Fri, 11 May 2007 16:24:48 -0700 (PDT) From: "House Democratic
Leader" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: House Call -
No Blank Checks for War Without End #message { overflow:auto;
visibility:hidden } May 11, 2007
No Blank Checks for War Without End
The American people have spoken loud and clearwe need a new direction in
Iraq, not an escalation of war or blank checks for the President.
As the days pass, President Bush becomes more and more isolated in his
position on the war. Even some members of the Presidents own party have
finally realized that he has lost credibility with the American people.
House Democrats stand firm in our commitment to bringing this war to an end.
This week we passed H.R. 2206, a revised Iraq Accountability Act. The bill
includes benchmarks similar to those proposed by the President and included in
the vetoed bill, and requires the President to report to Congress by July 13 on
progress in meeting those benchmarks.
The President has long said he supports benchmarks; what he fails to accept
is accountability for failing to meet those benchmarks. Benchmarks without
consequences and enforcement are meaningless a blank check. The American
people, retired military commanders, and a growing bipartisan majority in both
the House and the Senate reject giving President Bush a blank check to pursue
the war in Iraq.
Speaker Pelosi: Benchmarks Without Consequences and Enforcement are
Meaningless>>
Taking Action on Rising Gas Prices
Rising gas prices is one of the top issues concerning America's families, and
for good reason. Gas prices have risen by 72 cents a gallon since the beginning
of the year, and Americans are now paying more than double for gas than when
President Bush first took office. With Memorial Day travel and the start of the
summer driving season just around the corner, drivers are paying a heavy price
at the pump for the Bush Administrations failure to enact a comprehensive
energy strategy.
This week, House Democrats began addressing rising gas pricesfocusing on the
causes, the burdens they put on American families and businesses, and
solutions. We held hearings on alternative fuels development, what our
dependence on foreign oil does to our economy, and how we can put new
technologies to use in order to achieve greater efficiency. The most critical
of these hearings explores anticompetitive practices in the oil and gasoline
industry, and will start Congress moving on legislation to crack down on price
gouging by Big Oil. The Energy Price Gouging Prevention Act will provide
immediate relief to consumers by giving the Federal Trade Commission the
authority to investigate and punish those who artificially inflate the price of
energy.
This Congress, the Democratic-led House is working to make up for years of
inaction, taking America in a new direction that helps bring down the cost of
gas and promotes energy independence that is essential to reducing the price at
the pump.
Learn more about combating rising gas prices>>
Restoring Accountability
This week, the House held oversight hearings and passed significant
legislation to ensure accountability in areas ranging from defense contracts,
subprime mortgage lending, the Department of Justice, endangered species, and
student loans. House Democrats are committed to restoring accountability,
honesty, and openness in all levels of governmentmaking certain our nations
leaders serve the peoples interests, not special interests.
One crucial element of this accountability was passing the Student Loan
Sunshine Act, which will clean up the student loan industry and ensure that
students and their families can trust the student aid system they rely on to
afford college. Just as this legislation reached the House floor this week, the
head of the U.S. Education Departments federal student aid program resigned
amidst criticism and investigations for conflict of interest. The bill takes
necessary steps to re-establish trust in schools, guarantee loan options for
students, ensure equal and timely processing of loans, give students full and
fair information when taking out and repaying loans, and protect students from
aggressive marketing practices.
House Democrats are committed to making college more accessible to all
Americans, and this bill is an essential step to ensure that the student loan
system best serves our students and their families. We are committed to
ensuring the highest levels of accountability in all levels and areas of
government; the American people deserve no less.
Watch video highlights from House floor speeches on the Sunshine Student Loan
Act>>
Watch video highlights from a Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing on
contracting>>
Watch video highlights from a Judiciary Committee hearing with Attorney General
Gonzales>>
Watch video highlights from a hearing on the Endangered Species Act>>
Creating Opportunities for Small Businesses
This week, the House passed the Small Business Fairness in Contracting Act,
which gives Americas 26 million small businesses a fair shot at winning a
contract in the federal marketplace.
Small businesses make up nearly 99.7 percent of companies, yet they continue
to face numerous challenges that prevent them from receiving their fair share
of the $340 billion dollar federal marketplace. In addition to increasing small
business access to federal contracts, this legislation will:
Give small businesses a better opportunity at government contracts by making
it harder for government agencies to bundle contracts into billion dollar
super-contracts.
Require the Small Business Administration to reach out to small businesses
regarding opportunities to earn government contracts
Mandate stricter oversight of government agencies to ensure that these
agencies are making progress toward awarding contracts to small businesses
This legislation is good for small businesses in America and good for our
economy. More opportunities for American entrepreneurs running small businesses
will contribute to the growth of our nations economy.
Learn more about the Small Business Fairness in Contracting Act>>
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