This is an official communication from the Office of Senator John Ensign.

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tampering or alteration of this communication is prohibited and may result in
criminal investigation or prosecution.

March 25, 2009

Mr. Frank Pelteson

3753 Alliance Street

Las Vegas, Nevada 89129-6835

Dear Mr. Pelteson:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 Omnibus
Appropriations Bill. I value the opinions of every Nevadan and am always grateful
to those who take the time to inform me of their views.

As you are probably aware, the Senate recently passed the Omnibus Appropriations
bill. This year's Omnibus totals $410 billion in spending and includes the nine
remaining appropriations bills to fund many aspects of the government. I share
your concerns about the amount of irresponsible spending included in this measure
and voted against this bill.

The Omnibus bill was signed into law by the President, resulting in a $32 billion
or 8% increase in spending. This bloated spending bill comes on the heels of a
massive, $1.3 trillion dollar stimulus that was passed less than a month before. I
am very concerned about the effects of the Democrats' spending and the burden it
puts on future generations. You may be aware that Republicans offered several
amendments that attempted to reduce frivolous spending. Unfortunately, Democrats
defeated all of the amendments as Speaker Pelosi threatened to scrap the entire
measure if the bill was altered by the Senate in any way.

It is the responsibility of Congress to pass each individual spending bill before

the end of the fiscal year. There was ample opportunity for the nine bills
contained in the FY 2009 Omnibus to have been debated and passed before the
October 1, 2008, deadline. But instead, the Democrat majority stalled the
legislation in hopes that this Congress, and a Democrat President, would look more
favorably on their irresponsible spending plans.
In these difficult economic times, the federal government should curtail runaway
government spending and show fiscal discipline. The Omnibus bill does not reflect
my principles in the area of fiscal responsibility, and I opposed it based on my
desire to reign in the outrageous expenditures that threaten the economic health
of our nation for years to come.

Please rest assured that I will keep your concerns, and the concerns of all
Nevadans, in mind. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts with me. Please feel
free to contact me in the future on matters of importance to you. Should you have
any other questions or comments, please do not hesitate to either write or e-mail
me via my website at http://ensign.senate.gov.

Sincerely,

JOHN ENSIGN

United States Senator

JE/u1

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