McHenry County Blog

As you can see below, Congressman Peter Roskam has used his office to pressure the Russian government on adoption:

Roskam, Bipartisan Group meets with Russian Ambassador to Push for End to Ban on Russian Adoptions

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Peter Roskam (IL-06) and a group of bipartisan members met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak to press the Russian government on its recent ban of all adoptions of Russian children by American families.  The ban went into effect on January 1, 2013, preventing hundreds of families in various stages of adoption from completing the process.

Peter Roskam

“This adoption ban has been heartbreaking for so many American families, including families in my District who were on the verge of opening up their homes to Russian children just before the ban,” said Roskam.  “I and my colleagues pushed the Russian Ambassador to at least let current adoption cases go through where the families have met and bonded with the child.  In the absence of rejecting the ban entirely, the Russian government should at least allow these children’s adoptions to be completed.”

The Russian Adoption ban was enacted shortly after the U.S. passed the Magnitsky Act, which imposes U.S. travel and financial restrictions on human rights abusers in Russia.  Roskam has signed letters to both President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the adoption ban and is a cosponsor of H.Res 24, expressing House of Representatives’ deep disappointment in the Russian decision.

“It is unfortunate that in making a political statement against the United States, the Russian government is essentially abandoning thousands of Russian orphans that have little hope of adoption in their home country,” said Roskam.  “I will continue to fight for the families, and work with our Department of State to resolve the issue so that families can bring the children they have met and bonded with home.”

Click here to read the bipartisan letter to President Obama on the adoption ban, and here to read the bipartisan letter sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

First Congressman Joe Walsh harshly criticized President Barack Obama for not telling the truth about the effects of not raising the Debt Limit (that if Social Security and Medicare payments were not made it would be his choice).

Now a press release from Walsh calls the Obama Administration to task for implying that Jerusalem is not part of Israel:

Rep. Walsh Slams Obama for Amateur Foreign Policy

Walsh Calls Out President Obama after State Department Gaffe

WASHINGTON – Rep. Walsh (IL-08) issued the following statement in response to a release from the State Department announcing the visit of Acting Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Kathleen Stephens to “Algeria, Qatar, Jordan, Jerusalem, and Israel,” implying that Jerusalem is not part of Israel.

Furthermore, today, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland refused to even acknowledge whether Jerusalem is the Capital of Israel, despite a 1995 U.S. law that states it is.

Joe Walsh

Walsh stated: “This latest stunt by the Obama Administration is nothing new—it merely reveals what we have known all along: President Obama is no friend to Israel. H

“His refusal to recognize Jerusalem as part of Israel, let alone its Capital, is amateur foreign policy of the worst sort.

“The President needs to stop humiliating and denigrating our allies, like Israel, with foolish stunts like this.

“The time to be an ‘honest broker’ is long over.

“We are Israel’s ally, and it is ours.

“In fact it is our best and strongest ally in the Middle East, and the President needs to start treating it like it is.

“When is President Obama going to stop throwing our allies under the bus and cozying up to our enemies?”

The following press release has been received from 16th District Congressman Don Manzullo:

Manzullo: Pentagon Continues to Send American Jobs Overseas,

Weaken U.S. Defense Industrial Base

[WASHINGTON]  Congressman Don Manzullo (R-IL) today said the Pentagon has again flouted the Buy American Act by planning to use American taxpayer dollars to purchase 21 Russian-made helicopters for use in Afghanistan when a less expensive American-made alternative is available, sending American jobs overseas and weakening the U.S. defense industrial base.

In a letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Manzullo asked the Pentagon to re-evaluate its procurement policies that have continually allowed the Department of Defense to bypass American companies and purchase foreign products with American tax dollars against the spirit of the Buy American Act, which requires at least 50 percent of all goods and services purchased by the government to be made in America.

The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command recently announced its intent to purchase 21 Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters to train Afghans, claiming the Afghans are familiar with the aircraft.

American-made Sikorsky Aircraft says its S-61 model is similar in size and ease of operation and is actually less expensive than the Russian version. United Technologies owns Sikorsky as well as Rockford’s Hamilton Sundstrand, which supplies each Sikorsky S-61 with fuel pumping equipment made in Rockford.

Manzullo said the Pentagon’s decision to buy Russian instead of American helicopters sends taxpayer dollars overseas instead of putting Americans back to work. In addition, it takes business away from an American defense contractor and further weakens the U.S. defense industrial base, the manufacturing sector that makes weapons that protect Americans from our enemies.

Don Manzullo

“If we can’t start converting the Afghans’ helicopter fleet away from Russian technology now, what makes us think that we’ll be able to sell them U.S.-made helicopters in the future? The Afghan forces will be even more reluctant years from now to buy from U.S. sources with a large contingent of Russian-made equipment already in stock,”massive unemployment continues to plague the American manufacturing sector.”

“Now is the time for Afghanistan to bite the bullet and upgrade to better U.S. technology, especially when the U.S. taxpayer is footing the bill and massive unemployment continues to plague the American manufacturing sector.”

For many years, Manzullo has been on a mission to change the Pentagon’s misguided procurement policies that often favor foreign companies over American manufacturers.

As Chairman of the House Small Business Committee, he subpoenaed a 3-star General in 2001 and convinced the Army to cancel a contract for Chinese-made U.S. Army berets and give the work to an American firm.

In 2003, he convinced the Air Force to stop using Russian-made titanium in aircraft procurements, which helped to save the U.S. titanium industry when it was on the ropes.

Finally, he also persuaded the Coalition Provisional Authority and the Pentagon to change their plans to supply the new Iraqi armed forces with American-made M-16s instead of Russian-made AK-47s when using U.S. taxpayer dollars.