Eliot Engel

Eliot Lance Engel, a Democrat, has represented the 17th Congressional District of New York in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1988.

Iraq War
Engel 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

Indian Point nuclear power plant
In February 2009, Engel urged the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) not to approve the 20-year license renewal application of the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Buchanan, New York. Engel said he told NRC Commissioner Dale Klein, "Indian Point would never be built today at its present location because of its proximity to the millions of people in the New York metropolitan area. It is degrading the Hudson River by using its water, some two billion gallons daily, to cool the plant, and by the radioactive leakages that may have already reached the river." Engel also argued that Indian Point is "a very tempting target for terrorist," and said there are "too many other serious issues about the dangers of Indian Point’s nuclear reactors to ignore."

DRIVE Act
On January 24, 2007, Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) introduced the Dependence Reduction through Innovation in Vehicles and Energy Act – the DRIVE Act of 2007 – (H.R.670) to "promote the national security and stability of the United States economy by reducing the dependence of the United States on foreign oil through the use of alternative fuels and new vehicle technologies, and for other purposes." The bill attracted 82 cosponsors (as of June 2007)

Bio
Engel was born February 18, 1947 in The Bronx. He graduated from Hunter-Lehman College. Engel was elected to the New York general assembly in 1976. In 1988, Engel was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives after defeating Congressman Mario Biaggi, who had been charged with racketeering in the Wedtech scandal, in the Democratic primary. (Biaggi was eventually jailed by Rudolph Giuliani and subsequently ran against and lost to Representative Engel in 1992).

Congressional career
Engel is a supporter of recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and has also been an advocate for the causes of Albanian-Americans. In 2003, he authored the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act, which was signed into law by President Bush on December 12, 2003. In this Law, Congress authorized penalties and restrictions on US relations with Syria for its occupation of Lebanon and for its relationship with terrorist groups.

2006 elections
In 2006, the Republicans nominated Jim Faulkner to face Engel in his November 2006 bid for reelection. (See U.S. congressional elections in 2006)  Engel retained his seat.

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

 * House Committee on Energy and Commerce
 * Subcommittee on Health
 * Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet
 * House Committee on Foreign Affairs
 * Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Chair
 * Subcommittee on Europe and Emerging Threats
 * Subcommittee on Middle East and Central Asia

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

 * House Committee on Energy and Commerce
 * Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality
 * Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet
 * House Committee on International Relations
 * Subcommittee on Europe and Emerging Threats
 * Subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia
 * Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere - Ranking Minority Member

Coalitions and Caucuses

 * Member, Congressional Human Rights Caucus
 * Member, Democratic Study Group on Health
 * Member, Long Island Sound Caucus
 * Co-chair, Albanian Issues Caucus
 * Executive Board Member of the Congressional Ad Hoc Committee on Irish Affairs

External resources

 * Official website
 * Eliot Engel's Colbert Report interview. (Other Colbert Report interviews with members of Congress.)
 * Open Secrets - 2006 congressional races database

External articles

 * Gur, "O Congress Person, Where Art Thou?", Room Eight, May 9, 20006.
 * Gur, "The Phattest Bubble You've Ever Seen?", Room Eight, May 12, 2006.
 * Gur, "What Part Of "You Will Pimp My Pay to $168K" Did You Not Understand?", Room Eight, June 30, 2006.
 * Congressional Wire, "Earth to Congress - Come In!", Room Eight, July 11, 2006.
 * Gur, "Why Bother?", Room Eight, July 12, 2006.
 * Angela Burton, "NY Control In a Democratic House," Room Eight, November 6, 2006.

Local blogs and discussion sites

 * Simply Left Behind