Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressman Randy Neugebauer, Deputy Ranking Member of the Financial Services Committee, sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Geithner regarding comments by the Administration about the option of converting TARP preferred shares in banks into common equity shares:

 

"The federal government should not make taxpayers common shareholders in American banks. Such a conversion plan would only expand the government's intervention in the financial sector and put investments made on behalf of taxpayers at greater risk.

 

US Congressman Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) joined C-SPAN this morning to discuss the closing of Guantanamo Bay.

 

Kansas Congressmen and Senators have been speaking about about government plans to glose Guantanamo Bay and possibly move those prisoners to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Like other Kansas Lawmakers, Moran says Leavenworth isn't ready for those prisoners.

 

"I don't really think this is a not in my backyard attitude by Ft. Leavenworth or by Kansas," Moran said, "I think this is really a realization that the facilities are not structured. The minimum security prison that is there would not work well for detainees."

Bipartisan Bill Protects American Jobs and Promotes Economic Recovery

Washington, Wednesday, May 13, 2009 -

 

Today Congressman Tim Murphy (R-Pennsylvania) introduced bipartisan legislation -- The Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act of 2009, H.R. 2378 -- with Congressman Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) to protect U.S. industries and manufacturers from foreign currency misalignment.

 

CONGRESSMAN ADERHOLT STATEMENT ON BOEING'S DECISION TO MOVE MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEMS DIVISION TO HUNTSVILLE

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) today issued the following statement on Boeing's decision to relocate their headquarters for its Missile Defense Systems (MDS) division to the company's facilities in Huntsville from Arlington, Va.

 

"As one of the largest aerospace companies in Alabama and one of the state's largest employers, I am thrilled that Boeing has decided to move their Missile Defense System division to Huntsville. This move only confirms what the nation's defense community has said for years -- that Huntsville is the center of the world's cutting edge defense technology.

 

U.S. Congressman Pat Tiberi (R-OH), a member of the Ways and Means Committee issued the following statement after the Trustees of Social Security and Medicare Trust Funds issued their annual report:

 

"Once again this report indicates we must take action to reform our Medicare and Social Security programs to ensure that our children will be able to receive benefits. This year alone the fund from which Medicare hospital expenses are paid will pay more in benefits this year, than it collects in taxes. Once again the warning is dire, and the estimate of when the trust funds will be insolvent is even sooner than before. By 2016, the Social Security trust fund will be paying out more in benefits than it collects through payroll taxes.

 

Saying the last thing the economy needs now is a tax increase, U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis (R-SC) along with lead co-sponsors Reps. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Daniel Lipinski (D-IL) filed the Raise Wages, Cut Carbon Act of 2009 (H.R. 2380) Wednesday as a revenue-neutral approach to energy innovation and environmental stewardship.

 

The bill is a bipartisan alternative to the cap-and-trade legislation working through the Energy & Commerce Committee.

 

The bill calls for a reduction in payroll taxes for employers and employees in exchange for an equal amount of revenue from a carbon tax, resulting in a net-zero change in taxes and a "double dividend" in efficiency.

 

Wednesday May 13, 2009

 

Trade practices, undervalued yuan citedfor injuries to U. S. jobs, manufacturing

By Jonathan D. Epstein
NEWS BUSINESS REPORTER

A Western New York congressman is joining with a bipartisan group of lawmakers on legislation to force China to float its currency or face import duties.

Rep. Chris Lee, R-Williamsville, is cosponsoring the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act of 2009, which takes aim at what he called unfair trade practices that hurt U. S. manufacturers and cost U. S. jobs.

 

The bill is being introduced this week.

Congressman Gingrey delivered the following remarks on the House Floor in memory of Specialist Ryan King, who was killed in action in Afghanistan on May 1, 2009. Click HERE to view a video of Congressman Gingrey's remarks.

 

Remarks by Congressman Phil Gingrey
In memory of Specialist Ryan Charles King
May 12, 2009

 

Madame Speaker, today the residents of Northwest Georgia are saying goodbye to a native son who died while bravely serving his nation in Afghanistan. Specialist Ryan Charles King was killed in action on May 1, 2009 in Afghanistan when his unit came under enemy fire while on a night mission.

Washington, May 12 - Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack (CA-45) today introduced legislation that would allow consumers to more easily switch telephone providers by ensuring an industry standard for number portability. The Same Number Act of 2009, H.R. 2357, would promote competition and enhance flexibility for consumers by ensuring a 48-hour time frame for portability.

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Bill Cassidy (R-Baton Rouge) issued the following statement after the Department of Labor released its monthly employment report showing that the economy lost 539,000 jobs in April, raising the national unemployment rate to 8.9 percent:

 

"If the stimulus package had been the timely, targeted, and temporary economic stimulus plan the economy needs, perhaps we'd have gotten better news this morning. Unfortunately, it wasn't, and the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office predicts that it will reduce GDP in 10 years."

 

By LAURIE LEVOY
Staff Writer

The stop-and-go work of the borough's portion of the Green Brook Flood Control Project got a major boost Tuesday with the announcement that $13 million in federal stimulus money has been approved to finish the job.

In making the announcement, Rep. Leonard Lance, R-Clinton Township, also said that an additional $20 million in stimulus money will go to the overall project, which spans 12 municipalities in three counties.

The $13 million will be used to finish the South Main Street Closure Gate Contract and the NJ Transit Closure Gate Contract.

 

WASHINGTON, DC-Today the House passed H. Res. 387, a resolution introduced by Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), encouraging hurricane awareness and preparedness and supporting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Hurricane Preparedness Week, taking place May 24th-30th. The 2009 hurricane season begins on Monday, June 1st.

 

Following today's meeting between White House officials and representatives from the health care industry, U.S. Congressman Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-Texas), Chair of the Congressional Health Care Caucus, released the following statement:

 

"Today's meeting, coupled with yesterday's letter from the health industry leaders, indicates that representatives from all sides of the health care debate are committed to working together, which I applaud. I have stated time and time again that I welcome President Obama's pledge to find ‘what works' when it comes to health care reform and consider input and ideas from others, and I have offered to help and give my input and ideas as both a doctor and Member of Congress.

 

Washington, DC-Today Congressman Chaffetz introduced legislation that will require utility companies to separately itemize the impact of cap-and-trade taxes on each customer's utility bill. In the legislation, every utility customer will be able to identify the cost of cap-and-trade emissions utility companies are passing on to the customer.

(WASHINGTON, DC) - Physicians, insurers, drug makers, hospitals, medical equipment makers, even union workers have now pledged to President Barack Obama they would voluntarily hold down costs over the coming decade to combat unsustainable healthcare inflation. But two of America's biggest contributors to soaring health prices were conspicuous by their absence at the President's news conference on the topic - trial lawyers and government regulators.

 

The history of mankind is littered with great inventions-the internet being chief among them. The printing press of our generation, it has revolutionized the way information is processed and delivered.

 

Among the innumerable ways in which the internet has contributed positively to our society, what sticks out most to me as a public official is transparency. Never before has there been such potency to the dissemination and deconstruction of information and it has fostered greater accountability and accessibility. If public scrutiny is sunlight, then the internet has taken on the role of magnifying glass.

 

"Each time Republicans have tried to put forth a smart plan that includes critical entitlement reform, Speaker Pelosi and her allies in Congress proclaimed it dead on arrival, most recently last month."

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. - House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) today released the following statement after the Trustees for Medicare and Social Security issued their annual report detailing the worsening financial condition of both entitlement programs:

 

Washington -

Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) issued the following statement today after Dow Jones reported that the White House ignored an internal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memo warning that the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) decision to classify carbon dioxide as a pollutant "is likely to have serious economic consequences:"

 

Lawmaker Announces Support for Bipartisan Proposal That Would Level the Playing Field for American Manufacturers by Taking Aim at Currency Manipulation

 

• Kevin Kelley, executive director of the Rochester Tooling and Machining (RTMA) Association: "China's manipulation of its currency continues to represent a significant threat to our region's manufacturing jobs. ... The legislation Congressman Lee is supporting would ensure a level playing field on which our businesses can compete in the global marketplace."

 

Wisconsin's 1st District Congressman Paul Ryan delivered the commencement address for graduates of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Ryan was awarded an honorary degree from his alma mater, as the university celebrated 200 years of national service. The text of Ryan's remarks follows:

 

President Hodge and graduating students: