House of Representatives

11/17/09 -- Washington, D.C.--The following is a statement by Congressman Eliot Engel in response to the report released today on the changes to Mammography Guidelines by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).

“I am concerned by USPSTF's recommendations that women in their forties should no longer routinely get annual mammograms, and that older women (ages 50-74) should cut back to one scheduled exam every other year.    » read more »

Requests GAO Audit on Reducing Illnesses and Death Due to Contaminated Raw Oysters; Audit Would Determine Effectiveness of ISSC Risk Management Plan in Reducing Deaths Due to Raw Oysters Contaminated with Vibrio Vulnificus

November 17, 2009 -- Washington, DC -- Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (D-CT) today sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) requesting an audit of the Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference’s (ISSC) risk management plan for Vibrio vulnificus (Vv).

The audit would determine whether the risk management plan being used by the oyster industry, and promoted by the ISSC, is effective in reducing illnesses and death due to oysters contaminated with the Vv bacteria.    » read more »

November 14, 2009 -- Honolulu, Hawaii -- Rep. Neil Abercrombie today issued the following statement on the selection of Honolulu, Hawaii as the site of the 2011 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministerial and Leaders Meeting—the first APEC summit in the United States since 1993. (President Obama announced the selection at the 2009 APEC meeting in Singapore.)

“Hawaii’s selection as the site for the 2011 APEC summit will underscore the unique perspective of our President and state in relation to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). President Obama views APEC as an essential forum that will play a major role in nurturing economic and governmental relationships between the United States and the Asia-Pacific region.    » read more »

Nov. 16, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - While Congress has debated legislation to reform Wall Street, the financial services industry has showered members of the Senate and House banking committees with about two and a half times as much money, on average, as other members of Congress, according to a new Public Citizen report.

The industry - including banks, investment firms, insurance companies and real estate companies - has given $42 million in campaign contributions to lawmakers and their leadership political action committees since the current election cycle began in November 2008. The industry has concentrated its contributions on members of the House and Senate banking and the congressional leadership, the report showed.    » read more »

Voices continuing support for the President’s pledge to shutter Guantanamo

November 13, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. -- Today, Congressman Joe Sestak (PA-07) expressed his continuing support for the Administration’s pledge to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba by January, 2010. In response to the announcement that Khalid Sheik Mohammed -- the self-proclaimed mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks -- and four co-defendants will be tried in federal court in New York instead of a military commission, the Congressman issued the following statement:    » read more »

November 12, 2009 – Washington, DC – Congressman José E. Serrano released the following statement on the departure of Lou Dobbs from CNN:

“I am not sad to see Lou Dobbs leave CNN,” said Serrano. “Over time, Dobbs moved from normal news analysis to using his position to spew a steady stream of hate-filled anti-immigrant rhetoric, stopping at nothing to bash the undocumented and tie them to everything he saw wrong with this nation.

“I believe the slide in CNN’s ratings at the hour he was on was no coincidence—most Americans do not care to watch unbridled hatred in their evening newscast.    » read more »

November 16, 2009 – Washington, DC – Congressman José E. Serrano today announced that several local groups had been awarded matching grants by the IRS to fund their Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Serrano helped to start and fund this vital grant program when he became chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees the IRS’s budget.

Included in the latest funding list are the following Bronx organizations: Food Bank for NYC/Food for Survival, Inc. in the Bronx ($115,000); The NYC Financial Network Action Consortium ($90,000) and SEEDCO ($50,000).    » read more »

WASHINGTON, DC (November 14, 2009) -- Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-IL, released the following statement in response to proposals that Guantanamo Bay deatainees will be relocatoted to a prison in Illinois.

“The Guantanamo Bay facility is a recruiting tool for Al Queda and a mark against the morals of the United States. In closing ‘Gitmo’ and moving some detainees to Illinois, we strengthen our national security, create thousands of jobs, and bring long overdue justice to those who have committed atrocities against the United States.

"Our American criminal justice and penal systems are fuIly capable of handling these individuals. In fact, today there are 340 domestic and international terrorists in U.S. prisons, including 35 in Illinois.    » read more »

November 16, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-47) today introduced House Resolution 904, honoring women who have served or are currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. If passed, the resolution would recognize the expanding role of women in the military and their important contributions to America's military operations at home and abroad.

"Today, I am proud to honor the strength and accomplishments of our women in uniform," said Rep. Sanchez. "It is absolutely necessary to recognize that women are now engaging in frontline duties, fighting beside our male soldiers. Moving forward, it is imperative that we continue to give our servicewomen the tools they need to serve safely and effectively in combat."

The full text of H. Res. 904 can be found below:    » read more »

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree says drug companies practicing "bait and switch"

November 16, 2009 -- Congresswoman Chellie Pingree expressed outrage today over published reports that the nation’s pharmaceutical companies raised prices last year more than any year since 1992.

“The drug companies promised us they would deliver $8 billion in savings into the health care system,” Pingree said. “What they failed to tell us was that they apparently planned to jack up prices by $10 billion first. It sounds like classic bait and switch scheme to me.”

According to today’s New York Times, the wholesale price of brand name prescription drugs went up 9% last year, a year in which overall consumer prices actually fell 1.3%.    » read more »

Condemns Big Business for 'Manufacturing' Reports against Health Reform

November 16, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. - The attempt to influence the national debate on health care reform with false and misleading information is a "dishonest and manipulative attempt to derail needed reforms, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. said on Monday following the disclosure of evidence showing the U.S. Chamber of Commerce used biased information claiming job losses would result from the health reform plans in Congress.    » read more »

10.1 percent of households in Wisconsin faced food insecurity from 2006-08

November 16, 2009 -- (Washington, DC) -- Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-Wisc.) commented on the numbers released by the United States Department of Agriculture today tracking the food security of American households for 2008. Food security refers to a household’s consistent ability to access enough food for active, healthy lives for all household members at all times during the year.

The USDA study found that in 2008, 14.6 percent (17 million) households were food insecure, which means that eating patterns of a family were altered or disrupted because of insufficient resources for food.    » read more »

November 16, 2009 -- (Washington, DC) -- Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-Wisc.) today announced that Milwaukee will receive $5,839,100 in Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) funding awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the Recovery Act. These funds are intended to create local green jobs and help improve energy efficiency in communities across the country by reducing energy use and fossil fuel emissions.    » read more »

November 17, 2009 -- WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and Congressman Charlie Melancon (La.-03) today congratulated Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana, on being awarded a $1,903,000 contract from the Department of Energy to research clean energy. The contract will support Nicholls’ work over the next three years as part of the Clean Power and Energy Research Consortium in Louisiana.

“We fought to secure these funds for Louisiana’s cutting-edge research universities so that we can ensure that our state, long an energy leader for the nation, continues to be a leader by developing the innovative alternative fuels of tomorrow, “ said Sen. Landrieu.    » read more »

November 16, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Jerry McNerney (CA-11) reminded seniors that they have from November 15th until December 31st to take advantage of the open enrollment period for Medicare’s prescription drug plans. During the open enrollment period, seniors can choose to enroll in or modify their existing prescription drug plan.

“I urge seniors to closely review all of the Medicare prescription drug plans and use the open enrollment period to select the plan that is right for them,” Rep. McNerney said. “With 47 specific plans available in California, seniors have a number of options to choose from before December 31st.”    » read more »