Articles
Washington Examiner: Nancy Pelosi: Congress is making progress on a new direction for America
11/05/2007
By Rep. Nancy Pelosi
WASHINGTON
- One year ago, Americans entrusted their hopes and aspirations for themselves,
for their families and for the future to a new Democratic Congress. They
demanded a new direction that makes America
safer, restores the American dream for hardworking families and restores
accountability and fiscal responsibility to Washington.
While our mission is far from accomplished, the 110th
Congress has brought a steadfast commitment to a new direction. We are focused
on restoring this great nation for our children and our grandchildren.
Our first priority is to make America safer, which is why the
first piece of legislation we passed — House Resolution 1 — took the bipartisan
9/11 commission recommendations off the shelf and put them into law. Our
actions significantly strengthened airline, port and border security, improved
emergency communications for first responders and took aggressive steps to
prevent terrorists from obtaining weapons of mass destruction.
While others only talked about breaking America’s dangerous addiction to Middle East oil
and even denied the looming threat of global warming, the House of
Representatives passed a historic energy initiative that invests in clean,
renewable domestic energy while ending our Middle East
oil addiction and protecting our planet from the ravages of climate change.
Last November, the American people made clear that there is
an urgent need for a new direction in the war in Iraq. This disastrous war, now into
its fifth year, has not made America
safer, our military stronger or the region more stable — even as our troops
have bravely performed their duties. We are fighting to responsibly redeploy
our troops so we can refocus on the real war on terrorism and rebuild our
military readiness.
This Congress has changed the debate on Iraq, making
the Bush administration accountable for the execution of the war and the Iraqi
government more responsible for its own future. We have instituted vigorous
oversight, uncovering tens of billions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse in
spending by companies such as Blackwater and Halliburton. But the war in Iraq will only
come to an end when the president’s allies in Congress finally hear the voices
of the American people.
The most tragic result of the president’s failed IraqIraq
and Afghanistan
will receive the welcome home they deserve and the care they have earned thanks
to the largest investment in veterans’ health care in the 77-year history of
the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Even as the administration spends $10 billion a month in Iraq, the
president and some Republicans in Congress continue to oppose new investments
here at home — even a bipartisan plan that will provide health care coverage to
10 million children. The new direction Congress will continue to work on behalf
of these children, their families and millions more who want their chance to
achieve the American Dream.
To make college more affordable for middle-class families,
we cut student loan interest rates in half and increased Pell grants to save
the typical student borrower $4,400.
To reward work, Democrats passed the first minimum wage
increase in 10 years — putting an additional $4,400 in the pockets of nearly 13
million hardworking Americans.
We have changed the way we do business in Washington by restoring accountability
through landmark lobbying and ethics reform and pay-as-you-go budget
discipline. On its first day, the House passed the toughest ethics reform in a
generation — that broke the link between lobbyists and legislators: no gifts,
no private jets and no meals from lobbyists.
We have also restored tough pay-as-you-go budget rules that
produced historic budget surpluses during the Clinton administration. By adhering to this
no-new-deficit rule, we are putting a stop to the Republican record of passing
on billions of dollars of debt onto future generations.
The American people want their leaders to focus on American
priorities and work together to get things done — and we have. More than
two-thirds of major legislation has passed with significant support from both
parties.
We strive to find common ground where we can. Where we
cannot, we will stand our ground. With faith in the future, the new direction
Congress will continue making progress for America. With faith in God, I know
we will succeed.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is speaker of the U.S. House of
Representatives.