U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo Discusses the Issues

*Editor’s Note: As of Sept. 10, Syria has reportedly accepted a deal with Russia and will hand over its chemical weapons.
RIO GRANDE – “I was surprised when the speaker (House Speaker John Boehner) supported the president,” said U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-2nd) during a Sept. 4 meeting with Herald staff. The congressman made the visit while Congress was in recess. He touched on a number of topics including Syria*, flood insurance, privacy and transportation infrastructure.
Having information, some classified, on security matters from being a member of the Armed Services and Intelligence committees, the district’s congressman said representatives had been “begging the administration for two years to have a policy on Syria” to no avail. “We had no policy and 100,000 people were massacred and slaughtered. We had an opportunity early on to maybe have groups be in opposition to Assad, and not al-Qaida, but that evaporated. We have no policy at all. The president has not explained what this strike will do to punish Assad. He has not explained what will happen the day after.”
LoBiondo told the Herald, “Unless anything changes, my vote is no” for any Syrian strikes or military action.*
“His foreign policy is a disaster, China, Russia and now Syria is the latest in a string on how the absence of foreign policy makes us perceived as weak around the world. It makes us vulnerable,” he continued.
Would such lack of policy be perceived by Far East allies like South Korea, Japan and Philippines as weakness? “Would it impact on their thinking of these longtime allies?” asked Publisher Art Hall.
“Absolutely,” replied LoBiondo. “It demonstrates how not to be a world leader. It raises questions in their minds what their allegiance and association with us really means. The president’s policy changes like the wind. Most places around the world look on weakness as something to be exploited,” he said.
Back to Syria*, LoBiondo noted, “The Brits are not with us. If you had to pick a country to be our ally, I doubt France would be the first to come to mind. These are the people (France), when we were in Afghanistan, who said ‘We don’t fly or fight at night.’”
“We just can’t sometimes throw a dart and say that’s where we are going to get involved. Genocide is taking place in Sudan, but everybody is silent, hear no evil, speak no evil,” he said.
Of the Libyan strike against Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, who was killed Oct. 20, 2011, LoBiondo said, “He had quieted down, but it was decided to go after him. That decision was unilaterally made by the president.”
Constituents’ calls against Syrian involvement* daily consumed between two and three hours of LoBiondo’s recess, he said, and he made a point to stress that he returned all their calls.
He added he could count on one hand those in the district who “think we should be doing something.” That, he noted, “is because the president has not made the case nationally.” While the president claims the Assad regime was behind the chemical use against nationals, including over 400 children, “He thinks he has proof. That is not air tight. What if it was perpetrated by rebels?” LoBiondo said if the president has more proof, and believes it is too classified to release to the nation, he ought to brief Congress in classified meetings.
Questioned about Congress possibly passing legislation to “Address the U.S. aging infrastructure, particularly highways and bridges that are crumbling around us,” Grassy Sound and Middle Thorofare being examples, LoBiondo responded huge sums were spent on many things other than infrastructure at the behest of then Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Sen. Harry Reid.
He recounted when the coffers were full of funding for public works projects, he was told by then state Commissioner of Transportation under Gov. Jon Corzine, about the Route 52 bridge and highway project linking Somers Point and Ocean City. The work, in progress for over two years at the time, was being touted by the administration as one that produced 500 jobs.
“The president missed a golden opportunity,” LoBiondo said.
Asked of the possibility Route 55 would ever win federal funding and approval, LoBiondo replied the federal government would never tell a state what roads should be deemed worthy of construction of reconstruction.
Unless a state “makes a determination this will be a priority … the feds will not participate,” he said.
“In case of Route 55 south, there are several routes it could take,” he noted. Until the state gets united support for one route, no funding will take place. “The state has not made it a top priority so the feds will never pick what route it should be,” LoBiondo said.
Of personal privacy, LoBiondo believes much of “what was reported was self-reported.” He noted each agency has an inspector general who oversees that constant monitoring of that agency is taking place. The National Security Agency on its own cannot do domestic monitoring without a court order, LoBiondo said.
LoBiondo spoke of his attempt to lessen the impact that increasing federal flood insurance premiums are having on individuals and counties, like Cape May, located on a waterfront. They include municipalities from Maine to Texas and those on the major rivers in the Midwest.
While freeholders have urged a change in the Biggert-Waters Act to lessen the flood premiums, especially on second-home owners, such as those who populate barrier island communities, LoBiondo remains adamant that to reopen discussion at this time would likely spell doom to the insurance program, since leaders in the Senate remain unconvinced about the program’s viability.
Finally, LoBiondo underscored his opposition to any oil or gas exploration off New Jersey’s coast on the Continental Shelf. He said there are many domestic, on-shore locations where oil and gas are available, and means of transporting them, including the Keystone pipeline project, if the president would allow it.
Failing that, LoBiondo said the Canadians, who would first offer the oil to the United States in that pipeline, will instead sell the petroleum to the Chinese.
He cited a relatively small oil spill that took place in the Delaware River. “I was just elected, and two weeks before Memorial Day a valve misfired and tar balls appeared along the county’s beaches. Philadelphia media had a field day with the mess. Chambers of commerce went bonkers as motel and home reservations were cancelled. A massive cleanup was made, and the environment was saved.
For that recollection, LoBiondo is not anxious to see any exploration take place off the state’s coastline.