Nancy Pelosi

October 6, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Women’s Working Group joined leaders from women’s organizations for a press conference outside the Capitol this afternoon to discuss how women stand to gain the most from health insurance reform. Women will continue to face discrimination in both coverage and cost if health reform fails. Below are the Speaker’s opening statement and closing remarks.

On Why Health Insurance Reform is Essential for Women:    » read more »

October 6, 2009 -- Washington, D.C. – Speaker Pelosi applauded today’s announcement that California is among the first four states to receive state broadband mapping grants made available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was designed to be both stimulative and transformational to our economy. Central to our efforts to ensure prosperity for all Americans is deploying broadband coast to coast.    » read more »

Washington, Oct 7 -- WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Joe Courtney hosted a press conference in Washington on Wednesday to announce that his letter urging Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to reject any excise tax on high-cost health care benefit plans has been signed by more than sixty percent of the House Democratic Caucus.

In the letter delivered to the Speaker on Wednesday, Rep. Courtney and the 156 cosigners express their opposition to the Senate Finance Committee’s proposal to place a 40 percent excise tax on high-cost health care benefit plans, which the House Members believe would be passed along by the insurers to working families and individuals.    » read more »

May 13, 2009 -- Dear Madam Speaker:

Last month, I asked the Congress to consider changes to the level of borrowing authority for the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Today, I formally transmit this request in the accompanying supplemental budget request. I urge that the Congress expand the resources available to the IMF through its New Arrangements to Borrow (NAB) and approve a set of other proposals to strengthen the IMF, including an increase of about $8 billion in the U.S. quota subscription to the IMF.    » read more »

March 30, 2009 -- After heralding what Democrats on Capitol Hill have already accomplished – including passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – the President laid out in clear terms the stakes of the pending budget vote. Calling his budget "a distillation of core Democratic values," he urged members of Congress to pass his blueprint for sustained economic growth.

He then fielded questions for about a half-hour from members of Congress about his budget priorities.

The meeting ended with President Obama thanking Chairman John Spratt for his hard work and asking the assembled members for their support on the budget.    » read more »

February 26, 2009 -- Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid today requested that the Capitol Power Plant stop burning coal and instead switch to clean burning natural gas. As the only facility in Washington D.C. still burning coal, the plant is a symbol of our country’s dependence on dirty energy. Their request comes just one day after, the Sierra Club, along with its allies Friends of the Earth and Earthjustice, sent a letter to Congressional leaders on Wednesday, including Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid, requesting their support to end coal burning in the District.

In response Bruce Nilles, Director of the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign issued the following statement.    » read more »

September 29, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Chairman Barney Frank of the House Financial Services Committee, and House Democratic leaders held a news conference this afternoon following the defeat of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. Below are her opening remarks:

“Good afternoon. As you know, about a week and a half ago, the Administration visited Capitol Hill and described the crisis in our financial markets and in our economy. A couple of days later, they presented us with their legislation, and since then we have worked in a bipartisan way to improve that legislation. We’ve entered into those conversations in the spirit of bipartisanship, with the understanding that each side would have half of our votes to pass the bill.    » read more »

August 7, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement in reaction to the Department of Labor’s announcement today on weekly jobless claims. The Department reported that first time claims for unemployment benefits rose to 455,000 – the highest number since the 2001 recession.:

“President Bush’s failed economic policies continue to take their toll on Americans as more workers have filed for unemployment benefits this week than at any time since the 2001 recession. After seven years of Bush Administration economic policies that have rewarded those at the very top at the expense of middle class Americans, we need a New Direction economic plan that strengthens job creation and renews the American Dream.    » read more »

August 1, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, other senior Members of Congress, and families impacted by unsafe toys joined together at an enrollment ceremony today for the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. This bill, which now goes to President Bush for his signature into law, gives the Consumer Product Safety Commission the resources, authority, and oversight it needs to protect children from lead, dangerous toys and other unsafe products.

“At the beginning of this Congress, I proudly gaveled the Congress to order in the name of all of America’s children, promising to make this a children’s Congress. This week, we have more than one reason to be honoring that pledge and be glad about that.    » read more »

Washington, D.C., 07/18/2008 – Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement on House Republicans’ planned trip to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska this weekend:

“This weekend, House Republican leaders will take their allegiance to the President’s failed policies to a new latitude. They will follow him all the way to the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northern Alaska instead of touring the 68 million acres of onshore and offshore lands that oil companies have already leased, but have not developed.    » read more »

Washington, D.C., 07/18/2008 -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement on reports that President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Malaki will work to include a “general time horizon” in the security agreement between the United States and Iraq:

“Congressional Democrats have repeatedly urged President Bush to bring our troops home from Iraq honorably, responsibly, safely and soon. After rejecting 18 months of attempts by the Democratic majority in Congress to adopt redeployment timetables, the President now proposes a vague ‘general time horizon’ that falls far short of a commitment to ending our involvement in Iraq.    » read more »

Washington, D.C., 07/18/2008 -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today in reaction to data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealing that 12 states and the District of Columbia now have unemployment rates above 6 percent and 45 states have rates significantly higher that of one year ago:

“Rising unemployment across the United States makes it clear that Congress must act on additional economic recovery measures to create jobs and help Americans with rising food and energy costs.    » read more »

June 12, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement this afternoon after the House voted 274 to 137 to pass legislation that will help workers who have lost their jobs as a result of an economy on the brink of recession. The Emergency Extended Unemployment Compensation Act passed by a 2/3 majority, a margin large enough to override a threatened veto by President Bush.

“Today, the House voted to help 3.8 million Americans who are out of work in large part because of the disastrous economic policies of this White House and its allies in Washington.    » read more »

June 10, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today in response to Senate Republicans blocking consideration of the Consumer-First Energy Act and the Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act of 2008:

“Senate Republicans have once again shown themselves to be unwilling to break free of the costly, failed Bush energy policies of the past. They have again adopted President Bush’s ‘drill and veto’ policy that is driving up the price of oil, diesel, and gasoline and leaving us dangerously reliant on Middle East oil.    » read more »

June 6, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement as the price of oil by the barrel reached $139, an $11 increase from yesterday – the largest one-day increase in history:

“With crude oil prices reaching another record high today, Democrats in Congress are fighting to reverse seven years of Bush-Cheney energy policies that have driven up the price at the pump for Americans struggling to make ends meet.

“Democrats are working to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and reduce gas prices, launch a cleaner, smarter energy future for America that creates hundreds of thousands of green jobs and helps save our planet.    » read more »