{"id":951898,"date":"2021-11-02T00:43:37","date_gmt":"2021-11-02T04:43:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=951898"},"modified":"2021-11-02T00:43:40","modified_gmt":"2021-11-02T04:43:40","slug":"democrat-peter-defazio-uses-transportation-chairmanship-to-influence-waterway-policy-for-personal-gain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrat-peter-defazio-uses-transportation-chairmanship-to-influence-waterway-policy-for-personal-gain\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrat Peter DeFazio Uses Transportation Chairmanship to Influence Waterway Policy for Personal Gain"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocrat-peter-defazio-uses-transportation-chairmanship-to-influence-waterway-policy-for-personal-gain%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=951898&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p class=\"subheading\">Democrat Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), chairman&nbsp;of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, allegedly abused his position for personal gain by sending a&nbsp;letter to the Army Corps of Engineers opposing a proposed rule that would put permanent restrictions on part of the Washington Channel to protect the&nbsp;most vulnerable parts of an Army base. The waterway is where the houseboat used as DeFazio\u2019s \u201cDC residence\u201d allegedly resides.<\/p>\n<p>While in Washington, DC, DeFazio is believed to keep his boat and live at the Capital Yacht Club (CYC). The club is located in the wharf of D.C., which is the location of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/photos-of-the-wharf-washington-dcs-2-billion-waterfront-development-2017-11\">recent<\/a> $2 billion waterfront development that resulted in luxury condos, high-end stores, and multiple Michelin-recognized restaurants.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B1\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"gmxrevmore\" class=\"H\"><\/figure>\n<p>The Democrat\u2019s boat is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wweek.com\/portland\/article-9479-congressional-cribs.html\">reported<\/a> to be a&nbsp;32-foot cabin cruiser nicknamed \u201cEastward Ho\u201d for his father\u2019s youth camp and was purchased in&nbsp;2007 for $16,500. In&nbsp;September 2008, it was also reported that&nbsp;DeFazio lived at the Gangplank Marina <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/31222852@N00\/2828375880\/in\/photostream\/\">aboard<\/a> the boat.&nbsp;This past August, he admitted to&nbsp;living aboard a boat for approximately 13 or 14 of his 34-year career in Congress. <a href=\"https:\/\/disclosures-clerk.house.gov\/public_disc\/financial-pdfs\/2019\/10036174.pdf\">According<\/a> to DeFazio\u2019s financial disclosure reports covering the years 2015 to 2019, the congressman took out a loan secured by his boat, which he listed as \u201cmy DC residence,\u201d for up to $15,000.<\/p>\n<p>DeFazio was recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/washington-post-live\/2021\/08\/19\/transcript-117th-congress-rep-peter-defazio-d-ore\/\">asked<\/a> by&nbsp;the <em>Washington Post,<\/em>&nbsp;\u201cHave you lived on a boat throughout your entire 34 years in Congress.\u201d&nbsp;\u201cNo. I wish I had. \u2026 I\u2019ve been living on a boat now for 13 or 14 years,\u201d&nbsp;he said, responding to the question posed. \u201cI started in the public marina for almost a decade, and then when the development happens, I didn\u2019t know what was going to happen with the public marina, so I moved over to the Yacht Club.\u201d He admitted to using the boat as his \u201cDC residence\u201d since&nbsp;2007 or 2008.&nbsp;Interestingly enough, DeFazio also admittingly said, \u201cthe optics\u201d of living on a boathouse would be bad, and he is aware someone might run ads on him someday.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_18560330\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"36\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/filephoto05-Capital-Yacht-Club-Washington-DC-Getty.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-18560330\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/filephoto05-Capital-Yacht-Club-Washington-DC-Getty.jpg\" alt=\"WASHINGTON - JUNE 17: The Capital Yacht Club is seen on the Potomac River where the boat owned by Rep. Randy &quot;Duke&quot; Cunningham (R-CA) is moored June 17, 2005 in Washington, DC. Reports have come out that &#039;his&#039; yacht was bought for him by a defense contractor getting his help on the appropriations committee. (Photo by Joe Raedle\/Getty Images)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Capital Yacht Club is seen on the Potomac River on June 17, 2005, in Washington, DC. (Photo by Joe Raedle\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Shortly before the interview, this past June, a&nbsp;fellow resident of the waterfront <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.vn\/OSOtV\">confirmed<\/a>&nbsp;on social media that&nbsp;\u201cthe Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure lives on a houseboat\u201d while also joking about \u201cGangplank and CYC being like floating trailer parks.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>In August 2019, the Army Corps of Engineers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.regulations.gov\/document\/COE-2019-0010-0001\">issued<\/a> a notice of proposed rulemaking and request for comments \u2014 for&nbsp;docket number COE-2019-0010 \u2014 regarding a proposal to establish a permanent restricted area in the Washington Channel adjacent to Fort McNair \u2014 which is&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/dir\/Fort+Lesley+J.+McNair,+Washington,+DC+20024\/Capital+Yacht+Club,+800+Wharf+St+SW,+Washington,+DC+20024\/@38.8694858,-77.0234259,15z\/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x89b7b76384a42183:0xe08e7c21ad9200f0!2m2!1d-77.0138871!2d38.8682702!1m5!1m1!1s0x89b7b77096eca4d5:0x6a812c0d80e0255c!2m2!1d-77.0250032!2d38.8789701!3e0\">located<\/a> 1.3 miles from the CYC.<\/p>\n<p>The summary for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.regulations.gov\/document\/COE-2019-0010-0001\">proposed<\/a> rule stated that&nbsp;the Army Corps of Engineers proposed establishing a permanent restricted area in the Washington Channel area adjacent to Ft. McNair. A report <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/117\/crpt\/hrpt44\/CRPT-117hrpt44.pdf\">executed<\/a> by DeFazio\u2019s committee stated that the&nbsp;proposed rule was made in an \u201ceffort\u201d to bolster security post \u201c9\/11\u201d and \u201cshootings at the Washington Navy Yard.\u201d The fort is the&nbsp;headquarters of the Army\u2019s Military District of Washington where the&nbsp;National Defense University (NDU) is located and serves as the&nbsp;official residence of the U.S. Army\u2019s Vice Chief of Staff.<\/p>\n<p>Commander of the Military District of Washington Major General Omar Jones&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/defensecommunities.org\/2021\/02\/fort-mcnair-officials-push-for-new-waterway-restrictions-citing-installation-security\/\">noted<\/a> that the proposed restricted area would deter electronic surveillance and that the side of the base along the Washington Channel is the most vulnerable. Other senior U.S. intelligence officials have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wusa9.com\/article\/news\/local\/dc\/fort-mcnair-iran-threat-washington-dc-potomac-river\/65-72933810-a0d6-4c1f-aa63-469541cab04d\">stated<\/a>&nbsp;to WUSA under the condition of anonymity that the push to increase the security was also due to threats from Iran.<\/p>\n<p>The proposed&nbsp;perimeter&nbsp;\u201cwould take up to one-third of the channel along the base, which it says will protect military assets\u201d by&nbsp;\u201cextending up to 150 meters at its widest point,\u201d and making that so a \u201cwatercraft could pass by but would be \u2018prohibited from anchoring, mooring or loitering,&#8217;\u201d&nbsp;according to another&nbsp;<em>WaPo<\/em>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/local\/trafficandcommuting\/wharf-southwest-waterfront\/2020\/12\/20\/0d847216-3b09-11eb-9276-ae0ca72729be_story.html\">report<\/a>. However, the report also argued that the proposal would restrict the use of the waters south of the \u201cbooming\u201d Wharf area, stating the water is \u201cthe biggest draw in the city\u2019s newest neighborhood, attracting thousands of visitors.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_18560370\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"33\"><a href=\"https:\/\/media.breitbart.com\/media\/2021\/11\/Washington-DC-Wharf-skyline-file-Getty.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-18560370\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/Washington-DC-Wharf-skyline-file-Getty-1024x561-1.jpg\" alt=\"Skyline View of Fisherman&#039;s Wharf in Washington DC\" width=\"643\" height=\"352\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Skyline View of Fisherman\u2019s Wharf in Washington, DC. (Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>In September 2019 \u2014 utilizing his position as chairman of the House Transportation Committee in addition to being a House member representing constituents from Oregon and not D.C. \u2014 DeFazio sent a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers opposing the proposed rule, and Breitbart News obtained a copy of the letter. He&nbsp;requested a 90-day extension of the comment period for the proposed rule that would \u201cseverely limit public access to the area,\u201d noting that \u201cThe current 30-day period does not provide enough time for public input.\u201d He added:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B3\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<blockquote readability=\"14\">\n<p>Over the last decade, the Southwest Waterfront and Wharf have seen a dramatic redevelopment. Key to the success of this area is the ability to utilize the Washington Channel for multiple public purposes, which include water taxis and recreation (kayaking, paddle boarding, sailing, and motorboating). The USACE\u2019s proposed restriction of the channel would significantly narrow the waterway, leading to safety concerns for many users of the channel.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>On the letter, DeFazio also copied Matt Colip, Rear Commodore of the Capital Yacht Club.<\/p>\n<p>DeFazio\u2019s office did not respond to a request for comment from Breitbart News when asked if the congressman&nbsp;abused his chairmanship by&nbsp;writing a letter in his official capacity to&nbsp;pressure&nbsp;the&nbsp;Army Corps of Engineers.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"D-ROS-B2\" class=\"a8d\"><\/figure>\n<p>Obtained by Breitbart News:<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"View DeFazio - Letter to Army Corps of Engineers on Scribd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/536587394\/DeFazio-Letter-to-Army-Corps-of-Engineers#from_embed\">DeFazio \u2013 Letter to Army Corps of Engineers<\/a> by <a title=\"View Breitbart News&#039;s profile on Scribd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/publisher\/298980670\/Breitbart-News#from_embed\">Breitbart News<\/a> on Scribd<\/p>\n<figure id=\"M-ROS-B4\" class=\"a8d adSo\"><\/figure>\n<p>In November 2019,&nbsp;Tim Fontana, the commodore of the CYC \u2014 representing 252 CYC members \u2014 issued a public comment in opposition to the proposed rule, arguing that it would impose \u201can unnecessary navigation and boating hazard\u201d:<\/p>\n<blockquote readability=\"10\">\n<p>My name is Tim Fontana and I am the Commodore of Capital Yacht Club (CYC) representing the 252 members of CYC, including 50 full-time live-aboard members who reside at Capital Yacht Club on the Washington Channel in Washington, DC. <strong>We are writing in opposition to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposal (COE-2019-0100) which establishes a permanent restricted area in the Washington Channel adjacent to Fort McNair.<\/strong> [Emphasis added]\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In December 2020, <em>WaPo<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/local\/trafficandcommuting\/wharf-southwest-waterfront\/2020\/12\/20\/0d847216-3b09-11eb-9276-ae0ca72729be_story.html\">reported<\/a> that the proposed rule was revised \u201cafter pressure from members of Congress,\u201d noting that DeFazio and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D) had expressed their concern:<\/p>\n<div class>\n<div readability=\"12\">\n<blockquote readability=\"17\">\n<p class=\"font--article-body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\"><strong>The Army Corps of Engineers proposal is a revised version of a plan<\/strong> that would have banned boat traffic near the Fort McNair shoreline. <strong>That more restrictive plan was altered after pressure from members of Congress<\/strong> and opposition from neighboring communities.&nbsp;[Emphasis added]\n<p class=\"font--article-body font-copy gray-darkest ma-0 pb-md\"><strong>Reps. Peter A. DeFazio<\/strong> (D-Ore.), chairman of the House Transportation Committee, <strong>which has jurisdiction over the Army Corps of Engineers<\/strong>, and Norton, who led efforts in Congress to revitalize the D.C. waterfront, <strong>expressed concern<\/strong> that a no-go zone would force all water traffic into a narrow passage of the channel.&nbsp;[Emphasis added]\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In March 2021, Norton introduced H.R. 1765, the \u201cWashington Channel Public Access Act.\u201d The summary of the bill <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/117th-congress\/house-bill\/1765?r=21&amp;s=5\">stated<\/a>&nbsp;it&nbsp;would prohibit the \u201cU.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing the proposed rule titled <em>Washington Channel, Fort McNair, Washington, DC; Restricted Area.\u201d<\/em>&nbsp;It would also prohibit \u201cthe USACE from implementing any other rule that restricts public access to the Washington Channel in the District.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_18560474\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" readability=\"38\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/aug16-21-Marine-One-Joe-Biden-Fort-McNair-Getty.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-18560474\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/aug16-21-Marine-One-Joe-Biden-Fort-McNair-Getty.jpg\" alt=\"Marine One lands in front of the National War College as US President Joe Biden arrives at Fort McNair, in Washington,DC on August 16, 2021. - President Biden arrived in Washington,DC after cutting short vacation amid the Afghanistan crisis. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski \/ AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI\/AFP via Getty Images)\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Marine One lands in front of the National War College as U.S. President Joe Biden arrives at Fort McNair, in Washington, DC, on August 16, 2021. President Biden arrived in D.C. after cutting short vacation amid the Afghanistan crisis. (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Norton\u2019s Act is directly tied to the letter DeFazio sent trying to prohibit USACE from \u201cfinalizing, implementing, or enforcing the proposed rule,\u201d which was initially crafted to protect the \u201cmost vulnerable\u201d parts of the base that house some military officials and the NDU.<\/p>\n<p>Interestingly enough, under DeFazio\u2019s leadership as chairman, the committee <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/117th-congress\/house-bill\/1765\/all-actions?s=5&amp;r=21\">approved<\/a> H.R. 1765 just two weeks after it was introduced, on March 24. The committee\u2019s press release said the \u201cApproved legislation is now ready for consideration on the House floor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>DeFazio\u2019s office also did not respond to a request for comment from Breitbart News when asked if the chairman&nbsp;expedited&nbsp;Norton\u2019s bill&nbsp;through the committee faster in order for it to be voted on by the House more quickly.<\/p>\n<p><i>Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on <\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jacobmbliss\"><i>Twitter<\/i><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democrat Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), chairman\u00a0of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, allegedly abused his position for personal gain by sending a\u00a0letter to the Army Corps of Engineers opposing &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-951898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/951898","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=951898"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/951898\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=951898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=951898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=951898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}