Lynch, Stephen Rep

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LCV 94/96%

http://scorecard.lcv.org/moc/stephen-f-lynch

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Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene ignited a heated confrontation during Wednesday [vid] by claiming that budgets have nothing to do with policy — a stance that top Democrats have long argued contradicts core American values. Her assertion drew an immediate rebuttal from one of the committee’s top Democrats, but Oversight Chairman James Comer jumped to Greene’s defense, attempting to cut off the correction and escalating the exchange into a shouting match, while mocking Democrats' efforts to preserve and honor American values.

After U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-NM) made an impassioned plea to not cut the budget of the Veterans Administration, or Social Security, or Medicare in order to produce a $4 trillion tax cut largely for the wealthy — a top Trump priority — Congresswoman Greene lashed out.

"I'd like to point something out that our Democrat colleagues know this, because they did reconciliation before when they are they were in charge and, you know, it may be hard for some of the freshman Dems to understand, but this is not a policy debate," the Georgia Republican alleged. "That's not what reconciliation is. This is a budget process."

"And so for the American people watching at home, our Democrat colleagues are sitting here trying to score points and spread more lies and divisiveness about Republicans in order to spread more garbage across the country," she charged, calling Democrats' pleas "entertainment."

READ MORE: ‘Please Chill This Is Going Great’: Trump Mocked for Blaming Biden Amid Poor Economic Data

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That's when U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, a Massachusetts Democrat in Congress for nearly a quarter century and possibly next in line for Ranking Member of the Oversight Committee, slammed Greene's interpretation of the Committee's work.

"Mr. Chairman, I just want to say, our federal budget reflects our values," Lynch declared, a statement many budget experts would affirm, and one that has been by President Joe Biden and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

"When we fund the VA," Lynch continued, "it's not just about numbers. It's about, it's about the mission, and the purpose of our budget."

Chairman Comer appeared to grow angry.

"You do understand our federal budget is $2.5 trillion?" Comer declared, appearing to suggest details like how much spent on veterans was not worth the Committee's time. "We can't have 'values'," Comer insisted, with the amount of debt the federal government is carrying.

"Reclaiming my time — you don't get to just interject, Mr. Chairman," Lynch charged.

You know what? I think you've already spoken, so you're out of order," Comer declared, hitting his desk with his gavel.

"I will speak," Lynch, now heated, told the Chair. "You're about to put our country $4 trillion more than debt."

"I don't think you all could find a billion dollars in savings," Comer alleged.

"Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time. Reclaiming my time," Lynch again declared.

"You can talk all you want. I want everyone in America to see how much — " Comer snapped.

"Mr. Chairman. You're out of order. You're out of order. You're the chairman, you're out of order," Lynch again charged.

READ MORE: ‘Prices Go Up’: Economist Mocks Treasury Secretary’s ‘Empty Shelves’ Position

"Now, without interruption," Lynch continued, "what we decide here in the budget is what I'm the point I'm trying to make is it's not just dollars and cents. It's about where, where that money goes, and what, what purposes and what, what priorities it reflects. And those, you know, governing is about making decisions, and we we choose to fund things that in this country, we have honored for a very long time, and that, you know, I have to say, in my 25 years in Congress, we have had very little disagreement on funding veteran benefits."

Lynch went on to lament that "now we're fighting tooth and tongs — and nail — about whether we're gonna lay off 80,000 employees at the VA. What I'm saying is that, sure, it's about the budget, but underlying that budget is is our priorities as a country. What we consider to be worthwhile . And I feel that veterans' benefits are worthwhile. Veterans, healthcare is worthwhile. The way we treat our federal employees is important. It is intrinsic to be the work of the federal government and how we help the most vulnerable, as well as, you, average everyday Americans on Social Security, on Medicaid."

Watch the videos below or at this link.

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an 3 23

house Republicans' hearings on the purported "weaponization" of the federal government against conservatives have gotten off to a rocky start, with even some Fox News personalities complaining that they've so far failed to dig up anything significant.

The hearings continue to misfire on Thursday, and USA Today reporter Bart Jansenlikened them to a "Monty Python sketch" in his latest dispatch from the Capitol.

At issue was the fact that two witnesses called by House Republicans made incendiary claims about the federal government "censoring" them under President Joe Biden's direction, but then left the hearing before they could be asked any questions by Democratic members of the committee.

Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) called out Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) for not allowing anyone to question the witnesses he brought before the committee.

"They have scurried away with your complicity,” he scolded Jordan. “That’s pretty disgraceful.”

A defensive Jordan replied that the two witnesses didn't "scurry" despite the fact that they had left before any of their claims could be scrutinized.

One witness who didn't "scurry," noted Jansen, was Stanford constitutional scholar Matthew Seligman, who emphasized to the committee that private companies such as Twitter and Facebook are not obligated to let everyone use them and that their decision to remove certain content did not amount to government-sponsored censorship.

"Once again it bears repeating: the First Amendment applies to governmental restrictions of speech, not private conduct," he said.

KATE MOJO

...Steyer and young environmentalists are targeting Dem Rep. Steve Lynch for his support of theKeystone XL pipeline. Lynch voted for a House bill last year that called for the Obama administration to approve the controversial pipeline. Lynch's opponent in the primary, Rep. Ed Markey, has the support of a number of environmental groups and opposes the pipeline.

Steyer joined with Craig S. Altemose of the Better Future Project and three other Massachusetts college students to write a open letter to Lynch on Monday demanding he change his position on the pipeline:

Because climate change is such a serious issue, and because it is on the ballot as never before, we are asking you, Congressman Lynch, today to do one of two things by high noon on Friday, March 22. Either act like a real Democrat and oppose Keystone’s dirty energy. Or, get a sworn, binding statement – with securities law enforcement – from TransCanada and the refiners that all of the Keystone-shipped oil will stay here.

If Lynch doesn't change his tune, they wrote, Steyer will then "immediately launch an aggressive public education campaign" against Lynch. In an interview with Mother Jones, Chris Lehane, a spokesman for Steyer, declined to say how much they would spend on such a campaign, but said it would include paid media, get out the vote work, and field campaigns.

Steyer became involved in the Massachusetts race after Altemose and the other young activists reached out. ​Altemose said their effort is "less of an endorsement of Markey and more a repudiation of Lynch's actions." The campaign, he said, is designed to "make sure there's political consequences for disregarding future generations."

"For someone to believe they can represent Massachusetts and be supporting policies that take us backward to the dirty energy past is just mind boggling," Altemose said.

Steyer has been a particularly vocal opponent of Keystone in recent weeks, joining forces with a handful of young Massachusetts advocates to pressure Rep. Steve Lynch (D-Mass.) -- who's running against Rep. Edward Markey for the open Senate seat in Masschusetts -- to relinquish his support for the pipeline. To have 1,000 Keystone activists show up outside his house would be, well, awkward.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/20/keystone-xl-massachusetts-senate_n_2917579.html

The battle over the Keystone XL is threatening to impinge upon the U.S. Senate race in Massachusetts, with California billionaire Thomas Steyer, who opposes the oil pipeline, threatening to spend big money to influence the outcome.

A former hedge fund manager turned environmental advocate, Steyer has joined forces with a handful of young Massachusetts advocates to pressure Rep. Steve Lynch (D-Mass.) to relinquish his support for the proposed pipeline, which would run from Alberta's tar sands in Canada to oil refineries along the Gulf Coast. Lynch previously voted in favor of expediting approval of the pipeline. His rival in the April 30 primary, Rep. Edward Markey, is the ranking member on the House Natural Resources Committee and an outspoken opponent of the project.

In a public letter, Steyer called on Lynch to do one of two things by "high noon" on Friday: "Either act like a real Democrat and oppose Keystone's dirty energy. Or, get a sworn, binding statement -- with securities law enforcement -- from TransCanada and the refiners that all of the Keystone-shipped oil will stay here." Otherwise, Steyer warns, he'll "launch an aggressive public education campaign" aimed at hurting Lynch's electoral chances.

The Lynch campaign was unimpressed. "This letter reads like something out of a James Bond film -- a billionaire making threats and issuing ultimatums that expire at 'high noon,'" said spokesman Conor Yunits. "Like President [Barack] Obama, Congressman Lynch supports an all-of-the-above energy strategy, and he is not going to respond to threats and ultimatums."

Lynch has argued the $5.3 billion project would create jobs and tap a valuable energy source. Opponents note the jobs estimates are overblown and emphasize the extremely unfavorable climate impacts of the project.

"While we are still hoping against hope that Lynch will come to his senses and announce his opposition to the Keystone XL pipeline by Friday, if he does not, we are definitely planning to move forward to make sure people know he's prioritizing polluters over the people," said Craig Altemose, one of the environmental activists on the letter.

Last year Steyer spent tens of millions of dollars on California ballot initiative Proposition 39, which channels more money into clean energy projects by closing a tax loophole for out-of-state corporations.

But his involvement in the Democratic primary could prove a headache for Markey, who's called on primary candidates of both parties to reject money from outside interest groups.

The so-called People's Pledge was modeled after an agreement between former Sen. Scott Brown (R) and his opponent, sitting Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D), to curb outside campaign spending in last year's Senate race.

Republican contenders in the 2013 Senate race have declined to make the commitment, noting they don't have the connections or campaign funds of their more established Democratic rivals, according to Reuters.

"Ed Markey categorically rejects attempts to violate the spirit of the People's Pledge, and urges groups and individuals on both sides to respect the pledge to keep outside advertisements off Massachusetts airwaves," said Markey campaign manager Sarah Benzing. "Unlike the Republicans in this race, who have flatly refused to follow the lead of Scott Brown in condemning the influence of Karl Rove and the billionaire Koch brothers in our politics today, Ed Markey is committed to passing a constitutional amendment that would clean up our elections by repealing the court's misguided Citizens United ruling."

Environmentalists are undeterred. "We are planning a kick-off on Friday with a mobile billboard," said Altemose in his email. "We're also talking about documenting how many times people make the bogus claim that this pipeline will help with our energy independence, and issuing a report naming just how many times that's been claimed, and who's been making the claim."

The State Department, which has authority over the pipeline's final approval, is in the midst of a 45-day public comment period. A decision by the Obama administration is expected late this summer.

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Stephen_Lynch

Stephen F. Lynch has been a Democratic member of the U. S. House of Representatives, representing the 9th District of Massachusetts, since 2001. (map)

Record and controversies

General information about important bills and votes for can be found in Congresspedia's articles on legislation. You can add information you find on how Stephen Lynch voted by clicking the "[edit]" link to the right and typing it in. Remember to cite your sources!

Iraq War

Lynch voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 that started the Iraq War.^[1]

For more information see the chart of U.S. House of Representatives votes on the Iraq War.

Environmental record

For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Bio

Lynch was born March 31, 1955 in Boston. He was educated at Wentworth Institute of Technology and Boston College Law School, and was an attorney and a member of theMassachusetts House of Representatives and the Massachusetts Senate before entering the U.S. House of Representatives.

Congressional career

Lynch was elected to replace the late Congressman Joe Moakley, who died in office in 2001.

2006 elections

In 2006, Republicans nominated Jack E. Robinson III to face Lynch in his November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006) [1] Lynch retained his seat.

Money in politics

This section contains links to – and feeds from – money in politics databases. cid=N00013855&cycle=2006

• Revolving door profile for Stephen Lynch from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org website.
• 2006 privately funded travel profile for Stephen Lynch from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org website.
• Personal finance profile for Stephen Lynch from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org website.

Committees and Affiliations

Committees

• House Committee on Financial Services
  • Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises
  • Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity
  • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

• House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
  • Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Post Office, and the District of Columbia
  • Subcommittee on National Security and International Relations

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

• House Committee on Financial Services
  • Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity
  • Subcommittee on Capital Markets Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises
  • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

• House Committee on Government Reform
  • Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs - Ranking Minority Member
  • Subcommittee on National Security Emerging Threats and International Relations

More Background Data

• Background information on Stephen Lynch from Project Vote Smart

• Interest group scorecard ratings for Stephen Lynch from Project Vote Smart

• Voting record for Stephen Lynch from the Washington Post database

• Information on Stephen Lynch from Congress Merge

Wikipedia also has an article on Stephen Lynch. This article may use content from the Wikipedia article under the terms of the GFDL.

FIRST ELECTED:2001

Leadership PAC (1): 

Common Sense Democrat PAC

Career Fundraising

1989 - 2014 Total Receipts:	$10,077,585
1989 - 2014 Total Spent:	$9,303,115
Debts:	$0
Last Report:	Monday, September 30, 2013

Top 5 Contributors, 2001 - 2014

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Top 5 Industries, 2001 - 2014

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Source of Funds

	Individual Contributions	$6,620,441	(66%)
	PAC Contributions	$2,472,770	(25%)
	Candidate self-financing	$0	(0%)
	Other	$984,374	(10%)