Controversial Actions and Statements:
Rep. Dan Boren
Rep. Dan Boren (Board Member)
United States Representative (D-OK)
Elected in 2004 to the United States House of Representatives, Boren is a third generation Member of Congress. His father, David Boren, is the current president of the University of Oklahoma and a former U.S. Senator and Governor of Oklahoma. Boren’s grandfather also represented Oklahoma in the U.S. House of Representatives. Known as a conservative Democrat, Boren served in the Oklahoma House of Representatives prior to becoming a Member of Congress. The only Democratic member of the NRA Board, Boren voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2009 and was one of only three Democrats to vote to repeal the legislation in 2011. Commenting on the bill, Boren said, “They can break my arms. They can do whatever they want to. They'll never get my vote—ever. They'll have to walk across my dead body if they want my vote on this issue.” In June 2011, Boren announced that he would retire from Congress at the end of his term.
Rep. Dan Boren (Board Member)
On October 13, 1011, Boren voted in favor of H.R. 2250, “The EPA Regulatory Relief Act of 2011.” The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warned that the bill, which proposes to loosen regulations on mercury levels in incinerators, will lead to 20,000 premature deaths due to pollution if enacted.
Rep. Dan Boren (Board Member)
On October 13, 2011, Boren voted in favor of H.R. 358. The bill—labeled by pro-choice groups as the “Let Women Die Act of 2011”—proposes to effectively prohibit private insurance plans from covering abortion. It would also allow hospitals to deny treatment to women seeking abortions—even in circumstances where an abortion would be necessary to save the life of the mother. U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) slammed the bill, stating, “When the Republicans vote for this bill today, they will be voting to say that women can die on the floor of health care providers ... It's just appalling. I can't even describe to you the logic of what they are doing today.”
Rep. Dan Boren (Board Member)
In September 2011, Boren voted in favor of H.R. 2401, a bill that sought to strip the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of its ability to regulate air quality in the United States. The Obama Administration threatened to veto the bill, stating that H.R. 2401 would block the implementation of regulations that “would avoid tens of thousands of premature deaths, prevent tens of thousands of heart attacks and thousands of hospital visits for respiratory and cardiovascular disease, and alleviate hundreds of thousands of childhood asthma attacks and other respiratory illnesses.”
Rep. Dan Boren (Board Member)
In 2011, Boren was a co-sponsor of the controversial No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act in the House of Representatives. Prior to the bill’s introduction, it was already illegal for federal funds to be used for abortion except for in cases of rape and incest where the life of the mother is in danger. The legislation was widely criticized because it sought to further restrict federal funding to cases involving “forcible” rape.
Rep. Dan Boren (Board Member)
According to DirtySecrets.org, Boren has accepted $836,664 in contributions from polluters during his congressional career and has voted for legislation that could put as many as 187,250 lives at risk. No other legislator is considered by DirtySecrets.org to put more lives at risk through his/her votes on environmental bills than Boren.
Rep. Dan Boren (Board Member)
Boren voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2009 and was one of only three Democrats to vote to repeal the legislation in 2011. Commenting on the bill, Boren said, “They can break my arms. They can do whatever they want to. They'll never get my vote—ever. They'll have to walk across my dead body if they want my vote on this issue.”
Rep. Dan Boren (Board Member)
On September 25, 2005, Boren voted in favor of a House bill to amend the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The legislation sought to prevent the federal government from designating “critical habitat” areas for endangered species. A spokesperson for the Natural Resources Defense Council said of the legislation, “It would be scandalous to pass this bill into law. This legislation would do nothing to protect wildlife and, in fact, would lead to more extinctions. Of the many damaging provisions in this bill, one of the worst would repeal rules that protect endangered species from pesticides like DDT, which nearly killed off the bald eagle years ago. The bill also would fleece U.S. taxpayers by paying wealthy developers to comply with endangered species protections. Under a loose compensation scheme, land developers would be able to name their price for lost profits. In America we don't pay people not to pollute.”
Rep. Dan Boren (Board Member)
In 2006, Boren appeared on the League of Conservation Voter’s annual “Dirty Dozen” list. The list targeted Boren for voting “against the environment on every key vote.”
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