The Local Delegation: Rep. Albert R. Wynn (D-Md.)

U.S. Rep. Albert R. Wynn of Maryland's 4th Congressional District was online Thursday, August 30, 10 a.m. ET to take your questions about Congress's soon-to-end session, and the one that will start after the August break.

A transcript follows.

Related Discussions: Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.), Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.).

Rep. Albert R. Wynn is currently in his eighth term serving the Southern Maryland. Wynn is the chairman of the subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials, under the Energy and Commerce Committee. He also is the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus's Political Action Committee, and the Caucus's Minority Business Task Force.

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Rep. Albert Wynn: I'd like to welcome readers to our little chat. A lot of challenging policy issues both on the foreign and domestic fronts. We're about to go back into session, where we'll tackle important issues including Iraq, children's health care, energy and other important areas.

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Adelphi, Md.: Congressman, what can you tell about the progress on the Purple Line and what has your office done in regards to any appropriations and/or authorizations toward it? On a side note, do you think the next Federal Transit Administration (starting in Jan. 2009) will make it easier for new transit lines to get built?

washingtonpost.com: Rail Projects at the Mercy of U.S. Agency (Post, Aug. 27)

Rep. Albert Wynn: My office requested and received the federal authorization for the Bethesda-New Carrollton line, which is very important for suburban Washington. The issues now are finalizing an alignment and the state's contribution. After that the FTA will make a decision about the funding levels from the federal government. We're optimistic it will be substantially easier under a Democratic administration more dedicated to transit, but we have to settle several local alignment issues to move the project forward, so that may be the biggest obstacle right now. I am working with local and state officials to move this process along. The councilmembers in Silver Spring and I have met, as well as the Purple Line Coalition. There's a lot of momentum to get this done and I feel very positive about our prospects.

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Fairfax, Va.: There has been a lot in the news about the damage done to civil rights enforcement at the Justice Dept but not much about any damage done to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Do you have any concerns about how that agency has been affected by the Bush agenda?

Rep. Albert Wynn: Yes I do. I represent more federal employees than any other member of Congress. I am very concerned about a less-than-activist posture by EEO with regard to federal employment discrimination and other cases. There is a pattern throughout the Bush administration of agencies not being proactive.

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Suitland, Md.: Rep. Wynn, what are your thoughts about the Department of Defense's National Security Personnel System (NSPS)? Thank you for answering my question.

Rep. Albert Wynn: I've got concerns that under the guise of National Security a lot of the protections for federal employees have been compromised or eliminated -- that is something I find very troubling with respect to issues related to working conditions. I'm also concerned about some of the paybanding recommendations coming out of the Department of Defense regarding the pay scales. The basic concern I have is lack of input from federal employee unions and the attempts to thwart those unions.

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Bethesda, Md.: Rep. Wynn: It would be helpful to get your views on the outlook of energy legislation in the House, and on your own policy views on this important topic.

Rep. Albert Wynn: As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee I believe we have taken a good first step in terms of energy efficiency in the bill we passed this summer, which includes standards for heating and air conditioning systems. I worked on standards for light bulbs and an efficiency block grant program to allow cities and towns to partner with the federal government on energy independence. I think it's good that it supports alternative energy, and we were able to get in a modest renewable fuel standard as well as support for new technologies, including wind and solar. We have a lot more to do this fall, including a cap-and-trade system to specifically tackle emissions. I am the chair of the Hydrogen Caucus, which seeks to use that as one alternative. Fundamentally, you have to create a new green economy -- we have to utilize federal policies to incentivize the private investment in green technologies, green construction and alternative fuels. This will create new jobs and bring in the era of a greener economy.

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Washington: Congressman, I understand that despite the vows of the Democrats, none of the spending bills are going to get passed this year? Is this Congress really different from the last? Do you work closely with anyone across the aisle to diffuse partisan tensions? Are we going for another government shut down?

Rep. Albert Wynn: We are going to pass the spending bills. We've actually done a better job -- the House already has passed all the spending bills. We're going to work across the aisle to resolve these conflicts, and I think there'll be substantial pressure on the administration to sign the bills because Democrats have been fiscally responsible, using a pay-as-you-go requirement. That offsets new spending with revenue increases or budget cuts. We're on a path to eliminate the deficit by 2012. I do work across the aisle to try to reduce the partisanship and no, I do not expect a government shutdown. I believe a shutdown would be disastrous for the country and would reflect so poorly on the GOP administration that it would doom their prospects in the upcoming elections.

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Missouri: Good morning, Rep Wynn. As a member of the Minority Small Business group, what is your stand on immigration policy? Do minority businesses stand to be hurt or helped by policies that restrict immigrant workers and thus raise the price of labor? It's a tough issue, I know. Thanks.

Rep. Albert Wynn: I believe we need an immigration bill. Some of the concepts in the Senate bill that failed have merit. I remind you that the overall economy -- including minority businesses -- will benefit when we secure our borders and provide a path for legalization. While cheap labor seems appealing, the downside in terms of greater health care costs, burdens on hospitals and the welfare system make it untenable. Legal workers working for a decent wage contribute more to the overall society, have more buying power, can be taxed and therefore represent a better policy for our economy. Employers will have responsibility to hire only legal workers under such a plan, but they would be given the tools to identify legal employees. We should ensure that the legislation would not be unduly burdensome.

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Washington: Will you be advocating D.C. voting rights when the new session begins?

Rep. Albert Wynn: Absolutely. I've been a long-term and consistent supporter of this. I consider myself an advocate for the District of Columbia as their suburban neighbor and will work closely with Delegate Norton to get the District full voting rights.

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San Francisco: How many of your recent changes in position -- on the Iraq War, on wiretapping and on the Bush-Cheney agenda in general -- have been because of the challenger who came so close in your primary last year? What effectiveness would you say primaries have in making Democrats more responsive to their Democratic-leaning districts?

Rep. Albert Wynn: My positions actually were formed prior to the primary election, and it was reported in both the Chicago Tribune and The Washington Post in 2004 that I felt the war vote was a mistake. I believe it was my responsibility to communicate this more effectively in the last election. My positions with regard to the Bush administration were not influenced by the primary but rather by positions I've taken over the years. I've disagreed with the administration consistently, and while there have been attempts at bipartisanship, probably 95 percent of the time I've voted against the administration.

I think primaries are part of the political process. I think everyone has the opportunity to run in the primary. I've had primaries throughout my career, both in Congress and at the state level and I have no problems with them.

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Bethesda, Md.: Sen. Kennedy is preparing a new bill to further increase the minimum wage. Would you support this and be willing to consider cosponsoring this bill?

Rep. Albert Wynn: Yes, absolutely. Every years since I've been in Congress I've either sponsored or cosponsored such legislation. I think it's critical to our economy to provide a decent standard of living. That is part of the American Dream and I think it's critical that a high minimum wage underpin our economy.

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Harrisburg, Pa.: All state governments, including your state, will be required to change drivers licenses beginning next year so that the applicants can be processed through several databases. Ignoring that one still illegally could submit a forged document in order to get one of these new Real IDs, I note that the federal government is not paying for these IDs, but are requiring states to absorb the costs of this federal law. Shouldn't the federal government be paying a good share of the costs, as it is the federal government that wants these IDs?

Rep. Albert Wynn: To the extent that states also benefit from a better ID system this is not an unfair burden. In an ideal world I would support federal subsidies to take care of these costs, but a better ID system benefits everyone -- including local authorities and merchants. So there's definitely a local benefit beyond the federal security issue.

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Lyme, Conn.: It is time to reauthorize No Child Left Behind. What changes would you favor that would improve educating students instead of focusing on debatable benchmarks and encouraging and rewarding teachers and school systems that emphasize increasing test scores instead of improving learning?

Rep. Albert Wynn: I believe we need to overhaul the act, and first of all increase funding to help local school districts to achieve their goals. We also need to eliminate or significantly reduce some of the testing and some of the provisions that are illogical -- for instance requiring students with only two years of English to compete with native speakers. Also, the inclusion of special education students. The third issue is the need for value-added testing -- measure how much progress individual students have made so that students can move ahead a grade without necessarily hitting an artificial bar. We also need to make sure tests are graded in a timely manner so teachers can use results to improve student performance. My wife is a teacher and we're concerned that NCLB de-emphasizes the arts, physical education, geography and other courses students need to be well-rounded and educated.

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Silver Spring, Md.: Congressman, thanks for taking my question. Three times in the past two years I have written your office about matters of some importance, most particularly public health. At no time did I received so much as an acknowledgement from your office that the letters had been read. I don't write this out of bitterness but frustration. I am a life-long Democrat and belong to no special interest group. My letters were written solely in response to front-page stories in The Post. So what gives? What does it take to get your office to take notice?

Rep. Albert Wynn: Please call us right now. We will attempt to find your letters and we will attempt to get you an answer. I apologize for the problem and don't know what happened. Call us at 202-225-8699 and we will work diligently to correct this oversight.

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Bethesda, Md.: What do you see for the future of the Highway Trust Fund -- which seems to be near running out of funds -- and the future of mass transportation? Should we be devoting more funds towards maintenance?

Rep. Albert Wynn: That is a very complicated issue. We need more funds for maintenance, yes, but we also need more funds for mass transit. We'll have to look at our federal gas taxes to find ways to gain more revenue or to divert more money into the trust fund. There's much greater demand for transit now, which is critical for energy independence and fighting global warming, so we'll need to work on transit systems -- not just in big cities but in suburbs and smaller communities. No one likes the prospect of higher taxes, but they may be needed. We can also look for efficiencies and end the war in Iraq to provide funds for this and other purposes.

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Winnipeg, Canada: Where do you stand on Rep. Kucinich's articles of impeachment against Vice President Cheney?

Rep. Albert Wynn: I cosponsored the bill to impeach Vice President Cheney. I think looking back he's been the mastermind behind the strategy of insisting the Iraq War was a success, claiming we're winning when it's clear that we're not, and the obstruction of attempts to get cooperation. There have been numerous instances of what I consider to be malfeasance on the part of the vice president that I think merit his impeachment.

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San Francisco: Will you debate your primary opponent, Donna Edwards?

Rep. Albert Wynn: Yes, there are a couple of debates that already have been scheduled I believe. I certainly intend to debate her -- I did the last election and I certainly will this time, as well as the other two people who are in the race, Mr. Mitchell and Mr. McDermott.

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Gaithersburg, Md.: What is your take on the new White House backed crack-down on illegal immigrants, using the Social Security Administration and other agencies to send letters to employers? Don't you think that will create more of a burden on employers but also create unemployment in families that already have a tough time making ends meet? How should people take care of their kids if they cannot work? Where is the humanity in all of this?

Rep. Albert Wynn: The writer is correct -- our current approach lacks humanity. We cannot just isolate employer responsibility in dealing with this question. We need a comprehensive approach that also includes legalization. I think that just imposing legal burdens on employers without giving them the tools to determine who is illegal or not is wrong. I also believe these individuals contribute positively to our communities and they need a pathway to legal employment to support their families, be taxed and contribute to local economies.

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Alexandria, Va.: Rep. Wynn, your committee has oversight of the Superfund program. Do you foresee any increases in funding for the program? There are there still more than a thousand sites that need to be cleaned up and a lack of dedicated funding.

Rep. Albert Wynn: This year I am told by colleagues that to get an increase in EPA funding for Superfund and the agency in general the administration, the House approved $8.9 billion, compared to the administration's request of $7.2 billion. We definitely increased the funding for the EPA. I still believe we need substantially more funding for Superfund -- my subcommittee held hearings and objected to the administration's reduction in the number of cleanups. We believe the shortfall in cleanups is directly attributable to the administration's and previous Congress's refusal to pursue more funding. We'll continue to pursue additional funding for Superfund sites, brownfields, leaking underground storage tanks and safe drinking water. In addition, my subcommittee will be conducting oversight hearings on the performance of Superfund this fall.

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Olney, Md.: The White Oak FDA project is amazing -- thank you for your leadership on the project. Are there any plans to bring more federal agencies into the 4th Congressional District?

Rep. Albert Wynn: First of all, thank you -- we're very excited about that project. We've had wonderful community support for it. We definitely always are working to get additional federal facilities into the 4th District. That is a high priority, particularly in areas with access to federal transportation. We will continue to work on this and look forward to having other facilities in the future.

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Keyport, N.J.: Sir: Certainly you have heard rumblings about the key points of the upcoming Petraeus Report -- what do you think is the best course for our country to follow, and who in your opinion has the best plan to stabilize our involvement ?

Rep. Albert Wynn: I believe the best course is for the United States to begin an orderly withdrawal that protects troops' safety and security. I believe we should support reconstruction efforts, but with much greater oversight of the funds and with an elimination or substantial reduction in no-bid contracts. I believe we should support a regional peace initiative by the Muslim countries in the area and a cease-fire. We also should support a U.N. role in promoting a peace process. I do not believe the administration has a grasp of the cultural and religious dynamics that contribute to this conflict, and the notion that we can impose democracy, peace, our world view in this region is unrealistic.

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Primaries and delegates: Representative Wynn, if the parties are so concerned with states jumping their primaries forward, why doesn't the party just change the rules to state that two-thirds of all delegates will be allotted to states with primaries after May 1 (or whatever later date is wanted) with a guarantee that they also will receive no less than twice their delegates no matter how many states are after May 1? If only one state has a post-May 1 primary, imagine how hard candidates would work that state.

Rep. Albert Wynn: I think the writer poses an interesting approach. I think there certainly are several approaches that the national parties will be looking at to address this problem. I can't say there's a single approach to solve the problem, but I think there needs to be a collective discussion between big and small states, east and west states, north and south states, diverse and less-diverse states, so that later states do have a major role and the primary does reflect the diversity of the country. I think this problem has exposed the need that the parties must address -- to find a rational way to conduct their primary seasons.

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Aberdeen, Md.: Thanks for doing this chat! What are your thoughts on the Death Tax, and what are the chances that there will be any legislation on it this session?

Rep. Albert Wynn: I don't think there will be any legislation on it. I have reconsidered my views on it. While I'm concerned about the impact on small businesses, I think the distribution of wealth in this country is a major problem and I don't think the country at this time can repeal that tax. I think the bigger thing right now is to address the alternative minimum tax to ensure middle-class taxpayers are not unduly burdened. As a general matter wealthy taxpayers are able to address their estates sufficiently, but the middle and lower classes are where our resources ought to be directed.

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Transit and Roads: Congressman, are there any odds you folks finally will bump the gas tax or institute a carbon tax to generate transit and other infrastructure? The U.S. Highway fund was created on the understanding it was to be funded 100 percent by user fees.

According to Brookings, by 2002 it was only 47 percent funded by user fees. So in the area of transport/energy, we now have our biggest subsidy on gasoline/cars. Add in the insipid SUV write-off and other freebies, and the subsidy becomes utterly absurd. Isn't it time we make cars pay for themselves , and start shifting resources to infrastructure and transit?

Rep. Albert Wynn: I agree with shifting resources to infrastructure and transit. However, the issue of gas tax increases will require a great deal of discussion. Low-income citizens in rural areas are significantly impacted by higher gas taxes -- that's not to say we shouldn't allow them, but we need to go slow when we consider it. You have to consider that most states also have gas taxes that they also are considering raising. The writer is willing to confront big questions, but we also need to consider tolls, charges for usage during peak travel times -- we have to be flexible and open-minded, but we do have to confront the issue to be serious about energy independence and combating global warming.

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Keyport, N.J.: Congressman: Is there any one candidate for president that you feel is the right one to lead on the realistic policies you have outlined for Iraq ?

Rep. Albert Wynn: I think on the Democratic side we have a very good team. Not to dodge the question, but quite candidly both the top-tier and second-tier candidates are very thoughtful and grasp the fact that we need to change direction. For that reason it's difficult to single out anyone, and I'm neutral in the race at this time, but I'll support whoever comes out of the primary.

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Rep. Albert Wynn: Thank you for your questions, I've enjoyed this. Excellent questions across a broad spectrum of policy issues. I appreciate your interest in these important issues and look forward to chatting again in the future.

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