New House Bill Would Boost College Scholarships

Earlier this year, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation [H.R. 1010, the "Student Aid Reward (STAR) Act"] to boost college scholarships at no cost to taxpayers.  Currently, there are two main student loan programs that provide essentially the same loans and interest rates to students, but one loan program costs billions more each year than the other.  Under the STAR Act, colleges and universities choosing the least costly of the two programs would be able to keep 50 percent of the savings, which would be reinvested in additional scholarships.  Over the next ten years it is estimated that this bill would generate at least $10 billion in additional scholarship aid.  Rep. Levin is a cosponsor of this legislation.  For more information, click here.  

Energy Security Bill Introduced in House

With energy prices on the rise, more than 100 House lawmakers recently introduced legislation [H.R. 1300, the "Program for Energy Security (PROGRESS) Act"] to make substantial gains in technology, conservation, vehicle efficiency, and the use of alternative fuels.  The bill was sponsored by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland and is supported by nearly a quarter of the House of Representatives, including Rep. Levin.  One of the major focuses of the PROGRESS Act is a significant investment in biofuels infrastructure in order to make ethanol and other alternative fuels more available to consumers.  The legislation also would establish an advanced vehicle efficiency consortium and double the federal commitment to federal alternative fuels and vehicle technology programs, including fuel cells, battery technologies, advanced diesel and variable compression engines, plug-in hybrids, and other vehicle programs. To learn more, click here.

Korea Trade Deal In Trouble on Capitol Hill

On April 2, the Bush Administration unveiled a major trade agreement with South Korea.  The proposed trade deal immediately ran into difficulty with key members of Congress, including the Chairman of the influential Trade Subcommittee in the House, Rep. Levin, who said, "Congress made it clear that a [Free Trade Agreement] with Korea had to do away with its iron economic curtain against U.S. agricultural and industrial products, especially automotive which represents 82 percent of the $13.4 billion U.S. trade deficit with Korea....  The U.S. did not get what was needed - an agreement that assures that the U.S. automotive industry will no longer face the barriers to their products...."  Congress must approve the proposed trade agreement in order for it to take effect.  To read more, click here.

Lawmakers Criticize Controversial Recess Appointments

On April 4, President Bush granted recess appointments to three controversial nominees, effectively circumventing the need for Senate confirmation.  Normally, the Constitution requires such nominees to be approved by the Senate; however, the President is permitted to make recess appointments if Congress is out for a lengthy period of time.  In this case, President Bush granted recess appointments to three controversial nominees while the Senate was away on a one-week break.  As a Member of the Social Security Subcommittee in the House, Rep. Levin criticized the recess appointment of Andrew Biggs as Principal Deputy Commissioner of Social Security -- the second-in-command at the agency:  "It is highly disappointing that President Bush would use a recess appointment to try to outflank Congress and name Andrew Biggs as Deputy Commissioner for Social Security.  Because Biggs' record is that of an ardent proponent of privatizing Social Security, the appointment ignores the will of the American people who have overwhelmingly demonstrated their belief in our Social Security system.  It also undermines any efforts to rebuild trust between the Administration and the Democratic Congress on key entitlement issues."

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