I believe the Endangered Species Act’s intention of protecting species is good, but I believe those good intentions have gone off track. The law is failing to lead to the de-listing of species.

In the 30 years that ESA has been around, more than 1,300 species have been listed as threatened or endangered. Oddly enough though, only a handful of species have recovered to the point of being de-listed, because agencies do not have clear standards about when a species should be de-listed.

I believe that we must protect species that are truly threatened or endangered, but we cannot lose sight of the real goal: recovery and delisting. The law should be supported by sound science and need, and be accompanied by a recovery plan that will lead to de-listing.

I will look forward to talking more about this important issue when I take it to the Senate floor next week.

Late last week, I introduced H.R. 1117, The Repeal REAL ID and Identification Security Enhancement Act.  It is not enough merely to delay implementation of the deeply flawed law that created REAL ID.  Congress must replace it with legislation that does not infringe on the privacy rights of Americans, does not put their personal information at risk to possible fraudulent use, and does not impose the burden of an unfunded financial mandate on State taxpayers.

In 2004, I was one of 161 members of the House of Representatives to oppose the REAL ID Act when it came to the floor.  The Senate did not even take up this controversial legislation, and the former majority leadership in Congress ultimately slipped the bill into a must-pass spending bill in 2005 that provided funding for our troops and for tsunami relief.

REAL ID requires each state to create an electronic database of all information from every driver’s license it issues.  It further requires each state to link its electronic database to that of every other state in the nation, effectively creating a nationwide database containing the private information belonging to every individual with a driver’s license in the entire country.  I don’t trust the security of Mainers’ personal information to a system that makes it available at any DMV in the country. Read more...

With the Iraq War entrenched as a major issue for Democratic presidential candidates, Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.) has said he wants Congress to repeal its 2002 authorization of the president’s use of force.

Biden is preparing a proposal with Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.). Below, Biden explains his intentions in a speech at the Brookings Institution.

He says the original authorization to destroy weapons of mass destruction, bring Iraq into accordance with U.N. resolutions and, if necessary, depose Saddam Hussein “is no longer relevant to the situation in Iraq.

Democrats have been clear about the strategy behind their Iraq resolution: they’ve described it as a "slow-bleed," and a way of tying the hands of the Commander in Chief. They want to vote in favor of meaningless proposition but not for funding of our armed services.

How can they say that they are voting in favor of our troops, unless they pledge to support them with the funds and reinforcements they need? A vote in support of the troops that is silent on the question of funds is an attempt to have it both ways.

I want an open and honest debate, and not political posturing. I was sent here to take action, not waste time on non-binding and empty resolutions.

It is shocking to me that press reports are asserting that Senator Ted Kennedy is about to introduce an extreme new bill that will reward illegal immigrants with an even easier path to citizenship than last year's proposal and will reduce enforcement measures.

Most immigrants who have entered the United States illegally do not want to become American citizens. They are here to find better work opportunities than they find in their home countries. Businesses do not need workers to become U.S. citizens, and that is not what most immigrants desire. Why force them down this road?

By creating an easier path to citizenship, proponents of this bill are advancing a political agenda. They are not addressing the real concerns of those affected by current law, and are only deepening the divide on this controversial issue. In essence, they are devaluing U.S. citizenship for the millions of Americans who have entered the U.S. lawfully. The American public does not support the elements central to this proposed bill, and Congress should not be either.

Today, Dow Jones Newswires reported that Fannie Mae will close its philanthropic foundation and publicly disclose its corporate charitable contributions under the new Office of Community and Charitable Giving.  This is the type of disclosure I have been seeking from all public companies for several years.  Last year portions of my bill, the Corporate Charitable Disclosure Act (H.R. 543), were included in a larger bill to reform the regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (H.R.1461).  Given Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's special government-sponsored status, it should be the right of their shareholders and the American public to know how profits are being spent.  If charitable contributions are legitimate, public companies should have nothing to hide.  That is why I intend to re-introduce my Corporate Charitable Disclosure Act next week.

As we mentioned in our Week Ahead post, NAM President John Engler yesterday participated in an event with the National Assessment Governing Board and education leaders in the release of two 12th-grade reports from "The Nation's Report Card," officially called the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Unfortunately, the results weren't great.

According to this AP story, "Nearly 40 percent of high school seniors scored below the basic level on the math test. More than a quarter of seniors failed to reach the basic level on the reading test." Gov. Engler commented that, "The skills needed to compete in a 21st Century workforce are just those that our graduates are having the hardest time achieving -- math, reading and science."

As school spending increases, scores continue to go south. This is most discouraging, a word Gov. Engler used yesterday as well. We are the big end users of the products of America's schools, have a vested interest in their quality. Gov. Engler also noted the adage that what you measure improves and called for further measurement so we can track progress -- or lack of same. He always comments that the average manufacturer uses more metrics in a day than the US educational system uses in a year. We need to be able to track progress and then need to be able to do something about it. Read more...

Democrats are poised to lead Congress to a full vote in the People's House that D.C. residents have sought for two centuries.  Sensing the possibility of victory for H.R. 328, opponents have released a report that Kenneth Thomas did for the Congressional Research Service (but not an official CRS opinion), doubting the bill's constitutionality.  It is too little, it is late and it is wrong.  Two conservative scholars, former Judge Kenneth Starr and Professor Viet Dinh, former Assistant Attorney General for Legal Policy under Bush, gave detailed testimony at hearings that the bill is constitutional.  Those interested in the constitutional issue, the last refuge of opponents to the bill, should go to my website or DC Vote's website for the testimony.  Because the Utah-District pairing in H.R. 328 removes all partisan concerns, the bill's opponents have run out of excuses for taking D.C. taxes and the lives of residents in Iraq without a vote.  Opponents are driven to the constitutional excuse, a canard used so often that it doesn't keep bills from being passed.  Congress has always understood that the legislative branch's job is to pass bills after all the issues have been vetted.  There will be time enough for opponents to challenge the bill in the courts that alone decide constitutional issues.  Undaunted, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty, Council Chair Vincent Gray and hundreds of residents and elected officials recently came to the House for a Congress Day rally and congressional visits.  No more excuses.  The only question for the House now is which side are you on -- for the vote for all Americans or not?

A recent final report by USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) holds plenty of good news for consumers, producers, meat packers and processors.  After a long, detailed study, GIPSA found that alternative marketing arrangements (AMAs) - also known as livestock contracting - increase the economic efficiency of the cattle, hog, and lamb markets, thus providing economic benefits to consumers, producers and packers.  Read more...