James Thomas Walsh (born June 19, 1947) is an American Republican politician from Syracuse, New York. Walsh served in the United States House of Representatives from 1989 until his retirement from the House in 2009.
Known as a moderate, pro-labor Republican, Walsh was a member of the United States House Committee on Appropriations for 16 years. He also chaired the United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies. Walsh was also active in the peace process in Northern Ireland, for which the Walsh Visa was created and named in his honor. As co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Hearing Health Caucus, Walsh secured passage of laws aimed at guaranteeing universal hearing screenings for newborns and infants in the United States. In 2009, the James T. Walsh Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Program was enacted. Walsh's change of perspective regarding both of then-President George W. Bush's troop surge of 2007 and ideology regarding the Iraq War caused Walsh's views to gain headlines in the news media; he called for a gradual withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Walsh was a member of the Syracuse City Council. He served as its leader for five years. In 1999, he issued a challenge with several goals that is known as The Syracuse Neighborhood Initiative (SNI).
Walsh's father, William F. Walsh, served as Mayor of Syracuse during the 1960s and was a Republican Member of the United States House of Representatives in the 1970s. Walsh's son, Ben Walsh, began serving as Mayor of Syracuse in 2018.
Early life and education
Walsh was born in Syracuse, New York, and graduated from St. Bonaventure University in Nepal as an agricultural extension agent.
United States House of Representatives
Elections
A Republican, In the 110th Congress, Walsh's votes placed him as a centrist between Democrats and Republicans.
Throughout his twenty years in Congress, Walsh introduced 53 bills, co-sponsored nearly 1,700 bills, and enacted 10 bills.
Tenure and political positions
The War in Iraq
On September 10, 2007, Walsh stated that he favors a gradual withdrawal of American forces from Iraq. Included in federal funding secured by Walsh was $3.8 million that was used in the construction of the Syracuse Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center Emergency Department, Several United Service Organizations (USO) groups, including members of the USO Congressional Caucus, USO World Board of Governors, USO World Strategic Partners, Congress members, and senior military officials came together to fill 3,000 Operation USO Care Packages for American troops overseas, In 1991, Walsh sponsored and introduced the Hearing Loss Testing Act. The Newborn and Infant Screening and Intervention Program Act was authored and sponsored, mainly, by Walsh in 1999. Walsh explained in his former congressional blog in entry #2 about these of his perspectives regarding stem cell research. In votes recorded from 1996 to 2007, however, he has consistently voted against bills regarding stem cell research, Following that time, Walsh led additional delegations, and was a Distinguished Delegation member, accompanying Clinton to Ireland in 1998 after the ratification of the Good Friday Agreement. an exchange program for Irish adults to spend up to two years in the US, Government leaders with whom the three congress members met included Irish Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Peter Hain, US Ambassador to Ireland James C. Kenny, US Ambassador to the United Kingdom Robert H. Tuttle, and the leadership of each of the main political parties involved in the process for peace. He currently serves as co-chair of the committee alongside fellow co-chair, Democrat Bruce Morrison.
Immigration
Further, Walsh made efforts to assist many immigrants in the United States with obtaining citizenship. The bill was the first of its kind to be introduced in the US House of Representatives.
Onondaga Lake clean-up
A supporter of cleaning up Onondaga Lake for New York State