U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham: Why I will vote for impeachment of President Donald Trump | Opinion

When I ran for Congress, I promised you I would put Lowcountry over party. No matter the political consequences, I pledged to put you — and this country — first.

We are a nation of laws and no single person is above the rule of law in America. Even the president must be held accountable if he violates the Constitution. I made my decision concerning the president’s impeachment judiciously, withholding judgment until I could review all evidence, hear all relevant testimony, and weigh both sides of the argument.

The facts are clear — the president blatantly and repeatedly abused the power of his office by coercing a foreign government into investigating his political rival, withholding appropriated military assistance to do it. By refusing to cooperate with Congress, the president also clearly obstructed Congress.

After an enormous amount of deliberation, countless conversations with constituents, and thoughtful prayer, I have decided to support both articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump.

We’ve all seen the hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of outside dark-money advertisements that have recently poured into our district. These ads, paid for by shadowy special interests, claim that impeachment has been my sole focus during my time in Congress. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I came to Congress to work across the aisle and to deliver real results for the Lowcountry. I am proud to be ranked as one of the most independent members of Congress. In just 12 months, we’ve already achieved remarkable successes for the Lowcountry.

I promised there would never be any oil drilling off of our coast on my watch. In September, the House passed my legislation to permanently ban offshore drilling off the South Carolina coast.

I’ve never been afraid to buck my own party when I’ve disagreed. I voted against a budget deal that would have raised the debt by $3 trillion, helped kill a pay raise for members of Congress, and opposed a bill that would more than double the minimum wage to $15 an hour — a plan that would cripple small businesses and the hospitality industry in the Lowcountry. I’ve prioritized fiscal responsibility because I know that South Carolina businesses and families have to balance their budgets, and Congress should not be any different.

Last week I helped pass legislation that would allow Medicare to negotiate directly with drug companies to lower prescription drug prices. Thanks to an amendment I successfully added to the bill, these lower prices would be available to veterans within the VA health system as well.

As a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, I helped pass legislation to extend long-overdue benefits to Vietnam veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange — legislation that was just signed into law by President Trump. Last month, the House passed my bipartisan bill that would allow veterans — from the comfort of their own homes — to tele-conference into appeals hearings with the Veterans Board of Appeals, instead of traveling hours to a regional benefits office.

I promised to invest in the Lowcountry’s failing infrastructure and work across the aisle to address our transportation concerns. So, I worked with local leaders throughout the summer to secure $18 million in federal funding to help build a new bridge over the Ashley River in Charleston.

And last week, we finalized President Trump’s USMCA trade deal, which will likely be approved by the House before Christmas. We also passed the National Defense Authorization Act, in which I secured the $37.2 million in funding Parris Island needs to modernize its outdated live-fire training range — a necessary upgrade to maintain the flow of new Marines.

Dirty, partisan tricks that misrepresent my record are just that — tired, partisan gimmicks that folks in the Lowcountry reject. As my dad used to say, “That old dog don’t hunt.”

My record demonstrates I am exactly the kind of representative I said I would be — someone who is unafraid to hold the president accountable, yet eager to work with him when it helps my folks back home. But most importantly, I have been a representative who remains laser-focused on the people I have the privilege to represent.

There’s enough bad politics in Washington, D.C., and I will not add to it. My constituents sent me here to try to reverse the tone of our discourse and to make positive changes for our district. My sights have always been set on what is best for the Lowcountry.

That has never wavered. And I can assure you it never will.

Joe Cunningham of Charleston represents South Carolina’s 1st District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

This story was originally published December 17, 2019 at 11:49 AM.