Lawmaker News

Today, Americans and all who long for justice woke to the news: nearly 10 years after the United States set out to kill or capture Osama bin Laden, justice has been done. The man who orchestrated the 9/11 attacks and who reveled in the horror of that day is dead. And those who follow his twisted vision are again on notice: America is in pursuit.

This was a long time coming.

For two decades, Osama bin Laden and the al Qaeda network he created, sustained and led has been at war with the United States. The path of terror extended from the first World Trade Center bombing to the bombing of the Khobar Towers and the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, to the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole, to the horrors of 9/11, and through two long and difficult wars that followed.

Just arriving in D.C. from New Mexico at about 10:30 p.m., I almost missed the announcement that bin Laden was dead. My BlackBerry was buzzing with the news of the impending Presidential Message.

I was frustrated, in the airport, waiting for my bag. I ran to the car, turned on the radio; the president had not yet spoken. The announcer said a small group was gathering at the White House chanting “USA.”

I hurried there, arriving just as the President was speaking. One of the first to arrive, I parked half a block from the White House.

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) - 

"The President's announcement that Osama bin Laden has been found and killed is simply fantastic news. After ten years of dedicated effort across two administrations, we have struck a major blow against al Qaeda and achieved a momentous turning point in our nation's ongoing War on Terrorism. While we must remain vigilant in defense of freedom and democracy in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and on other fronts, we can rest assured that the murderer who orchestrated the deaths of thousands of our countrymen has finally met justice at the hands of the brave men and women of our military and intelligence community."

Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) - 

"This is a great day for America and our allies across the free world. Osama bin Laden has finally gotten the justice he deserved. I commend President Obama, former President Bush and the highly capable men and women in our military and intelligence community whose tireless work over the last decade made this day possible. It is also a time to reflect on the victims of 9/11 and their families, as well as those who have died across the world fighting terrorism. Let this be a lesson that there is no sanctuary in the world for America's enemies."

The April 19, 2011 letter sent to Mayor Vincent Gray from more than 100 members of Congress regarding reinstatement of the ban on District funding of abortions for low-income women demonstrates why District residents must continue to fight for statehood and free this city from its Congressional shackles. 

I found the letter to be very disrespectful to our Mayor. The tone of the correspondence is condescending and patronizing, and its authors have temerity to suggest that our Mayor would consider breaking the law and continue District funding of abortions for low-income women.

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Rep. Peter T. King (R-NY), Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, issued the following statement in response to news that President Obama intends to nominate Leon Panetta to be Secretary of Defense and Gen. David Petraeus to be Director of the CIA:
 
I strongly support the President's planned nominations. Director Panetta has done an outstanding job at the CIA, and General Petraeus has distinguished himself as one of the great American military leaders. Both men currently play integral roles in our Nation's war against al Qaeda and its affiliates and will be instrumental as we continue to combat the terrorist threat.
 
Director Panetta has had important success in stabilizing the CIA workforce and played a critical role in indentifying and disrupting terrorist plots against the United States.
 
General Petraeus is a patriot who has served honorably and admirably whenever and wherever the President has asked.
 
King is the only Member of Congress to currently serve on both the Committee on Homeland Security and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

On April 11th I chose to commit an act of civil disobedience that led to my first ever arrest. That’s something I take very seriously. I was spurred to action by the bargain made by the President of the United States and the Speaker of the House to limit the rights of women in DC, rights enjoyed by American citizens everywhere except in our nation’s capital. But most important, this deal violated our city's citizens fundamental right to elect the government that makes our laws.

Whether one is passionately for or against a woman's right to an abortion, the right to elect your own government to determine how your tax dollars are spent should not be in dispute. When the founding fathers crafted the US Constitution, they established the District of Columbia for the purpose of protecting the federal government.

Well, I apologize for speaking out of turn, but I have one more stop to go that makes it necessary for me to do so, and I would not have missed this for the world. So I am delighted to have had the opportunity to hear everyone else, and I regret that I won’t hear the remaining speakers.

But I want to start by thanking Gary Smith for the work you’ve done to realize the vision that the Academy represents and what Richard certainly hoped for. Gahl, thank you, for the instrumental role you played.

The state motto of New Hampshire is one of the best known in the nation. “Live Free or Die” is revered as a statement both for the ideal it expresses and for its economy of language. It is brief and brilliant. 

In New Hampshire, we understand the power of language. Our state’s history is steeped in the great debates and oratory of our nation’s founding. 

We have not done that history justice, as of late. 

The word “consigliere,” apart from its obvious mafia connotation made famous in Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, is often used to refer to someone who is an “ultimate insider.” It describes a person who is a power broker, a mouthpiece, a best friend, crony, business liaison or aide-de-camp. 

It’s not surprising that the word has also been used to describe one of President Obama’s most trusted advisers, Valerie Jarrett, Senior Adviser and Assistant to the President for Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs. But after an unfortunate incident earlier this year, some journalists showed a more humorous side of her dealings in Washington.