Governor Pence Travels to Washington, D.C. for Meetings
Governor Mike Pence will be meeting with other fellow governors in Washington, D.C. as part of the National Governors Association (NGA) Winter Meeting this weekend.
Governor Pence will be attending business sessions, a meeting with the NGA Economic Development and Commerce Committee, and a governors-only meeting with President Obama. Pence will also spend an evening with the President and Mrs. Obama at the White House.
Congressman Donnelly Sends Letter to President Obama Requesting a Reduction in Gas Prices
Congressman Joe Donnelly has sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to open the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in order to reduce the price of gasoline. He stated that opening the reserve has proven to reduce gas prices.
Last year, President Obama allowed the release of 30 million barrels of oil from the reserve and that action reduced the gas prices six percent.
IDHS District 2 All Hazards Management Team Returns after Deployment
Members of the Indiana Department of Homeland Security District 2 All Hazards Incident Management Team have returned from an eight-day deployment to Clark County to aid in tornado disaster relief. The team, comprised of 15 area volunteers representing seven counties, provided incident command for recovery efforts.
The EF4 tornado that ripped through the area destroyed 500 structures and 13 people died. The District 2 team assumed command of the incident and worked closely with volunteers from across the region to restore the affected communities.
Governor Mitch Daniels Urged to Run for President
Governor Mitch Daniels says he is receiving more calls urging him to get into the race for President but he will not change his mind.
Daniels announced last May that he would not seek the Republican nomination for President, disappointing many Indiana supporters. But the calls and letters asking him to change his mind have continued and have even picked up in the past few weeks.
Speaking to reporters yesterday morning, Daniels said, “I never wanted to run, and never planned to run.”
Starke County to Receive Federal Public Assistance
President Barack Obama has approved 32 counties for federal public assistance for damage sustained by severe weather that began April 19th. Starke County was the only county listed from Northern Indiana that will be receiving funding.
Public assistance means state and local governments and certain non-profit organizations in the designated counties are eligible to apply for federal assistance to pay 75 percent of the approved cost of debris removal, emergency services related to the disaster and repairing or replacing damaged public facilities, such as roads, buildings and utilities.
Joe Donnelly Urges President Obama to Tap into Oil Reserves
Second District Congressman Joe Donnelly confirmed this week that he is part of a group of Democrat Representatives who are urging President Barack Obama to tap into the Strategic Premium Oil Reserves.
“These prices are outrageous,” said Donnelly. “I’ve asked the President to open up the Strategic Petroleum Reserve right away. I am trying to lead the fight against speculators. We need to be an energy independent country. We need to open up the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and go after speculators. If we do those things, we will see prices drop.”
Congressman Joe Donnelly to Vote in Favor of the President’s Tax Cut Compromise
Second District Congressman Joe Donnelly said Thursday that he will be voting for the President’s tax cut compromise. Democrat opponents are poised to attempt to sink the measure that came after a compromise with Republicans.
The Obama plan, agreed to in principal by the Republican side, would prevent the December expiration of all the Bush tax cuts enacted in 2001 and 2003. Obama had originally balked at cutting taxes for the highest earners.
