In an effort to improve communications from Washington, D.C. to the residents, businesses and organizations in the 44 th Congressional District of California, Congressman Calvert is sending out a weekly legislative report via email describing his activities and recent legislative action from Capitol Hill.

Congressman Calvert submitted the following statement into the Congressional Record in honor and remembrance of the crew of the space shuttle Columbia:

"Mr. Speaker, this past Saturday a tragedy occurred that touched every one of us. We lost seven brave explorers and now grieve along with their friends and family.

In our modern world, we have grown comfortable with the frequent occurrence of space travel, forgetting that with each mission, there is risk. The men and women of Columbia knew the risks, and in the name of discovery accepted them.

We owe each one of these brave voyagers a great deal of gratitude and reverence.

As a country we hold life and freedom as our highest values, and it is natural for us to question the meaning behind the Columbia mission to determine whether it was worth the loss we feel now.

One of the ironies of such a tragedy is that the valuable work these men and women were doing is now on the front pages of every newspaper and in the headlines of our evening news programs. If the mission had been completed as scheduled, there would have been perhaps a column on the back page of the newspaper or a thirty second newsbyte. Outside of the space community, few people are aware of the extraordinary advances being made in the fields of medicine, agriculture, physical and biological science by our space programs.

Our missions into space will continue to hold a measure of risk and I believe we should support these missions in every way possible. Our country has had a tradition of leading the way in exploration in every field, and that tradition should continue. The exploration of space will go on in the name of these seven fine men and women and in the name of all those who went before them.

On January 16 seven astronauts journeyed out of this world and they would go farther than anyone of us imagined; into the greatest unknown. However, their journey is not over and their legacy will never be forgotten. Thank you and God Bless."

On Monday, February 3, 2004 the President introduced his fiscal year 2004 budget. His budget holds the overall increase in government spending to 4% -- the same amount as the paychecks of the average American family. The budget provides for permanent tax cuts to bring tax relief to 92 million Americans. The plan would also accelerate the income tax rate reductions, eliminated the marriage penalty and increase the child tax credit. The President’s plan would also end to unfair double taxation on dividends and would increase expensing limits for small business in order to help them grow and invest. Unemployed workers would also benefit from new Re-employment Accounts which would provide assistance to out of work Americans.

The budget also addresses the needs of America’s military, the war on terrorism and the new Department of Homeland Security including funds for Project BioShield and integrated intelligence sources in order to better safeguard against possible terrorist threats. Modernizing Medicare also remains a priority to the administration with the investment of $400 billion over the next 10 years to strengthen and improve Medicare with prescription drug coverage.

President Bush reaffirms his commitment to education through increased funding and provides $89 billion in health care tax credits.

To learn more about the President’s budget please visit www.whitehouse.gov

On Wednesday, February 5, 2004 Congressman Calvert attended Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s presentation of the President’s $399 billion FY04 defense budget. The House Armed Services Committee has the authorization power for the defense appropriation bill. The committee questioned whether the $399 billion would be enough to fund the global war on terrorism and homeland security measures that cost approximately $1.5 billion a month plus the funds needed for continuing mobilization of forces to confront Iraq. Rumsfeld added that the President may be back to ask for a supplemental appropriation to pay for those extra operational expenses. In addition to the budget, Rumsfeld addressed the need for updating current budget procedures in order to meet the challenges of a new century.

"We are fighting the first war of the 21st century with a Defense Department that was fashioned to meet eh challenges of the mid-20th century," he said (CongressDaily AM, February 6, 2003).

This update is for information purposes only. Please direct responses or questions through Congressman Calvert’s website at www.house.gov/calvert.

If you have any administrative questions regarding this update or would like to be removed from this list please contact Congressman Calvert’s Communications Director, Rebecca Rudman, at rebecca.rudman@mail.house.gov or at (202) 225-1986.

If this email has been forwarded to you and you would like to receive the update directly every week please notify Rebecca Rudman at rebecca.rudman@mail.house.gov