Speaker Pelosi's Progress Report - June 2008
June 27, 2008 Dear Friend: Last week, the House passed an emergency supplemental legislation, including key measures to address our nation’s pressing domestic and humanitarian priorities: Recent Natural Disasters in the Midwest: the supplemental includes $2.65 billion in urgently-needed disaster relief in the aftermath of floods and tornadoes in the Midwest, including additional funding for FEMA Disaster Relief accounts, SBA disaster loans, agriculture assistance, the Community Development Block Grant, the Economic Development Administration, and the Army Corps of Engineers. Hurricane Katrina Recovery Efforts: it allocates $5.8 billion to strengthen the levees in New Orleans, and $73 million for permanent supportive housing vouchers targeted to severely disabled, elderly, and low-income individuals left homeless as a result of Hurricane Katrina. The New GI bill: the bill restores full, four-year college scholarships to veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. It will give our returning troops the tools to succeed after military service and make military service more attractive as we work to rebuild our military, and strengthen our sagging economy. Under this bill, service members—including members of the National Guard and reserve—returning from Iraq or Afghanistan, who have served three years on active duty since September 11, 2001, would receive benefits to cover the costs of a four-year education up to the level of the most expensive in-state public school. The bill also allows service members with six years of service, coupled with an additional service agreement of four years, to transfer their educational benefits to their spouses and dependents. Extended Unemployment Benefits: the bill provides up to 13 weeks of extended unemployment benefits in every state to workers who have exhausted their 26 weeks of regular unemployment benefits. Extending unemployment benefits will also help stimulate an economic recovery. According to the Congressional Budget Office states that extending unemployment benefits is one of the most cost-effective and fastest-acting forms of economic stimulus because the money is spent quickly. Last week, The House and Senate approved a $307 billion Farm Bill by overriding President Bush’s veto – for a second time. The Farm Bill significantly increases nutrition initiatives that will help 38 million American families put healthy food on their table. As Time magazine pointed out, this legislation will also help to reduce rising food costs by providing emergency assistance to farmers to help them get their food to market, cutting ethanol subsidies, and increasing support for food banks, panties, and soup kitchens. The bill also provided for increased funding for African American farmers. All Americans are calling for a New Direction after years of inaction and incompetence on the toughest challenges: a costly war without an end; skyrocketing fuel prices without a plan for energy security; a housing crisis which threatens to force more families from their homes. With every action we take, the New Direction Congress is building on a strong record of accountability and follow-through. best regards, ![]() NANCY PELOSI Speaker of the House | Strengthening Our Ties with the Caribbean Community Last week, I addressed the New York Conference on the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) during their conference on Trade and Foreign Direct Investment as Instruments to Spur Economic Growth and Achieve Sustainable Development in the Caribbean. To read my remarks to conference participants, click here. ................................ Welcoming Additions to the New Direction Congress ![]() The Democratic majority is growing. Last week, we welcomed our newest addition to the New Direction Congress: Congresswoman Donna Edwards (MD). Since March, we have welcomed six new Members to the Democratic caucus: Reps. Bill Foster (IL), André Carson (IN), Jackie Speier (CA), Don Cazayoux (LA), Travis Childers (MS), and Donna Edwards (MD). We welcome them, and are proud to have them serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. ![]() Contact Audrey Nicoleau Office of the Speaker Nancy Pelosi 202.225.0100 |
REMEMBERING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
This past April marked 40 years since an assassin’s bullet silenced a great American leader, but failed to silence his belief in what makes America’s democracy resilient. Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision for the country was so powerful, that his “I Have a Dream” speech is one of the most recognizable speeches in our history. On April 3, 2008, Democratic and Republican Members of the House and Senate, along with Martin Luther King III, joined together at a ceremony in the Capitol to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King.
During my recent trip to India, I paused at every stop to mention Dr. King and Coretta Scott King’s pilgrimage to that land to study Mahatma Gandhi’s principle of non-violence. Most interesting about what they learned is that the same word for non-violence in Sanskrit, ‘satyagraha,’ means ‘truth insistence.’ In his ministry and advocacy, Dr. King always insisted on the truth in all things.
Dr. King insisted on the truth when he challenged segregated lunch counters. He insisted on the truth when he demanded the right to vote. He insisted on the truth when he stood strong—risking his reputation—to oppose the Vietnam War – which he believed to be unjust. And he insisted on the truth when he spoke about the injustices of segregation – how it de-humanized its victims and demeaned democracy. We pay tribute to his legacy by insisting on truth and continuing to work for peace and justice throughout the world. To read my remarks at the ceremony, click here.
CELEBRATING MIAMI-DADE COMMUNITY COLLEGE'S 2008 GRADUATES
In May, President Bush signed into law legislation passed by Congress that ensures continued access to student loans for thousands of eligible students. The bipartisan measure is an investment in our nation’s youth – and in our future. Also during May, I had the privilege of receiving an honorary degree from Miami Dade College’s North Campus, and speaking to the graduating class; these young men and women are excellent examples of our next generation of leaders.
My passion for public service comes from seeing my work in Congress as an extension of my role as a mother…to make America better for every child, especially the one in five children in America who live in poverty. Higher education is the best investment parents can make in their children, individuals can make in themselves, and a nation can make in its future. To read my commencement address, click here.
KEY LEGISLATION FROM THE NEW DIRECTION CONGRESS
| Recovery Rebates to jumpstart economy, help Americans with rising costs SIGNED INTO LAW |
| First increase in the minimum wage in a decade SIGNED INTO LAW |
| Highway Bill, creating 40,000 good-paying jobs SIGNED INTO LAW |
| Farm Bill with historic new investments in nutrition, energy, and conservation, and launching reforms to farm payments to reflect farmer need VETO OVERRIDDEN BY CONGRESS, ENACTED INTO LAW |
| Terrorism risk insurance extension, aiding economic growth SIGNED INTO LAW |
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HOUSING FORECLOSURE CRISIS | |
| Reform of the Federal Housing Administration, expanding access to affordable mortgages, and to “reverse mortgages” for seniors who need equity from their homes PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE |
| Stopping tax on “income” when lender forgives part of mortgage in foreclosure SIGNED INTO LAW |
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EDUCATION AND COMPETITIVENESS | |
| Largest college aid expansion since the GI Bill in 1944 SIGNED INTO LAW |
| Uninterrupted access to low-cost student loans, despite credit crunch SIGNED INTO LAW |
| Giving colleges incentives to rein in tuition increases PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE |
| Cleaning up abuses in the student loan industry PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE |
| Innovation agenda creating a math/science teacher corps; doubling basic research funding SIGNED INTO LAW |
| Head Start preschool improved and expanded SIGNED INTO LAW |
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REDUCING TAXES | |
| A tax cut for 19 million middle-income American families facing the AMT SIGNED INTO LAW |
| Internet tax moratorium extension SIGNED INTO LAW |
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AMERICAN WORKERS | |
| Minimum wage increased for the first time in a decade, 2nd phase this July SIGNED INTO LAW |
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AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE | |
| Ban on genetic information discrimination in health coverage SIGNED INTO LAW |
| Ending discriminatory treatment of mental health care coverage PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE |
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FIGHTING CRIME | |
| Improved background checks for gun purchases SIGNED INTO LAW |
| Saved the critical COPS program, proposed for elimination by the President SIGNED INTO LAW |
NATIONAL SECURITY | |
| 9/11 Commission terrorism recommendations given force of law SIGNED INTO LAW |
| Investments to begin to fix the military readiness crisis SIGNED INTO LAW |
| Iraq benchmarks, progress reports required SIGNED INTO LAW |
| Tighter foreign investment rules, after Dubai Ports scandal SIGNED INTO LAW |
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TROOPS AND VETERANS | |
| Largest veterans’ health care funding increase in history SIGNED INTO LAW |
| Wounded Warrior Act, improving health care after Walter Reed scandal SIGNED INTO LAW |
| New GI Bill to give free college education to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE |
| Major pay raise for troops SIGNED INTO LAW |
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ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AND GLOBAL WARMING | |
| Historic new support for non-food bio-fuels in the Farm Bill PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE |
| Directing the President to lower gas prices by suspending deposits to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve SIGNED INTO LAW |
| Holding OPEC and Big Oil accountable for price fixing PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE |
| Cracking down on price gouging by oil companies PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE |
| Greening the Capitol, making Congress carbon neutral ENACTED BY HOUSE |
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REBUILDING AMERICA | |
| Aid to the Gulf Coast recovering from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita SIGNED INTO LAW |
| Major new commitment to flood control & environmental restoration projects VETO OVERRIDDEN BY CONGRESS, ENACTED INTO LAW |
| Omnibus Public Lands Bill, with new protections for national parks, wilderness, historic sites, trails, and water resources from coast to coast SIGNED INTO LAW |
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RESTORING ACCOUNTABILITY | |
| New historic independent Office of Congressional Ethics ADOPTED IN HOUSE RULES |
| Banning pensions for Members of Congress convicted of certain crimes SIGNED INTO LAW |
| U.S. Attorney appointments depoliticized SIGNED INTO LAW |
| Reducing enormous backlog in passport processing SIGNED INTO LAW |
| Cracking down on “no-bid” contracts PASSED BY HOUSE AND SENATE |
| Whistleblower protections strengthened PASSED BY HOUSE AND SENATE |
| Strengthening independence of federal Inspectors General PASSED BY HOUSE AND SENATE |