Bill Sali

Bill Sali
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Idaho's 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 4, 2007
Preceded by	C. L. "Butch" Otter
Personal details
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Terry Sali
Residence	Kuna
Profession	Attorney

William T. "Bill" Sali (born February 17, 1954) is the United States Representative from Idaho's 1st congressional district. The district includes the western third of the state, as well as most of Boise, the state capital. Sali previously served in the Idaho Legislature as a member of the Idaho House of Representatives.

Personal life

Sali was born in Portsmouth, Ohio in 1954, and moved to Idaho with his family in 1962. He graduated from Boise State University in 1981 and the University of Idaho law school in 1984.

Sali and his wife, Terry, reside in Kuna, Idaho. They have been married since 1976 and have six adult children. Prior to his career in politics, Sali was an attorney, professional musician, farmer, and Caterpillar machinery salesman.

State Legislature

Sali was first elected to the Idaho House of Representatives in 1990. During his time there, he gained a reputation as a staunch conservative on social and economic issues, frequently drawing the ire of the more moderate Republican house leadership.

Sali served as vice-chairman of the state House Health and Welfare Committee and as Chairman of the Special Committee on Health Care. He also sat on the Commerce, Industry and Tourism Committee, the Human Resources Committees, and the Judiciary, Rules, and Administration Committee.

2006 Congressional race

Main article: Idaho 1st congressional district election, 2006

On May 23, 2006, Sali won the Republican nomination in Idaho's 1st congressional district with 26 percent of the vote in a six-way race. His opponent in the general election campaign was Democrat Larry Grant.

Over the years, Sali had been involved in disputes with some prominent Idaho Republicans, including former Idaho House speaker Bruce Newcomb and 2nd district congressman Mike Simpson. Despite past arguments, the state and national Republican Party came out in support of Sali's candidacy. Vice President Dick Cheney campaigned for him, saying, "He’s somebody you can count on to look out for the taxpayer." Dolores Crow, Chairwoman of the House Revenue and Taxation Committee in the Idaho legislature, said in a television advertisement that "We need Bill Sali to represent us in Washington, D.C."

Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman and then Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert also came to Idaho to support Sali, and his campaign received substantial financial backing from the Club for Growth, the Republican National Committee, and the National Right to Life PAC.

Sali was elected to Congress on November 7, 2006, defeating Grant 50% to 45%.

U.S. House of Representatives

Sali was elected president of the 2007–2008 Republican freshman class.

Committee Assignments

• Committee on Natural Resources
  • Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources
  • Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Oceans
  • Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands
• Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
  • Information Policy, Census and National Archives Subcommittee

State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)

In 2007, Congress took up the reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, which provides health care for about 6 million children and 670,000 adults from families who earn too much money to qualify for Medicare but not enough to afford health insurance. Congressional Democrats and many Republicans tried to use the opportunity to dramatically expand the program but were opposed by President George W. Bush and other Republicans. In 2006, 5.4 million children were eligible but not enrolled in SCHIP or Medicaid and 9.4 million total children were uninsured.

Bill Sali voted against the first House bill, which passed along party lines. It would have added $47 billion over five years to the $25 billion cost of the program and added about 5 million people to the program, including children, some legal immigrants, pregnant women and adults aged 18 and 19. The bill was financed mainly by an increase in cigarette taxes.

House Democrats, with 45 Republicans, later compromised and passed a bill which expanded the plan by $35 billion and would have insured about 3.5 million more children from families generally making between 250% and 300% of the federal poverty line (about $51,000 to $62,000 for a family of four). Most non-pregnant, childless adults were excluded, as were most legal immigrants and all illegal immigrants. Bill Sali voted against the bill.

After President Bush vetoed the bill, Democratic leaders attempted to override the veto with the same bill but failed. Bill Sali voted against the bill.

House Democrats then attempted to override it with another bill, which gave into Republican demands for increased checks for citizenship, the quick phasing-out of adult coverage, a hard limit of 300% of the federal poverty level and funding for families that covered their children through private insurance instead. Republicans, angry that the vote was scheduled during massive fires in California, blocked the veto override. Bill Sali voted against the bill.

Minimum Wage

He opposed legislation to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 per hour, as well as a Republican motion to recommit.

Iraq War

Sali has consistently voted to support the Iraq War and has opposed all legislation aimed at withdrawing the United States' troops from Iraq.

Immigration Reform

Sali is a member of the House Immigration Reform Caucus and is an opponent of President Bush's proposal for comprehensive immigration policy reform. "Amnesty does nothing to secure our borders," Sali said.

Other legislative action

In July 2007, Sali introduced legislation allowing for separate votes on bills that contain multiple subjects. Sali based his proposal on his experience in the Idaho Legislature, noting that Idaho's constitution forbids grouping unrelated projects in a single bill. "Frankly, the process [in the Idaho Legislature] is an orderly process, and while it is political it is somewhat predictable," Sali told the Idaho Statesman. "Congress is a whole other deal."

In August 2007, Sali introduced his second proposal to reform Congress. That bill called for Congress to make available a "red-line" version of legislation so that congressional representatives and the general public can easily see what is being added and removed from a statute.

Sali told the Spokane, WA based Spokesman Review newspaper that there are other areas in Congress that need to be reformed. He said congressional committees hold hearings on topics, not on legislation, and often it's not clear why a hearing was called in the first place. "For a member of Congress to try and discern what is the takeaway message from these people who actually do have to testify in front of us can be very difficult," Sali said. "Too often the hearings end up being nothing more than a photo opportunity for people," he said. "If that sounds goofy to you, it's only because it is."

In 2006, Sali linked abortion to breast cancer. The National Cancer Institute has said there is no known link between the two.

Controversy

In August 2007, Sali expressed concerns over what he perceives as a deterioration of the "Christian heritage" of the United States and the rise of multiculturalism in U.S. politics—largely with reference to the 2006 election of Keith Ellison, the first Muslim member of the U.S. House of Representatives and to the Hindu prayer offered by Rajan Zed in the opening of the U.S. Senate on July 12, 2007. Sali said these events were "not what was envisioned by the Founding Fathers" and said that America was founded on Christian principles.

Speaking with the Idaho Press-Tribune, Sali explained his view that multiculturalism is in conflict with the national motto "E Pluribus Unum," or "out of many, one." Sali said multiculturalism would mean "out of the many, the many." "The question is, is multiculturalism good or not?" Sali said. "I don’t think the Founding Fathers were multicultural. Multiculturalism is the antithesis of (the motto)." In regard to the view that the nation was founded on Christian principles, Sali said, "If we’re going to move away from those principles ... we better consider the blessings of God that have been bestowed on this country and the protective hand of God that’s been over this country."

In another interview Sali said, "The idea that somehow we can move to multi-culturalism and still remain the same — I think that's a little dangerous, too." "From my standpoint, I believe the Founding Fathers were overwhelmingly Christian and the God they were talking about is the God of the Bible."

Sali has been accused by some of wanting to impose a religious test for elected officials; however his spokesman said that Sali had no such intention. In an interview with the Idaho Statesman, Sali said of Ellison, "He got elected the same way I did," "People certainly have the right to elect anyone they want." He also denied the claim that he wanted a religious test for office, citing the no religious test clause of the Constitution. However, he stated that he was opposed to multiculturalism in the U.S. government, saying, "Our nation was founded on principles that the founders took largely from Scripture. Those principles provide the basis for our form of government and are the source of the rights we enjoy as Americans."

External links

• U.S. Congressman Bill Sali, U.S. House site

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Bill Sali for Congress, Campaign site
• Right Mind Lewiston Tribune, April 8, 2006
• YouTube TV ad "Dolores Crow TV ad"
• YouTube TV ad "Melodee and Julie testimonials"
• Sali official website "Sali hailed as key voice against amnesty"