73 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 33 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing Summarizing
OpEdNews Op Eds   

A Brief Conversation with Congressman Randy Neugebauer (R-TX) On Housing Reform, HUD and Truth Tellers (Whistleblowers)

By       (Page 1 of 1 pages)   1 comment

Kenneth Kendrick
Message Kenneth Kendrick
Become a Fan
  (2 fans)

Last evening, September 4, 2013, in my tiny town of Wilson, Texas, I had a chance for a quick and informal talk with Congressman Neugebauer at a fundraiser for "Tractor Drive 2013, Drive Hunger out of Rural Texas." Normally, given such an opportunity, I would salivate at the chance to get in a few hard-hitting questions, such as about Neugebauer's vote against reining in NSA data collections or his views on NSA Truth Tellers. However, a fund raiser for hunger at a high school, where an open forum for formal questions has not been set up, is not the appropriate time and place. Nevertheless, as it turned out, the Congressman was kind enough to speak with me with no prior warning, so out of respect for the event I kept things light.

Tractor Drive 2013 Driving Hunger out of Rural Texas Wilson, TX
Tractor Drive 2013 Driving Hunger out of Rural Texas Wilson, TX
(Image by self)
  Details   DMCA

Tractor Drive 2013 Driving Hunger out of Rural Texas Wilson, TX by self

I introduced myself as the Whistleblower against Peanut Corp., Program Manager for Drum Majors for Truth, and a fellow graduate of Coronado High School in Lubbock, Texas, and the congressman agreed to answer a couple questions.

It never hurts to use a little high school pride to break the ice. Congressman Neugebauer is a staunch Conservative Republican, as most people in this area are. Since I consider myself much more moderate, I stated up front that I did not agree with many of his views. Neugebauer is Chairman of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance and has expressed support of the PATH ACT, which would deregulate much of the legislation of the Dodd-Frank Act. I expressed my concern with the PATH Act and how it would change current Whistleblower rights. Congressman Neugebauer responded that the current legislation "went a little overboard with regulation" but that the Whistleblower Provisions of Dodd-Frank "were not one of the issues of concern." I do hope the congressman meant that the Whistleblower protections of the Dodd-Frank Act will remain intact, as many Truth Tellers have come forward based on this legislation who were previously unprotected by the False Claims Act. The 2012 SEC Annual Report on the Frank-Dodd Whistleblower Program shows just how effective this provision has been, and I hope the major provisions and protections remain intact.

On September 10, 2013 a hearing entitled "Reducing Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in Housing Programs: Inspector General Perspectives." is set to take place. I asked Congressman Neugebauer whether, given his own historical stance on deregulation and in light of this hearing, he expected Whistleblowers to still receive protection for reporting fraud, waste, or abuse within the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development. I was pleasantly surprised when he responded, "Of course, there has to be accountability." Once again I hope that is the case not only with respect to the legislation, but in practice.

Although I do not agree with Congressman Neugebauer on many issues, I do appreciate his giving me a few moments of his time at this worthy event. His words seemed genuine, as those of most politicians do, but I do hope his support of Whistleblowers, at least with respect to the Dodd-Frank Act and the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, remains genuine.

Rate It | View Ratings

Kenneth Kendrick Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Kenneth Kendrick, AKA Whistleblower against Peanut Corp of America. Food Safety advocate and Program Manager Drum Majors for Truth. Also work with http://scrabblecheat.net, current Green Party candidate for Texas Agriculture Commissioner.

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Why Can't We Call A Whistleblower a Truth Teller?

Three years later is food from Texas safe?

A Brief Conversation with Congressman Randy Neugebauer (R-TX) On Housing Reform, HUD and Truth Tellers (Whistleblowers)

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend