Michael Castle

Michael Newbold "Mike" Castle, a Republican, represented Delaware in the U. S. House of Representatives from 1993 to 2011.

Iraq War
Castle voted for the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 that started the Iraq War.

Environmental record
For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Castle is a co-chair of the Delaware River Basin Task Force, and supports the Delaware River Basin Conservation Act of 2010. The Act would organize the Delaware River Basin conservation effort and provide grant money and technical assistance in support of conservation projects.

Source: "Legislation to optimize coordinated conservation of Delaware watershed". http://www.castle.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=189195. June 7, 2010.

Energy
Castle, along with Dahlkemper (D-PA) and Ehlers (R-MI) jointly introduced a bill that would elongate the time for production and investment tax credits on offshore wind energy. Castle has long fought for a wind farm off the coast of Delaware, and this bill would continue his fight.

Source: "Bipartisan members introduce house bill supporting offshore wind energy". http://www.castle.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=191680. June 14, 2010.

Castle was a speaker at Capitol Hill Ocean Week and emphasized the need for alternative energy sources in order to release the pressure on our ocean that arises from offshore drilling. Castle used Delaware’s fight to implement wind farms on its shore as an example of the commitment to alternative energies that should be mimicked across the country.

Source: "World Ocean Week". http://www.castle.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=190080. June 10, 2010.

Healthcare
Mike Castle, contrary to his Republican colleagues, supported Obama's healthcare reform. Delaware Liberal says Castle "voted with other Republicans against health care reform legislation, but he isn't joining his party's call to repeal the bill." Delaware Liberal also quotes Castle's April 6th comments on healthcare; Castle apparently said in a statement that "While this president is in office, repealing this full law is not realistic and not the best use of our efforts”.

Sources:

"Republican Mike Castle doesn't support repeal of health care (his opponent does)". http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/bloggers/2479728/posts. March 25, 2010.

"Mike Castle Announces Support for Health Care Repeal Efforts". http://www.delawareliberal.net/2010/04/06/mike-castle-announces-support-for-health-care-reform-efforts/. April 6, 2010.

Research
Castle supports stem cell research, calling himself the self-proclaimed "House architect of the Congressional effort to expand federal stem cell research policy." According to his House webpage, Castle wrote The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (but the Act was vetoed twice by former President G. W. Bush). Simultaneously, Castle "has supported legislation to establish strict ethical guidelines for [stem cell] research and also an effort to create a nationwide cord blood registry for donated umbilical cord blood for treatment and research."

Source: "Issues: Strengthening Healthcare."http://www.castle.house.gov/Issues/Issue/?IssueID=4449. Date unknown.

Gun control
The Gun Show Loophole Closing Act of 2007 (H.R.96) is U.S. gun control legislation introduced on January 4, 2007 by Rep. Castle. It would require background checks for all firearm sales at gun shows.

National security and foreign policy
In early May 2007, Rep. Castle attended a meeting, organized by Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.), between several moderate Republicans in the House and President Bush to express their concerns over the War in Iraq. The group warned the President that his pursuit of the war in Iraq was risking the future of the Republican Party, and that he could not count on Republican support for much longer. Despite their concerns, each of the members promised to oppose the short-term funding measure for the War that was being considered in the House.

Science policy tracking by Molly Patterson, SEA Deepwater Horizon Intern

Bio
Castle was born July 2, 1939 in Wilmington, Delaware. He was educated at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, and Georgetown University School of Law.

He served as Delaware's Deputy Attorney General from 1965 until 1966, when was then elected to the Delaware House of Representatives. He served one term, and was then elected to the Delaware State Senate, serving two terms (1969/70- 1975/76).

He was elected Lieutenant Governor of Delaware in 1980 and served one term from 1981 to 1985. In 1984 he was elected Governor of Delaware and served two terms until he resigned to begin his term as U.S. Representative in 1993.

Castle is president of The Republican Main Street Partnership and is considered one of the most moderate Republicans in the House. In May 2005, he co-sponsored a successful bill to overturn President Bush's ban on federal funding for stem cell research. In the wake of Tom DeLay's indictment in September 2005, E.J. Dionne named Castle as one of four lawmakers capable of leading an anticorruption reform of the Republican party. Castle is a member of various Moderate/Liberal Republican Organizations such as Republicans For Enviornmental Protection, The Republican Majority For Choice, Republicans For Choice and Christine Todd Whitman's Its My Party Too.

2006 elections
In 2006, the Democrats nominated Dennis Spivack to face Castle in her November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006) Castle retained his seat.

Money in politics
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Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

 * House Committee on Education and Labor
 * Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education, Ranking Member
 * Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness
 * House Committee on Financial Services
 * Subcommitee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises
 * Subcommitee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology
 * Subcommitee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit

Committee assignments in the 109th Congress (2005-2006)

 * House Committee on Education and the Workforce
 * Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness
 * Subcommittee on Education Reform - Chair
 * House Committee on Financial Services
 * Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
 * Subcommittee on Capital Markets Insurance and Government Sponsored Enterprises
 * Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy Trade and Technology
 * President, Republican Main Street Partnership

Resources

 * Official website
 * Delaware Congressional District from the National Atlas
 * Bio in Biographical Dictionary of the U.S. Congress
 * The Political Graveyard by Lawrence Kestenbaum
 * Main Street Republican Partnership
 * Pickett, Russell S. Delaware's Governors.
 * Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives Election Statistics.
 * Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database

External articles

 * John Aloysius Farrell, "Rove: Bush to veto DeGette bill," Denver Post, July 10, 2006: "Bush will likely cast the first veto of his presidency if the Senate, as expected, passes legislation to expand federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research, White House aide Karl Rove said today" ... "legislation, co-sponsored by Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, and Rep. Mike Castle, R-Del."
 * Greg Sargent, "More GOP House Members Defect And Back Anti-Escalation Resolution," TPM Cafe, February 14, 2007.
 * Jonathan Weisman, "Bush losing Republicans over plan for Iraq war," Washington Post (The Seattle Times), February 15, 2007.
 * David Espo, "GOP Opposition to Bush Plan Forms," Associated Press (ABC News), February 15, 2007. (See page 3.)
 * Phoenix Woman, "The Rubber-Stampers’ Latest Contortion," Firedoglake Blog, July 30, 2007.