Congress listened to the will of the American people this week and passed a supplemental spending bill that creates a new direction in Iraq.  The U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health and Iraq Accountability Act, passed by the House on Wednesday and by the Senate on Thursday, fully funds our troops and holds the Iraqi Government accountable for making progress.  This bill also contains a reasonable timeline for a responsible redeployment of U.S. troops out of a civil war so that they may focus on combating terrorism.  The President should sign this legislation that is overwhelmingly supported by the American people.

This week was also "Global Days for Darfur," a week created to draw attention to the plight of the people in Sudan.  In recognition of this campaign, the House passed legislation calling on the Arab League to acknowledge the genocide in Darfur and increase their efforts to stop it.  Additionally, I have created a page on the Majority Leader website focusing on the crisis in Sudan.  This page has information on how to get involved in stopping the genocide, as well as information and photo albums from the recent Congressional Delegation trip I led to Darfur.  

 

The House also passed three Innovation Agenda bills this week that will prepare America to remain competitive in the global economy.  Next week, the House will continue our efforts to encourage innovation and economic growth by considering reauthorization bills for the National Science Foundation and the National Institution of Standards and Technology.  We will also consider a bill reauthorizing the Head Start program and the Local Law Enforcement and Hate Crimes Prevention Act. 

 

With kind regards, I am 

 

Majority Leader Hoyer spoke on the House Floor on Tuesday to express his condolences on the passing of Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald, Chair of the House Administration Committee.