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May 2008
Senate Committee Approves Bayh Plan
to Shift Reconstruction Costs to Iraqis
The first bipartisan effort to change U.S. Iraq policy passed key Senate committees this month. The legislation authored by Senators Evan Bayh, Ben Nelson (D-NE) and Susan Collins (R-ME) would transfer financial responsibility for reconstruction from U.S. taxpayers to the Iraqi
government. Under the plan, use of U.S. taxpayer funds for
major reconstruction projects in Iraq would be banned, and Iraq would be required to cover all or part of the costs
of small-scale reconstruction projects, joint missions with coalition
forces, and training and equipment for their own troops.
[ read more ]
Bayh Presses Pentagon to
Safeguard Defense Manufacturing
Citing concerns over national security and the stability of the U.S.
defense industry, Senator Bayh called on Secretary of
Defense Robert Gates to rigorously enforce laws created to ensure that
the United States maintains its technological edge in the production of
high-performance metals used in advanced weapons systems. In a letter sent to Secretary Gates, Senator Bayh expressed concerns that the U.S. Department of
Defense (DoD) is not “properly complying with the laws passed by
Congress to safeguard the nation’s defense industrial base. The DoD’s
actions and policies may have the effect of subverting the law rather
than enforcing it.”
[ read more ]
Bayh Urges Trade Commission to Protect U.S. Steel Industry Jobs
Senator Bayh called on the International Trade Commission
(ITC) to continue to take steps to protect American jobs and the U.S.
steel industry from imports of unfairly traded steel pipe from China. During testimony before the ITC this month, Bayh pointed out that American steel
producers, including pipe and tube manufacturers
in Indiana, are being undercut by welded steel pipe sold in
the United States at as much as 85 percent below fair market value. In
November, the U.S. Department of Commerce determined that Chinese
companies producing circular welded steel pipe are subsidized by their
government, giving them an unfair advantage in the world market over
U.S. producers.
[ read more ]
Bayh, Lugar Order Anticorruption Probe for World Bank Projects
Citing the importance of good stewardship of U.S. taxpayer dollars,
Senators Bayh and Lugar called on the investigative arm
of Congress to study whether the World Bank has taken adequate steps to
combat corruption and effectively govern programs designed to fight
global poverty. Last year, Congress allocated $950 million to the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), the lending arm responsible for providing interest-free loans to the world’s poorest countries. Senators Bayh and Lugar, concerned that scarce resources are being
misspent and enriching corrupt foreign regimes, sent a
letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting a
formal probe of the World Bank’s anticorruption efforts.
[ read more ]
Bayh Backs Effort to Make Public Service
More Financially Feasible for Hoosiers
Senator Bayh introduced legislation to make it more
financially feasible for Hoosiers to give back to their communities,
co-sponsoring a bill to increase the educational benefit offered to AmeriCorps members to keep pace with the rising cost of college
tuition. Established in 1994, AmeriCorps offers opportunities for Americans to serve their communities in areas such as disaster response,
education, environmental protection, and public health and safety
support. Through the
Segal Education Award, AmeriCorps offsets tuition costs or pays back
qualified student loans for members. Bayh, a vocal advocate of public service
programs, introduced legislation to raise the educational award to $6,185, the average cost of tuition
and fees for the 2007-2008 year according to the College Board.
[ read more ]
Bayh, Bunning, Stabenow Urge Administation
to Take Action Against Currency Manipulation
Senators Bayh, Jim Bunning (R-KY), and Debbie Stabenow
(D-MI) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Henry
Paulson urging the administration to hold accountable those countries that manipulate
their currencies to achieve unfair advantage in the global market. Artificially lowering currency values allows foreign competitors to sell goods at lower prices in the United
States. American businesses and workers continue to suffer from this
practice.
[ read more | read letter ]
Bayh, Coleman Urge President Not to Submit
Russia Nuclear Cooperation Agreement to Congress
Senators
Bayh and Norm Coleman (R-MN) sent a letter
to President Bush calling on him not to submit the U.S-Russia
nuclear cooperation agreement to Congress that was signed by the United
States and Russia this month. The agreement would allow for the
trade in nuclear materials and cooperation on the development of
advanced nuclear technology. The Senators oppose the current agreement
with Russia because of Russia’s support for the Iranian
nuclear program, as well as concerns over its sales of advanced
conventional weapons to Iran and assistance to the Iranian ballistic
missile program. The letter was signed by Bayh and Coleman along with
30 other senators.
[ read more ]
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