Press Office of Ethan Hall

[Ethan Hall (D-IA)]

The Press Office of Congressman Ethan Hall

Chief of Staff: Nicholas Yates



Press Secretary: Audrey Trotter



This is the place to find all of the updates on Congressman Hall's activities.

[bertieahern]

ms trotter, i'm not one to disparage the weaker sex in any way, why my grand mammy was one of the gallant 68 at cripple creek valley but making a female press secretary is shooting ya'll self, i say shooting ya'll self in the foot. what this country needs is less women on television and in politics and in the public eye in general, on a personal level though i'd like to make an invitation to you to join mah, er...personal staff based back home in good old dallas. in conclusion, yeehaw woman.
(let the record show pistol shots were fired)

[Ethan Hall (D-IA)]

Hall Blasts the President's Proposed Budget

In remarks on the House floor, veteran Congressman Ethan Hall criticized President Rick Warder's budget as being too focused on spending cuts at the expense of all else. Congressman Hall appeared to reporters after he voted 'nay' on the budget:

It is absolutely intolerable that in the middle of eliminating assistance for home buying and slashing a host of other programs, that this President would propose budget increases for the already bloated Department of Defense. How many billions of dollars have we already spent on wasteful pork projects in the Pentagon? How many Ospreys have to crash before Congress stops pumping millions into the project? There will be a reckoning in 2010 and it will see the resurgence of the Democratic Party.

[Ethan Hall (D-IA)]

Hall Addresses the Iowa Democratic Party and Moveon.org

Hall Press Secretary Audrey Trotter released a statement releasing a schedule of Congressman Hall's weekend activities. Most were simply meetings with constituents, though he was slated to give the keynote address at a DNC fundraiser, which was co-sponsored by the Iowa Democratic Party and Moveon.org. Congressman Hall spoke specifically about the need for a Democratic majority to blunt the worst aspects of President Warder's anti-middle class agenda. A full transcript of Congressman Hall's remarks can be found at the following location:

capitolhill3.proboards76.com/index.cgi?board=democratfr&action=display&thread=1135451186

[Ethan Hall (D-IA)]

Trotter Answers Questions about Taggert Comments

You know, Leslie, I'm not going to get into a partisan shouting match with a senior Republican Congressman. Congressman Taggert knows that there isn't a Democrat in the House that wants to endanger American lives - so, I'm guessing that he simply overreacted a bit. My one question to Congressman Taggert would have to be: Is the Pentagon so perfect that there's no pork to be trimmed in their budget?

Considering the amount of politicking that goes into base closures and the design of new, sometimes worthless weapons systems - I think the Pentagon could use a bit of a shave. I think the American public sees that too.

[Ethan Hall (D-IA)]

Hall Comments on Border Deaths

Congressman Ethan Hall spoke with the Des Moines Register about the deaths on the border in the Southwest. Congressman Hall said:

First of all, let me say that I commend President Warder for condemning the ruthless actions of a few vigilantes. This is a perfect example of a situation where people with a legitimate political viewpoint, that we should limit illegal immigration, go overboard in trying to enforce the laws themselves. We need to go down immediately and put these men behind bars - then work in a bipartisan manner at preventing the need for illegal immigration. The Guest Worker Treaty was an excellent start, but more needs to be done.

[Ethan Hall (D-IA)]

Trotter Responds to Questions about Iran

This is an excerpt from a press conference with Hall Press Secretary Audrey Trotter:

Trotter: Quiet down everyone - I'll take you all one at a time. Jim?

Q: Does this nuclear test change Congressman Hall's position on the Use of Force Resolution?

Trotter: Of course not. The United States should respond in the same way that it has when other countries have become nuclear powers. Iran is unstable - but so is Pakistan and so are certain former Soviet Republics, and we never went to war with them to ensure that their weapons were secure. Lindsey?

Q: But none of those countries have threatened the United States or its allies - doesn't that make this different?

Trotter: Absolutely not - India, for example, is a very close ally of the United States. It would be a disaster if President Musharraf's government were replaced by an Islamic fundamentalist one - one that could concievably use those weapons against India or our forces in Afghanistan. I think it sets a very dangerous precedent if we start attacking any country that might be a threat - because I assure you, there are a great many that will be on that list. Follow up, Lindsey?

Q: Is Congressman Hall worried that we don't have the troops to undertake such an attack?

Trotter: The Congressman believes that the DoD is fooling themselves if they think this can be solved through airpower alone. If they want regime change it will take men on the ground and lots of them - We simply do not have the forces to go through with such an invasion, despite the Secretary's assurances.

[Ethan Hall (D-IA)]

Congressman Hall Suggests Possible Alliance with Warder

Congressman Ethan Hall suggested to reporters that the vigilante slayings of six Mexican immigrants might be just the opening needed in order to get some comprehensive immigration and border security reform passed. Congressman Hall said:

I think, ultimately, that President Warder is right. Sending the troops out or closing our borders isn't going to solve anything. The bureaucracy that we see in so many overlapping agencies wasn't really helped by the Homeland Security Act, which is why I think that we may have an opening here that should be exploited while the fire is still hot. I'd be happy to sit down with President Warder or any Republican official to see what we can do about fixing our borders and streamlining enforcement.

[Ethan Hall (D-IA)]

Hall: More Republican Lies

Congressman Ethan Hall released a statement regarding the new Republican attack ad that has been appearing on television sets in Pennsylvania and Hall's homestate Iowa. Congressman Hall said:

It is really sad that the best that Republicans can do is demonize Democrats and use scare tactics against the citizens of the United States. First of all, this ad is not even factual. The CIA long-ago released a statement which said that there was no evidence linking Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the 1979 hostage-takers. The photo, to put it bluntly, is not him. Secondly, President Warder and the Congressional Republicans know that Iran will not use nuclear weapons against Israel or the United States.

Even then, the Republicans could get most Democratic support if they simply offered a resolution to use airpower to destroy Iran's nuclear stockpiles - no one wants proliferation. What we do not need is another open-ended resolution that sends more Americans to die in the desert. Change the resolution and we can talk. Until then, stop lying about the facts and stop playing partisan games with national security.

[Ethan Hall (D-IA)]

Hall Laments Passage of the Use of Force Resolution

Congressman Ethan Hall, in a letter to his constituents, apologized for the passage of the Use of Force Resolution. An excerpt is as follows:

I am deeply sorry to be a member of this body which has so recklessly decided to give the President complete authority to do whatever he wants in regards to Syria or Iran. I know that in my heart, I will always have the belief that if I had argued more persuasively or fought more vigorously that a handful of Republicans would have opposed this President's premature rush to war. While I am sorry that this did not work out the way I had hoped - I, and the rest of the House Democrats, will continue fighting every day to ensure that our troops get whatever they need and that America does not abandon them like we have in every conflict since Vietnam.

[Ethan Hall (D-IA)]

Hall Addesses the People for the American Way on Electoral Reform

Congressman Ethan Hall appeared before a meeting of the People for the American Way in St. Louis, Missouri on Monday. Hall spoke about the need for a Democratic Congress to press forward with the cause of electoral reform. This was billed as a major fundraiser for the PAW and for the Democratic Party, who is the chief recipient of PAW donations. The text of Congressman Hall's comments may be viewed here:

www.capitolhill3.proboards76.com/index.cgi?board=democratfr&action=display&thread=1136217921