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February 20, 2007, 7:04 am
By
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell
The House tax relief package aimed at the small businesses most affected by the increase in the minimum wage is a good first step, but we can do much better. While I support the more robust Senate package, I know we can create a stronger bipartisan package that provides meaningful benefits to both those who earn the minimum wage and those who pay it.
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February 20, 2007, 6:38 am
By
N.Y. GOP Rep. Randy Kuhl
There have been a few recent, high profile dam failures in the news and some that haven't been as widely publicized. Dams are critical to many communities for electrical power generation, water supply, and even recreation and tourism, all of which help economic development and create jobs. A failure in a dam could range from terribly inconvenient to catastrophic to a community, and that's what this bill aims to prevent. The more resources we put into dam safety now, the less we'll have to spend down the road to clean up any problems caused by dam failures.
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February 19, 2007, 8:50 am
By
The Hill
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), in an effort to overcome her vote in support of the Iraq war, is continuing to boost her anti-war credentials.
In a new campaign video, Clinton strongly voices her objection to a troop surge, saying that "sending more troops to execute the same flawed plan makes no sense."
Clinton, the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, calls for troop levels to be capped, a greater effort from Iraq to provide its own security and a certification from the Secretary of Defense that all U.S. troops in Iraq have all the equipment and training they need to be safe.
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February 19, 2007, 6:30 am
By
N.Y. Dem Rep. Gregory Meeks
I think this is the first step in sending the president a loud message that this immoral war that we’re engaged in has to change direction, and that the escalation of the war is not the way to go. I believe that it showed, and the members understood and the public understands, that this Congress is not going to be a Congress that just gives the president anything and everything that he wants, that we’re going to do our job, and our job means that we’re going to conduct oversight, we’re going to have hearings, and we’re going to have some votes on the floor asking questions in regards to the policy of the executive. We are a coequal branch of government and we’re going to exercise that, and we’re going to listen to the voice and the will of the American people and our own common sense, because we understand that the camera of history is rolling, and we’ve got to make sure that history records us on the right side.
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February 18, 2007, 9:00 am
By
Military Families Speak Out
We are members of Military Families Speak Out, an organization of over 3,200 military families opposed to the war in Iraq, whose loved ones are currently serving in, or are soon to be deployed or re-deployed to Iraq. No one is more concerned about the safety and well-being of our troops than we are – they are our loved ones.
Yesterday we sent an open letter to Senators and Members of Congress ( http://www.mfso.org/downloads/OpenLetter.pdf) urging them to vote against the President’s 2007 supplemental appropriations request for funds to continue the war in Iraq. It is not enough to support a non-binding resolution opposing the escalation.
We want our Senators and Members of Congress to know that by continuing to fund the war and leaving our loved ones in Iraq, they are abandoning them. We know that there are funds available to bring our troops out quickly and safely and, if needed, additional funds could be reprogrammed for that purpose. Senators and Members of Congress cannot both oppose and fund this war. We urge and expect Congress to use their Constitutional ‘power of the purse’ to de-fund the war.
We are asking our elected representatives to show the courage and leadership that our loved ones have shown when they signed up to defend country and Constitution. Ending this war is the right thing to do. And Senators and Members of Congress are the people who can make it happen.
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February 18, 2007, 6:30 am
By
Okla. GOP Rep. Mary Fallin
I'd rather have seen the resolution fail. But I was pleased that there were so few Republicans that supported it. I just wish we had the opportunity on the floor to actually debate these issues. A few minutes from each person to speak isn't enough.
As a freshman, I'm very disappointed. I was elected to come to Congress to voice the concerns of my Oklahoman constituents. But we can't speak freely because of constant suspension of House rules and closed debates.
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February 17, 2007, 7:30 am
By
Mass. Dem. Rep. Barney Frank
Historically this is very significant. Sadly, Congress does not assert its responsibilities nearly as often as it should in foreign policy, and particularly where war is concerned. So to have a significant majority of the House—almost all of one party and a sizeable chunk of the president’s own party—register strong disagreement with a major decision of this sort is really quite significant.
It doesn’t end here. We will, I hope, move on to further legislation, but this is a very significant vote. I know the Republicans tried to mock it by saying, “Oh, well, it’s not important because it’s non-binding
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February 17, 2007, 6:30 am
By
N.Y. Dem. Rep. Gary Ackerman
I think we had a very spirited debate. I think that it showed the American people the basic difference between the Democratic party, which clearly understood the message on election day last, and the Republican party, who think that an escalation is a change of course.
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February 16, 2007, 1:23 pm
By
Calif. GOP Rep. Brian Bilbray
In the 230 year history of our country, the United States has fought in conflicts both at home and abroad that have tested the resolve and unity of the American people. During that time, the purview of the Commander in Chief has justly been scrutinized and questioned. These debates are a part of our past and will be a part of our future as long as we send our men and women into battlefields to fight for our country.
Today’s debate is no exception. The question we must answer for ourselves is a fundamental one that speaks not to our approval of the War in Iraq, but rather to our commitment to the men and woman fighting this war. It is a commitment we must reaffirm without question or doubt. With commitment and unity.
Now it seems to me that we have two courses of action we can take regarding the War in Iraq. We can pull our troops out immediately and leave the stability of the region up to an increasingly violent insurgency thereby admitting defeat, or we can send in further reinforcements to work with Iraqi Security Forces to seize control of their country.
Read more...
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February 16, 2007, 12:00 pm
By
N.J. Dem. Rep. Steve Rothman
How can we expect our students to learn if they are constantly looking over their shoulders in fear, worrying if a gun or knife has been brought into their school to be used against them? The answer is that we can't. That is why, as the 110th Congress moves forward, I believe that we should make the safety of all our schoolchildren a national priority. And that is why Senator Barbara Boxer and I introduced the School Safety Enhancements Act of 2007.
Our bill will expand the successful Secure Our Schools initiative that former Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.) and I created in 2000. Secure Our Schools is a federal matching grant program to help local governments afford security equipment and training in their schools. Since its first year of funding in 2002, $50 million dollars has been distributed to 48 states under the Secure Our Schools program, helping an estimated 1,300 schools nationwide. Over $6 million has helped secure 160 schools in my home state of New Jersey alone.
I am proud of these successes, but join Senator Boxer in the belief that much more must be done. The School Safety Enhancements Act would allow the federal government to do more by increasing the amount of funding allowed for school safety grants to $50 million annually. It would increase the federal share of security improvements from 50% to 80% to take more of the burden off of local governments. And our bill would add to the list of acceptable uses for a Secure Our Schools grant, most notably to allow schools to develop a telephone hotline that students can call to report tips.
Read more...
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