The Track Record of Fresno Area U.S. Representatives: Jim Costa
First elected in 2004, Rep. Jim Costa was re-elected in 2006. GovTrack.us considers Costa to be a “moderate Democrat.” The Sunlight Foundation, a group of citizen researchers, evaluated Costa’s website in February 2007 to see if he provided information on his legislative activities and personal finances and travel. He received a rating of 40 out of 100, with a 40 considered passing.
Costa voted yes on a June 2006 resolution which declared Iraq is part of the war on terror without an exit date. He voted in May against redeploying troops out of Iraq beginning in 90 days from the passage of the bill. However, in February he voted for a resolution which disapproved of the troop surge. During deliberations for the resolution, Costa said, “I believe America is less safe today than it was before the 9/11 attacks. And as violence in Iraq climbs and the costs continue to soar, we need a new direction in Iraq in a bipartisan fashion.”
Costa record on health care is consistent. He helped enact low cost health care insurance for children in November 2004. He voted yes on a January measure which required Medicare to negotiate prescription prices, and voted against a February 2006 measure which denied non-emergency treatment for patients who could not pay the Medicare co-pay.
However, Costa’s record on the environment is inconsistent. In June 2006 Costa voted yes on increasing AMTRAK funding, but voted against barring a website which promoted a nuclear waste dump in Yucca Mountain. He voted for deauthorizing critical habitats for endangered species in September 2005.
As with the environment, Costa’s record on energy is inconsistent. He voted against criminalizing oil cartels in May, but in January he voted for removing oil and gas exploration subsidies. In 2006 he voted against keeping a moratorium on off-shore drilling, but voted against scheduling permits for new oil refineries. In 2005 he voted against authorizing new oil refineries to be constructed.
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