We invite you to apply for unpaid internships in our offices in both Washington D.C. and in the district. These highly competitive positions offer unique opportunities for you to gain an insider's view of the legislative process.
Congress recessed late last week and I am back at home in the 17th Congressional District. Like many Americans, I will have the privilege of celebrating Thanksgiving with my family. My thoughts and prayers are with those serving in uniform far from home.
As we celebrate this holiday, I am thankful for the honor of serving in Congress. We all share the hardship and uncertainty of an economy that has taken the worst turn since the Great Depression and the news is filled with the gloom of ‘recession’ and ‘bailout’.
Even though this is a difficult time, I am optimistic and have hope that the new leadership of President-Elect Obama and a Democratic Majority in both the House and Senate will stop digging and begin to climb out of this hole. As we speak, The Obama Economic Team is working diligently to embark on a path to economic recovery that fosters both growth and stability.
I know that with your continued help and support we will successfully face the challenges ahead. The leaders of the Nation are determined and I am excited and honored to be a part.
Congress has reconvened for a brief moment, with the focus being the current crisis in the American auto industry. Before I explain my stance, I’d like to congratulate some of my colleagues. Today, we will be swearing in Congresswoman-elect Marcia Fudge (OH-11), who will occupy the seat vacated by my dear friend, the late Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. I look forward to working with Marcia in the 111th Congress to move Ohio forward. In addition, I would like to congratulate the newly elected leadership for the Democratic Majority:
Speaker of the House: Nancy Pelosi of California Majority Leader: Steny Hoyer of Maryland Majority Whip: James E. Clyburn of South Carolina Democratic Caucus Chairman: John B. Larson of Connecticut Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman: Xavier Becerra of California Assistant to the Speaker and Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee: Chris Van Hollen of Maryland
Last week, I authored a letter to Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer expressing the urgency to help American automakers. We need to ensure stability and stimulate growth in our domestic auto industry. With 5 million American jobs at stake, we can’t afford to look the other way. In my district, the local GM plant in Lordstown is looking at laying off 1,060 employees. Government intervention will provide an opportunity for these automakers to develop advanced fuel efficient cars and renew American interest in buying domestic.
Tonight between 6 and 7 I'm going to the floor to talk about gas prices with some friends from the 30 Somethings, you can watch us on CSPAN. Before that I wanted to give you an idea of whats on my mind.
Many Congressional Republicans blindly voted for or supported Bush’s party line on energy policies that were written by oil company lobbyists under the cover of darkness in the Vice President’s office. Now they want you to believe that the Democratic majority, which has been in office for a year and a half, is responsible for the rise in gas prices?
This Congress has an actual plan to overturn the failed policies of the past. We are taking both short-term steps to try and bring down gas prices, and long-term steps toward ending our dependence on foreign oil. Misleading Congressional Republican attacks on this Congress’ record are a distraction from the hard work that needs to be done to help Americans at the pump. It’s time for them to step up and become partners in the solution, rather than play political games on an issue that strikes to the heart of our national security.
The new argument will tell us that opening up new areas for oil and natural gas development is the way to solve our problems. I oppose it for the following reasons:
(1)There are 68 million acres onshore and offshore in the U.S. that are leased by oil companies—open to drilling and actually under lease—but not developed.
(2)80 percent of the oil available on the Outer Continental Shelf is already open for leasing—but the oil companies haven't decided it’s worth their money to drill there.
(3)Drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge wouldn’t yield any oil for 10 years—and then would only save the consumer 1.8 cents per gallon in 2030.
(4)Although oil drilling technology has improved since the infamous Santa Barbara oil spill disaster in 1969 , drilling on the OCS still presents serious environmental risks, and should not be undertaken unless all other alternatives have been exhausted.
(5)All told, the U.S. has only 1.6 percent of world's known oil supply anyway. But every day, Americans use a quarter of the world’s daily oil consumption. The bottom line is,we CAN'T drill our way out of this problem. Even if we could immediately access all of the U.S. reserves, it would amount to a mere drop in the bucket when compared to long-term needs.
Also, this was me earlier today on a local radio show talking about this problem.
Here in Congress, my colleagues and I have been working hard to push the Green-based initiative on behalf of the American people. Even within our halls, we’ve launched a program called “Green the Capitol”. This program sets us to be the World’s first carbon neutral legislative body, reducing our energy consumption by 50 n a 10-year time frame, reduce waste by using only completely compostable items, and that’s only a few to mention.
Outside our walls, just a few weeks ago, the House passed H.R. 6049 (The Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act) to not only extend, but also expand tax incentives for renewable energy, retain and create hundreds of thousands of green jobs. The bill also closes loopholes allowing U.S. corporations and executives to avoid U.S. taxes by shipping jobs and investment overseas.
Keeping in the spirit of “going green”, I had an opportunity to check out GM’s new Fuel-Cell Vehicle, based on the Chevrolet Equinox. This car produced zero emissions, using NO gasoline. It also had quite a bit of pickup, with an ability to go up to 100mph. There was very little noise from the engine, and the drive was fantastic. The unfortunate part is that these cars will be hard to come by until production meets demand, plus the fact that there aren’t a whole lot of stations to recharge these cars. I’m very excited, however, to see how this technology will positively impact the auto industry as years go by.
