the company to improve its rail lines.
The legislation also helps create a new high-speed rail line between Washington, DC and
New York City, where ridership is expanding. Christopher also believes we need to
increase bonding authority to incentivize the creation of true high-speed rail lines.

• Support Transit-Oriented Development – Christopher has helped secure funding to build

a third rail station in Fairfield that will be created in concert with a business park and
residential units.

35
 FAA AIRSPACE REDESIGN

Christopher vigorously opposes the Federal Aviation Administration’s proposed redesign of the
northeast airspace, which will bring significant amounts of incoming LaGuardia air traffic over
western Fairfield County, and has worked for three years to reduce its impact on our region.

Knowing of the tremendous nuisance air noise is, Christopher established a Community Noise
Watch Committee to help keep track of noise incidents over their homes. The committee,
which reports incidents once a month to Christopher’s staff, also meets with FAA and airport
officials to discuss their findings and develop potential solutions.

What Christopher Has Done

October 17, 2006 – Organized a forum with then-Chairman of the House Transportation and
Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation, John Mica, in Darien for local elected officials to
discuss potential problems with the FAA's plan.

March 2007 – Wrote to the new chairman of the Aviation Subcommittee, Rep. Jerry Costello (D-
Ill.), reiterating his concerns about airspace redesign.

April 24, 2007 – Held a briefing with the FAA to answer questions about the proposed airspace
redesign. Because our residents are the most impacted by this design, I had the FAA change the
location of this meeting from Danbury to Stamford. The FAA explained the changes to many
residents of our community.

May 11, 2007 – Submitted official comment to then-FAA Administrator Marion Blakely and
urged the agency to reassess the plan’s implementation.

September 20, 2007 –Successfully offered an amendment with Congressmen Frelinghuysen,

Garrett and Engel to the FAA Reauthorization Act requiring the GAO to conduct a study on
market-based measures to reduce flight delays.

December 17, 2007 – Wrote to Senate Commerce Chairman Daniel Inouye and Ranking
Member Ted Stevens urging them to carefully question the nominee for FAA Administrator,
then-acting-chief Robert A. Sturgell, about his views on the Northeast Airspace Redesign.

March 12, 2008 – Joined Congressmen Garrett, Andrews and Sestak in writing the FAA asking
the agency to discontinue redesign plans until the GAO releases its study in June of 2008.

June 18, 2008 – Testified before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
Subcommittee on Aviation against the Integrated Airspace Alternative, the Federal Aviation
Administration’s (FAA) preferred airspace redesign plan.

Christopher supports the Alliance for Sensible Airspace Planning’s lawsuit to block the
implementation of the airspace redesign.

36
 AMERICAN HEALTH BENEFITS PROGRAM ACT
Christopher Shays (R-CT) and James Langevin (D-RI), February 12, 2008

Christopher worked with Congressman Langevin to introduce the American Health

Benefits Program Act, which uses the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program as a
model to provide all Americans health insurance.

Christopher and Congressman Langevin incorporated seven principles into their proposal.

• Universal – The AHBP requires coverage for all Americans.

• Do No Harm – The 85 percent of Americans who have health insurance will not have
to accept reduced benefits so that more Americans can be covered.

• Shared Responsibility – Individuals, employers, the government, hospitals and

insurers all will contribute to the AHBP.

• Affordable – Like federal employees, individuals will pay 28 percent of the cost.
Low-income and unemployed individuals will pay a smaller amount or no cost.
Employers who participate will pay an adjustable payroll tax based on number of
employees and their average income.

• Choice – Individuals will choose from countless private plans, including Health
Savings Accounts.

• Portable – Plans will be portable and pre-existing conditions will no longer prohibit
coverage.

• Preventative – AHBP will encourage insurers to enroll beneficiaries in preventive

health programs to involve Americans in their own well-being.

• Healthcare Reinvestment – The plan requires health insurers to reinvest 90 percent

(not 80 percent) of every dollar they receive into the beneficiary’s healthcare.

No reform will be successful without controlling costs. Employers and individuals alike
need to know the cost of health care won’t continue to explode. To deal with this issue,
we are proposing a HEALTH BENEFITS COMMISSION, which will recommend
specific cost containment measures – such as medical malpractice reform, which I
strongly support – for Congress to enact before the AHBP system takes effect.

37
 STATE CHILDREN’S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM

Christopher supports expanding the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)
to allow children nationwide the same access to care that we provide our children in
Connecticut and voted five times this Congress in favor of doing so.

Christopher disagreed with the President that the program should be limited to those
children making under 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Limit ($42,400 for a family
of four). This would have resulted in some of Connecticut’s children losing coverage
Chris voted to override the President’s veto.

Christopher’s Record

Each time legislation was considered in the House to expand the SCHIP program,
Christopher voted in favor of the effort.

Christopher voted in favor of:

1. Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act (Roll No. 787, August 1, 2007) -
Would have allowed states to elect to cover up to 400 percent of the FPL, as well as
allow states to elect to provide coverage for legal immigrant children.

2. Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA) (Roll No.

906, September 25, 2007) - Invests $35 billion in new funding over five years on
children's health and will allow Connecticut to continue its existing coverage.

3. Overriding the President’s Veto for CHIPRA (Roll No. 982, October 18, 2007) –
Failed to pass by the necessary two-thirds vote.

4. Children's Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (CHIPRA 2) (Roll No.

1009, October 25, 2007) – Same as previous version, with language making explicitly
clear that illegal immigrants could not qualify for coverage and that childless adults
could not receive coverage.

5. Overriding the President’s Veto for CHIPRA 2 (Roll No. 22, January 23, 2008) –
Failed to pass by the necessary two-thirds vote.

Christopher voted against:

Two motions to delay consideration of the presidential veto override votes (Roll No. 938,
October 3, 2007; Roll No. 1154, December 12, 2007). These motions – which both
passed – were simply delaying tactics that cost the Congress nearly two months of time,
which could have been better trying to find a long-term solution to expand the program.

38
 Community Health Centers

Christopher has strongly advocated doubling the number of low-income,

uninsured and underinsured individuals community health centers serve from 10
million to 20 million. Currently, the centers serve 17 million, half of whom are
uninsured.

The very first yes vote he cast in Congress was in favor of the National Health
Service Corps, health professionals who agree to serve in community health centers,
urban and other underserved areas.

Christopher’s Work

• Since 1987, Christopher has consistently spoken in favor of increasing

community health centers and was thrilled when President Bush called for
doubling those served by these centers in 2001.

• In 2002, Christopher successfully led an effort to persuade the House

leadership to pass legislation authorizing the doubling of this program.

• On June 4, 2008 and again on September 25, 2008, Christopher supported the
Health Care Safety Net Act, which increased funding for community health
centers by nearly 50 percent.

• Christopher joined colleagues in writing to the President and Appropriations

Subcommittee Chairmen urging increased funding for these centers.

• Christopher cosponsored the Protecting the Medicaid Safety Net Act, which
prevented seven rules to cut Medicaid from going into effect. Community
health centers rely on adequate Medicaid reimbursements. The legislation
passed as part of a larger Supplemental spending bill.

• Christopher worked to increase health spending as part of the Fiscal Year

2008 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Act,
voting to override the President’s veto in favor of increased spending.

In 2003, Christopher received the “Distinguished Community Health Champion”

Award from the National Association for Community Health Centers for his
advocacy and support in Congress.

39
 ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

Christopher believes we must invest in our education system so that we give our next
generation the best opportunity possible to succeed in the global economy.

No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

Christopher supports the goals behind NCLB, which grants flexibility to local school
districts and states in exchange for demanding measurable results in public education.
The law provides parents with a safety valve for children trapped in failing schools.

There is no question the law has been implemented too rigidly, and we must make a
number of necessary changes. Christopher has proposed four specific improvements:

1. Fully Fund NCLB – While funding has increased significantly to implement the law,
much more is needed.

2. Flexibility for Special Education Students – Make provisions for counting special
education students towards Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) more flexible so that
districts that have higher special education students

3. Flexibility for English Language Learners – Give English Language learners more
time to learn the language before being counted towards AYP, preventing schools
from being unfairly penalized.

4. Alternate-Year Testing – Allow states that pass AYP consistently to only take the
tests every other year. This will help address concerns particularly among teachers
that they are limited to “teaching to the test.”

Special Education

Christopher also believes we should improve our special education program by fully
funding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The federal government
is required to fund 40 percent, but the program has never received more than 19 percent.

Early Childhood Development

Christopher is a strong supporter of Head Start and Early Start and supported a
reauthorization strengthening the program for the low-income, providing more resources
for teachers and facilities and improving academic standards.

Christopher is also working with the non-profit Action for Bridgeport Community
Development (ABCD) to develop a program based on the Total Learning model that can
be replicated nationwide to help our vulnerable youth.

40
 STUDENT LOANS

Christopher has lead the effort in Congress to ensure students continue to have
uninterrupted access to student loans despite turmoil in the credit market.

Christopher’s Actions

Earlier this year, Christopher saw problems emerging in the student loan market
and urged quick action to stem these problems.

He offered an amendment to the Higher Education Reauthorization Act that would

encourage the Federal Financing Bank, Federal Reserve and Federal Home Loan
Banks to inject liquidity into Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP)
lenders, but it was blocked from consideration by the majority.

Chris then wrote the Secretary of Education and Secretary of Treasury to warn
them about this crisis, and was successful in his efforts to include his amendment
in the conference report to the Higher Education Reauthorization, which passed in
July.

Following successful passage of his amendment, Christopher requested and the

Financial Services Committee held a hearing in September on the problems in the
student loan market.

What Christopher is Advocating

Christopher is supporting legislation enabling the Federal Home Loan Banks to:

• Invest in student loan-related securities with their surplus funds;

• Allow the Federal Home Loan Banks to accept student loans and student-
loan related securities as collateral;
• Provide secured advances to its members to originate student loans or
finance student loan-related securities.

41
 Christopher Shays’ Oversight Trips to Iraq

1. April 15, 2003 Umm Qasar

2. August 23-28, 2003 Basra, Baghdad, Al Hillah, Tikrit and Mosul

3. December 4-6, 2003 Baghdad, Al Kut, Hochan, Seid Abais

4. January 4-5, 2004 Baghdad, Ad Dawr and Tikrit

5. April 15-17, 2004 Irbil, Suleimaniyah, Khannaquin and Baghdad

6. August 8-9, 2004 Baghdad and Fallujah

7. January 30-31, 2005 Irbil and Baghdad

8. May 23, 2005 Baghdad

9. July 30, 2005 Baghdad

10. October 9-10, 2005 Baghdad, Al-Anbar and Mosul

11. February 4-5, 2006 Baghdad and Tal Afar

12. April 18, 2006 Baghdad and Ramadi

13. July 13-17, 2006 Baghdad, Balad and Erbil

14. August 17-25, 2006 Baghdad and Sulymania

15. Nov 26 - Dec 4, 2006 Habur Gate, International Zone, Eastern Baghdad

16. April 11-12, 2007 Baghdad and Irbil

17. May 21 - 22, 2007 Baghdad and Ramadi

18. August 11-12, 2007 Baghdad, Yusufiyah and Taji

19. December 2-3, 2007 Ar-Ramadi and Baghdad

20. March 22-23, 2008 Old Baquba and Diyala Governate

21. August 13-22, 2008 Baghdad and Sadr City

42
 IRAQ TIMELINE VOTES

Since August 2006, Christopher has worked to establish a sensible timeline to

bring our troops home and encourage the Iraqi government to make greater
progress. During this Congress, Christopher voted against timelines withdrawing
our troops too quickly and voted for timelines enabling our troops to succeed.

Timelines Christopher Supported

1. Orderly and Responsible Iraq Redeployment Appropriations Act (H.R.

4156, Roll No. 1108, November 14, 2007) - Required troop withdrawals to
begin within 30 days of enactment, with a goal of withdrawing most troops by
December 15, 2008

2. Fiscal Year 2008 (FY 08) and FY 09 Supplemental Appropriations Act

(H.R. 2642, Roll No. 329, May 15, 2008) - Requires withdrawals to begin
within 30 days, with a goal of withdrawing most troops within 18 months,
which would have been December 2009

Timelines Christopher Opposed

1. FY 07 Supplemental Appropriations (H.R. 1591, Roll No. 186, March 22,

2007) - Requires the President to certify the Iraqis had met a series of
benchmarks. If they had not met these benchmarks, at set intervals, the bill
required immediate withdrawal, or if all went well, withdrawal of most U.S.
troops would have occurred by August 2008.

2. FY 07 Supplemental Appropriations (H.R. 1591, Roll No. 265, April 25,

2007) - Requires U.S. Forces to begin withdrawing within 180 days of October
1, 2007 and set a “goal” of withdrawal by August 31, 2008.

3. To provide for the redeployment of U.S. Armed Forces and contractors

from Iraq (H.R. 2237, Roll No. 330, May 10, 2008) - Requires U.S. troops to
begin withdrawing within 90 days of enactment of this legislation, and
complete withdrawing within 180 days.

4. Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act (H.R. 2956, Roll No. 624, July 12,
2007) – Proposed beginning withdrawal within 120 days of enactment, and
completing the reduction and transition to a limited presence in Iraq by no later
than April 1, 2008.

43
 IRAQ TIMELINE POSITIONS: SHAYS, OBAMA AND McCAIN

Congressman Shays believes we can remove most of our troops out of Iraq by the end of
2009, leaving 50-60,000 troops to provide support services. Senator Obama believes we
can remove most of our troops by May 2010, 16 months after he is sworn in as President,
leaving 50-60,000 troops to provide support services. Senator McCain believes we should
set no deadline for bringing the majority of our troops home.

Christopher’s Position

During this Congress, Christopher voted against proposals withdrawing our troops too
quickly and voted for timelines enabling our troops to succeed.

On November 14, 2007, Christopher voted for H.R. 4156, the Orderly and Responsible Iraq
Redeployment Appropriations Act, which passed the House by a vote of 218 to 203. This
bill required the United States to begin drawing down our forces from Iraq within 30 days,
completing the drawdown of most troops by December 2008.

On May 15, 2008, Christopher voted for an amendment to H.R. 2642, the Fiscal Years 2008
and 2009 Supplemental Appropriations Act, which passed the House by a vote of 227 to
196. The bill required the United States to begin drawing down our forces from Iraq within
30 days, completing the drawdown of most troops by December 2009.

Senator Obama’s Position

“Military experts believe we can safely redeploy combat brigades from Iraq at a pace of 1 to
2 brigades a month that would remove them in 16 months.” – Barack Obama’s Campaign
Website.

“Obama has said that he would "adapt" his withdrawal timeline should "things drastically
worsen as we're drawing down.” - Washington Post, “Campaigns' Iraq Stances Seem to Hit
a Middle Ground,” August 1, 2008.

Senator McCain’s Position

“[Senator McCain] has said he hopes to bring U.S. combat troops home by 2013 but has
insisted that any timeline or lessening of U.S. control over its own operations would
undercut recent military gains and aid U.S. enemies.” – Washington Post, “U.S., Iraq Scale
Down Negotiations Over Forces,” July 13, 2008.

“McCain has said he could support withdrawal over 16 months -- the timetable proposed by
Obama -- provided ‘conditions’ were right.” – Washington Post, “Campaigns' Iraq Stances
Seem to Hit a Middle Ground,” August 1, 2008.

44
 SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL SECURITY, EMERGING THREATS,
AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Christopher Shays, Connecticut
Chairman
Room B-372 Rayburn Building
Washington, DC 20515
Tel: 202-225-2548
Fax: 202-225-2382

October 2, 2006

The Honorable Donald H. Rumsfeld

Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Room 3E880
Washington, D.C. 20301-1000

Dear Mr. Secretary:

In August I traveled to Iraq for the fourteenth time since April 2003, leading a bi-
partisan Congressional Delegation that held meetings with US Ambassador
Zalmay Khalilzad, General George Casey, Iraqi President Jalal Talibani, and Prime
Minister Nouri Al-Maliki.

Three weeks ago my Subcommittee held a three day hearing on Iraq with
testimony from thirteen witnesses, including US Defense and State Department
officials, US counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism experts, and Iraqi
representatives of the main political groups in Iraq. The purpose of the
Congressional Delegation and hearing was to conduct oversight, and to assess the
security situation and political developments in Iraq.

When I traveled to Iraq in July for my thirteenth visit I urged the Iraqi political
leadership to take decisive control of their country and turn their words of good
intent into actions to end the violence and achieve national reconciliation.

In my observations and recommendations letter after my thirteenth visit, I

recommended that we “Be blunt with the Iraqi leadership that if they are unwilling
to make peace among themselves the United States will have no choice but to draw
down its troops and leave Iraq.”

45
During my last visit, I found Iraqi leaders were still not taking decisive action.
Moreover, during our meetings in Baghdad and at our hearings, US officials
questioned whether Iraqi leaders had the political will to do so.

I made it clear to Prime Minister Al-Maliki that while I continue to support our
joint efforts to bring democracy and stability to Iraq, the American people have
every right to expect Shia, Sunnis, and Kurds will resolve their differences, end the
violence, and move to replace Coalition Forces with Iraqi Security Forces in police
operations and combat patrolling.

The following observations and recommendations are based on my most recent

visit and hearing held in the Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats
and International Relations on September 11, 13, and 15, entitled “Iraq:
Democracy or Civil War.”

Observation: Sunnis comprise forty percent of Baghdad’s population but are not
represented on city and neighborhood councils due to the Sunni boycott of the
January 2005 elections. This under-representation is true in other provinces
around the country.

Recommendation: Urge the Iraqi Government to hold provincial elections

as soon as possible to provide true representation in Baghdad, and all other
provinces.

Observation: The main cause of Iraq’s violence and instability is political, and
requires a political solution. Iraq’s leaders are not demonstrating the will to
compromise and reach agreements required to resolve the issues dividing them.
This division is a principal cause of the insurgent and sectarian violence.

We recognize the complexity of national reconciliation. We also recognize Iraqis

have overcome many obstacles and made tremendous strides. Since June 2004, a
number of significant deadlines were met: Iraq held elections for a transitional
government; drafted a Constitution and approved it in a national referendum;
elected a Council of Representatives (parliament); and formed a government under
the new Constitution. There are no such deadlines in effect today to motivate Iraqi
leaders to move forward with Prime Minister Al-Maliki’s national reconciliation
plan.

46
 Recommendation: The United States should encourage Iraqi leaders to
establish a timeline for each element of Prime Minister Maliki’s national
reconciliation plan. There should be dates certain for provincial elections,
the rollback of de-Baathification, amnesty, allocation of oil revenues, and
central government control of militias, or their disbandment.

Observation: The Iraqi Council of Representatives has appointed the

Parliamentary Committee to review the Iraqi Constitution and make
recommendations for amendments under the agreement brokered by US
Ambassador Khalilzad on October 12, 2005 and embodied in Article 142 of the
Constitution. Sunnis expect issues important to them will be addressed not only
through national reconciliation and legislation, but also considered in a
Constitutional revision process.

Recommendation: Urge the Parliamentary Committee to make

constitutional amendment recommendations to the Council of
Representatives as swiftly as possible so they can be considered, adopted,
and submitted to the Iraqi people for referendum.

Observation: Iraqi leaders said they believe the insurgents and terrorists have
better weapons than the Iraqi Security Forces, and if their forces were issued more
lethal weapons, they could replace US forces in police operations and combat
patrolling sooner.

Recommendation: Establish a joint Iraq-US program to examine whether

the quality of weapons for the Iraqi Security Forces is adequate to combat
the insurgents and foreign terrorists, and if not, upgrade those weapons.

Observation: Iran is interfering and negatively influencing developments in Iraq.

Iran is financing militias, smuggling weapons and explosives used by insurgents
against Coalition troops and Iraqi Security Forces, and is seeking to influence the
Iraqi political process.

Recommendation: Request European Foreign Ministers, now negotiating

with Iran on the nuclear issue, demand Iran halt its financing of militias and
infiltration of weapons and agents in Iraq.
47
Observation: Small projects managed by US Agency for International
Development (USAID) private sector partners such as Mercy Corps under the
Community Action Program are very successful in achieving their objectives and
creating jobs for Iraqis.

Recommendation: USAID should increase its funding of the Community

Action Program’s use of private sector partners to achieve development and
to increase Iraqi employment.

Observation: Last week, there were only 4.7 hours a day of electricity in
Baghdad, and 11.3 hours nationwide. Regretfully, electricity output was 6 percent
below that of the same period in 2005.

Recommendation: The US Secretary of Energy should provide technical

and management experts and greater financial aid to assist the Iraqi
Government in boosting electricity production and distribution.

Observation: No flow meters measuring the amount of oil and gas produced and
distributed are known to exist in Iraq since Saddam Hussein removed them to
subvert the Oil-for-Food program and illegally export crude oil.

The theft of oil in Iraq is estimated in excess of 200,000 barrels of petroleum per
day, which equates to $100 million per day at a price of $50 per barrel. The
insurgency and militias are believed to be engaged in this theft and able to finance
their anti-Coalition attacks and operations with money from stolen oil.

Recommendation: A comprehensive flow metering system, coupled with

remote telemetry monitoring, should be installed at each producing well-site
and throughout the oil and gas distribution system in Iraq. Security for the
system must be increased.

Observation: The Iraq Study Group, co-chaired by former Secretary of State

James Baker and former Congressman Lee Hamilton, was established by Congress
to provide a fresh assessment of Iraq and to make recommendations in a report to
the President, the Congress, and the American people. On September 19, the Co-
48
Chairs stated they will submit their report sometime after the upcoming November
Congressional elections but no later than March 15, 2007.

There are substantial questions about the accuracy of Department of Defense

statistics and evaluations, particularly regarding the numbers of Iraqi Security
Force personnel present for duty and the capabilities of the units comprising the
Iraqi Security Forces.

Recommendation: The Iraq Study Group should submit a preliminary

report not later than December 1, 2006 that focuses on the Iraqi Security
Forces, and submit its full report as soon thereafter as possible.

Observation: The Department of Defense use of stop-loss and the extension of

duty tours in Iraq to meet force requirements are causing hardship to troops and
their families. This action will ultimately have a detrimental effect on our
recruitment and retention capabilities. To require units to stay a day longer in Iraq
or be recalled from inactive duty is devastating for the families, and for the
affected Soldiers and Marines. It will also undermine public support for our
operations in Iraq.

Recommendation: Discontinue stop-loss and extension of duty tours in

Iraq. Instead, adopt realistic plans for the number of troops needed in Iraq
and for rotations based on those numbers.

Observation: The Department of Defense is locked in to defending a policy based

on a number of serious mistakes. These mistakes have damaged the effort to
achieve our goals in Iraq. Additionally, the Department has been reluctant to
provide adequate statistics and readiness assessments for Iraqi Security Forces to
Members of Congress and the Government Accountability Office.

Recommendation: Serious consideration should be given to bringing in a

new team to lead the Department of Defense.

Recommendation: The Congressional Committees that authorize and

appropriate funding of operations in Iraq should be more engaged in
oversight.

49
Observation: Units in the Iraqi Security Force have combat experience ranging
from three years (those that were formed in mid-2003) to six months. United
States military commanders state some of these units are at a high state of
readiness and are taking the lead in police operations and combat patrolling.

Recommendation: The President said as the Iraqis step up, we step down.
That has not happened because we have not reached the total number of
security forces needed to secure Iraq. Once we surpass the required number
with Iraqi Security Forces, American and Coalition forces should begin to
step down based on a predictable, firm timeline. We need to give the Iraqis
a firm timeline so they know we will not be there forever and begin to take
the difficult but necessary diplomatic and political steps required to unite
their country and reduce the violence.

Observation: The 325,000 Iraqi Security Force level to be reached on December

31, 2006 is not adequate to provide internal security, nor is it adequate to counter
any external security threat.

Experts testified at the Subcommittee’s hearings that successful counter-

insurgencies have historically required 20 security personnel per 1,000 of
population, which in the case of Iraq’s 26 million people would be 520,000
security personnel.

There are approximately 4 million Kurds who live in the provinces governed by
the Kurdistan Regional Government. They are protected by approximately 70,000
Kurdish security forces (the Peshmerga) and there is not the insurgent and
sectarian violence in Kurdistan that there is elsewhere in Iraq. Hence, the Kurdish
population need not be included in this calculation.

The remaining 22 million people in the non-Kurdish area of Iraq require

approximately 440,000 security personnel. Until the Iraqis establish a capable and
loyal force at this force level, stability will not be achieved, nor will Coalition
forces be able to draw down.

Recommendation: Urge the Iraqi government in conjunction

with the Multi-National Force-Iraq to increase as quickly as
possible the size of the Iraqi Security Forces from the present
planned strength of 325,000 to at least 440,000 security forces in
the non-Kurdish areas of Iraq.
50
It is up to the Iraqis to take the political and military steps to end the violence
among themselves and create stability. The United States and the Coalition can
support the Iraqi effort, but it is the Iraqis that must fight and win the battle for
their country.

We offer these observations and recommendations in the hope of moving Iraq

toward the goals set out in the National Strategy for Victory in Iraq: “a democratic
society at peace with its neighbors.”

As always, I would welcome the opportunity to discuss these matters with you
more fully. If you have any questions or would like additional information on
these observations and recommendations, please contact me at 202-225-5541, or
one of my staff, Dr. R. Nicholas Palarino, Staff Director, or Mr. Robert Kelley,
Chief Counsel, at 202-225-2528.

Sincerely,

Christopher Shays
Chairman

cc: Rep. Tom Davis

Rep. Henry Waxman
Rep. Kenny Marchant
Rep. Dennis Kucinich

51
 SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL SECURITY, EMERGING THREATS,
AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Christopher Shays, Connecticut
Chairman
Room B-372 Rayburn Building
Washington, DC 20515
Tel: 202-225-2548
Fax: 202-225-2382

October 6, 2006

The Honorable Donald H. Rumsfeld

Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301-1000

Dear Secretary Rumsfeld:

I received your Department’s response to my letter of September 21, 2006. I do

not agree the conditions-based formula described in the letter will achieve United
States strategic goals in Iraq.

Instead of merely responding to conditions, we should drive the agenda and

demand results. I propose four steps:

• Begin negotiations immediately on a set of firm timelines with the Government

of Iraq that will lead to the drawdown of US forces. This timeline should be
based on a worst-case scenario, so we are prepared to respond to unforeseen
exigencies yet have a predictable timetable to achieve our objectives. Once
agreement is reached, develop a realistic Campaign Plan incorporating these
timelines.

• Convene a meeting of the key Shia, Sunni and Kurdish decision-makers and
inform them that they must meet in continuous session until they reach
agreement on all issues in Prime Minister Al-Maliki’s national reconciliation
program.

• Convene a conference of Iraq’s neighbors – Syria, Turkey, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi

Arabia, and Jordan – to engage directly on measures that will create security
and stability in Iraq.

52
• Upon the conclusion of these three steps, hold a plebiscite among the Iraqi
people to ratify the timelines for disengagement agreed to in the negotiations in
step one. Unless two-thirds of Iraqi voters endorse these timelines, we should
accelerate the pace of our withdrawal.

These steps will require Iraqi leaders to make the political decisions they have
avoided, bring Iraq’s neighbors to the table to advance regional stability, and let
Iraqi citizens decide the future they want for their country.

I renew my request to meet with the Director, J3, Joint Staff. As Chairman of the
Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations,
I have a constitutional obligation to pursue these issues.

If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact Dr. R.
Nicholas Palarino, Staff Director, or Mr. Robert Kelley, Chief Counsel, at
(202) 225-2548.

Sincerely,

Christopher Shays
Chairman

cc: Rep. Tom Davis

Rep. Henry Waxman
Rep. Kenny Marchant
Rep. Dennis Kucinich

53
September 10, 2008

The Honorable Robert M. Gates

Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon Room 3E880
Washington, DC 20301-1000

Dear Mr. Secretary:

I recently traveled with Congressional Delegation Marshall to Israel, Iraq, Pakistan

and Afghanistan where we met with key officials.1 The purpose of the trip was to
continue oversight of security and political developments in these countries and to
make specific recommendations concerning the direction of US policy.

The countries we visited have considerable security, political and economic

problems which ultimately affect our national security interests. Israel is
extremely concerned about Iran’s nuclear ambitions. An Israeli-Palestinian peace
agreement continues to be elusive.

1
Israel—Mr. Rami Narallah, International Peace and Cooperation Center; Major General Amos Gilad, Ministry of
Defense; Major General Giora Eiland, Advisory Board for TraceGuard; Mr. Barukh Binah, Deputy Director General
for North American Affairs; Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; US Consul General Jake Walles; Mr.
Sam Bahour, Palestinian-American businessman; Colonel Bernd Willand, Chief of Staff, United States Security
Coordinator; Dr. Saeb Erekat, Chief of Steering and Monitoring Committee, Palestinian Liberation Organization.

Iraq—Brigadier General Guy Swan, Deputy Commanding General, Multi-National Force-Baghdad; Colonel John
Hort, Commander, 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division; Members of the Sadr City District Advisory Council: Mr.
Ahmed adb Kareem, Mr. Ali Abdula, Madam Meaad Hadi and Mr. Aqeel Hamed; US Ambassador Ryan Crocker;
General David Petraeus, Commander, Multi-National Forces- Iraq; Dr. Mowaffaq Ar-Rubaie, National Security
Advisor; Lieutenant General Lloyd Austin, Commander Multi-National Corps-Iraq; Regional Affairs Officer;
Students and Faculty at Baghdad University.

Pakistan—In Islamabad: US Ambassador Anne Patterson and the US Country Team; In Peshawar: Northwest
Frontier Province Governor Owais Ghani; Ms. Lynne Tracy, US Principal Officer; General Tariq Tahir, Tarbela
Training Camp Commander; General Masood Aslam, 11th Corps Commander; and General Muhammad Alam
Khattak, Frontier Corps Inspector General; Over flight of Khyber Pass.

Afghanistan—Ms. Valerie Fowler, Director, Provincial Reconstruction Teams; US Ambassador William Wood and
US Country Team; His Excellency Younis Qanooni, Speaker of the Afghanistan Parliament; Students at Kabul
University; Regional Affairs Officer; General David D. McKiernan, Commander, International Security Assistance
Force; and Major General Robert W. Cone, Commander Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan;
military personnel at Fire Base Chamkani.

54
While security in Iraq has improved dramatically, there is still the possibility al
Qaeda could regenerate, and there is always the chance civil strife could reemerge.
The political and economic challenges in Iraq will require prolonged attention from
both the United States and the international community.

Pakistan is in turmoil, and its Western and Northern areas are havens for al Qaeda
and the Taliban. Increased violence in Afghanistan and corrupt government
officials compound that country’s difficulties.

We must be both realistic and objective in considering our future policies for the
Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The following observations and recommendations are based on my trip and are
provided for your consideration:

ISRAEL

Observation: Iran’s nuclear ambitions are of grave concern to the international

community, especially countries in the Middle East, particularly Israel. If Iran is
able to acquire nuclear weapons, other countries in the region, such as Egypt and
Saudi Arabia, will definitely do the same.

Recommendation: The United States needs to develop contingency plans

on how we deal with Iran if it acquires nuclear weapons.

Recommendation: While I do not advocate military action against Iran, the

United States must carefully weigh whether to take such action against
Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Recommendation: The United States should prepare contingency plans to

respond to the consequences of an attack by the United States on Iran’s
nuclear facilities.

Observation: Israel believes Iran may acquire nuclear weapons within 18 months,
and counsels the international community to act now to prevent this from
happening. It is likely, if the international community does not take action to
prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, Israel will act unilaterally.

55
 Recommendation: The United States should prepare contingency plans to
respond to the consequences of an attack by Israel on Iran’s nuclear
facilities.

Observation: The Iranian regime denies Israel's right to exist and speaks openly
of annihilating the Jewish state. Iran, working with Syria, is the principal sponsor
of the terrorist organizations Hezbollah and Hamas.

Recommendation: It is imperative the United States work with Israel to

break the link between Syria and Iran and encourage the Israeli government
to resolve its differences with Syria on the Golan Heights.

Observation: A peace agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians is elusive.

Israel cannot accept Palestinian demands on key issues involving a divided
Jerusalem, the right of return of Palestinian refugees, reestablishment of the 1967
borders, or abandonment of all Israeli settlements.

Additionally, the Palestinians have a weak and divided government. Hamas

controls Gaza, and the Palestinian Authority is practically powerless in the West
Bank. The small size of these two territories and the fact they are not contiguous
put in question whether a new Palestinian State can be economically viable. Even
if an agreement is reached within the next few years there will be continued
pressure for Palestinians to expand their territory.

The road map for peace proposed by the Quartet (the European Union, United
States, Russia and United Nations), calling for an independent Palestinian State
living side-by-side with Israel, may not represent the best alternative for any of the
parties.

Recommendation: Two alternative plans should be considered.

Alternative I: Twenty years ago Prime Minister Shimon Peres offered

King Hussein of Jordan the opportunity to take over the West Bank.
The West Bank would become a federation with Jordan assuming
security responsibility.

Alternative II: General Giora Eiland, former head of Israel’s National

Security Council, proposes a regional approach involving Egypt,
Jordan, Gaza and the West Bank. This plan allows Israel to keep

56
 many of its settlements, but cedes some of its territory to Egypt in
exchange for Egypt ceding some of its territory to Gaza. To stimulate
trade between the territories, a corridor would be built through Egypt
and Israel connecting Gaza to Jordan, giving Jordan access to the
Mediterranean.

IRAQ

Observation: Security has improved dramatically in Iraq. On the first day we

were there, only 14 security incidents, including criminal activity, were reported
throughout the country. One reason for the improvement is the increased
capability of Iraq Security Forces as demonstrated by their successful operations in
Basra and Sadr City.

Recently, some 3 million visitors from Iraq and its neighbors made the annual
pilgrimage to Karbala to observe the birth of Imam al-Mahdi, the 12th Imam
revered by Shiites. Over 40,000 Iraq Security Forces successfully protected all the
pilgrims. In previous years, these pilgrimages have been marred by numerous
attacks but this year there were no reported incidents.

Recommendation: We must stay focused and continue the forward

momentum. Hunting down al Qaeda, neutralizing insurgents, training Iraq
Security Forces, and protecting Iraq citizens must remain our highest
priorities.

Recommendation: As I recommended following my trip to Iraq in August

2006, we need a timeline for the withdrawal of most US forces. The
progress in Iraq enables us to reduce our forces in a safe and responsible
manner by approximately 5,000 troops per month, until we reach a level of
50,000 to 60,000 troops by the end of 2009. A timeline will motivate the
Iraq Government to stay on course and/or make even greater efforts to
stabilize its country. 2

2 Since August 2006, I have worked for and voted to establish a sensible timeline to bring our troops home and
encourage the Iraqi government to make greater progress. During this Congress, I voted against proposals that
withdrew our troops too quickly and voted for timelines I thought were reasonable. On November 14, 2007, I voted
for H.R. 4156, the Orderly and Responsible Iraq Redeployment Appropriations Act, which passed the House by a
vote of 218 to 203, that required the United States to begin drawing down our forces from Iraq within 30 days,
completing the drawdown of most troops by December 2008. On May 15, 2008, I voted for an amendment to H.R.
2642, the Fiscal Year 2008 (FY 08) and FY 09 Supplemental Appropriations Act, which passed the House by a vote
of 227 to 196, that required the United States to begin drawing down our forces from Iraq within 30 days,
completing the drawdown of most troops by December 2009.

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Observation: Currently Iraq Security Forces are focused on fighting insurgents
and terrorists. In the future, they will need tanks and artillery to build a credible
force capable of defending their country from foreign forces.

Recommendation: While reducing our troop levels, we need to continue

training Iraq Security Forces and help them build their medical, logistical
and transportation capabilities.

Recommendation: We must also begin training some of the Iraq forces for
a traditional military role, defending their nation from external attack.

Observation: Most of the militias in Sadr City have been neutralized. The city
has been divided into three zones -- one controlled by US forces, another
controlled by Iraq Security Forces, and a third which continues to have some
militia presence. Civilian leaders in Sadr City on the District Advisory Council
argue they need more security forces deployed throughout the city.

Recommendation: We should encourage the Iraq Government to deploy

additional forces to Sadr City to ensure all areas have the same high-level of
security.

Observation: The District Advisory Council members also explained the need for
improved essential services, sewage, water and electrical power.

Recommendation: The Iraq Government should provide more financial

assistance to rebuild Sadr City and work harder to provide essential services
to its citizens.

Recommendation: With the dramatic improvement in security we should

also encourage non-government organizations to expand their work in Sadr
City, helping to improve services and assist in building civil society.

Observation: Iraq is awash with money, with oil revenues expected to reach $70
billion in 2008. It is eager to purchase billions of dollars of civilian and military
goods. Many countries are taking the initiative to sell products to Iraq, especially
military equipment.

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While American businesses are in Iraq, they are employed as US Government
contractors. Few US companies are offering their goods or services to the Iraq
Government. The fact is US corporations are sitting on the sidelines, allowing
businesses from Europe, Russia and Asia to fill the void.

If Iraq buys US products, especially military hardware, it reinforces an important

and positive relationship between our two countries.

Recommendation: American businesses should actively seek to sell their

goods and services to Iraq and we should help them make inroads into this
market. Further, American businesses should invest in Iraq.

Recommendation: I renew my recommendation to increase funding for the

Department of Defense Office of Business Transformation. This office
along with the US Embassy in Baghdad should encourage US businesses to
compete in Iraq.

Recommendation: I also renew my recommendation that any future Iraq

reconstruction initiatives and payments for its security, health and welfare
come from Iraqi revenues. If the Iraq Government cannot properly allocate
and spend its revenues then its own revenues should be transferred to the
United States to take on this task.

Observation: Iraq political leaders—Shia, Sunni and Kurds—are more confident.

Neutralizing the militias in Basra and Sadr City was not only a military victory but
a political milestone. These actions demonstrated Shia Prime Minister Nouri al-
Maliki’s willingness to confront Shia militia and highlight his efforts to reconcile
differences among the groups. After these actions, Sunni elected and appointed
officials have ended their boycott and have begun to participate in the government
again.

Recommendation: We should applaud the success of Iraqi leadership and

give them credit for their accomplishments. In addition, we should make
clear to all Iraqis we appreciate their successes as well as their gratitude for
our efforts.

Observation: When I first recommended in June 2007 that we conclude a Status

of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with a sovereign Iraq Government, I believed it
would be beneficial for Iraq and the United States.

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The difficult negotiations between countries concerning the status of US forces is
additional proof Iraqi leaders are becoming more confident. They believe their
security gains are sustainable, durable and irreversible, and that they will be able to
handle their own security needs sooner rather than later.

Recommendation: I renew my recommendation that the Status of Forces

Agreement with a sovereign Iraq be concluded as quickly as possible.

PAKISTAN

Observation: The Government of Pakistan is not just fighting the Taliban

insurgency, coping with a judicial crisis, or dealing with a fractured coalition. It is
also trying to manage its economy during one of the worst periods in the country’s
history.

Recommendation: The United States and the international community

must provide Pakistan additional financial assistance during this economic
crisis, provided we can properly account for every penny spent.

Recommendation: Congress should pass legislation authorizing funding

for Reconstruction Opportunity Zones in Afghanistan and Pakistan which
will help bring economic opportunity and prosperity to those regions where
the population is at risk for recruitment by the Taliban and al Qaeda.

Observation: Pakistan is one of the most unstable and dangerous countries in the
world because its government is weak, it possesses nuclear weapons, and it has not
successfully neutralized the Taliban and al Qaeda forces operating along its border
with Afghanistan in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and the
North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

Recommendation: Both the United States and the international community

must provide additional funds and personnel to train Pakistan’s Frontier
Corps engaged against the Taliban and al Qaeda. We must also provide the
Pakistani military equipment such as helicopters, night sights and night
vision goggles, but we must ensure these sensitive items are closely
monitored.

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Observation: The military is powerful and has been a dominant force throughout
Pakistan’s history. Its main focus has been directed at its neighbor, India, and
therefore does not provide the necessary resources to confront the Taliban and al
Qaeda within its borders.

Recommendation: The international community should help Pakistan and

India conclude a lasting peace agreement to end the confrontation, and to
allow for a more effective deployment of Pakistan’s military resources.

Recommendation: Pakistan must gain control over its lawless tribal areas.
We must make it clear to Pakistan that if it is not more aggressive in
stemming cross-border activity by the Taliban and al Qaeda into
Afghanistan, US funding may be cut off.

AFGHANISTAN

Observation: Afghanistan is a country that has never experienced the industrial

age. Seventy percent of its people cannot read or write. It is a large country,
almost the size of Texas, with 31 million people and not much infrastructure.
No nation has ever conquered Afghanistan. Even Alexander the Great, while
winning a major battle, never subdued its citizens completely.

Afghanistan is home not only to several religious sects but also to a host of
different ethnic, linguistic and tribal groups. Rivalry and even armed hostilities
have traditionally been common among these groups. The tribes of Afghanistan
come together only when there is an external threat. Historic and geographic
factors have led to the creation and preservation of a divided and diverse
Afghanistan.

Recommendation: We must not make the same mistake we did in Iraq by

not understanding the history or culture of Afghanistan.

Recommendation: We must not make the same mistakes as Britain and the
former Soviet Union by being viewed as occupiers.

Recommendation: We should consider encouraging President Hamad

Karzai to begin reconciliation efforts among all the tribes by calling their
leaders together to discuss and help resolve the issues dividing them.

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Observation: The primary reason the international community is in Afghanistan
is to insure it will not be used again as a safe haven to support terrorists.

Recommendation: There should be no misunderstanding. Our goal in

Afghanistan is the prevention of Islamic extremists reestablishing
themselves and again using it as a base to attack the United States or other
nations. The best way to attain this goal is to help Afghanistan establish a
stable democratic government that prospers economically. It remains to be
seen if this is possible.

Observation: When the Taliban was ousted from Afghanistan in late 2001, the
country was in shambles. Decades of war and conflict stripped it of even the most
basic infrastructure and services. With the assistance of the international
community, some Afghanistan provinces are developing but others still lag behind.

Recommendation: We must not allow the faster developing provinces to

slip back into their previous security and economic predicaments. Any
slippage of security or development should be quickly shored up with a
rapid reaction force of military and economic development personnel.

Observation: Corrupt government officials and failure to confront the opium

trade have enriched and empowered the Taliban and al Qaeda and compromised all
levels of the Afghanistan Government.

Recommendation: We should do everything we can to encourage President

Hamad Karzai to do more to confront corruption and the expanded opium
trade.

Observation: The United States has made progress training and deploying
Afghanistan National Security Forces. However we are making the same mistake
we made in Iraq: we are not training nearly enough indigenous forces to properly
secure the country.

The actual level of Afghanistan National Security Forces is approximately 143,000

(65,000 Army and 78,000 Police). This is pathetically low.

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The current goal for Afghanistan National Security Forces is approximately
200,000 (Army 120,000 and Police 80,000). This level is clearly insufficient to
defeat the insurgents and terrorists and establish a stable independent nation.

Experts have testified at Congressional hearings that successful

counterinsurgencies have historically required 20 security personnel per 1,000 of
population, which, in the case of Afghanistan’s 31 million people would be
620,000 security personnel.

Recommendation: The size of the Afghanistan National Security Forces

must increase dramatically. If this is not possible, we need to rethink our
entire effort in Afghanistan because the only alternative would be to have a
very large number of foreign forces securing the country. This is clearly
unwise.

Observation: The United States supplies over half of all the foreign military
forces in Afghanistan. The International Security Assistance Force Commander is
requesting additional US military.

Recommendation: Before the United States commits one additional

military service member to Afghanistan, we must have a clear sense of what
their impact will be on the overall mission.

Recommendation: Before the United States commits additional forces to

Afghanistan, we must ask other NATO member states to contribute more
forces, and request all combat restrictions be lifted.

CONCLUSION

Iraq - I believe we are on the right track. General Petraeus and Ambassador
Crocker, and the men and women who serve with them, have done a truly
magnificent job. The American people, despite their reservations, continue to be
supportive of our military’s efforts. We are at a point where the Iraqi people and
their government can begin to finish the job by securing their own country and
investing in their own economic prosperity.

Even with improving conditions, Iraq will continue to have weaknesses. A small
US presence is still required to bolster the Iraq Security Force by offering medical,
logistical, transportation and training support; acting as a deterrent from external

63
attack; and providing stability so the Iraq military will not exert undue influence
over the elected government.

Pakistan - Pakistan is in serious trouble, and unless the international community

provides economic and security assistance the democratically elected government
could collapse, with Pakistan becoming an even greater haven for terrorists.
Afghanistan and Pakistan are inextricably linked. Pakistan insurgent and terrorist
cross-border activity makes it difficult for Afghans to secure their country and
make strides in economic development.

The terrorist threat emanating from Pakistan and Afghanistan is a threat to the
entire world. The United States has done a disproportionate share of heavy lifting.
NATO must do more, both militarily and economically, to help this region.

Afghanistan - Afghanistan represents a unique problem. Our efforts there are

often characterized as the “Good War” and the main front on terrorism. We should
question this description. There is very little good about this war.

Afghanistan is a country that exists in name only, and the United States and its
NATO allies are in danger of being perceived as the latest occupier. If occupation
becomes a perceived fact, we will fare no better than the former Soviet Union, and
will ultimately be forced to leave.

It is essential we understand our end objective in Afghanistan, what is required to

reach it, and whether the objective is actually possible.

It would be unwise for the United States to deploy additional troops to Afghanistan
unless we are convinced it could lead to success. It would also be unwise to
deploy additional troops without a commitment from other NATO members to
match our number and let them be utilized in a combat role.

As always, I welcome the opportunity to discuss these matters with you more fully.
If you have any questions or would like additional information on these
observations and recommendations, please contact me at (202) 225-5541 or Dr. R.
Nicholas Palarino, Senior Investigator and Policy Advisor, at (202) 225-5074, who
accompanies me on these trips.

Sincerely,

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 Immigration

Christopher believes our first responsibility as a nation is to secure our

borders.

We must significantly reduce illegal immigration, increase legal immigration by

providing temporary visas for workers to farm the fields from Arizona to
Washington, and allow people to immigrate who have skills needed by our country
in such areas as science, math and medicine.

Solutions Christopher Supports

1. Original Cosponsor of the Secure Borders FIRST Act, which:

• increases border patrol agents and surveillance equipment

• strengthens penalties for employers who hire illegal immigrants
• creates secure Social Security cards for all Americans
• provides employers with a system to verify employees’ status.

2. Make English our official language

Christopher’s “Blue Card” Proposal

The hard issue in our immigration debate is how to deal with an estimated 13
million to 20 million illegal immigrants.

Christopher believes we should create a new category for immigration, known as a

“Blue Card,” to allow undocumented immigrants to stay and work here legally.
Unlike a Green Card, individuals who receive a “Blue Card” would not be on a
path to citizenship.

If Blue Card immigrants want to apply for citizenship, they would have to return to
their home country, apply for legal entry, and wait in line like the millions of
individuals who are playing by the rules.

Certain industries rely on the labor undocumented workers provide, and many of
the jobs are ones Americans simply don’t want. Our economy can’t absorb such a
huge displacement of labor, nor would Americans stand for the deportation of
millions of families.

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 ETHICS REFORM

For over 30 years, Christopher has lived by a high standard and voted to ensure
other elected officials are held to a high standard.

The 110th Congress started positively with Democrats promising a more ethical
Congress, and strong lobbying reform legislation was passed.

The Ethics Committee, however, is still not functioning properly. Democratic

efforts to strengthen the panel were undertaken in a partisan manner, weakening
their impact. The Democrats’ legislation is a watered-down version of the
legislation Christopher introduced.

Congressional Accountability

When House Republicans became the majority party in 1995, Christopher made
sure the first thing it did was pass the Congressional Accountability Act, his
legislation requiring Congress to live by the same laws it passes.

Lobbying Reform

Christopher worked throughout 2005 and 2006 to pass strong lobbying and ethics
reform, and strongly supported passage of the Honest Government and Open
Leadership Act. The legislation:

• Increases lobbyist disclosure of their activities

• Provides more sunlight on lobbyists’ campaign contributions
• Creates a public, searchable database from the lobbying reports
• Prohibits members from negotiating future employment while serving
• Requires quarterly disclosures by lobbyists who "bundle" campaign
contributions by collecting and transmitting donations made by others

Ethics Reform

Christopher supported the creation of the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE),

which is similar to legislation he co-authored. Christopher fought to give the
office subpoena power, but the Democratic majority would not allow a vote on
this amendment. Without subpoena power, the board is significantly weaker. The
Office will:

• Assist the Ethics Committee in investigating ethics allegations against

members and forwarding criminal concerns to the Justice Department.
• Make the results of the investigations public
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 Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations

Christopher is a leading advocate for implementing the recommendations of the 9/11

Commission, and was a key supporter of the Commission’s formation in 2002.

What Christopher Has Done

• Co-Chaired the 9/11 Commission Caucus, with Representative Carolyn Maloney,

which advocated passing all of the Commission’s recommendations into law.
• Introduced H.R. 5017, the Ensuring Implementation of the 9/11 Commission Report
Act, in 109th Congress, which provided the basis for H.R. 1.
• Key Advocate for 2004 Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act
• Led effort to enact 9/11 Commission Recommendations Implementation Act

9/11 Commission Recommendations Implementation Act

Christopher authored legislation in 2006 to implement the remaining 9/11 Commission

recommendations, significant portions of which were used in the 9/11 Commission
Recommendations Implementation Act, which was signed into law on August 3, 2007.
The legislation included important provisions to make our country safer:

Risk-based Grants – permanently authorizes the Homeland Security Grant Program and
provides for greater risk-based distribution of such grants.

Rail, Bus, and Mass Transit Security ⎯ Requires the development of a National
Strategy for Public Transportation Security and a National Strategy for Railroad
Transportation Security.

Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board ⎯ removes the board from the Office of
the President and establishes it as an independent agency. It also grants it subpoena
power for obtaining information from people outside federal departments and agencies.

Interoperability and Intelligence and Information Sharing ⎯ created a grant program

to develop interoperable communications and coordinate training exercises, and improves
information and intelligence sharing with state, local, tribal, and private sector partners.

Critical Infrastructure ⎯ requires annual vulnerability assessments as well as a

massive catalogue of the most at-risk infrastructure

100% Inspection of Air Cargo and Maritime Cargo ⎯ Requires 100 percent
screening of air cargo on passenger aircraft within three years and requires 100 percent of
maritime cargo containers be scanned before reaching a port in the United States.

Detecting Terrorist Travel ⎯ Strengthens the Visa Waiver program for current
participants and expands the program for countries that meet security requirements.
69
 Six for ’06 Agenda

Democrats ran in 2006 on enacting 6 priorities if they were elected to the majority.

Christopher supported five of these agenda items, which were:

1. 9/11 Commission Recommendations Implementation Act

Enacted the remaining recommendations to improve homeland security, many

of which were contained in Christopher’s own legislation that he introduced in
the previous Congress

2. Fair Minimum Wage Act

Raised federal minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour

3. Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act

Overturned the President’s limitations on embryonic stem cell research,

allowing the NIH to conduct this research subject to strict ethical criteria

4. Energy Independence and Security Act

Raised the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard for cars, trucks and
SUVs to 35 miles per gallon by 2020 and required 36 billion gallons of biofuel
to be used by 2022

5. College Cost Reduction Act

Reduces interest rates to 3.4 percent for subsidized undergraduate college

student loans and increases the Pell grant over five years from $4,900 to $5,400.

Christopher opposed one bill:

6. Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act

Requires Department of Health and Human Services to “negotiate” prices for

the Medicare Prescription Drug benefit. Christopher opposed because
Medicare does not negotiate – it sets prices. This could lead to less choice for
seniors in a plan that is working well.
70
A Survivor Reflects on Political Casualties, and Real Ones
NYTF000020061112e2bc000b7
Metropolitan Desk; SECT1
OUR TOWNS
By PETER APPLEBOME
889 Words
12 November 2006
The New York Times
Late Edition - Final
35
English
Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company. All Rights Reserved.
BRIDGEPORT, CONN. -- Sitting in the sun on the balcony of his house
overlooking the Long Island Sound on Thursday, Representative Christopher
Shays rubbed his eyes, rubbed his temples, jumped up to take a
congratulatory call from Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, and plopped back
wearily into a white plastic chair.

Like the only survivor of a hotel fire, he was a little hesitant to draw too
many conclusions but glad he was alive.

''I'm only two days into this,'' said Mr. Shays, after narrowly beating Diane
G. Farrell to keep the seat in Congress he has held since 1987. ''The first day
you try to get your sleep. The second day you try to think about what
happened to your friends.''

Many of them were the Republicans who were washed out to sea in the
Democratic tide. Mr. Shays was one of the few Republicans among perhaps
two dozen seen as vulnerable back in September who managed to survive.
He was the only one of the three Republican incumbents from Connecticut
who won re-election. When he went to Congress, he was one of nine
Republican representatives from the six New England states. In the next
Congress, he will be the only one.

And he won the race the hard way. He had a highly regarded, well-funded
opponent. He supported the war in Iraq, if not the way it was executed. He
agreed to take part in 11 debates. He did not run negative ads. He lost most
of the key newspaper endorsements. His district, the Fourth, was solidly

71
antiwar.

Some things you can learn from a guy who bucked the tide and won. Some
you can't. Mr. Shays no doubt benefited from his reputation for being an
effective congressman and for a maverick's image going back to the State
Legislature in the mid-1980s. He has burnished that image in Congress ever
since he got there.

He showed up at every campaign event with a 54-page booklet of positions,

votes, achievements and federal spending in the district -- not sexy but
informative. He was able to convince people, in a way that the state's two
other Republicans, Nancy L. Johnson and Rob Simmons, were not, that if
they wanted change, he was still enough of an outsider to offer it. He ran
without apology on the war, saying it was a noble effort that had been
botched but could still be saved. And he rejected the notion of a consultant-
driven, cookie-cutter campaign with the requisite attack ads. He ran the
campaign his way, and he made it work.

''By being willing to lose the election, I won the election,'' Mr. Shays said.
''Because from the start I was willing to lose rather than to win the wrong
way. And I think of some of my colleagues that have lost around the
country, and I think, boy, I would never want to go out that way.''

Of course, one voter's maverick may be one colleague's grandstanding

egotist. It's likely that some of Mr. Shays's fellow party members were more
eager to keep his seat Republican than to see the guy sitting in it be re-
elected. But he figures that if ever the party needs in-house critics, it's now.

''We lost our moral authority to lead,'' he said. ''Power in and of itself does
not justify holding power.''

He said that when the party looked the other way at its ethical failings over
the years, it was ambling toward disaster that finally arrived in the House
page scandal.

''As soon as Foley came up, I knew it. You could feel it. I said, 'We're dead.'
''

BUT, of course, there were casualties that mattered a lot more than the

72
election ones.

''I don't know how you'll react to this, but I also want to say this,'' he said on
Tuesday night in his victory speech, interrupting the election night ritualistic
hoopla with a jolt of reality. He read four names: ''Wilfredo Perez. Tyanna
Avery-Felder. Jack Dempsey. Nicholas Maderas. I sent them to Iraq, and
they came home draped in American flags.

''I think about them almost every day of my life. And when the press talked
about how tormented I must feel,'' he said, referring to the possibility of
losing the election, ''they just didn't get it. They just didn't get it. The only
torment I feel is for those families. And I pray that we can make it right for
these families, and that we will find a way to have our men and women
come home from success not failure, but that we find a way to bring them
home.''

No one who knows him doubts his sincerity. But no one knows better than
Mr. Shays that good intentions can be trumped by bad results. He knows in
the end he will be judged more on what happens in the war fought by
Specialist Perez, Specialist Avery-Felder, Corporal Dempsey and Private
Maderas than on whether he ran a perfect race and held off Ms. Farrell,
withstood the raging tides and kept his seat two more years.

73
Republican Chris Shays Confronts A Tough Election Cycle
By MARK PAZNIOKAS – Hartford Courant Staff Writer
July 28, 2008

After years of going his own way, U.S. Rep. Chris Shays wasn't about to be cowed by a global
positioning system. He told his campaign driver to follow him, not her dashboard GPS.

"You're taking a left," Shays commanded from the back seat, directing the aide around traffic on
a recent day of campaigning. "Then you're going to be taking a right."

He watched her make the turns, then asked if she knew where she was going.

It is the same question that confronts Shays, a Republican trying to find his way to re-election in
the 4th Congressional District, the last in New England represented by the GOP brand.

In 21 years in Congress and 33 years in politics, the 62-year-old Shays has established his own
brand as a nimble contrarian, tacking left and right, which helped him survive his party's reversal
of fortune in 2006.

This year, Shays is once again trying to float above party identification as he braces himself for
what pollsters say could be another gathering Democratic wave. His race is widely rated a toss-
up.

He is quick to offer himself as a Republican who could work with Democrat Barack Obama,
though Shays is the co-chairman of Republican John McCain's presidential campaign in
Connecticut.

"On the issues, I work with Republicans and Democrats. If Obama's elected, he'll probably be
turning to me," Shays said. "If he is going to do what he says and work with Republicans, I am
going to be one of his natural allies that he'll turn to if he wins."

When the Democrats recaptured Congress two years ago, voters turned out two congressional
Republicans in Connecticut and two in New Hampshire, leaving Shays as the only Republican
from New England in the U.S. House.

"It was an unbelievable tide," Shays said. "It was, 'I like you. I always voted for you, but I want a
Democratic Congress.' And I would say, 'You're going to get a Democratic Congress whether or
not you vote for me. But wouldn't it be better to have a Democratic Congress with me there?'"

A slim majority agreed, giving him 51 percent of the vote over Democrat Diane Farrell, the
former first selectwoman of Westport.

This year, his main Democratic challenger is Jim Himes, a former Goldman Sachs executive who
now helps run a nonprofit that develops housing for the poor. Himes has raised nearly $2.1
million, the most of any congressional challenger in Connecticut.

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Shays has raised $2.3 million, some at fundraisers beneath a white canopy that is a semi-
permanent fixture on his lawn overlooking Black Rock Harbor in Bridgeport. No one accuses
him of taking Himes lightly.

Two weeks ago, he skipped his 40th reunion at Principia College, a school in Elsah, Ill., that
serves Christian Scientists, rather than miss this city's annual Puerto Rico Day parade and
festival. The district's population is 12.8 percent Latino.

"This is a Democratic year, absolutely. No question about it," Shays said. "I'll have a close
election, because it is a Democratic year."

Shays can quickly recite his alliances with Democrats on legislation, such as a health care
coverage plan he co-sponsored in February with U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin, D- Rhode Island, a
quadriplegic who has focused on health insurance issues.

On his desk at home, Shays keeps a two-pocket folder that markets him to reporters and voters as
a bipartisan centrist.

One pocket contains material about his and Langevin's ideas on affordable health coverage; the
other is filled with analyses from Congressional Quarterly and the National Journal that he says
illustrate his independence from an unpopular President Bush.

In 2007, after Democrats took over and scheduled floor votes on bills that had long been bottled
up by the GOP, Shays voted with the president only 33 percent of the time, slightly less than
Democratic Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and Chris Dodd.

In 2002, when Bush was at the height of popularity after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Shays had
supported the president on 82 percent of House votes. In the four years that followed, his average
was 59 percent.

"I don't go to bed at night fearful that I've been overly supporting the president," Shays said.

To the contrary, he accepted a ride to Connecticut with Bush aboard Air Force One in April,
deplaning behind the president. He said he never would pass up an hour of one-on-one
conversation with any president.

And in January, he ignored a staff suggestion — a plea, really — that he avoid the president at
the State of the Union address, lest he be photographed shaking hands with Bush. Instead, Shays
arrived early and grabbed a seat on the aisle.

"I have a rebellious spirit, I guess," Shays said.

As Bush entered the House chamber, Shays told him, "It's going to be a great night, and we
appreciate your service to our country."

Bush leaned back toward Shays and whispered his thanks. Shays kissed him on the cheek, a
gesture broadcast live on national television and preserved online for ready viewing on
YouTube.
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He praises McCain, yet disagrees with him and their mutual friend, Sen. Joseph Lieberman of
Connecticut, whom Shays wanted Republicans to endorse in 2006, about a timeline for
withdrawing troops from Iraq.

"I couldn't disagree with him more," Shays said of McCain's resistance to a timeline.

Shays left for his 14th trip to Iraq in August 2006, opposed to a timeline for withdrawing U.S.
troops. He returned saying a timeline was necessary to pressure the Iraqis to make progress.

"I came back and said we need a timeline, but not a timeline to lose, a timeline to just get out,"
Shays said. "Regardless of whether it helps me or hurts me, I go where the truth takes me."

There is little doubt that change of heart helped Shays blunt dissatisfaction over his support of
the war as he began his own fall re-election offensive in 2006.

The Himes campaign calls that a deft, election-year conversion.

"When things got really tough in '06, he veered to the left," said Maura Keaney, manager of the
Himes campaign. "As soon as he got back to Congress, he supported the surge and the
escalation."

In all, Shays has been 20 times to Iraq, the most of any member of Congress, sometimes
traveling independently of the U.S. government. He is not modest about describing his expertise.

"The one thing I feel fairly confident in telling you is I think I know more about Iraq than anyone
in Congress," Shays said.

Nor is he shy about standing in the spotlight. In 1998, he embraced his role as the potential swing
vote in the impeachment of Bill Clinton, holding a nationally televised, standing-room-only
meeting with constituents in a 1,000-seat theater in Norwalk.

He prowled the stage like a talk show host, taking comments for hours from an audience that
seemed evenly divided. Shays, who ultimately voted against impeachment, seemed energized
standing in the middle of the storm.

With voters increasingly focused on the economy, it is unclear how his expertise on Iraq and
terrorism will serve him this fall. He said he is neither confident, nor scared.

Shays said he survived two years ago because he reflects the district, which runs along the coast
from Bridgeport to Greenwich.

"I grew up here," he said. "I've been shaped by this district."

Shays grew up in Darien, marrying his high school sweetheart, Betsi. They lived in Stamford,
which he represented for a dozen years in the state legislature, before moving to Bridgeport.

"It's the consummate centrist district," Shays said. "And that's what I've been."
76
House race is defined by taxes

By Neil Vigdor - Staff Writer

The Advocate - 10/05/2008

In a race framed by pocketbook issues, U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Bridgeport, and Democratic
challenger Jim Himes are separated by a wide chasm when it comes to their positions on how much
constituents and local corporations should pay in taxes on income, capital gains and inheritances.

Shays supported the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts proffered by President Bush, votes that Himes has blasted
in his challenge of the 21-year incumbent, New England's lone Republican House member.

The so-called tax relief passed by Congress, Himes said, had limited benefits for the middle class and
was fiscally irresponsible because the federal government has run up a $10 trillion debt.

"The differences between our two points of view is very stark," said Himes, who has made the
economy a central plank of his campaign. "I want to take pressure off middle-class households, and he
believes we should be putting more money in the hands of very wealthy Americans."

Shays characterized Himes, a Greenwich resident, as a tax-and-spend Democrat who he said would roll
back the Bush tax cuts, raise the levy on dividends and restore the marriage penalty.

Connecticut, Shays said, gets back 69 cents in appropriations for every $1 in taxes residents pay to the
federal government - the biggest disproportion in the nation.

"He's basically saying that the people in the 4th Congressional District aren't paying enough, and I
don't accept that one bit," said Shays, who represents most of Fairfield County and a sliver of New
Haven County.

Here's where the two candidates stand on the major federal taxes.

Income taxes

In line with GOP presidential candidate John McCain, Shays said he wants to keep the current income
tax rates of 10 percent to 35 percent and opposes Democrat Barack Obama's proposal to raise the top
rate to 39.6 percent on joint annual income exceeding $250,000.

Himes said he is open to raising the rate on the most affluent taxpayers but declined to put forward a
specific percentage.

"My general feeling on the income tax is that it hits working families particularly hard in combination
with payroll taxes," Himes said. "If the top marginal rates need to be increased to pay for what our
government spends, that's something we might need to contemplate."

Capital gains-dividends

Himes, a former Goldman Sachs investment banker turned nonprofit housing executive, said he is open
to increasing the top tax rate on investment earnings from the current 15 percent.
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"I'm comfortable with a capital gains tax rate that is lower than the income tax rate because we don't
save enough as a country and we don't index capital gains, but I'm not prepared to say exactly what the
rate should be," Himes said.

It would be premature, Himes said, to back a specific capital gains tax rate until the next White House
administration is in place.

Shays said he wants to keep the current rate for capital gains and said raising it could shrink revenue.

"I can't for the life of me think of why we want to increase the capital gains tax," he said.

In 1993, Shays said he supported increasing the luxury tax on boats, cars and jewelry, a vote he now
regrets because it cut into revenue because of fewer sales. "People respond to taxes," he said.

Estate taxes

Under Shays' tax plan, estates of as much as $5 million would be exempt from the inheritance tax,
which currently has a $2 million exclusion and a top rate of 45 percent.

Estates from $5 million to $25 million would be taxed at the same 15 percent maximum as the capital
gains rate, with the levy increasing to 30 percent for estates of more than $25 million. The estate tax
would be indexed under the Shays' proposal.

"What you're really trying to do is protect the farmer and small business from having to sell their
businesses to pay the tax," Shays said.

Himes said he does support exempting some estates from inheritance tax but was not prepared to
specify a dollar amount or a rate.

"Of all forms of taxes that we have, an estate tax is least economically damaging," Himes said.

Social Security

Under the current tax code, earnings more than $97,500 are not taxed for Social Security.

In a break from Obama's tax plan, Himes said he opposes imposing an added tax for Social Security on
annual earnings exceeding $250,000.

"I disagree with that. I think Social Security is the most popular government program there is because
it is a program where you pay in and get out. It's not a welfare program," he said.

Himes also said he is against a "clawback" provision in Obama's tax plan whereby those earning more
than $250,000 would be taxed on income from $97,500 to $250,000.

Shays said he would support increasing the current $97,500 cap, but only as part of comprehensive
Social Security reform package.

"I won't support it if it's just piecemeal," Shays said.

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Corporate taxes

Shays said efforts to raise the corporate tax, which is 35 percent at its current top rate, would hurt
businesses and the economy.

"I'm not in support of raising the corporate tax. Corporations hire people and put them to work," Shays
said.

Though both candidates said they favored closing corporate loopholes, Shays said he would oppose
eliminating tax-saving incentives for businesses that build more housing or use renewable energy.

Himes said he hasn't developed a specific corporate tax proposal.

"I'm not prepared to describe to you a whole new tax code," he said.

Tax credits

To help repair the economy, Himes wants to offer tax credits to middle-class households, for first-time
home buyers, those sending a child to college and those that put money into savings accounts. Himes'
plan would give credits equal to 50 percent of the first $10,000 in college costs per student for four
years to households earning less than $250,000 annually. It also would a give a one-time $1,500 credit
to first-time home buyers in that income bracket to help with closing costs, as well as 50 percent credit
on the first $2,000 in voluntary contributions the household makes to a savings account per year.

Shays unsuccessfully proposed a $500 tax credit for households that spend $1,500 annually on home
heating. He said he favors tax credits for those who use renewable energy and said he would pay with
them from the royalties paid by oil companies to drill off the nation's Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

Hedge fund profits

Both candidates were in agreement on hedge fund profits.

The tax code allows hedge fund executives to pay capital gains taxes at 15 percent on a portion of the
profits they earn known as "carried interest" instead of paying the personal income tax rate, which can
go as high as 35 percent.

Himes and Shays said the profits should be taxed as personal income, except those profits that come
from their investments in the hedge funds.

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 In The Interest of Truth: Torture

Claim: Christopher supported torture by voting against the Intelligence

Authorization bill, which included language applying the Army Field
Manual’s prohibitions on torture to intelligence officers.

The Facts: Christopher believes the use of torture during interrogation is

not only a gross deviation from what is right, but is also an ineffective
method of extracting intelligence.

Christopher is a cosponsor of H.R. 4114, the American Anti-Torture Act,

which applies the Army Field Manual’s prohibitions on torture to
intelligence officers. He also voted for H.R. 4156, the Orderly and
Responsible Iraq Redeployment Appropriations Act, which included this
language when it was considered on the House floor.

Christopher also cosponsored H.R. 1352, the Torture Outsourcing

Prevention Act, which would prohibit the practice of “extraordinary
rendition,” whereby prisoners captured or detained by the US government
are transferred for interrogation or detention to countries known to use
torture.

Why Did Christopher Oppose the Intelligence Authorization?

He opposed the Intelligence Authorization in spite of his strong support for

the torture prohibitions because he felt the bill was flawed. It failed to
provide adequate resources for much needed expansion of human
intelligence collection.

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 In the Interest of Truth: Federal Funding

The Claim: Christopher received less in federal funding than Connecticut’s

two other freshman representatives, Joe Courtney and Chris Murphy.

The Facts: Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW), an advocacy

group that opposes the practice of earmarking, states that Chris secured
$67.3 million in earmarks in 2007, which was the 40th highest total in the
House.

Connecticut’s Congressional Delegation totals, according to CAGW:

Member Funding Rank

John Larson $31.0 million 136
Joe Courtney $69.0 million 39
Rosa DeLauro $61.7 million 65
Christopher Shays $67.3 million 40
Christopher Murphy $48.5 million 73

You can view the full list of totals by visiting CAGW’s website at:

http://www.cagw.org/

The reality is Christopher Shays is effective in the minority and in the

majority because he works with both sides of the aisle to improve the Fourth
Congressional District.

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 In the Interest of Truth: Tom DeLay

The Claim: Christopher Shays voted to change House ethics rules to protect
the former majority leader, Tom DeLay, in 2005.

The Facts: Christopher voted for the resolution establishing the House of
Representatives rules for the 109th Congress because it created a permanent
Homeland Security Committee for the first time, a key recommendation of
the 9/11 Commission and something he long fought to make happen.

Christopher then helped lead the charge in the House to restore the previous
ethics rules that required an ethics investigation to be started without a
majority of the Ethics Committee, officially known as the Committee on
Standards of Official Conduct, voting to proceed with an investigation.

Did Christopher speak out?

In November 2004, Christopher publicly spoke out against a House

Republican Conference rule change that would have allowed Republican
leaders to continue holding their positions within the party if under
indictment. His outspokenness led to the Conference reversing its position
and reinstating this rule.

Christopher was the first Republican to say he believed Tom DeLay should
step down from his role as Majority Leader.

On April 10, 2005, Christopher became the first Republican to say DeLay
should step down as Majority Leader. On September 28, 2005, DeLay
stepped down as Majority Leader. On June 9, 2006, DeLay resigned from
Congress.

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 In the Interest of Truth: Student Loans

The Claim: Christopher supported cutting $13 billion from the Student Loan
Program, leading to a crisis in the program.

The Fact: Christopher voted for the Deficit Reduction Act in 2005, which
included necessary student loan reforms that will save the government
$14.3 billion over 5 years.

Parent PLUS Loans - Parent loan interest rates were variable with a cap of
9 percent. Parent interest rates were scheduled to be fixed at 7.9 percent on
July 1, 2006. Under the Deficit Reduction Act, the parent loan interest rate
were allowed to drop to 8.5 percent, not 7.9 percent.

Lender Yields – When student and parent loan interest rates are lower than
the “fair market rate,” the federal government makes up the difference for
the lender. But when the student and parent loan interest rate is higher than
the fair market rate, the lender got to keep the difference.

Since the federal government subsidizes the “fair market rate,” the Deficit
Reduction Act allows the government to keep any amount above the “fair
market rate,” ensuring any windfall is put back into the student loan
program.

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 In the Interest of Truth: Social Security

The Claim: Christopher Shays supports privatizing Social Security.

The Facts: Christopher will not vote to privatize Social Security.

Christopher is committed to strengthening Social Security and protecting it

for future generations. He’s held forums throughout the district to hear from
seniors and update them on options for preserving Social Security, and has
consistently stated he would oppose any changes to Social Security unless
they are bipartisan and supported by Fourth District residents.

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 In the Interest of Truth: The Economy

Claim: Christopher Shays believes “the fundamentals of the economy are strong.”

The Facts: Christopher knows our economy is in freefall, with millions being put out of
work, wages stagnating, personal wealth declining, and failing markets. Wall Street
bankruptcies and mergers are threatening our retirement security and our jobs.

Because of the housing mortgage crisis we have too much property with too few buyers, homes
in foreclosure because of the subprime market and no liquidity to move money where it is
needed.

Connecticut is being hit particularly hard by this economic downturn, with an unemployment
rate of 6.2 percent.

Christopher believes we need an economic policy that gets workers back on their feet, creates
jobs and grows our economy.

To help workers who have lost their jobs, Christopher voted to provide an additional 26
weeks of unemployment insurance for high unemployment states like Connecticut, for a total
of 52 weeks.

Our goal is to prevent Wall Street from bringing down Main Street. Money is simply not
being lent to businesses and individuals who need it.

For businesses, this means inability to borrow, expand, invest in new equipment, stock shelves
or even meet short-term cash needs, such as payroll.

For individuals, it makes it harder to buy a house, a car, or obtain a student loan. It also
threatens the assets of everyone who has an IRA or 401(k), college savings, pension plan or
owns a home.

That’s why he voted for the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act to restore liquidity to our
financial markets and prevent a capital crisis from occurring.

If you’ve worked on Wall Street, you’re tempted to think the fundamentals of our economy are
found in financial transactions, but this is not where you find the strength of America.

The strength of America and our economy is that hard work and ingenuity are rewarded, that
someone with a creative idea and the drive to see it come to fruition can realize success. Our
well-trained and educated workforce; our advanced technology; and our superior industrial,
commercial and agricultural sectors are what will ultimately gets us through this crisis caused
by the greed, self-absorption and recklessness of Wall Street.

Main Street, not Wall Street, constitutes the fundamentals of our economy.

85
 In the Interest of Truth: Republican Votes

The Claim: Recently, a Democratically-aligned blogger put out a “study” claiming

Christopher Shays supported the Republican Party 9 out of 10 times on “close”
votes.

The Facts: According to a non-partisan, well-respected Washington magazine, CQ

Weekly, Christopher Shays voted with Republicans only 67 percent of the
time, among the least partisan voting records on either side of the aisle in 2007.

What Votes Are Used?

The Democrats’ study uses many procedural votes, rather than substantive
legislative votes. These procedural votes limit amendments and prevent debate.

The CQ Study uses all non-procedural votes in which a majority of Republicans

and a majority of Democrats disagreed on the issue.

How Did Chris Vote on Procedural Matters?

Christopher voted many times with Republicans in this Congress to allow more
amendments and open debate on legislation, even when he agreed with Democrats
on the need for the underlying legislation. Several of these votes that Christopher
opposed blocked his own amendments that would have:

1. established a timeline for withdrawing the majority of our troops from Iraq
2. implemented the Iraqi Study Group recommendations
3. increased funding for reconciliation efforts in Iraq
4. declassified the top line of the Intelligence budget
5. reformed the NLRB to speed up its decision making process
6. brought Department of Homeland Security employees under the same
whistleblowing rules as other intelligence agencies.
7. required Indian tribes to go through the BIA recognition process
8. given the Office of Congressional Ethics subpoena power
9. extended the Production Tax Credit, which allows businesses to invest in
alternative energy sources
10. created a DoD patient navigators program for wounded servicemembers
11. establishes performance standards to measure how well patients move
through the DoD healthcare system.

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 In the Interest of Truth: George Bush Votes

The Claim: Christopher Shays may not vote with George Bush as much as he once did,
but on the important votes, he votes with George Bush.

The Facts: According to CQ Weekly, Christopher voted with President Bush only 52
percent of the time over the President’s entire two terms.

Christopher opposed the President’s position on

• lifting restrictions on stem cell research

• increasing funding for education and health programs that benefit our urban areas
• expanding the State Children’s Health Insurance Program
• setting a timeline for bringing our troops home from Iraq
• preserving a woman’s right to choose
• preventing drilling in ANWR
• enacting balanced energy policy that includes conservation and renewables
• removing Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld
• increasing CAFE (mileage) standards on cars, SUVs, minivans and light trucks
• expanding the HOPE VI housing program
• reforming our campaign finance laws
• maintaining the community development block grant
• enacting universal health care
• raising the minimum wage
• implementing fully the 9/11 Commission recommendations
• establishing the Iraq Study Group and implementing its recommendations
• declassifying the top line of the Intelligence budget
• prohibiting torture

Christopher supported the President’s position on:

• reducing taxes for all income levels

• expanding free trade, critical to creating jobs in Connecticut
• providing a prescription drug benefit within Medicare for seniors
• supporting the PATRIOT Act and FISA bill to confront Islamist terrorism
• establishing a Director of National Intelligence
• creating a Department of Homeland Security

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 Congressman Christopher Shays
Highlights: 21 Years of Results

• Fought 7 year battle to enact campaign finance reform

• Helped establish 9/11 commission, create a Director of National Intelligence and implement all the
Commission’s recommendations

• Introduced first bipartisan universal healthcare bill in the House of Representatives which uses the Federal
Employees Health Benefits Program as a model to extend health insurance to all Americans

• Helped lead the effort to increase fuel economy standards to 35 miles per gallon by 2020

• Established Department of Homeland Security

• Increased the federal minimum wage to $7.25 per hour

• Conceived and funded regional economic development initiative called One Coast, One Future, a
collaboration between Stamford, Norwalk and Bridgeport

• Secured hundreds of millions in federal funding for improving housing and Transportation

• Led bipartisan effort to enact Assault Weapons Ban

• Helped negotiate passage of historic COPS bill which provides more police and afterschool programs for
children and young adults

• Secured two major housing revitalization grants, which leveraged $150 million in state and private funds for
Stamford’s Southwood Square and Fairfield Court

• Forced 100 percent screening of checked baggage on airplanes

• Conducted 97 oversight hearings on terrorism and Iraq

• Supported the surge and bringing in new DoD leadership that helped turn the tide in Iraq

• Led 21 oversight trips to Iraq that resulted in: better body armor for our troops; more fully armored Humvees;
funding for non-government organizations in Iraq like Save the Children and MerciCorp; and GAO and
Department of Defense Inspector General establishing field offices in Iraqi theater

• Helped open up drilling off our coasts and prevent drilling for oil in the Arctic Refuge

• Preserved and protected open space – Pequonnock Valley, Weir Farm, Treetops and McKinney Refuge

• Authored Brownfields legislation which is cleaning up old industrial sites

• Conducted hearings that exposed Saddam’s corrupt oil-for-food program

• Passed legislation protecting pet owners and their pets during emergency evacuations

• Forced VA to provide better care for veterans suffering from Gulf War illness

• Authored and passed Construction Safety Act

• Championed Corporation for National and Community Service

• Enacted gift ban and lobby disclosure and fought 5 year battle to require Congress live by the laws it writes for
rest of nation

• Strengthened oversight of housing market and created new regulator for Government Sponsored Enterprises

88