Packard Takes Over At Energy and Water Development

When the 106th Congress begins in January, Rep. Ron Packard (R-California) will take over the chairmanship of the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee from the retiring Joseph McDade (R-Pennsylvania). The Energy and Water Development Subcommittee drafts the budget for DOE’s civilian science programs, including high energy and nuclear physics, fusion, and the department’s scientific user facilities.

As a friend and ally of incoming House Speaker Bob Livingston (R-Louisiana), Packard should be close to the seat of power in the new Congress. He gained prominence recently as an early supporter of Livingston’s bid for the speakership, and has been named to lead the new Speaker’s transition team.

Packard has been on the House Appropriations Committee for many years, where he has chaired the Legislative Branch and, most recently, the Military Construction Subcommittees. Before the 1994 elections brought the Republicans into the majority, he served as Ranking Minority Member on the House Science Committee. A proponent of space flight and the space station, he was on that committee’s space panel, and was a member of the Congressional Space Caucus. He has voted numerous times in support of the space station.

On issues relevant to his new role on Energy and Water Development, Packard has shown himself to be a supporter of fusion energy. In 1996 he signed on to a letter urging the Administration to request a strong budget for DOE’s fusion program. In the same year, he expressed concern over restrictive House report language on the fusion program. In the past, Packard also supported the superconducting super collider.

While chair of the appropriations subcommittee for the legislative branch in 1995 - with the Balanced Budget Act and budget surplus still in the future - Packard took pride in trimming Congress’s own budget. The legislation he passed included termination of the Office of Technology Assessment. “I cut 12 cents out of every dollar Congress spends on itself,” he proclaimed. He also cosponsored, in that year, legislation to eliminate the Department of Commerce.

Packard, a dentist by trade, was first elected to represent California’s 48th district in 1982. He has placed great importance on cutting federal spending, but also used his role as appropriator to steer funds toward Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, the largest employer in his southern California district. Packard has been an advocate for strong defense funding and quality of life for military personnel. As chair of the Military Construction Appropriations panel in the 105th Congress, he pushed through a larger budget than the Administration had requested.

In the 105th Congress, he was also a member of the Appropriations Subcommittees on Foreign Operations and Transportation, ensuring his district of highway dollars. It seems likely that he will want to continue this trend by now steering water development projects to southern California.

Other recent areas of interest for Packard include illegal immigration (a major issue for his district), replacing the tax code with a national sales tax, and protecting gifts to churches and charities from being recouped in bankruptcy cases. He was also active in modernizing Congress’s computer system. He is currently a member of the Congressional Internet and Biomedical Research Caucuses.

Packard’s district contains only two institutions of higher education, both with under 15,000 students: Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, and Mira Costa College in Oceanside. Technology-based industries in California’s 48th district include the Nichols Institute (medical laboratories), Advanced Cardiovascular Systems (a maker of surgical instruments), and International Rectifier Corporation/Hexfet America (a semiconductor device manufacturer).

Packard is considered conservative, as is his district. According to voting studies prepared by Congressional Quarterly, he voted with the Conservative Coalition position 100 percent of the time last year, supported the Republican party line 92 percent of the time, and concurred with the President’s position in 27 percent of his votes. Congressional Quarterly also reports that the AFL-CIO has given Packard a “0" rating for his voting record for each of the last five years; the Chamber of Commerce scored him at 100 percent in three of those years, and the American Conservative Union gave him a rating of over 90 percent in most years.