Nancy Pelosi

June 6, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. — Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel announced this afternoon that legislation extending unemployment insurance benefits for the long-term jobless will be acted on swiftly by the House.

The House Ways and Means Committee has already passed the legislation to aid millions of workers who have lost their jobs in the struggling economy.    » read more »

June 3, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today after Congress sent to the President H.R. 1195, bipartisan legislation to help promote 40,000 American jobs in transportation and construction:

““The bipartisan transportation legislation Congress sent the President today will help create and support 40,000 good paying American jobs. This represents our down payment on a new commitment to renewing America’s infrastructure, which will continue with the reauthorization of the highway bill next year.    » read more »

June 2, 2008 -- San Francisco – On Sunday, Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered the keynote address at the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) rail conference in San Francisco. Below are her remarks as prepared:

“Thank you, Nat [Ford]. Nat does an excellent job leading the SFMTA in managing San Francisco’s ground transportation system, which includes our transit system, Muni, one of the oldest and greenest transit systems in the United States. Under his tenure, San Francisco has opened a new light rail line and established the largest municipal bio-diesel fleet in the nation, with bio-diesel fuel now utilized in all Muni’s diesel fleet vehicles.    » read more »

May 20, 2008 -- Washington, D.C.- Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on H.R. 6074, the Gas Price Relief for Consumers Act, which passed the House by a vote of 324 to 84, despite a veto threat:

“The House today with a strong bipartisan and veto-proof margin voted to hold foreign oil cartels and Big Oil accountable.

“The legislation provides the Justice Department with a critical tool to pursue antitrust actions against OPEC-controlled entities for fixing prices and creates a new Justice Department Petroleum Industry Antitrust Task Force to examine anticompetitive market practices in the oil industry. It also requires that the mergers of Big Oil companies in recent years be examined for anticompetitive effects.    » read more »

May 20, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi today released the following statement following news that President Bush has signed legislation to temporarily suspend the filling of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve through the end of the year, as long as the price of crude oil remains above $75 per barrel.

A technician works on a Strategic Petroleum Reserve wellhead.: DOE photo

Current shipments to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which is now 97 percent full, will end on June 30.    » read more »

May 14, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other House Democratic leaders held a news conference today to discuss the New Direction Congressional agenda. Below are the Speaker’s opening remarks:

“Good morning. Today we stand here before you very proud of the New Direction Congress. Especially proud of what we have accomplished in the last couple of weeks and what we will do going into the Memorial Day weekend. We have solutions to the challenges facing the American people.

“It has always been our agenda to grow our economy, grow good paying jobs in our country, through innovation, through rebuilding our infrastructure, through making us energy independent and preserving our planet, through strengthening our families, and through education and health care.    » read more »

May 13, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi today released the following statement following House passage of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve Fill Suspension and Consumer Protection Act by a vote of 385 to 25. The bill temporarily suspends the filling of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) through the end of the year, as long as the price of crude oil remains above $75 per barrel.

Oil pipes at the Strategic Petroleum Reserve: DOE photo    » read more »

May 8, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today after the House approved comprehensive bipartisan legislation to address the housing foreclosure crisis:

“The New Direction Congress acted today to protect the American Dream of homeownership with a comprehensive package of housing policy reforms that will help protect families facing foreclosure and stem the continuing drop in home values around the country.    » read more »

April 22, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s announcement today of an aggressive fuel economy proposal that will serve as the first critical step toward implementing the historic energy bill passed by Congress last December:

“Today, the Bush Administration should be commended for taking a critical first step in implementing the first legislated increase in CAFE standards in 32 years, as enacted in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The proposed standard, which would reach 31.6 miles per gallon by 2015, will save consumers money at the pump, reduce our dangerous dependence on imported oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change.    » read more »

April 22, 2008 -- Salem – Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski, together with Governors Schwarzenegger (CA) and Gregoire (WA), sent a letter to U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asking Congress to begin working on securing emergency appropriations for ocean salmon fishermen and related businesses that will be affected by the expected closure of much of the West Coast commercial and recreational ocean salmon fishing season.

Salmon sculpture, Oregon: Photo by p medved (CC)    » read more »

April 21, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. — Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today in observance of the 38th annual Earth Day, which will be observed tomorrow, Tuesday, April 22:

“Almost four decades ago, a group of visionary Americans energized the environmental movement, and indeed our nation, by dedicating a day to this ideal: we must preserve God’s creation, our planet, for the generations to come.

Earth at twilight: Photo courtesy NASA

“On this Earth Day, the greatest challenge facing the United States, and indeed our world, is climate change. Its effects already can be seen in severe weather, coastal flooding, deadly heat waves, and spreading infectious diseases.    » read more »

April 11, 2008 -- Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi was among those delivering remarks at the Newseum grand opening dedication ceremony today. Below are her remarks:

“Thank you very much, Charles. Thank you to all the founders, the funders, the staff who made the Newseum possible. We all throughout the world are deeply in your debt. Thank you, Al Neuharth, for your vision.

Newseum    » read more »

Statement of Lori Wallach, Director of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch Division

April 10, 2008 -- We applaud House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for reasserting congressional authority over trade by removing Fast Track treatment from the Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

Public Citizen will apply its full resources to ensure that the Colombia Free Trade Agreement is defeated by Congress.

The United States should never have negotiated a trade agreement with Colombia, a country with a shameful record of labor leader assassinations and systematic violence against Afro-Colombian communities whose current government has been linked to deadly right wing paramilitaries.    » read more »

Hoffa Says Congress Should Not Vote on This Agreement This Year

April 10, 2008 -- (Washington, D.C.) –Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa on Thursday commended House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for blocking a vote on the proposed trade deal with Colombia.

The Teamsters will continue to strongly oppose the agreement.

“All of these trade deals are hurting American workers, but this one is especially bad because of Colombia’s horrible human rights record,” Hoffa said. “No agreement with Colombia should be considered until the government prosecutes the killers of trade unionists and until the union killings stop. Already this year, 11 trade unionists have been killed. It will take years to address the decades of violence and impunity that has taken place.”    » read more »

April 10, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC – The following is a statement from Change to Win chair Anna Burger regarding U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s announced plans to delay a vote on the Colombia Free Trade Agreement.

“Change to Win applauds Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., for resisting strong-arm tactics by the White House and reasserting congressional authority over our nation’s trade policies. The U.S. House should not bring the Colombia Free Trade Agreement to a vote this year. We need a new ‘fair’ trade model before any new trade agreements are considered.”    » read more »