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"Guinta shows he is in over his head in Congress"
Seacoastonline.com - Letter to the Editor - June 01, 2011
May 31 — To the Editor:
We elected Rep. Frank Guinta to Congress last November, but that doesn't mean he's qualified for the job. It was apparent this week that he is in over his head.
Guinta sits on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and its Subcommittee on Organization and Financial Management, giving him an opportunity to question the Obama administration on banking and other matters. On May 24, his subcommittee took testimony from Elizabeth Warren, a strong consumer protection advocate charged with setting up with new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and a target of Republicans trying to protect the banks from regulation.
Mr. Guinta embarrassed himself and New Hampshire voters. Here is the key excerpt from his five minutes of questioning (you can see it at http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/BureauOve/start/2337/stop/3593):
Mr. Guinta: "Can you tell me why there's a necessity for a five-year fixed term when I don't believe anyone else in history has had that period of time as an appointment?"
Ms. Warren: "Congressman, I think many terms are five-year fixed terms. It's my understanding that the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency finished his five-year term last August."
Mr. Guinta: "But those entities, I think, are at the discretion of Congress — there's an oversight process through appropriations. You're excluded from that."
Ms. Warren: "No, congressman, I'm sorry, but that's not the rule with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. There is no banking regulator who is subject to the political process or to appropriations. All banking regulators are funded independently ... (from assessments on banks)."
Ms. Warren went on to instruct Mr. Guinta in the basics of the industry his subcommittee oversees. Mr. Guinta knows he disagrees with Ms. Warren, but he can't get the details straight about why.
Mr. Guinta sounds reasonable, if you don't look too closely at his actual positions: opposing consumer financial protection, replacing Medicare with vouchers, opposing job creation programs, giving oil companies free leases if they have to give up their subsidies. But we've elected a tea party ideologue to represent us in Congress. Next time, we need to do better.
Bill Duncan
New Castle, NH
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