Economy & Budget

There is a Legal Assistance Foundation right down the hall from my district office, and I see hundreds of people come through there, often coming into my office, because its the only legal recourse they can seek--its the last hope they have.

There are not enough resources, there are not enough attorneys.

Legal Assistance lawyers are just swamped, sometimes I feel sorry for them, knowing the number of cases they got.

 

President Bush's signature on this critical legislation will keep Pell Grants and Perkins Loans available to millions of American students heading back to school this fall. A college education is really a passport out of poverty and we have a responsibility to do everything we can to keep access to higher education affordable for every family in this country.

On June 29th, I introduced 'Children of Fallen Soldiers Pell Grant Act of 2006' along with Congressman Don Young and six other original co-sponsors to provide educational opportunities and access to higher education for young people who have lost a parent or guardian as a result of the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The 'Children of Fallen Soldiers Pell Grant Act of 2006' provides financial assistance for higher education by waiving the income eligibility requirements on Pell Grant applications. By waiving this requirement, children of fallen soldiers will be able to receive a maximum Pell Grant award not to exceed the amount of their tuition.

It is estimated that there are currently over 1,600 children who lost a parent as a result of the Iraqi War. These young people will continue to pay the price of protecting America with the lifetime absence of a parent. For those children, this bill holds the promise of opportunity and new dreams that could make a world of difference.

Through this Pell Grant award we can offer a chance for a bright future for the children of those who gave their lives in the name of service for our country.

The purpose of the Stop Over-Spending Act is to restore order to our financial house and make the government affordable for its citizens, especially for younger people who will be working to support the next generation as it retires. This package has been grossly misrepresented by the other side of the aisle.

The minority's attacks through the demagoguery of Social Security are not responsible. That's not governance. That's simply obstructionism for the sake of political gain. I think it's appropriate to point out what the facts are, versus what they believe the politics should be.

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Last night's vote to unlock some of our vast resources along the Outer Continental Shelf represents the culmination of a long, hard-fought, and, at times, contentious debate we started back when natural gas prices were a fraction of what they are today. Since then we've seen demand rise, supply fall, and prices approach levels no one ever thought possible. In truth, these resources should have been made available years ago, but I'm hopeful that the vote will send a strong message to consumers, seniors, working folks across the country, and maybe even the U.S. Senate that members of this chamber take seriously the effects of our current energy crisis and are willing to take steps necessary to end it.

The Bush-Oman Free Trade Agreement is a rotten deal for American working families.  The Bush-Oman deal follows in the bad tradition of deals like CAFTA, which have caused millions of American jobs to disappear to countries where employers can pay much less and pollute much more.

Even worse - and I can't emphasize this enough - entering a free trade deal with a country that has an abysmal record on human trafficking is a betrayal of the American commitment to freedom.

I don't understand how President Bush can make campaign speeches calling for freedom everywhere, and then reward a country that fails to stop the trafficking of people into forced labor.

Japan’s Prime Minister Koizumi’s visit to Washington, D.C. to meet with President Bush is a timely opportunity to talk about my bill blocking imports of Japanese beef if Japan doesn’t lift its unfair embargo on U.S. beef. Because the beef industry can’t tolerate this unfair ban much longer, I’ll push my bill forward to block Japanese beef imports until Japan fully resumes beef trade. This is an issue of fair trade, in principle and practice, and Nebraska’s significant beef industry deserves fairness.

Japan’s embargo on U.S. beef products over the last three years has cost the Nebraska beef industry $875 million and cost Nebraska 1300 jobs. I believe the ongoing embargo is unfair and the cumbersome Japanese bureaucracy is moving too slow to reinstate beef trade with the United States. I’ve expressed my frustration and have been in constant communication with Japanese officials, including Japan’s Ambassador to the United States, Ryozo Kato, trying to work out a solution to the trade impasse. I’ve always maintained that U.S. beef is the safest, highest quality beef in the world. And once Japan ends this unfair and bureaucratic embargo, I’m sure they’ll recognize the safety and quality of U.S. beef as well.

Social Security should be a guaranteed benefit, not a guaranteed gamble. It must be reliable, undeniable, and inflation-proof. I am alarmed to see that a budget will come to the floor next week that could be a backdoor way of privatizing Social Security.

Under the guise of empowering an unelected commission, they would have the authority to cut benefits to turn it over to Wall Street where seniors would have to rely on the political promises and fear the bear of a market. We cannot let this happen.

I think it's ironic that people who call for a "moral agenda" waste taxpayer money on mismanaged Katrina relief and on operations in Iraq, while cutting back on children's assistance.

They need a good look in the mirror.

Yesterday, an amendment was approved that would give $2 million to West Coast salmon fishers hit hard by a sharp cutback in this year's fishing season. This is nowhere near the amount of funds necessary, but getting funding for disaster assistance included in this bill is a significant victory for our coastal communities. I appreciate Chairman Wolf and my colleagues for recognizing that fishing communities in Oregon and California vitally need our help. We'll be fighting to get more assistance in the Senate and the conference committee.