John M. McHugh

U.S. House

One of McHugh’s first staff hires as a congressman-elect was a highly unusual one: he tapped his predecessor, Martin, to monitor the deliberations of the federal base-closing commission. Martin had helped write the legislation creating the panel, and three military installations in McHugh’s district were in danger of closure. “The bottom line is that no civilian in America knows more about the base closure commission,” McHugh said in announcing the hire.  The McHugh-Martin team failed to save Plattsburgh and Griffiss Air Force bases, but they succeeded in saving Fort Drum, the sprawling Army base that covers more than 107,000 acres in upstate New York.Stith, Barbara, “The New Congressman Hires His Predecessor to Help Keep Three Upstate Bases Open,” The Post-Standard, Dec. 10, 1992.

The 24th Congressional District that McHugh won in 1992 shifted in 2002 and became the 23rd district after the decennial redistricting process. It made little difference at the polls. McHugh has never won re-election with less than 60 percent of the vote during his nine terms in office, even as Republicans in neighboring districts lost to Democrats in 2006 and 2008.

The Economy

McHugh has struck a populist tone throughout the deepening of the 2008-2009 financial crisis, decrying the “incompetence” of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and repeatedly calling for investigations of Wall Street. Nonetheless, he voted to support the initial $700 billion federal bailout of the financial industry in October 2008, a position that drew criticism from his 2008 Democratic congressional challenger, Michael Oot, who denounced the bill as laden with pork. McHugh blamed the Congressional Democratic leadership for adding earmarks, but he defended his vote.Washington Post Votes Database

After much deliberation, McHugh voted against the $787 billion economic stimulus package in February 2009. He criticized insufficient tax relief in the bill along with provisions that funded sex-education programs and community organizing groups. He also lambasted Democratic congressional leaders for shutting Republicans out of negotiations and for a lack of bipartisanship. “This bill will do little to help our economy in the short-term and is likely to rob the future of America’s children for many years to come,” McHugh said in opposing the stimulus.LoTemplio, Joe, “Congressional Challenger Oot Differs On Bailout Approach,” The Press-Republican, Oct. 31, 2008.

National Security

As ranking Republican, McHugh’s priorities on the House Armed Services Committee have ranged widely. Locally, he has directed hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to Fort Drum and other defense projects while working to protect military installations from closure. As chairman of the panel’s subcommittee on Military Personnel, McHugh pushed for increases in the Army and Marine Corps, as well as additional pay and benefits for troops and veterans. He also took on the issue of women in the military, helping to secure an agreement in 2005 that requires congressional approval for the 191 military positions that women are prohibited from holding.McHugh's web site

McHugh supported the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan and has made numerous visits to each theater. In January 2007, he joined Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) in a high-profile trip to Iraq , shortly after President Bush announced a planned troop surge to the country and just before Clinton launched her presidential campaign.

McHugh voiced skepticism about the escalation and said that the group told Iraqi leaders that the “clock is ticking” on American support for the war.Weiner, Mark, “McHugh’s Group Warns Iraq: ‘Clock is Ticking,’” The Post-Standard, Jan. 16, 2007. The GOP congressman did not join his Democratic colleagues, however, in calling for a withdrawal of U.S. troops. McHugh made his ninth trip to the region in February 2009, reporting that “things are going well” in Iraq while backing President Obama’s pledge to send more troops to Afghanistan.LoTemplio, Joe, “McHugh: More Troops Needed in Afghanistan,” The Press-Republican, Feb. 11, 2009. Later that month he met with Obama, saying that he received assurances from the president to revisit his planned drawdown “if the situation on the ground deteriorates and violence increases.”House Armed Services Committee

In May 2009, McHugh and other top Republicans were gearing up for a potential battle with the Obama administration over its plan to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. McHugh is a co-sponsor of a bill that would prevent the administration from transferring any detainees into the United States without approval from the state’s governor and legislature.House Armed Services Committee

Postal Service Reform

McHugh worked for more than a decade to win passage of a comprehensive overhaul of the U.S. Postal Service, the first major reform of the agency since 1971. He chaired subcommittee panels on the postal service within the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and he finally saw his bill signed into law by President George W. Bush after the midterm elections of 2006.House Armed Services Committee

Aimed at updating the postal service for the more competitive Internet age, the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act set new rules for rate increases to make them more closely tied to inflation, revamped the agency’s finances, reformed practices that were considered monopolistic and strengthened the oversight power of the Postal Regulatory Commission.Lyman, Peter, “House Passes Major Overhaul of Postal Service,” The Post-Standard, July 27, 2005.