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Buerkle to Holder: “How many more Border Patrol Agents would have had to die as part of Operation Fast and Furious for you to take Responsibility?”

February 2nd, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

This morning, Congresswoman Ann Marie Buerkle (NY-25) questioned U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The hearing was on the subject of Attorney General Holder  and the Department of Justice’s involvement in Operation Fast and Furious.

Holder refused to take responsibility or be held accountable when asked extremely pointed questions from Congresswoman Buerkle. Buerkle began her questioning by replaying video from a previous hearing where the victim’s family requested answers to serious questions regarding Operation Fast and Furious. Buerkle then pointedly asked Attorney General Holder “How many more Border Patrol Agents would have to die as part of Operation Fast and Furious for you to take responsibility?”

“The Attorney General’s testimony today was disgraceful. His continued deflection of accountability and denial of any knowledge of Operation Fast and Furious is shameful. If he, as head of the Department of Justice, is not accountable, then who is? How bad does a situation have to be, how many people have to be killed, before Mr. Holder believes he should be held accountable? If he had no knowledge of the program that is under his purview, then he is grossly incompetent,” said Rep. Buerkle.

“Throughout Congress’s investigation into Operation Fast and Furious, Attorney General Eric Holder has been consistent. He has been consistently callous toward the victim’s family, consistently inaccurate in the information he has provided to Congress, consistently not taken responsibility for his role, and or consistently dodged difficult questions. I once again demand his resignation, because whether he is accountable incompetent he has utterly failed in his responsibilities as Attorney General.”

Watch video as Congresswoman Buerkle questions AG Eric Holder on the Fast and Furious operation.

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Congresswoman Buerkle Posts Strongest Fundraising Quarter Ever

February 1st, 2012

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                            Contact: David Ray
January, 31, 2012                                                                                 Office: 315-445-1115

SYRACUSE – Tuesday, Congresswoman Ann Marie Buerkle posted her campaign finance report for the 4th quarter of 2011. Buerkle’s FEC filings show Buerkle raising a total of $224,401, easily making this the strongest fundraising quarter her campaign has ever posted, dating back all the way back to the 2010 election.

“This strong showing indicates the level of excitement and support that is building for our campaign,” said Congresswoman Buerkle. “As we continue to fight for sound pro-growth policies that create jobs, more and more central New Yorkers join our effort.  I am thankful for all of their support.”

Buerkle’s report was highlighted by 598 contributions for the three month reporting period. Of those 598 contributors, 399 of them contributed $100 or less during the reporting period.

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State of the Union

January 31st, 2012

It’s hard to believe that January is almost over. Spring is just around the corner and I want to provide you with a quick update of what has been going on in Washington and out on the campaign trail.

State of the Union

 Last week, President Barack Obama delivered his 2012 State of the Union Address to Congress and the Nation. President Obama had an opportunity to present a bold vision and strong leadership, yet he resorted to re-election rhetoric.

While President Obama says he wants to create jobs and improve our economy, he continues to stand in the way of dozens of jobs bills passed by the House. He claims that our nation should become energy independent, but instead he blocked a project that would have decreased our country’s dependence on foreign oil and created 100,000 jobs at the same time. Worst of all, President Obama showed no signs of taking steps toward fiscal responsibility. Instead he simply called for more taxes on hard-working Americans and gave us more class warfare rhetoric.

Over 1,000 Days and Still No Budget

Last Tuesday marked the 1,000th day since the Democratic Senate passed a budget. Passing a budget is a legal requirement of Congress and in April 2011 the House passed a bold plan to restore our nation to fiscal responsibility. The Senate’s failure to pass a budget is a dereliction of duty.

In 2012, we have an opportunity to send the Senate a message that Americans take fiscal responsibility seriously. You and your family must abide by a budget, why can’t Congress?

Out and Around the District

Last was a busy one, as I attended multiple celebrations for Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday. I also had the pleasure of joining members of our Vietnamese community at their New Year celebration. Lastly, it was an honor to participate in the Syracuse March for Life as well as speak at the National March for Life. A special thanks goes out to Jane Pigott for organizing a great event and for the countless individuals who work to spread the pro-life message through love and compassion.

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An Update from Our District

November 14th, 2010

Dear Friends and Supporters,

With all that has been going on in the 25th Congressional District since Election Day, I wanted to provide you an update on our progress and again thank each of you for your continued support.

As the media has reported, our lead in this race continues to grow.  The absentee vote counts in Monroe and Cayuga Counties added to our total and expanded our overall lead.  That lead will continue to grow once the nearly 200 eligible Republican, Conservative, and Independence party absentee votes, which Congressman Maffei has attempted to throw out, are rightfully returned to the mix.

The remaining two counties in the 25th Congressional District – Wayne and Onondaga – should begin their absentee vote counts next week.  We fully expect to pick-up additional votes and further widen our lead in Wayne County.  In Onondaga County, a review of the records shows that Republicans, Conservatives and Independence party members returned hundreds more absentee ballots than did Democrat and Working Families party members.

Our expanding lead, along with the party make-up of the returned absentees in Onondaga County, make clear that Congressman Maffei’s only path to “victory” is to attempt to throw out hundreds of legally-cast and eligible absentee ballots.  The sad irony of this situation is that in order to “win” Congressman Maffei must attempt to throw out the legal votes of the very people he claims to represent in Congress.

More discouraging are the multiple reports we have received that Congressman Maffei and his staff are targeting the absentee votes of Onondaga County senior citizens for disqualification.  I stand opposed to any efforts on the part of Congressman Maffei to throw out the ballots of large swaths of Onondaga’s senior citizens.  These people – our parents and grandparents – are our veterans, teachers, doctors, nurses, and others that built our community.  They fought for our freedom, kept us safe, and worked hard to build a better future for themselves and their children.  Their votes are too important to be discarded in his quest to cling to office.

As for my schedule, I will spend much of next week in Washington, DC, participating in the 112th Congressional New Member Orientation.  I am attending this important training session so that I will be prepared to hit the ground running when the new Congress is sworn-in this January.

Many of you have asked how you can help during the review of the remaining ballots.  If you would like to help, please contact my campaign office at (315) 218-5114.  We are taking names and phone numbers for those who are able to volunteer during the counting process.  You may make financial contributions to the effort by logging on to my website at www.buerkleforcongress.com or by mailing a check to: Ann Marie Buerkle for Congress – P.O. Box 219 – DeWitt, New York 13214 – and indicating “recount” on the memo line.

Again, my sincere thanks for your continued support,

Ann Marie Buerkle

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Polls Close at 9:00 PM

November 2nd, 2010

There are just a few hours left to let Washington hear your voice. If you haven’t already, I’m asking for you to vote for me today.

Rarely do we get a real chance to have a real impact on Election Day. This is one of those rare opportunities. You can set this nation on the right path by getting to the polls before they close at 9:00 PM.

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