John Murtha

June 12, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congressman John P. Murtha, Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, joined a bipartisan majority of his colleagues today in voting to approve legislation that will aid workers who have lost their jobs as a result of the current economic downturn.

The Emergency Extended Unemployment Compensation Act provides up to 13 weeks of extended unemployment benefits in every state to workers exhausting the 26 weeks of regular unemployment benefits. Approximately 3.8 million unemployed Americans can benefit from this legislation, which will be fully paid for through existing reserves in the federal unemployment trust funds.    » read more »

February 7, 2008 -- (WASHINGTON, D.C.) -- Congressman John P. Murtha, Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, addressed the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) this morning regarding “the Hidden Costs to the War in Iraq and the Challenges we Face.”

The following was his prepared remarks:    » read more »

January 28, 2008 -- (Washington D.C.) - Congressman John P. Murtha, Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, issued the following response to the President’s State of the Union Address:

“In just a few weeks, we will mark the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the war in Iraq. Five years later, the political and economic situation on the ground has changed little, while the rest of the world, including the United States, has changed significantly.    » read more »

January 23, 2008 -- (Washington D.C.) -- Congressman John P. Murtha, Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, announced today that the subcommittee has begun oversight hearings in advance of the Department of Defense’s FY2009 budget request.

“The goal of these hearings is to restore accountability and oversight at the Department of Defense and to work with them to meet the needs of our troops and their families,” said Murtha.    » read more »

Some May be Due Refunds

January 11, 2008 -- (Washington D.C.)- The following was a News Release distributed by the IRS on December 12, 2007:

Payments under the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Compensation Work Therapy (CWT) program are no longer taxable and disabled veterans who paid tax on these benefits in the past three years can no claim refunds, the Internal Revenue Service said today.    » read more »

December 6, 2007 -- (Washington D.C.)- Congressman John P. Murtha, Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, announced today that Alcoa Technical Center, located in Upper Burrell, has received a $398,520 grant through the Department of Energy to support the development of a low-cost Concentrated Solar Power system.    » read more »

December 5, 2007 -- The U.S. Army is warning the public of a holiday "hoax" email asking recipients to send cards or packages to recovering Soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

The email suggests recipients to send Christmas cards to "A Recovering American Soldier," and lists a Walter Reed, Washington, D.C., address. But, U.S. post offices won’t deliver general-address cards, letters or care package. Under a 2001 policy designed to improve security, hospitals can’t accept mail addressed to "Any Wounded Soldier" or "A Recovering American Soldier."    » read more »

November 30, 2007 -- (Washington D.C.)- Congressman John P. Murtha, Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, issued the following statement today following his visit last week to Iraq:

“The military surge has created a window of opportunity for the Iraqi Government. Unfortunately, the sacrifice of our troops has not been met by the Iraqi Government and they have failed to capitalize on the political and diplomatic steps that the surge was designed to provide.    » read more »

November 20, 2007 -- (Washington D.C.) - Congressman John P. Murtha, Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, today joined Congressman Dave Obey, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee to discuss Iraq war funding.

The following are excerpts from Murtha’s remarks:    » read more »

Two Years after Calling for a Redeployment of U.S. Forces from Iraq --- President Bush Refuses to Provide the American People with a Responsible Exit Strategy

November 16, 2007 -- (Washington D.C.)- Tomorrow marks the two year anniversary of Congressman John P. Murtha’s, Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, public call for the redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq. The following is an issued statement:    » read more »

“Americans are ready for real change and they are ready for our troops to come home”

November 14, 2007 -- (Washington D.C.)- This evening the House of Representatives is expected to pass H.R. 4156, the Orderly and Responsible Iraq Redeployment Appropriations Act. Congressman John P. Murtha, Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, issued the following statement:    » read more »

SAVE Act Secures America’s Borders, Provides Employers with Tools to Verify Work Eligibility, and Enforces Current Laws

November 8, 2007 -- (Washington D.C.)- Congressman John P. Murtha, Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, announced that yesterday the Secure America through Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act of 2007 was introduced in the House of Representatives. Congressman Murtha joined over 80 Democrats and Republicans in cosponsoring this legislation, which was introduced by Congressman Heath Shuler.    » read more »

November 8, 2007 -- (Washington D.C.)- Congressman John P. Murtha, Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, joined his colleagues this week in voting to override President Bush’s veto of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007. The override vote passed the House 361-54 on Tuesday and the Senate 79-14 today. Both chambers voted to override the veto with broad bipartisan support.    » read more »

November 6, 2007 -- (Washington D.C.)- Congressman John P. Murtha, Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, praised both House and Senate conferees today on completing the final $459.6 billion Fiscal Year 2008 Defense Appropriations Bill.

“This conference agreement achieves a balance between preparing military units for near-term deployments, supporting our military members and their families, and modernizing our forces to meet future threats,” said Murtha.    » read more »

October 17, 2007 -- (Washington D.C.)- Congressman John P. Murtha, Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, held a press conference today with Congressman Alcee Hastings (D-FL), Congressman John Tanner (D-TN), Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL), and Congressman Stephen Cohen (D-TN) to urge the House Leadership to not bring the Armenian Genocide Resolution to the House Floor for a vote.

The following are excerpts from his remarks:    » read more »