Following requests from myself, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and other House members, for an investigation of the National Security Agency's (NSA) warrantless surveillance program, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Glenn A. Fine yesterday informed me that his office has opened a review of the agency's involvement with the program.

In his letter to me, Fine wrote, "The OIG previously received clearances relating to the NSA program for myself and two other OIG supervisors. After conducting initial inquiries into the program, we have decided to open a program review that will examine the Department's controls and use of information related to the program and the Department's compliance with legal requirements governing the program. On October 20, 2006, I made a formal request to the Attorney General for additional clearances for OIG staff to conduct this program review. The Attorney General forwarded the request to the White House, which makes the decisions on clearance requests relating to the program. Last week, I received word that the request for clearances for the OIG staff to conduct this review would be granted. As a result, the OIG has opened this program review, and I wanted to inform you of the review."

I must say that after trying for nearly a year to get DOJ to conduct an investigation of the NSA's warrantless spy program, I am very pleased to learn that the agency's Inspector General is finally opening an investigation that we were made to believe would never happen. While I'm glad that the White House finally relented and granted additional clearances for DOJ officials to conduct an investigation, I can't help but be skeptical about the timing. I wonder whether this reversal is only coming now after the election as an attempt to appease Democrats in Congress who have been critical of the NSA program and will soon be in control and armed with subpoena power. Read more...

After nearly a year of stonewalling, security clearances have finally been approved by the White House so that the Department of Justice can investigate its own involvement in the NSA's warrantless surveillance program.  I look forward to the results of this inquiry.  Congress needs to craft legislation so that terrorists can be the subject of surveillance while the Constitution of the United States is honored. To do that a full investigation into the program as a whole, not just the DOJ's involvement, will be necessary.

A new survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), which shows that college graduates are entering the best job market in four years, highlights the strength and projected growth of the American economy, but also underscores the need to improve the education pipeline from high school to post-secondary education and the workplace.

The American economy has grown stronger over the last several years, leading employers to increase hiring and raise wages and salaries. As a result, unemployment is at a five-year low, wages and benefits are up 3.3 percent over last year, and employers are hiring more graduates out of college at higher starting salaries. To ensure that the American economy can remain competitive in the years to come and that more Americans can reap the benefits of this economic strength, we must take steps to graduate more students on time and with the knowledge and skills to be successful in the 21st century workplace. Read more...

The American Medical Association (AMA) is working around the clock to stop Medicare payment cuts to doctors before Congress comes to a close this year. We will not rest until doctors and patients get the attention and action they deserve.

Seniors’ access to health care hangs in the balance. If Congress doesn’t act now, the first of nine cuts will go into effect on January 1, forcing doctors to make difficult practice decisions. A 40 percent cut to payments over nine years, as practice costs increase 20 percent, will make it difficult for many doctors to continue to see seniors. These cuts come on top of already-insufficient payments. Currently, Medicare pays doctors the same as it did in 2001.

The effect of the looming cuts is clear. If the first cut goes through in 2007, nearly half of doctors will be forced to limit the number of seniors they see. And seniors are already having trouble getting in to see their doctor. A report by the commission that advises Congress on Medicare shows that 25 percent of Medicare patients seeking a new primary care physician are already having trouble getting an appointment. Read more...

This past Saturday, I spoke to the nation in the Democrats' weekly radio address and discussed three pledges that Democrats are making to the country:

1.) We will and must change the way things are done in Washington;
2.) We will work with the President and our Republican colleagues in Congress to forge a new direction in Iraq; and
3.) We will address the concerns and issues that affect the lives of working families.

Let me elaborate a bit more on those pledges. First, Washington has to change the way it does business. Democrats seek to restore civility and integrity to our legislative process, and transparency and accountability to our government. We will reach across the aisle and seek bipartisan consensus whenever possible and pass legislation that ensures ethics and lobbying reform.

Second, the strategy in Iraq is not working. In the days ahead, the Iraqis must make the tough decisions and accept responsibility for their future. Read more...

I applaud the efforts of the Cole commission, which examined the facts in a thorough and comprehensive manner. My Subcommittee will review the Cole report with a fine-tooth comb to determine whether U.S. interests were hurt by AWB's gross misconduct. One paramount concern is whether U.S. farmers were harmed by AWB's actions and I will do whatever I can to make our farmers whole. Another major concern is whether Australian officials were less than honest in their dealings with the Subcommittee. We will examine the report to ensure that no one lied to this Subcommittee. I also reiterate my call for other nations to follow the example of the Australians and investigate all evidence of misconduct associated with the Oil-for-Food Program.

On November 7, elections officials across the country congratulated themselves on what they considered a smoothly run election. But Election Day was far from flawless. Some of the worst incidents occurred in Florida, where voters encountered problems that led to massive disenfranchisement and may well have changed the outcome of a congressional race.In Sarasota County, citizens voted in a number of races, including the high-profile race for the 13th District congressional seat. Although the vast majority of voters cast ballots in lower profile races in that district, more than 18,000 voters -- one out of every seven citizens who came to the polls -- cast no vote in the congressional race.

The reason wasn't that voters didn't have any preference. The fault lay clearly with flawed voting machines and negligent election officials who did little if anything to address the problem. Many voters are convinced they selected one of the candidates, but that machines lost or ignored their votes. Because of another round of mismanaged elections, almost twenty thousand voters were disenfranchised in a race which could be decided by a few hundred votes. Read more...

Americans sent a very clear message to the President and to Congress on Election Day. For too long, Washington has let politics cloud progress on legislation that could make a big difference in our daily lives. Access to affordable health care has become limited. Consumers have been paying record prices at the pump while big oil has posted record profits. And our troops and their families have been stretched thin.

The call for change is finally resonating in the halls of Congress, and many lawmakers are listening for the first time in a long time. As a result, I believe we’re going to see the progress, accountability and transparency people deserve from their government. Cooperation and bipartisanship will be at the root of this new direction. In Arkansas, we know that talking to one another is more effective than talking at one another. We also know that no political party has a monopoly on good ideas; it’s more important to take the best ideas from all sides and turn those proposals into law. This is a well-tested philosophy that I have used to pass laws that benefit our veterans, seniors, children, taxpayers and farmers and bring more infrastructure dollars to our state. Read more...

At this time of year, I like to recall the famous Norman Rockwell painting, “Freedom from Want,