Fortenberry shows independent streak

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By DON WALTON / Lincoln Journal Star

Last week, Rep. Jeff Fortenberry voted to override President Bush’s veto of a major appropriations bill and supported the Democratic majority’s mortgage reform plan.

Not only did that separate him from most of his Republican colleagues, he also was a lone voice in Nebraska’s three-member House delegation.

Is the1st District representative becoming a more independent congressman?

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Jeff Fortenberry

Jeff Fortenberry

“I’ve always believed it’s my responsibility to use my best judgment and call it the way I see it,” Fortenberry said, but there’s also another factor in play here.

“When you’re in the majority party, you have an opportunity to effect legislation coming before Congress,” he said.

As a member of the minority, you need to “look at policy issues and goals” within the framework shaped by the majority, Fortenberry said.

And then you sometimes need to determine whether to “separate yourself (and) vote to move forward on key issues,” he said.

It’s a fact of life: Democrats seized control of the House, and its agenda, last November.

“It’s not about voting with President Bush or against Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi,” Fortenberry said, “but voting in the best interests of the country and Nebraska. That’s my responsibility.”

Although last week’s votes jumped out, there are other times he has departed from his Republican colleagues, Fortenberry noted during an interview in his Lincoln office.

A dozen examples reach back to January when he joined House Democrats in supporting the so-called Paygo budgeting rule, which requires any new spending to be financed without deficit funding.

Fortenberry, now in his second House term, parted company with a majority of his fellow Republicans in voting for a new farm bill in July.

In addition to voting last week to override the president’s veto of the appropriations bill for labor, education, and health and human services programs, he earlier voted to override a veto of energy and water development appropriations.

And, Fortenberry said, he expects to vote to override Bush’s anticipated veto of transportation and housing appropriations.

Those appropriations bills are “not perfect,” he said.  “But we need to move forward.”

The alternative, he said, is endless “quibbling and not dealing in an urgent manner with the most serious issues of the day.”

Last week’s appropriations bill contained important funding for cancer research, juvenile diabetes and education, Fortenberry said.

The transportation appropriations bill provides funding for urgently needed infrastructure improvements, he said.

The Democratic mortgage reform bill did not contain an amendment he had supported, Fortenberry said, but it “tightened up regulations on lending practices in a prudent way.”

In the end, he said, he must weigh all factors, including the imperative to move ahead.

“I have to press that button by myself,” he said.  “It’s yes or no.”

While the country wants action on major issues, Fortenberry said, Congress is gridlocked by maneuvers to seek partisan advantage.

“Issues are threaded politically with difficult choices in order to set up TV commercials,” he said. “But we need to get things done for the country.”

Fortenberry said he has signaled his willingness to reach across the aisle to Democrats so he can present his own ideas.

That has resulted in a place at the table in bipartisan negotiations  to broker some agreement on extension of the children’s health insurance program, he said.

“I support renewal and expansion of this important program,” Fortenberry said.

“But it needs to target the poorest and most vulnerable children first; serve primarily children; and not overrreach to people who don’t need it.”

Fortenberry said he’s a member of “the Republican team” because of philosophical agreement, but has found there is a respect for independent judgment within the House and among his Nebraska constituents.

Although he departed from his Nebraska colleagues, Reps. Lee Terry and Adrian Smith, on last week’s appropriations and mortgage reform votes, Fortenberry said, they kept one another informed.

“It’s important for me to know where they are,” he said. “I don’t like surprises; they don’t like surprises.  We have a respectful working relationship.”

Reach Don Walton at 473-7248 or at dwalton@journalstar.com.