National Service Act of 2006

Last updated

Universal National Service Act of 2006, sponsored by Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), was introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives on February 14, 2006. On February 23, 2006, it was referred to the House Subcommittee on Military Personnel. The bill was never enacted.

Contents

Public debate

Rep. Rangel argued that the bill was necessary since in the case of a mandatory draft members of the U.S. Congress would be much less likely to authorize an unnecessary war if they knew that their own children and family members might be sent to fight it. He was quoted as saying: "There’s no question in my mind that this president and this administration would never have invaded Iraq, especially on the flimsy evidence that was presented to the Congress if indeed we had a draft and members of Congress and the administration thought that their kids from their communities would be placed in harm’s way". [1] Rangel also argued that bringing back the draft would remedy the social disparity of the burden of military service falling disproportionately on the poor and the minorities. [2] After the Democratic victories in the November 2007 congressional elections, Rangel repeated his call for re-introduction of the draft and for moving forward on the bill, [3] and a more active public discussion of the proposal followed. Most of the reaction in the media, Congress and by the public was negative, [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] although occasional support for the idea was expressed as well. [9] The military leadership expressed opposition to the idea. [10] Many conservative critics[ who? ] charged that the bill on re-introducing the draft was simply a political maneuver by Rangel aimed to underscore the unpopularity of the Iraq War. The debate was largely over soon after the incoming Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) indicated that she was not interested in advancing the bill to reintroduce the draft. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

Nancy Pelosi 52nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives

Nancy Patricia Pelosi is an American politician serving as Speaker of the United States House of Representatives since January 2019. She is the first woman in U.S. history to hold this position, and having the highest-ranking female elected official in United States history. As Speaker of the House, she is second in the presidential line of succession, immediately after the vice president.

George Miller (California politician) American politician

George Miller III is an American politician who served as a United States Representative from California from 1975 until his retirement in 2015. He is a member of the Democratic Party. From 2007 to 2011, Miller served as chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee.

Barbara Lee American politician

Barbara Jean Lee is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for California's 13th congressional district. Now in her 12th congressional term, Lee has served since 1998, and is a member of the Democratic Party. Her district is based in Oakland and covers most of the northern part of Alameda County. From 1998 to 2013 Lee represented the 9th congressional district, the first woman to do so.

Anna Eshoo American politician

Anna A. Georges Eshoo is the U.S. Representative from California's 18th congressional district, serving since 1993. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, numbered as the 14th District from 1993 to 2013 is based in Silicon Valley, including the cities of Redwood City, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, and Palo Alto, as well as part of San Jose. She is the only Assyrian American in Congress, and is also one of only two congresswomen of Armenian descent, with Jackie Speier being the other. She is Assyrian paternally and Armenian maternally.

Ron Kind American politician

Ronald James Kind is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district, since 1997. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is located in the western part of the state and is anchored by La Crosse, Eau Claire, Platteville, Stevens Point, Wisconsin Rapids, Prescott, and River Falls.

Charles Rangel former congressman from Harlem, New York

Charles Bernard Rangel is an American politician who was a U.S. Representative for districts in New York from 1971 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the second-longest serving incumbent member of the House of Representatives at the time of his retirement, serving continuously since 1971. As its most senior member, he was also the Dean of New York's congressional delegation. Rangel was the first African-American Chair of the influential House Ways and Means Committee. He is also a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Steny Hoyer American politician

Steny Hamilton Hoyer is an American attorney and politician serving as U.S. Representative for Maryland's 5th congressional district since 1981 and as House Majority Leader since 2019. A Democrat, he was first elected in a special election on May 19, 1981, and is currently serving in his 20th term. The district includes a large swath of rural and suburban territory southeast of Washington, D.C. Hoyer is the dean of the Maryland Congressional delegation and the most senior Democrat in the House.

Elijah Cummings Former U.S. Representative from Maryland

Elijah Eugene Cummings was an American politician and civil rights advocate who served in the United States House of Representatives for Maryland's 7th congressional district from 1996 until his death in October of 2019. The district includes just over half of the city of Baltimore, including most of the majority-black precincts of Baltimore County, as well as most of Howard County. He previously served in the Maryland House of Delegates. He was a member of the Democratic Party from 1996. Cummings served in the Maryland House from 1983 through 1996. That year, he was elected to the U.S. House. Cummings served as the chair of the Committee on Oversight and Reform from January 2019 until his death in October of that year.

John Conyers U.S. Representative from Michigan

John James Conyers Jr. was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as a U.S. Representative for Michigan from 1965 to 2017. The districts he represented always included part of western Detroit. During his final three terms, his district included many of Detroit's western suburbs, as well as a large portion of the Downriver area.

John Murtha American politician from the U.S. state of Pennsylvania

John Patrick Murtha Jr. was an American politician from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Murtha, a Democrat, represented Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1974 until his death in 2010. He is the longest-serving member ever of the United States House of Representatives from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Tim Ryan (Ohio politician) American politician

Timothy John Ryan is an American politician and former presidential candidate serving as the U.S. Representative from Ohio's 13th congressional district since 2003. The district, numbered as the 17th district from 2003 to 2013, takes in a large swath of northeast Ohio, from Youngstown to Akron. Ryan is a member of the Democratic Party.

Walter B. Jones Jr. American politician

Walter Beaman Jones Jr. was an American politician who served twelve terms in the United States House of Representatives as a member of the Republican Party for North Carolina's 3rd congressional district from 1995 until his death in 2019. The district encompasses the coastal regions of North Carolina, from the Outer Banks and areas near the Pamlico Sound in the north, southwards to the northern suburbs of Wilmington. Jones's father was Walter B. Jones Sr., a Democratic Party congressman from the neighboring 1st district. Prior to his election to the U.S. House of Representatives, he served ten years in the North Carolina House of Representatives as a member of the Democratic Party and worked as a business executive.

Joe Crowley American politician

Joseph Crowley is an American politician and lobbyist who served as U.S. Representative from New York's 14th congressional district from 1999 to 2019. In 2018, he was defeated by Democratic primary challenger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in what was viewed as one of the largest upsets of the midterm elections.

Efforts to impeach George W. Bush Talks and activities of attempted approaches into a possible impeachment of George W. Bush

During the presidency of George W. Bush, several American politicians sought to either investigate Bush for possible impeachable offenses, or to bring actual impeachment charges on the floor of the United States House of Representatives Judiciary Committee. The most significant of these efforts occurred on June 10, 2008, when Congressman Dennis Kucinich, along with co-sponsor Robert Wexler, introduced 35 articles of impeachment against Bush to the U.S. House of Representatives. The House voted 251 to 166 to refer the impeachment resolution to the Judiciary Committee on June 11, where no further action was taken on it. Bush's presidency ended on January 20, 2009, with the completion of his second term in office, rendering impeachment efforts moot.

The Universal National Service Act is the name of at least four bills proposed in the United States Congress, sponsored by Congressman Charles Rangel of New York, proposing mandatory national service for young adults, male or female. Other advocates for mandatory national service include Senator Chris Dodd, along with author Larry J. Sabato.

Jared Polis 43rd Governor of Colorado

Jared Schutz Polis is an American politician, entrepreneur, and philanthropist serving as the 43rd governor of Colorado since January 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served on the Colorado State Board of Education from 2001 to 2007 and was the United States Representative for Colorado's 2nd congressional district from 2009 to 2019. He was elected governor of Colorado in 2018, defeating Republican nominee Walker Stapleton.

Duncan D. Hunter American politician and U.S. Marine Corps officer

Duncan Duane Hunter is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative for California's 50th congressional district from 2013 to 2020. He is a member of the Republican Party, and was first elected to the House in 2008. This district, numbered as the 52nd from 2009 to 2013, covers much of northern and inland San Diego County and a sliver of Riverside County, including the cities of El Cajon, Escondido, San Marcos, Santee and Temecula. He served in the U.S. Marines from 2001 through 2005 and succeeded his father, Republican Duncan Lee Hunter, a member of Congress from 1981 to 2009.

Since 2005, federal legislation has been introduced in the 109th Congress, 110th Congress, 111th Congress and the 112th Congress to amend Title 28 United States Code section 1259 to allow members of the United States Armed Forces to appeal court-martial convictions when the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces denies a petition for grant of review or extraordinary relief. In the 112th Congress the Equal Justice for Our Military Act of 2011, H.R. 3133 was introduced in the House of Representatives and the Equal Justice for Our Military Act of 2011, S. 1664 was introduced in the Senate. Both bills are currently pending.

John Carter (Texas politician) U.S. Representative for Texass 31st congressional district

John Rice Carter is the U.S. Representative serving Texas's 31st congressional district since 2003. He is a Republican. The district includes the northern suburbs of Austin, as well as Fort Hood.

National Desert Storm and Desert Shield War Memorial

The National Desert Storm and Desert Shield War Memorial is under planning to be constructed in Washington, D.C. near the Lincoln Memorial. It will honor members of the armed forces who participated in Operation Desert Storm or Operation Desert Shield.

References

  1. ↑ Tom Zeller Jr. To Rangel With the Draft. New York Times , November 20, 2006. Accessed May 13, 2008
  2. ↑ RANGEL REINTRODUCES DRAFT BILL. Congressional Press Release. February 14, 2006. Quote: "I dare anyone to try to convince me that this war is not being fought predominantly by tough, loyal, and patriotic young men and women from the barren hills and towns of rural and underprivileged neighborhoods in urban America where unemployment is high and opportunities are few. As we see who are the troops coming home wounded and killed, I challenge anyone to tell me that the wealthiest have not been excluded from that roll call."
  3. ↑ "Rep. Rangel Will Seek to Reinstate Draft". Washington Post . November 19, 2006
  4. ↑ A MILITARY DRAFT MIGHT AWAKEN US. Boston Globe , June 22, 2006
  5. ↑ Dodging Rangel's draft. New York Post. February 17, 2007
  6. ↑ EDITORIAL: Daft proposal: Rangel's draft call strictly political. Daily Oklahoman. November 21, 2006
  7. ↑ Rangel's call to reinstate draft meets resistance. Los Angeles Times . November 21, 2006
  8. ↑ OUR TURN : Now is not the time for a military draft. San Antonio Express . December 3, 2006
  9. ↑ Michael Goodwin: It's foolish to risk our future by having insufficient troops. Dallas Morning News . December 4, 2006
  10. ↑ Feeling A Draft. CBS News. November 27, 2006
  11. ↑ Pelosi, Hoyer Say House Won't Consider Resuming Draft. Bloomberg News. November 20, 2006
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.