Congressman Green, who represents the Houston area, has had a long and distinguished career fighting for working men and women.  Law school instructor, founder and manager of his own legal firm, Justice of the Peace, and President of the Houston [...]]]> On Sunday, January 29, U.S. Representative Mike McIntyre hosted U.S. Representative Al Green of Texas at the annual Southeastern North Carolina Black History Month Celebration in Wilmington.

Congressman Green, who represents the Houston area, has had a long and distinguished career fighting for working men and women.  Law school instructor, founder and manager of his own legal firm, Justice of the Peace, and President of the Houston NAACP, Green has earned the praise of many for his legal analysis, character, and ability to work with people of different backgrounds.

This year’s event was held from 2:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. in the Wilmington City Hall Council Chambers (Thalian Hall) located at 102 North Third Street in downtown Wilmington.

African-American elected officials from all levels of government from throughout Southeastern North Carolina attended.  This is the sixteenth consecutive year that Congressman McIntyre has hosted this special event.

Congressman McIntyre stated, “This is a great victory for the residents of Lake Waccamaw!  The Lake Waccamaw Post Office is an essential component in day-to-day living and in business operations, and its removal from the [...]]]> Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Mike McIntyre announced that the Lake Waccamaw Post Office has been saved, having been removed from the closure list by the United States Postal Service (USPS).

Congressman McIntyre stated, “This is a great victory for the residents of Lake Waccamaw!  The Lake Waccamaw Post Office is an essential component in day-to-day living and in business operations, and its removal from the USPS closure list reinforces that.  I have been honored to work with Mayor Ivan Wilson, and he is to be commended for his leadership, the entire Lake Waccamaw community is to be applauded, for their efforts to keep this facility open!  Indeed, this is a gold star day for Lake Waccamaw!”

Upon getting the news in early December that the USPS had placed the Lake Waccamaw Post office on its targeted closure list, Congressman McIntyre and Mayor Wilson formulated a strategy to inform the USPS about the business impact of the Lake Waccamaw Post Office and the support from the local community.

Congressman McIntyre stated, “This is great news for the Fayetteville/Cumberland County area, great news for Fort Bragg and Pope Field, and great news for our military leaders, soldiers, [...]]]> Washington, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Mike McIntyre, a senior member of the Armed Services Committee, applauded the decision by US Airways to begin daily nonstop flights from Fayetteville to Washington, D.C. Ronald Reagan Airport.

Congressman McIntyre stated, “This is great news for the Fayetteville/Cumberland County area, great news for Fort Bragg and Pope Field, and great news for our military leaders, soldiers, and families!    Direct flights between Fayetteville and Washington, D.C. Regan airport will result in more efficiency, better convenience, and direct economic benefit to our area.  I applaud US Airways for this decision, and congratulate the community and Fayetteville Regional Airport for their work and persistence in making this happen.”

Congressman McIntyre [...]]]> Washington, D.C. – U.S. Congressman Mike McIntyre applauded the award of $3.65 million in federal funds to the Cape Fear Regional Jetport in Oak  Island, North Carolina.  These funds will be used to construct a full parallel taxiway along the newly extended runway.  The 5,500-foot taxiway will significantly improve airplane traffic flow at the airport by providing a dedicated access to the runway

Congressman McIntyre stated, “The Cape Fear Regional Jetport is an important component of the economy of Brunswick County, and it is integral to continued growth and development.  These federal funds, appropriated by Congress for use by the Federal Aviation Administration, will help the airport continue to grow and prosper.  Congratulations to all the fine folks at the airport for their work in securing these funds.  This is a great example of our federal taxpaying dollars coming home to work for us!”

Congressman McIntyre has long been a supporter of multiple efforts to improve and expand the Cape Fear Regional Jetport.

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Congressman Mike McIntyre has taken the lead in two separate ways to enforce swift action against Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

First, Congressman McIntyre was the lead co-sponsor of legislation that would require the President to impose sanctions on foreign financial institutions that conduct transactions with the Central Bank of Iran.

McIntyre stated, “The implications of the Iranian government sponsoring acts of terrorism on American [...]]]>  

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Congressman Mike McIntyre has taken the lead in two separate ways to enforce swift action against Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

First, Congressman McIntyre was the lead co-sponsor of legislation that would require the President to impose sanctions on foreign financial institutions that conduct transactions with the Central Bank of Iran.

McIntyre stated, “The implications of the Iranian government sponsoring acts of terrorism on American soil must not be underestimated and merit swift and decisive action from the United States. We must increase economic pressure on the Iranian regime and dissuade its efforts to acquire nuclear weapons capabilities.”

Second, McIntyre has led an effort to get his colleagues in Congress to send a letter to the President urging the swift and immediate crippling of Iran’s Central Bank in light of the recent revelation of the Iranian government’s plot against the Israeli embassy and Saudi Arabian ambassador in the U.S, as well as the recent revelations about Iran’s nuclear capabilities from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The letter states, “We write today to reaffirm the need for every relevant branch of the United States government to immediately and swiftly begin the work required to cripple Iran’s Central Bank.”

“Raising taxes on American families is simply the wrong thing to do.  That’s why I voted for the bi-partisan bill which has already passed the Senate with 89% of the vote.  This bill will extend the payroll tax cut to help working families, ensure Medicare patients [...]]]> Washington, D.C. — U.S. Congressman Mike McIntyre released the following statement regarding his vote on the payroll tax cut vote:

“Raising taxes on American families is simply the wrong thing to do.  That’s why I voted for the bi-partisan bill which has already passed the Senate with 89% of the vote.  This bill will extend the payroll tax cut to help working families, ensure Medicare patients can still see their doctor, help those who are unemployed, protect our hospitals, and provide a quick decision on the Keystone pipeline that will help with energy independence and job creation.  This is a bill that is fully paid for, and will not add to the deficit.  It is time for the bickering and finger pointing to stop – the American people are demanding it and our nation needs it.”

Congressman McIntyre stated, “Our returning veterans who are pursuing an education under the 9/11 GI bill should not have [...]]]> Following up on his presentation of the Purple Heart Medal to Sgt. Jason Thigpen, U.S. Representative Mike McIntyre announced today a 7-point action plan he will be taking to promote the issue of in-state tuition for veterans who are not residents of the state of their school.   

Congressman McIntyre stated, “Our returning veterans who are pursuing an education under the 9/11 GI bill should not have to worry about in-state vs. out-of-state tuition!  They have been in the front lines of our nation defending our freedom and values, and the costs of their tuition should be in-state — regardless of their residency!  By keeping these veterans at school here in North Carolina, we also will help keep a talented workforce here that is ready to get to work!  Sgt. Thigpen is an outstanding advocate for this issue, and I will be working hand-in-hand with him to advocate for this change for our veterans!”

Respective state laws will need to be changed to address this problem.  McIntyre’s 7- point plan to help on this issue will include, but not limited to, the following actions:

1. Letters to every member of the North Carolina General Assembly and personal contact with General Assembly members asking them to work together, introduce legislation, and pass bill to change NC state law and address this issue;
2. Letter and contact with U.S. Senator Jim Webb who was the author the GI bill asking him to support this change;
3. Letters to North Carolina US Senators Richard Burr and Kay Hagan asking for their endorsement of this change;
4. Letters to the US House and US Senate VA Committees to stress the importance of this issue being addressed;
5. Speech on the floor of the U.S. House to highlight this issue; 
6. Letters to major veterans organizations encouraging them to join in the effort to have state laws changed to address this issue; and
7. Helping to publicize Sgt. Thigpen’s website – www.studentveteransadvocacygroup.org– where citizens can sign an e-petition in support of this needed change.

Mathy Stanislaus, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, wrote to Congressman McIntyre to explain that the EPA deadline for compliance has been tentatively extended to May 10, 2013. The EPA was responding to calls from Congressman McIntyre to push back [...]]]> U.S. Congressman Mike McIntyre announced that the EPA has answered his call for an extension for farmers in developing spill plans.

Mathy Stanislaus, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, wrote to Congressman McIntyre to explain that the EPA deadline for compliance has been tentatively extended to May 10, 2013. The EPA was responding to calls from Congressman McIntyre to push back the deadline for the Spill Plan mandate.

“This is good news for North Carolina farmers.  Requiring agricultural producers to pay for an engineer certified spill plan is especially demanding given the difficult economic conditions facing many producers today,” said McIntyre. “Next month the deadline for farmers to have spill plans in place will pass. This will expose farmers in North Carolina to potential costly fines from failure to comply, and could jeopardize the survival of many farms teetering on the edge.  Giving our farmers additional time to plan and prepare is critical, and I am pleased that the EPA has heard our call.”

The EPAs Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure (SPCC) rule would require certain facilities to prepare, amend, and implement SPCC Plans to prevent spills of petroleum or animal fat from storage tanks. The impacts of catastrophic weather in broad areas of farm county and insufficient professional and technical assistance to comply pose significant problems to farmers in meeting the originally proposed deadline. 

The EPA mentioned the concerns raised by Congressman McIntyre and other members of the agricultural community, historic flooding in many parts of the country, and the unique limited seasonal period for farmers to plan and implement compliance as reasons for the deadline extension.

Congressman McIntyre is a senior member of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee.