Reforming our Nation’s health care system to contain costs and provide access to affordable health care coverage is one of the most critical issues America faces: it affects every person in this country, and it deserves a fair and open debate based on the facts. That was the purpose of the town hall meeting I held in Waldorf two weeks ago. In my view, it achieved that goal.

More than 1,500 people attended the public discussion, with some 30 questions asked and answered on the various aspects of reform and their impact on citizens living in the Fifth Congressional District. It was one of more than ten constituent meetings on the subject I have held this year. I’ve worked hard to gather input from citizens, health care professionals, patients, small business owners, and workers throughout the district. I believe in the cause of reform; but I also believe that an open and fair debate is the best way to work toward reform that serves everyone. Unfortunately, in its coverage of the Waldorf meeting, this publication was anything but fair.

In addition to the overall tone of the coverage, which was dismissive and derogatory, many parts of the report were factually incorrect. For example, the report asserted that my office bussed in supporters and set aside seats for certain organizations. This is simply untrue. The only reserved seating was for handicapped guests, school personnel, and elected officials who attended. And my office did not bus in anyone, period.

This newspaper also accused me of purposefully delaying the question and answer session to "provoke" the crowd and "ensure that they became unruly and would walk out." Again, this was not true.

The purpose of the opening presentation was to provide information about current health reform proposals so people would have an accurate understanding of what they will and will not do. There is too much at stake for people to debate health care without the facts. Unfortunately, there has been a lot of misinformation spread about reform in an effort to block change and preserve the status quo. That is why I spent approximately twenty minutes of an event that lasted more than two hours reviewing facts and addressing misinformation.

In addition, members of the community with various backgrounds were invited to give very short statements.The purpose of this panel was to give citizens of the Fifth District an opportunity to explain to their neighbors why they think health reform is needed and to remind people that we are all in this together.

Following the panel, there was an hour and a half for questions - a significant amount of time I think most would agree - during which 30 people came to the microphone to raise a broad spectrum of issues. We conducted the question and answer session in the most fair and open manner we could devise, drawing numbers at random through a lottery. I understand we didn’t get to every question, however, for those whose questions we did not answer, question cards were collected by my staff at the end of the meeting, and we are in the process of addressing them. Finally, I know this discussion is hardly over, and I will continue to listen to my constituents as this process moves forward.

Our democracy values and demands a free and open debate of ideas. I am, however, greatly disappointed with the way this publication chose to depict an event that was intended to facilitate a constructive public discussion on an issue of importance to us all.

September 11th Anniversary

– A Time of Remembrance and Resolve
This past Friday we marked the distance traveled between fear and memory. Eight years ago we saw fear out of a clear blue sky. We saw monuments of our power and our pride turned to dust in an instant. We felt, in one day, fanaticism’s terrible cruelty, and the terrible beauty of selfless sacrifice.
September 11th, 2001, was a day of grief and shock, of fear and anger. But today it can and must be something more: a day to rededicate ourselves, with memory and with service, to the ideals that make our nation great: freedom, pluralism, equality, and the rule of law. Those, no less than our buildings and our citizens, were the targets of the 9/11 terrorists. And though buildings crumbled, and the dead are lost to us, it is in our power to see that our ideals stay unscathed.
Now the wounds of grief and shock are scarred over. Now we can say ‘grief’ and ‘shock’ as if they were only words. But on that day they were more real than words can express. And if eight years have dulled our grief, for an hour we call it back, deliberately, today.
So, on this eighth anniversary, along with the Republican Leader Mr. Boehner, I was proud to introduce this resolution marking September 11th as a day of remembrance and resolve.
So many conflicting emotions mark this indelible day: grief for nearly 3,000 men, women, and children murdered; heartfelt sympathy for those who loved and lost them; and unspeakable pride in the first responders, firemen, policemen, and medical personnel who served and sacrificed on that day. Among the 3,000 are numbered 343 firefighters, 37 Port Authority officers, and 23 police officers who died serving their fellow citizens.
Alongside them in honor stand the passengers of United Flight 93, ordinary Americans who discovered their extraordinary heroism at a moment of crisis, and who quite possibly saved this building, this chamber, and the Capitol dome from ruin. We also remember the sacrifices of our troops—not only those who lost their lives under our flag, but those who make the everyday sacrifice of separation from family and home. Not all of us are called to serve as heroically; but in hundreds of small acts of dedication to our communities, we can emulate their service in ways large and small.
That is our resolve. And along with it, we resolve to take the lesson of our vulnerability to heart. We commit ourselves to defending America from whatever threats may confront it—with all our military force, all our diplomatic skill, and all the power of our moral example.
Our lives are limited—but we have in our keeping the ideals and truths that have animated our nation since its founding moment and that, we trust, will outlive us all, to light the lives of our children and grandchildren. They have lived through war, through economic crisis, and through the gravest attacks. Now, while they are in our keeping, let us defend them, serve them, live for them, and pass them down unharmed. All that, we resolve today. May we hold to it tomorrow, and every day after that.
The American writer Mark Helprin once reflected on soldiers who had seen death, and his words hold true for us, as well: “That they cannot forget, that they do not forget, that they never allow themselves to heal completely, is their way of expressing their love for friends who have perished. And they will not change, because they have become what they have become to keep the fallen alive.”

Labor Day: Realizing the American Dream Through Quality, Affordable Health Care

While many Marylanders enjoy a long Labor Day weekend, and mourn the end of summer with perhaps one more visit to the beach, it is also appropriate that we take time this weekend to recognize the intended significance of this important holiday.
In 1882, the first Labor Day festivities celebrated the creation of the labor movement and the social and economic achievements of the American worker. We have since taken this day to pay national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.
When this holiday was first proposed, people celebrated with a street parade to exhibit to the public “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations” of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day, and this is certainly true throughout Maryland this holiday weekend.
In the first parade held in New York City, between 10,000 and 20,000 people marched, celebrated, and sought to bring greater awareness and change to the sad conditions that existed for far too many American workers. For the following few years - as the growth of labor organizations spread - the unofficial holiday continued and took root across the country. Finally, on June 28, 1894, Congress passed legislation to honor the contributions and achievements of Americas workers and make the first Monday of every September, Labor Day, a federal holiday.
Today, Labor Day continues to serve as a day to celebrate the hard labor that has made this country the most productive and prosperous nation in the world. Our observance of this holiday also reminds us that the struggles of working Americans are far from over. Despite our nation’s leadership in the global economy, the recession we have sustained for nearly two years has taken a significant toll on millions of American workers. In addition to lost jobs, many have lost their employer sponsored health care coverage - at the rate of 10,000 people a day. The economic downturn has exposed the worst of our health care system and the uncertainty that many Americans have when it comes to health care coverage for them and their families.
That is why reforming our health insurance system to provide quality affordable health care that you can always count on is so critical.
In Maryland, skyrocketing costs are squeezing families, burdening businesses and represents one of the greatest threats to America’s future economic growth and long-term fiscal stability. Over the past eight years, Marylanders have seen their health insurance premiums increase by 64.1% while wages during that period only grew by 21.4%.Without reform, the health insurance premiums of Maryland families will increase from 4.7% of their income to 9.1% by 2016.
Our families simply cannot wait for affordable, quality health care any longer. Health care today is not stable - with out-of control-costs and unreliable coverage, there is little peace of mind for American families and businesses. The goal of health reform is to fix what is broken while keeping what works. We are not proposing a government-controlled system. We want to reform health insurance so that all Americans can find peace of mind with health care they can count on. For seniors, we want a more efficient Medicare with stronger benefits. And for small businesses we want to level the playing field that helps them afford coverage and compete successfully.
America’s workers are the lifeblood of our nation, and their hard work, innovation, creativity, energy, and determination have made our country as strong as it is today. It is our responsibility to provide the necessary resources to empower the American worker so that they have the highest quality of life and standard of living. In my opinion, that is how we can best observe the Labor Day holiday.


Health Care Reform a Cause for Women’s Equality
America was founded on a promise of equality? a promise that we now rightly understand applies not only to all men, but to all women. We also understand that formal equality is not enough. Equal rights and equal votes are vital, and heroic women dedicated their lives to winning them, but they are only a beginning, and there still remains much work to do before we can say that we have realized the promise of equality.
Every year, I host a networking fair and luncheon for women in Maryland's 5th Congressional District to bring women in our community together and to recognize our ongoing push for full equality between men and women. The theme of this year's event was the Faces of Women in Need and focused on what we must do to lift women up through ways such as ending discrimination in the workplace, providing them with an education equal to their ambitions and talents, and ensuring a safe place to raise their children.
But right now, in the summer of 2009, the single greatest thing we can do is to reform our broken health care system. That system takes its toll on every American, in rising costs, vanishing coverage, persistent insecurity, and crippled small businesses. But the toll on women is especially severe. Our health care system is one of the most powerful factors putting women in need and keeping them there.
Women are poorly served by a system that allows less than half of them to get health coverage through their work? coverage that is available to 57% of men but just 48% of women. And women often pay higher premiums, as well, especially when an inability to get coverage at work forces them onto the individual insurance market. As a result of restricted access and higher costs, many women today are in worse health. In a recent survey, more than half of women said that they put off the medical care they needed because it was too expensive? or that they went without it altogether. Only 39% of men said the same thing. That is shameful.
Less access, higher costs and worse health? our health care system is failing America's women, and it is our job to fix it. And this issue deserves our special attention as we recognize Women's Equality Day and the struggles of women in need. For millions of Americans, health care is about economic security and economic survival. And it is about the American ideal of equality? that no one's wealth should determine their health.
This is one of the reasons why Congress is fighting for health care reform that means stability and peace of mind for all Americans. We are fighting to ensure no denial of coverage because of pre-existing conditions, no chance of going bankrupt over health bills, and no fear of losing your coverage if you lose your job. We are fighting for health care reform that brings costs down and provides higher-quality care to all Americans. We don't need to spend more money to get that result; we're already paying nearly twice as much per capita as any other industrialized country, and we're not any healthier. We need to spend smarter.
And we are fighting to preserve and protect patients? choice of plans and doctors. Current proposals under discussion will mean more competition - and more choices - in the health insurance market, not less. And we will make sure that every American who likes his or her coverage can keep it. Those are principles that will serve every American, but will especially go a long way toward ending the disparities that keep millions of American women in need.
The work of equality may change from decade to decade or from nation to nation, but the ideal remains the same in every place and time: that the future belongs to our daughters every bit as much as to our sons. Health care reform is a central issue in our fight to ensure women's equality in America. It is not just a cause for better health ? it is a cause for a better life for all women in our country.





America’s Small Businesses
Need Health Reform
One of the most overlooked facts in the health reform debate is that small businesses and their employees will be among those who have the most to gain with reform – and the most to lose under our current system. The reality is that the current health care system is unsustainable for American small businesses. Let’s look at the facts.
Since 2000, insurance costs for small businesses have risen 129 percent. As a result, less than half of America’s smallest firms - 45 percent - can afford to offer health care benefits for their employees. In fact, 60 percent of America’s uninsured – or 28 million—are small business owners, workers, and their families.
Because of their size, small businesses face a significant disadvantage in today’s insurance marketplace. As a result, small firm workers pay more – an average of 18 more - for the same benefits as their larger firm counterparts, and their deductibles are more than double. And small businesses have higher administrative costs - up to 25 percent of the cost of premiums for some small business health plans, compared to 10 percent for large firms.
Health reform will help small businesses gain access to a level playing field in the health insurance marketplace in order to access affordable, reliable coverage that is not available to them today. By creating a pool and offering assistance, the House health insurance reform bill will lower small business costs and increase options. Alternatively, those who would rather contribute than offer will have a discrete, predictable contribution and the knowledge that their employees will have decent affordable health care.
And in order to assist small businesses in providing coverage, reform will also grant tax credits of up to 50 percent of the costs of providing health insurance to their employees for firms with 25 or fewer employees and average wages of less than $40,000.
Opponents of reform would have you think reform would do anything but help small businesses. They claim to be champions of small business and they claim to want to improve health care for all Americans, but their actions to block the very efforts to give small businesses the help they need speak volumes.
Instead of spreading misinformation, we should be working towards solutions. That is what small business owners like Brian England of Columbia, Maryland, who recently shared his personal story with me, expect. Brian has been the owner of British American Auto Care for 31 years. Starting his business with himself and a single technician, Brian’s business has grown to employ 20 people, half of whom accept the health insurance coverage he offers now. Providing health coverage costs his business roughly $70,000 a year - its third biggest expense after wages and rent. His premium rates went up 10 percent this year – and would have gone up 30 percent if a 60-year-old employee had continued to be covered.
If we don’t do something to reform what’s broken with our health care system, Brian’s situation and thousands of small business owners like him, will continue to see their rates go up. The Small Business Majority recently released a report that showed that without reform, small businesses will pay nearly $2.4 trillion in health care costs over the next 10 years. If health insurance reform is enacted, the report found that small businesses could save as much as $855 billion over 10 years, nearly 36 percent. This money can be reinvested in the business and jobs.
Phillip Cryan, an economist from the University of California-Berkley, estimates that the 8 percent employer responsibility requirement in the proposal in the House would result in a net gain of 55,365 jobs, a rise in productivity, and a slowing in the rate of health inflation.
As we continue to work on health reform that provides greater stability of health care coverage – both in cost and in access – for our citizens, it is important to recognize that small businesses are poised to gain substantially. For many businesses, there is a difficult choice to be made between the desire to give workers affordable health coverage and bottom line of what they can afford. Let’s make the decision simple for small businesses by providing access to affordable quality care for them, their families and their employees.

Economy Shows Signs of
Gradual Recovery
On Monday, August 17th, six months will have passed since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law. In that time, we have seen the economy pull back from the edge of collapse, and signs of recovery have started to appear. The Recovery Act has played a critical role in this by stopping the economic freefall. Over the past six months, more than 30,000 Recovery Act projects have been approved; $197 billion has been committed to programs and projects to get Americans back to work; and $53 billion in tax relief has been released to put more money in Americans’ pockets. While there are signs of hope, many families are still hurting, and more work remains to be done.
It is now known that the economy in the fourth quarter of 2008, before the Recovery Act was adopted, was far worse than previously thought. From January through March of this year, the national gross domestic product (GDP) contracted by 6.4 percent – a 50-year record. Last fall, there was a precipitous drop in the stock market, housing values plummeted, and foreclosures skyrocketed. With the economy in grave condition, the first priority of the Recovery Act was to stop the steep decline, and economists agree it has done just that.
Recent economic reports have shown signs that the economy is starting to stabilize and turn around. Recovery Act funds have gone out slightly ahead of schedule, with nearly 32% of funds going out within 26% of the time allotted. As that money has hit the economy, we have started to see the effect. GDP declined at one percent over the last quarter, significantly better than expected and a large turn around from the 6.4% decline during the previous quarter. Sales of newly built homes surged 11% in June, and new home construction hit its highest point in June since last November. The stock market has increased significantly since the Recovery Act was enacted: the Dow has gone up 20%, the S&P has gone up 22%, and the Nasdaq has gone up 31%.
One main objective of the Recovery Act is to get Americans back to work. There are numerous examples of jobs saved and created as a result of this bill. Fewer jobs were lost last month than expected, and the unemployment rate dropped slightly. According to the White House Recovery Office, 135,000 education jobs will be saved by Recovery Act funds, keeping teachers, principals, and support staff at work before children go back to school this fall, and funds going out this summer will also hire or keep approximately 5,000 law enforcement officers on the job.
While the signs are encouraging, the road to recovery is long and far from over. The problems that led to this recession were not created overnight, and recovery will not occur overnight either. It is widely acknowledged that jobs are the last thing to rebound after a recession, and indeed the unemployment rate is still far too high and is expected to climb again in the coming months.
However, there is reason to be optimistic about the future. The Recovery Act was designed first to stop the economic slide, then to start rebuilding the economy. $537 billion of Recovery Act funds remain to be spent, and a significant portion of those are scheduled to go out this fall during the third quarter of the year. Much of the spending will be focused on building a sustainable economy by creating the jobs of the future, in areas like clean energy. While our work is not over, the economic facts indicate that we are on the right path.
 

Restoring Oysters for our
Economy and Environment

Last week, I took tour of an oyster sanctuary in the Patuxent River to see how efforts are working to restore the population of this critical shellfish in our waters. I was also present when the sanctuary was laid five years ago, and I must report that I was very impressed with the progress we are making and give great credit to the Oyster Recovery Partnership for coordinating this important effort in our state.
The Chesapeake Bay, which means “great shellfish bay,” was historically marked by high abundances of oysters that were able to filter the water in a period of three days. Unfortunately, due to disease, pollution, low dissolved oxygen levels and overharvesting, oyster populations are only about one percent of their levels just a century ago.
Maryland has an economic, environmental and cultural stake in restoring the once plentiful oyster population. Oysters improve water quality by filtering Bay water, which allows other vital organisms to thrive. And it is no secret that a healthy ecosystem is the key to the livelihood of our state’s watermen and our overall economy.
Since 1994, a coordinated effort headed up by the Oyster Recovery Partnership has been put into place to attempt to restore the oyster population. The Partnership’s mission is to work to create both managed harvest reserves and oyster sanctuaries that will provide a fresh supply of oysters for the watermen and the entire oyster industry infrastructure: shucking houses, businesses that serve harvesters and processors, and restaurants.
The oyster reef structures that will be created thanks to this effort will provide critical habitat and feeding grounds for other essential species, and will also serve as natural filters screening out algae, sediments, and pollutants. Last year, under the Partnership’s management, the more than 35 million new oysters were planted in the Patuxent River, and since 2000, the Oyster Recovery Partnership has planted over 2 billion oysters at 60 locations in the Bay.
The federal government has been a steady supporter of these projects recognizing the great value that a healthy and thriving oyster population provides to the economy and the environment. Since 1999, I have led the effort in the House of Representatives to secure nearly $45 million in federal funding to restore the oyster population in the Chesapeake Bay and I will continue to advocate on behalf of this important initiative.
Other efforts include legislation signed by Governor O’Malley in 2007creating the Maryland Oyster Advisory Commission charged with seeking new strategies to rebuild the Bay’s oyster population, created new penalties for violating existing oyster regulations, and established greater opportunity for private investment in oyster restoration.
In June 2009, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources announced that it was expanding its “Maryland Grow Oysters” program to a total of 12 sites, including the Patuxent, Wicomico and St. Mary’s Rivers. The program provides oyster spat in cages to local associations who identify volunteer pier owners to locate them. The resulting oysters will be planted on reefs.
The Oyster Recovery Project is undertaken jointly by the Oyster Recovery Partnership (a non-profit that coordinates the efforts of the government agencies, environmentalists and waterman), the Army Corps of Engineers, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the University of Maryland’s Center
 

Health Care Status Quo Would Be Disaster for Middle Class
How’s this for a health care plan? It will make your premiums go up—in fact, it will double health costs over the next ten years. It will strip millions of Americans of their coverage. It will send our deficit through the roof.
That, as the President recently pointed out, is the health care plan we choose by doing nothing. That is the status quo, and it will be the health care plan we end up with if health insurance reform fails.
And although no one will come out and argue for a plan that doubles costs and cuts coverage, we are being pushed in just that direction by transparent attempts to kill reform for partisan gain. As one Republican Senator put it, “If we’re able to stop Obama on this, it will be his Waterloo. It will break him.” Another said this about efforts to cover millions more Americans: “We can stall it. And that’s going to be a huge gain for those of us who want to turn this thing over in the 2010 election.”
Failure to reform health care might be a boon for some members of Congress, but it would be a disaster for middle-class families, for the 47 million uninsured Americans, and for small businesses across America.
That’s why we are working hard to get a health care bill to President Obama’s desk this fall. The details of that bill are still under strong debate—which is healthy considering the historic challenge we face. But we are unshakably committed to four driving principles: health insurance stability, affordability, quality, and patient choice.
First, we are working to bring stable coverage and peace of mind to every American. No longer will insurance companies be allowed to deny you coverage because they consider you to have a pre-existing condition like pregnancy, heart disease, cancer, or diabetes. No longer will medical bills be a source of personal bankruptcy. No longer will you be forced to make job and life choices based on fear of losing health coverage. And no longer will tens of millions without insurance be forced to put off the preventive care they need, while the rest of us pay to subsidize their care—at about $1,100 per average family premium, each year.
Second, our plan has the power to reverse the cost inflation that has more than doubled premiums since 2000, while wages have stood still. Cost-saving measures will include the bargaining power of a public insurance option, an end to Medicare co-pays or deductibles for preventive care that keeps patients healthier for the long-term, research to help doctors and patients make informed choices, and electronic medical records that will make it easier for doctors to collaborate. Seniors will see an end to the notorious Medicare Part D “donut hole,” which leaves those with between $2,700 and $6,100 per year in prescription drug expenses without Medicare support. And small businesses will find it easier to afford coverage for their employees, putting them on fairer footing against competitors overseas.
Third, this plan will mean higher-quality health care. Right now, America pays nearly twice as much for health care per capita as any other industrialized country, without getting better health outcomes in return. In other words, higher quality health care isn’t a matter of spending more money—it’s a matter of spending smarter. That’s why many of the same measures that will bring down costs can also mean better health care for all of us. For instance, electronic records will mean fewer deadly errors, and research on health outcomes will help patients and doctors decide on the most effective courses of treatment.
Fourth and finally, we want to preserve and strengthen patients’ choice of plans and doctors. An option to enroll in a public insurance plan won’t simply give Americans another choice of coverage—its competition will push private insurers toward lower costs and higher quality. And contrary to Republican claims, this plan won’t force employers to drop millions of employers from coverage; the Congressional Budget Office actually found that employer-provided coverage will increase. As a result, Americans who like the coverage they have will be able to keep it.
Even as you’re reading this, we’re working with the Administration to finish a bill that will hold to the principles of stability, affordability, quality, and patient choice, without raising the deficit. The status quo is getting costlier every day, and that makes our work more urgent.
But anyone who seriously claims that we are rushing through reform needs a reality check. The House held 79 health care hearings in the last two years; just this year, members of Congress have heard from their constituents at more than 550 health care town halls and public events.
And not just that—for decades, health reform has been one of the most-discussed domestic issues in America. In the 2008 election, repairing the economy and expanding access to health care were central issues for all candidates, in both parties. In fact, we, as a nation, have been debating about how to bring affordable health care to every American for most of the 20th century, and into the 21st. This, at last, is our moment. We must not miss it.


Enjoying Maryland’s Parks
Now and in the Years to Come
Across the State of Maryland, residents can be found spending their summers backpacking along the Appalachian Trail, fishing at Point Lookout State Park, biking on the Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail, taking in the view of wild horses galloping across the beach at Assateague State Park, or partaking in a number of other exciting outdoor activities.
Since 1985, Americans have been celebrating Recreation and Parks Month during the month of July. The designation by the National Recreation and Park Association enables park services to unite their communities around the initiative of Healthy Lifestyles and Livable Communities. During this time, local parks and recreation facilities are encouraged to promote the use of their sites for various leisure activities, community service days and overall community involvement.
According to recent research, 75 percent of Americans live within a two mile walking distance of a public park or recreation facility. In addition, more than 75 percent of the population utilizes their local parks and recreation facilities, adding up to an astounding 192 million people visiting parks each year.
The recently-passed House Interior Appropriations bill makes improving our national parks a key priority. Funding in the bill continues a 10-year initiative to upgrade the national parks before the Centennial of the National Park Service in 2016. Much of this additional funding is targeted at improving national park operations in order to help ensure that visitors to our national parks will experience enhanced levels of service.
I also fought to ensure that the Interior Bill contained key investments for Maryland’s natural resources and parks, including $50 million for programs to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay and $400,000 for the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, an initiative that expands access to the Bay and works to make visits to parks, wildlife refuges, and water trails more meaningful experiences. The bill also provides an increase for National Wildlife Refuges for critically needed staff and funding to implement climate change strategies, and improve conservation efforts.
As always, I remain committed to preserving our natural resources by working to ensure the preservation of our parks, open spaces, and historic sites. Over the years, I have helped enable the expansion of the Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge by an additional 8,000 acres, making it one of the largest areas in the Mid-Atlantic dedicated to land and wildlife research; I have secured federal funds for the restoration of Maryland’s treasured historic sites, including Sotterly Plantation, the Historic Brick Chapel at Historic St. Mary’s City, and several of Southern Maryland’s tobacco barns; and I have worked to expand Piscataway Park, which preserves parklands along the Maryland shore to ensure that the river view from Mount Vernon continues to look the same as it did when President George Washington lived there over 200 years ago.
In addition to advocating for policy initiatives aimed at protecting Maryland’s parks and resources, I would encourage the citizens of our state to become actively involved in their local parks. There are a multitude of ways by which one can volunteer their time to help improve their parks and public spaces. Serving as a guide, docent or participating in a park-wide cleanup not only serve to enhance the visitor’s experience, but can also be personally rewarding.
As we celebrate National Recreation and Parks Month, I encourage you to take full advantage of the many beautiful parks and recreational facilities throughout Maryland and take a moment to appreciate how fortunate we are to have them. By making consistent investments, enacting thoughtful responsible policies, and taking personal responsibility to protect our parks and natural resources, we can ensure the continued enjoyment of our parks and natural resources for our children, grandchildren, and future generations.



Stepping Up to Meet America’s Greatest Challenges
Not in recent memory have a U.S. President and a Congress taken office facing more challenges. Of course, the most pressing is the recession that is costing workers their jobs all over America. While we continue to see dispiriting unemployment numbers, I believe that the steps we have taken are already helping to stop the bleeding.
Just 130 days after its enactment, the Recovery Act that was signed into law in February has already helped to slow the pace of job losses. It is supporting job-creating projects across America. They include $15 billion in high speed rail, smart grid, and broadband programs, as well as the nearly 2,000 new highway programs already underway – including here in Maryland.
The Recovery Act also cut taxes for 95% of Americans. All of those steps can get businesses hiring and families spending again. We are by no means out of the woods yet. This recession will not be done overnight—but I believe that we are on the right path out.
The solution cannot be a temporary one. We have to rebuild a prosperity that lasts and an economy that works for everyone. Democrats in Congress want an economy where no one has to suffer from discrimination at work, so we passed a bill that will make it easier for women to fight back against discrimination that cheats them out of their rightful pay.
We want every child in America to get a healthy start in life, so we added 4 million low-income children to the state Children’s Health Insurance Program. And Congressional Democrats want America to continue to be the world’s economic leader for the 21st century, so we passed a budget that puts us on track for less-expensive healthcare, a clean energy economy, and the best-educated workforce in the world.
But there is still so much more to do, and two of our greatest challenges are clean energy and affordable health care for all. They can be the cornerstones of our economic recovery. Last month, we passed an energy bill that invests in the world’s most important emerging economic sector: clean energy technology.
That bill has the power to make us an exporter of energy technology to Europe and Asia, to create clean energy jobs here at home that can’t be outsourced, and to reduce our dependence on oil-rich dictators who mean our country harm. It also uses proven, market-based solutions to curb the carbon pollution that is the cause of global warming—and I believe taking action is both a moral and an economic imperative.
Soon, we will be taking on another great challenge—affordable health care for all Americans. We all know what a broken health care system looks like, because we’re living in one – one with skyrocketing premiums, one that bankrupts families, one that puts handcuffs on small businesses, and one that leaves 45 million of us uncovered. As we work with President Obama to reform health care, we will keep to these four principles.
First, patient choice—we want everyone to be able to choose their doctor and their plan, and if you like what you have, you’ll be able to keep it. Second, affordability—the costs of healthcare are straining family budgets and our national budget, so we have to bring them down. We can do that by expanding the pool of insured Americans, by giving doctors and patients the data they need to make the best treatment choices, and by computerizing medical records, but some tough choices will also be required. Third, quality—America currently spends more money on health care per capita than any other country in the world, but it doesn’t receive better health as a result. That has to change. And lastly, access—we want stronger private and public coverage so that all Americans can afford health care, and we want no one to be denied coverage because of a preexisting condition.
We have a lot of work ahead of us, but as far as I’m concerned, it is work that is desperately needed, and I know that Congress and President Obama intend to rise to the challenge.



Preserving Medicare’s Success – 43 Years Later

The First of July marked the 43rd anniversary of one of the greatest domestic policy achievements in America since World War II: the enactment of Medicare. Today, when Medicare is such an integral part of so many lives, it is hard to imagine how bitterly it was opposed.
As many Americans have experienced since its enactment, Medicare has been an outstanding success that has brought health care to generations of senior citizens. But the truth is that Medicare has to change to survive, to bring the same benefits to the next generation of seniors that it has already brought to so many. Medicare has to become more efficient—while keeping the qualities that have made it so irreplaceable for millions.
Improving Medicare should involve rewarding coordinated care—meaning that doctors in different specialties or at different hospitals should have incentives to share information on patients, helping them get the best quality of treatment. It’s also important that doctors have the right incentives to continue treating patients as they move from private insurance to Medicare. And we need to reduce the wasted Medicare dollars we lose in the form of inaccurate payments and overpayments to private plans.
Finally, a big Medicare reform seen recently in the news was President Obama’s announcement last month of a deal to close the notorious Medicare Part D ‘donut hole.’ That hole in coverage has left seniors who have between $2,700 and $6,100 per year in prescription drug expenses without Medicare support—and it has, in the words the President, placed ‘a crushing burden on many older Americans who live on fixed incomes.’ But now, as part of the bigger project to reform healthcare, we have a chance to close that hole and relieve that burden.
Moving forward, improving Medicare will be a part of overall efforts to fix what is broken with our health care system while building on what works. If you want to know what health care reform can look like, just remember these four words: choice, affordability, quality, and access.
Patient Choice. Every American deserves his or her choice of insurance plan and doctor—and right now, that’s a choice that too many of us lack. But we can expand choice by building on the system of employer-sponsored care that we have right now. President Obama has been very clear: ‘If you like your doctor and your plan, you can keep them.’
Affordability. The cost of health care is eating up more of our personal budgets, and our national budget, every year; we must bring it under control. Expanding coverage can widen the insurance pool and bring costs down. But we also need to sponsor research into the best treatments and help doctors share and access medical records from any computer—both steps that will bring down costs.
Quality Care. We believe that the same measures that will bring down costs can also result in better health care for all of us. For instance, electronic records will mean fewer deadly errors, and research on health outcomes will help you and your doctor decide on the most effective courses of treatment.
Access. The 45 million uninsured Americans live sicker and shorter lives—and if that weren’t enough reason to act, they often are forced to let chronic problems fester, meaning that we all end up paying to subsidize their care in ERs. We want stronger private and public coverage so that all Americans can afford health care.
Those are the principles that will guide us in our efforts to reform health care so that it works better for more Americans. Our objective is a country in which no one will ever have coverage denied because of pre-existing conditions or because of companies that put profits ahead of people; a country in which no one will ever have to make a life or job decision out of fear of losing medical coverage; a country in which no one will ever again suffer financial disaster because they had the bad luck to get sick.
We know what the doubters and critics will say. They’ll say that it can never be done—or that this isn’t the time. But that is exactly what they said about Medicare. They were wrong then—and they are wrong now.
 

Congress Must Pay for What It Spends

In recent years, America’s fiscal story has been one of steady decline — from record surpluses to record deficits. In 2001, the federal government had a projected 10-year surplus of $5.6 trillion. Today, we are looking at a fiscal year 2009 deficit of $1.7 trillion.

A number of factors have brought us to this cash-strapped point, including reckless tax cuts, the cost of two wars, entitlement programs that have grown on autopilot, and the necessary, though costly, efforts to get our economy out of recession. But by far the worst decision was the abandonment in the Bush years of the principle that our country should pay for what it buys. It’s time to learn from that error and establish that principle in law.

President Obama has made the pay-as-you-go rule — a.k.a. "PAYGO" — a central part of his campaign for fiscal responsibility. Under PAYGO, Congress is compelled to find savings for the dollars it spends. In the 1990s, PAYGO proved to be one of our most valuable tools for climbing out of a budgetary hole. As President Obama put it earlier this month, "It is no coincidence that this rule was in place when we moved . . . to record surpluses in the 1990s — and that when this rule was abandoned, we returned to record deficits that doubled the national debt."

President George W. Bush and the Republican Congress set PAYGO aside, turning borrowed money into massive tax cuts for the most privileged. Borrowing made those tax cuts politically pain-free as long as Mr. Bush was in office, but it only passed the bill on to the next generation — along with ever-inflating interest payments.

Congressional Democrats, on the other hand, understand that we owe it to our fiscal future to pay our bills up-front. As soon as our party took back Congress in 2007, we made the principle of paying for what we buy part of the House rules. To be sure, Congress hasn’t always lived up to that commitment, usually when the Senate rejected House bills that were paid for. But that is all the more reason to give PAYGO the force of law. On Mr. Obama’s behalf, I have introduced legislation with 150 original cosponsors to keep Congress, whether controlled by Democrats or Republicans, from sacrificing our fiscal health to the political pressures of the moment.

Some in our party have expressed concerns that PAYGO will limit our ability to fund pressing priorities, from education to clean energy. But I believe that such important investments are long-term propositions — a little discipline now will ensure that we have the resources to fund them consistently for years to come.

Other critics complain that PAYGO would pit tax cuts against cuts in spending. But that is exactly what responsible budgeting requires — a willingness to make hard choices between competing priorities. PAYGO can also push us to eliminate wasteful spending and subsidies.

The President’s PAYGO proposal, which I have introduced, would require that all new policies reducing revenues or expanding entitlement spending be offset. Legislation extending current policy on the Alternative Minimum Tax, Medicare payments to doctors, and the estate-tax cuts and tax cuts passed in 2001 and 2003 can be enacted without offsets. This approach will allow us to enforce fiscal discipline for the years ahead without being hobbled by past Republican budget gimmicks.

Fiscal responsibility will take much more work, from controlling the spiraling health-care costs that consume more and more of our GDP and budget each year to reforming our rapidly-growing entitlement programs. It is daunting work, but it can begin here. And if we fail to take even this step — to hold to a rule of responsibility that governs even the smallest family budgets — then we are in deeper trouble than even the worst pessimists feared.

Wishing Maryland Fathers a Healthy Father’s Day

On June 21st, I join fathers, grandfathers, and even great-grandfathers like myself, across our state in celebrating Father’s Day. This Father’s Day it is especially appropriate to recognize those fathers who have sacrificed precious time away from their families on active duty in our nation’s military, while thanking all fathers for their commitment to their families and for playing a vital role in the lives of their children.

One of the ways we can honor our nation’s proud fathers is to support men’s health initiatives and promote policies that help our fathers, grandfathers, brothers, sons, spouses, and friends lead long, healthy, and happy lives. This past week was observed as National Men’s Health Week for the purpose of heightening the awareness of preventable health problems and encouraging early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys.

A look at the facts proves that such awareness campaigns are necessary. Consider that men are 100 percent less likely than women to go to the doctor for annual examinations and preventive care. Each of the ten leading causes of death, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, affect men at a higher rate than women. Heart disease, a leading cause of death among all groups, kills men at a rate of almost twice that of women.

These facts all add up to a devastating reality - men continue to live an average of five years less than women, and African-American men have the lowest life expectancy of any group. To be sure, the life expectancy gap between men and women has closed slightly over the last twenty years, in part due to increased awareness of men’s health issues and a more proactive management of health concerns by men and their loved ones. Still, the statistics show that men are running a health deficit and have a long way to go to improve their health, longevity, and quality of life.

As we consider changes to our nation’s health care policy, and as advances in medical technology and research are made, we must work to address the vast disparity between men and women and ensure that men are receiving the medical information and treatment necessary to proactively manage their health.

One of the primary explanations for the health gap between men and women is that we don’t take care of ourselves as well as women do. In general, men are more likely to engage in unhealthy behavior, we are less likely to adopt preventative health measures, and - when we are older - tend to exercise less than women.

The steps men can take to improve the quality and length of their lives include: eating a varied low-fat diet; drinking at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day; limiting alcohol to two drinks per day; exercising for 20 minutes at least three days a week; maintaining a healthy weight; abstaining from smoking; knowing your family history; scheduling regular check-ups, and; seeking medical treatment when necessary.

Additionally, we must recognize the unique challenge posed by prostate cancer. This ruthless killer has reached epidemic proportions, affecting at least one in six American men, with 30,000 men dying from the disease each year. African-American men are 60 percent more likely to contract the disease than white men, and they are twice as likely to die from it. We know that men are more likely to be cured when the disease is caught early, but too many men miss this opportunity because they do not get screened regularly.

We must increase awareness among men for the need to get tested, but we must also recognize that many men are apprehensive about screening for prostate cancer due to the invasiveness and costliness of current testing measures. Researchers are currently developing an alternative testing method for men, utilizing the same minimally invasive and highly-effective advanced imaging technologies that are used to detect breast cancer.

As we commemorate Father’s Day, I encourage all Marylanders to talk to their fathers, grandfathers, and all the men – young and old - in their lives about the health threats men face and the steps men can take to improve the length and the quality of their lives – for their sake and for the ones they love.

Congress Making Good Progress on Top Priorities

The 111th Congress had a strong start and accomplished a great deal in the first five months. In a recent op-ed in Roll Call, Congressional scholar Norman Ornstein wrote: "This Congress has been as active and productive as any I can remember. The number of major bills passed and enacted into law, the serious, sustained activity in areas of broad, complex and critical importance, all are truly impressive."

Our work, however, is far from over. This month, House Members returned from a very productive District work period, where Democrats held over 800 events to discuss with their constituents economic recovery efforts, health care reform, and clean energy. As we continue to address issues critical to rebuilding our Nation’s economy, we will focus on two priorities of President Obama and the American people: health care reform and clean energy legislation. Our Committees are working hard and making great progress on both issues, and it is my hope that we can bring these bills to the Floor before August.

Last week, President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers released a report showing why the current American health care system is on an unsustainable path. The new study underscores this key point: health care reform is an economic imperative that is essential to our economic health and security. Working together with President Obama, Congressional Democrats intend to deliver quality, affordable health care to all Americans this year that contains costs while guaranteeing your choice of health plans and doctors. Achieving this objective will not be easy, but the benefits of reforming health care are too great to delay action any longer.

Clean energy legislation also remains a top priority this summer, with a comprehensive bill to create jobs, invest in clean alternative sources of energy and promote energy efficiency. In doing this we will contain energy costs, increase energy independence and ensure the long-term stability of our nation’s energy structure. Congress did take one step last week to promote fuel-efficiency in vehicles in passing the "Cash for Clunkers" legislation, which provides incentives for consumers to trade in old, gas-guzzling vehicles in exchange for vouchers to help pay for new, more fuel efficient cars and trucks.

The House also passed the Foreign Relations Authorization Act and Pakistan Enduring Assistance and Cooperation Enhancement Act, which complement President Obama’s new strategy for the Middle East and reinforce our strong commitment to national security. Continuing the focus on national security, we expect to consider this week the Fiscal Year 2009 Supplemental Appropriations bill, funding military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and providing additional resources to address the pandemic flu.

In addition, we will begin the process of passing our appropriations bills for the coming year. There are twelve bills altogether that fund the basic operations of government. Our goal is to pass these bills through the House by August in order to keep the process moving on track and ensure the uninterrupted continuation of government services.

Finally, I look forward to introducing a bill this week that will be crucial to bringing down the federal deficit and putting America’s fiscal house in order. Along with President Obama, Congressional Democrats are committed to the principle that America must pay for what it buys.

During the Clinton Administration, statutory pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) resulted in record surpluses. But Republicans subsequently abandoned PAYGO and pursued fiscally reckless policies, putting America in record debt. As our first act back in the majority in 2007, Democrats restored PAYGO as part of House rules.

Enacting statutory PAYGO will give this policy the force of law. However, statutory PAYGO, as important as it is, is only a first step toward restoring fiscal discipline. It must be accompanied by hard work to reform our healthcare system and control the rapidly-rising costs of our entitlement programs. By restoring PAYGO and taking action on those challenges, we can begin putting our fiscal house back in order.

This is just a snapshot of what Congress is working on this month. While we have accomplished a lot in these short five months, it will be a busy summer, and I look forward to hearing from you about the work Congress is doing.

Securing a Strong Future for Our Children

When schools across our area let out for summer break this month, children will be trading school for summer camp and books for bathing suits. However, summer does not mean that we, as parents, educators, neighbors, and relatives should take a break from being involved in the daily education of our children. June is National Children’s Awareness Month and a perfect time to reaffirm our commitment to improving the lives of our young people. The future of our nation depends on our children. However, it is incumbent upon us to take action to ensure that they are fully prepared for the tasks ahead.

As we approach the summer months, when children do not have the school day taking up much of their time, it is especially important to recognize Children’s Awareness Month. Our community can certainly benefit from focusing on increasing the awareness of children’s vulnerability to violence, and early warning signs of emotional and behavioral problems in our homes, in our neighborhoods, and in our media. Each individual’s awareness adds to a more aware public about the importance of protecting and nurturing the mental health of our young people.

In Congress, we have made children’s issues a top priority. With a weak economy gripping much of the country, it is more important than ever to support initiatives that ensure essential education and health services for children.

One of our main victories for children this year has been to extend health care coverage to more uninsured children through the State Children’s Health Insurance Program – a federal-state program that provides health care coverage to low-income children who are not eligible for Medicaid. Twice in the last Congress, we passed this legislation, and twice President Bush vetoed it.

This year, with a new President, children’s health care has been strengthened. In January, the House passed and within days of President Obama entering the White House, he signed into law the State Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act (H.R. 2) to provide health care to 11 million children in modest-income families. This legislation has made an incredible difference in the lives of millions of children who would otherwise be without the health care they need and deserve.

In addition to health care, it is also critical that we ensure our children have access to quality education – particularly in the formative early years of a child’s development. The early years of a young person’s life are a time of extraordinarily rapid brain development and growth, to giving children a good start in life. That is why early childhood education programs are so effective and deserve our continued support and why this Congress has increased funding for initiatives like Head Start, which provides comprehensive child development services to economically disadvantaged children and families, with a special focus on helping preschoolers with school readiness skills.

Classroom education, however, is only a piece of the puzzle when it comes to ensuring that all children succeed. I have long championed the idea of Full-Service Community Schools, modeled after the successful Judy Centers in Maryland that assist underserved children and their families throughout the state. This innovative concept takes a ‘big picture’ approach to educating America’s children by utilizing community-based, public-private partnerships that provide for the seamless integration of academic, development, and health services for children and their families. In the last Congress, we approved $10 million to launch a national effort to encourage these crucial partnerships in schools across the country and ensure the best use of resources to help children learn and communities thrive. I will be introducing another measure this year to continue and build on this effort.

Congress has also acted to strengthen child safety provisions and protect children from harmful toy products after a number of toy recalls in recent years raised considerable doubt, not only about the quality of the products we buy but also the measures in place to detect faulty products and safeguard consumers from purchasing them in the first place. A significant part of the problem lies with the previous Administration’s lack of attention to the Consumer Safety Protection Commission (CPSC), where budget cuts and drastic workforce reductions have left the agency with only one inspector charged with testing toys to make sure they are safe for our children. This is simply unacceptable.

Congress worked to rectify this last year, not only increasing the CPSC budget to give the agency the resources it needs to protect the public, we passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, wide-ranging toy and child safety legislation that were the most significant improvements made to the commission since it was established. The aim of this legislation is to make consumer products safer by requiring that toys and infant products be tested before they are sold, and by banning lead and phthalates children’s products. The bill also created the first publicly accessible consumer complaint database, increased civil penalties against violators of CPSC laws, and added whistleblowers who report product safety defects.

For too long, children and family issues have taken a back burner to other debates in Congress. But new leadership has provided an environment where these issues are a primary part of the national agenda, and the commitment to bettering the lives and futures of our children is a key priority.

Congress Taking Significant Action to Protect

Consumers and Rebuild the Economy

This month, the House made significant strides in its efforts to rebuild the economy to immediately help families and provide for long-term growth. Some of the most important legislation passed and signed in recent days includes the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights Act, the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, and the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act. These bills, which draw on important lessons of the recession, help protect consumers and homeowners and roll back some of the harmful policies that helped bring on our economic downturn.

One lesson of the recession is the danger of debt—a danger that is compounded when creditors’ abusive practices take advantage of those in debt. Unfortunately, many of America’s credit companies belong in that category. In order to prohibit some of their most egregious practices, Congress passed, and President Obama signed, the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights.

Of course, credit cards are, and will remain, an essential part of our consumer economy; millions of Americans use them responsibly every day. But perhaps as frequently, millions of Americans are confused by incomprehensible rules and exploited by unfair policies. For that reason, the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights prevents arbitrary and unfair rate increases. It bans exorbitant fees, including fees charged just for paying your bill. It outlaws double-cycle billing, a practice in which card companies charge interest on debt that is paid on time. And it insists that card companies disclose their policies clearly, letting cardholders know when those policies have changed. Those are some of the most important changes in this credit card reform bill—a bill that will help diminish a persistent source of unfairness in many Americans’ daily lives.

Another lesson of the recession is that a single foreclosure can have an unpredictable ripple effect. On Main Street, a foreclosed home can significantly depress the property value of its neighbors’; on Wall Street, foreclosures can lead to financial turmoil. It was a chain of these foreclosures that were the immediate cause of our recession, and it is important that we work to break the chain. That is why Congress passed, and President Obama signed, the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act. It increases incentives for mortgage lenders and servicers to modify responsible homeowners’ mortgage terms. It also helps ensure the availability of credit that makes modifications possible. These steps will bring stability to our housing market—which means stronger property values and less turmoil on Wall Street. And just as importantly, this bill will keep American families from being displaced.

A final lesson of the recession is the importance of vigilant regulation—which is why Congress passed, and President Obama signed, the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act, a bill that takes great steps to improve the integrity of our financial system. The bill gives the Justice Department the resources it needs to more aggressively investigate and fight financial fraud, which is both more tempting and more harmful in these hard times. One category of fraud that Justice will more aggressively pursue is misuse of financial stabilization and recovery funds—taxpayer money that is intended to rebuild our economy for everyone, not to be exploited and wasted for private advantage. The Justice Department will also be going after mortgage fraud, which the FBI tells us has dramatically increased in recent years, and corporate fraud, exemplified by Bernie Madoff’s infamous $65 billion Ponzi scheme.

Finally, the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act recognizes the lesson that we still have a lot to learn about the causes of this recession. It establishes a Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, which will examine the crisis’s causes and make them clear to the public. Such an honest inquiry is essential to preventing a reoccurrence. And it will also be invaluable as Congress continues its work, under Chairman Barney Frank, to shape financial regulation to prevent the irresponsible Wall Street risk-taking that severely harmed so many of us. The work will be difficult and complex, but it will be significantly helped by a stage-by-stage understanding of what brought us to this point.

Our economic recovery is still a work in progress—hard times and unemployment are not over yet. But I think that there is real reason for optimism, because we have a Congress and a President committed to learning from this recession and applying those lessons to protect homeowners, consumers, and working families across America.

Memorial Day: Putting our Troops and Veterans First

Each year on Memorial Day, Americans come together to remember those who have sacrificed their lives on behalf of our country in the name of freedom and democracy around the world. The debt owed to them is immeasurable. Their sacrifices and those of their military families are freedom’s foundation. Indeed, without the brave efforts of all the soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines and Coast Guardsmen and their families, our country would not stand so boldly, shine so brightly and live so freely.

On this Memorial Day, we continue to be engaged in hostilities, and young men and women may pay the ultimate price while wearing the uniform of the nation. Let us support and pay tribute to our courageous troops currently serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the globe, who are the veterans of tomorrow.

All Americans honor the memory of the more than 4,000 Americans who have died in Iraq and more than 600 who have died in Afghanistan. We will also honor the wounded: more than 31,000 U.S. troops in Iraq and nearly 3,000 in Afghanistan.

As we honor the fallen, we must take this opportunity to renew our efforts to keep our promises to the troops of today and the 24 million American veterans of today and tomorrow. To honor our troops and veterans during this economic crisis, Congress has enacted and implemented critical measures to expand economic opportunity and relief. Many of our troops have served multiple tours of duty, with great strain on their families and often at a cost to their financial futures.

We are now implementing a new Post 9-11 GI Bill to restore a full, four-year college education, to allow up to 2 million warriors of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to be part of a new American economic recovery, just like after World War II. This Congress has worked for job creation for veterans with incentives for businesses to hire unemployed veterans, while providing nearly 2 million disabled veterans a $250 payment to help make ends meet, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Also with the strong support of the veterans ‘organizations, this Congress has made an unprecedented commitment to veterans’ health care. This year’s veterans’ budget builds on the 40 percent increase for the VA since January 2007 — including the largest single increase in the 78-year history of the VA – which has strengthened quality health care for more than 5 million veterans — adding more than 8,000 new doctors and nurses – and has been critical to meeting the needs of the 363,000 veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan in need of care over the last two years.

This Congress is also strengthening our military and addressing the worst military readiness crisis since the Vietnam War. Last year’s bipartisan defense authorization boosted our force strength and bolstered our readiness so we can defend our national interests anywhere around the globe and provide the best training and equipment for the men and women serving in our Armed Forces. Congress is also currently working on a supplemental war funding bill that provides our troops in harm’s way in Iraq and Afghanistan with everything they need, including much needed Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles.

Under Democratic leadership, Congress is also keeping our promises to our troops and their families. Last year, we increased military pay by 3.9 percent; kept health care cost down for military retirees and their families by preventing TRICARE fee increases; and made progress in reducing the backlog and waits for veterans to access earned benefits.

This year, we are providing payments for more than 170,000 service members and veterans forced to serve under stop-loss orders since 2001, while investing in building new transition centers for wounded warriors returning from combat, more military child care centers, and better barracks and military family housing. And for the survivors of those who have served our country, we are taking steps to end the Military Families Tax, which reduces survivor benefits for 55,000, mostly widows of those who died from service-connected injuries.

Politics and partisanship should never be a factor in our support for American veterans or troops. On the battlefield, the military pledges to leave no soldier behind. As a nation, let it be our pledge that when they return home, we leave no veteran behind.

This Memorial Day, and every day, let us honor our troops, their families, and our veterans with actions that show the appreciation of a grateful nation. We must celebrate, honor, and remember these courageous and faithful men and women by restoring the promise of the GI Bill, strengthening our military, keeping our promises to our troops and families, and improving veterans’ health care. That is our moral obligation as we honor those who have fallen on this Memorial Day.

Building America’s Clean Energy Future

This is a transformative time for America’s energy policy. That’s not because the problems are new—in fact, they date back decades, decades during which we ignored the carbon content of our energy sources. We have put our environment at risk and deepened our dependence on foreign fuel sources. What makes this moment transformative is a window of political opportunity.

We have seen the dangers of global warming, and the dangers of dependence on foreign sources of energy, acknowledged by both the private sector and the public sector, and by leaders on both sides of the political aisle. This shared recognition of a problem does not mean we all agree on solutions. But it does mean that significant action on energy is more likely this year than at any time in recent memory.

Some of our most significant investments in a balanced energy strategy came in the Recovery Act and in the budget resolution passed by Congress already this year. The Recovery Act included $39 billion in funding and $20 billion in tax incentives for projects, including renewable energy generation, efficiency enhancement, a modernized electric grid, and clean energy jobs.

The budget also increased funding for energy programs by 10%, with a focus on cutting-edge research and development and increasing America’s chance to become the world’s leader in the most important emerging economic sector—energy technology. In the years to come, I hope that America will be selling clean technology to China and India—and not the other way around.

The centerpiece of our energy policy moving forward is the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. Through this initiative we will help strengthen our economy by making America the world leader in new clean energy and energy efficiency technologies, create new clean energy jobs for American workers, and put America on the path to energy independence. This bill would be America’s first serious effort to account for the costs of carbon emissions, which endanger all of us through the prospect of global warming.

I’m especially excited about the prospect of a ‘smart grid,’ a system that would allow us to combine energy transmission with real-time communication. A smart grid would let utilities pinpoint the sources of outages and get the lights on faster—and it would help them select the best times to use clean power sources, meaning a smaller carbon footprint. A smart grid would also allow homes and businesses to track the price of power from second to second and even sell electricity back to the grid.

For families, it would mean savings of hundreds of dollars a year on power bills; and for our country, it would mean a more efficient output from fewer power plants. That’s why it’s so encouraging that the Recovery Act set aside $4.5 billion to match utilities’ investments in grid upgrades. Given the savings in energy and money that we can expect, I hope you will join me in pushing for continued support of smart grid innovations.

It’s also important that America develop the most advanced transmission lines in the world. I’ve just introduced legislation to direct loan guarantee funds toward the expansion of U.S. facilities that make superconducting electrical cable, and to expand the production and distribution of advanced wires.

High-tech transmission will benefit us in a number of ways. For one, we will have a more reliable, secure grid: the latest cables can adjust rapidly and automatically to disruptions, whether weather-related or willful. Advanced cables also have clear environmental benefits: they go underground and carry the same amount of power as overhead wires, meaning a dramatically reduced footprint and less land use. Most importantly, just like investments in smart grid technology, advanced cables mean savings in energy and money.

Those, in my view, are some of the most important elements of our energy agenda. It may sound ambitions, but as President Obama has reminded us, our biggest leaps sometimes come out of our darkest moments: ‘In the midst of civil war, we laid railroad tracks from one coast to another ….And a twilight struggle for freedom led to a nation of highways, an American on the moon, and an explosion of technology that still shapes our world.’ Adopting a new energy policy gives us a prime opportunity to add our own chapter to that story of achievement out of adversity.

Unprecedented Federal Debt:

Putting Our Fiscal House in Order

If I were to guess the single most lasting lesson of our economic crisis, and if I were to spell it out in just five words, I would say: this is what debt does…For years, our government has lived far beyond its means—and we see now that when we over-rely on debt, things can turn very ugly, very quickly.

What we face is not just an accounting issue, but a moral issue. And turning a blind eye to our long-term challenges would not only be irresponsible—it would be dangerous to our nation’s continued success…Today, I want to talk about the hard decisions it will take to get our fiscal house in order and control the spiraling costs of our entitlement programs, especially Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

I think we understand how we got here. In 2001, when President Bush took office, America had a projected ten-year surplus of $5.6 trillion. Today: record deficits and debt. Three things got us from that point to this. First, massive tax cuts, which brought government revenues down from 20.9% of GDP when President Bush took office, to 16.5% of GDP when President Obama took office. Second, a spending explosion, including massive increases in defense spending and a new prescription drug entitlement; over the same time frame, total government spending went from 18.4% of GDP to 24.9% of GDP. Third, and most recent, is the economic collapse and the deficit spending that came in response.

Today, we are looking at a fiscal year 2009 deficit of $1.7 trillion. And our debt has never been higher: collectively, we owe $11 trillion dollars, and more than $3 trillion of that debt is held by foreign lenders, especially China—which, as of February of this year, held $744.2 billion in U.S. Treasury bonds.

But as bad as our immediate fiscal problems are, the structural problems are greater. If we continue on our current course, by 2025 the debt held by the public will exceed the historical high of 109% of GDP, reached at the end of World War II. By then, the money we spend on interest on that debt, along with the "big three entitlements" will equal 18.5% of GDP—and that spending will consume virtually all of our revenues.

That is our sad, debt-ridden fiscal state. In my view, our response falls into three categories.

First is our response to the recession: the Recovery Act and financial stabilization that are necessary to restore growth and increase our revenues. I firmly believe that we should not incur debt as a course of action. But I also believe that government spending in response to this recession is the least bad option, because when consumers and businesses are afraid to spend, only government has the resources to inject demand into our economy. Still, however you feel about the Recovery Act, it is clear that recent deficit spending makes restraint even more important in the months and years to come.

Our second response came in the budget resolution Congress passed last week. That budget cuts our deficit by nearly two-thirds, from 10.5% of GDP in 2009 to 3% of GDP in 2014. And it makes clear our commitment to statutory PAYGO—the principle that our government must pay for what it buys. Pay-as-you-go was essential to the Clinton Administration’s surplus, and it is essential today.

Our third response is, by far, the most important. That is the structural response—the actions we must take to confront the imbalance between our commitments and our revenues that are driving us deeper into debt every year. We will not bring our debt down if we do not reform entitlements and rein in the rapidly rising cost of healthcare.

I am glad that we have a President who sees it that way. His talk of a "grand bargain" that encompasses issues from entitlements to healthcare to taxes shows a clear understanding of the tradeoffs and sacrifices that will be necessary.

The political challenges on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid are extraordinary. So I think it’s very possible that finding a solution will demand an extraordinary process. Some Members of Congress…have called for a Fiscal Future Commission—composed of Members of Congress and the Administration, experts outside the government, and those who would be directly affected by entitlement reform—which would propose solutions and send them to Congress for a vote. I think they make a strong case. A Fiscal Future Commission would help protect that process from the political attacks that have derailed it in the past.

Bipartisan compromise will build public confidence that the solutions we agree on are reasonable, and it will prevent either party from exploiting those solutions for political advantage.

Second, and as importantly, we need to engage the public. Our political system is built to encourage easy decisions…Let’s make it clear to anyone who will listen that fiscal issues are moral issues, that the kind of lives our children will lead are at stake. And let us seize this rare and precious moment in time.

Obama, Congress Off to Strong Start in First 100 Days;

No Action on Commuter Rail for Region

Last winter, President Obama took office facing challenges unparalleled in recent memory—particularly an economy in steep decline. Since then, he and the Democratic-led Congress have taken a wide range of measures to end this historic recession and return our economy to prosperity. Though much hard work remains in front of us, it is clear that the first 100 days of the Obama Presidency have been a model of forceful, coordinated action in the face of crisis.

Of course, the legislation that has attracted the most attention in the first 100 days has been the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a plan to infuse demand into our economy through tax cuts for 95% of Americans, targeted, job-creating projects, and long-term investments. Few Presidents can claim an early accomplishment as important: the more than 3 million jobs it is expected to create or save are vitally needed. Americans can already see the Recovery Act taking effect, as crews break ground on new construction projects and planned job cuts are called off. The Recovery Act does not mean the end of job losses, but it is an essential step to counter the vicious cycle of layoffs, decreased consumption, and more layoffs.

On its own, however, recovery spending is not enough to end this recession. That is why the Obama Administration and Congressional Democrats have taken a number of other actions aimed at the same goal. The Administration is working to overhaul the financial stabilization plan to ensure that funds are spent with an eye on accountability, transparency, and restoring the necessary flow of consumer and small-business lending. And its efforts on housing are already helping more American families keep their homes, while confronting the wave of foreclosures that helped trigger the recession.

Those are the most important short-term steps. But in many ways, a failure to plan for the long term under President Bush left us unprepared for the recession—and now, we are working to ensure that we don’t repeat that mistake. In the months to come, Congress will be debating the tough, sensible regulation Wall Street needs to prevent a recurrence the collapse we saw last fall.

Another important document of long-term priorities is the Budget Resolution, which makes investments in lasting, shared prosperity. Because family healthcare premiums have more than doubled since 2000, the Democratic budget makes a significant down-payment on reform, taking steps to lower healthcare costs, improve quality, and expand access—steps that will build on one of the most important accomplishments of the first 100 days, the expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program to cover more than 4 million additional low-income children.

Because our addiction to foreign oil will continue to strain checkbooks and curtail economic growth, the budget funds incentives for cutting-edge research and clean energy jobs, as well as an energy-efficient, money-saving national smart grid.

And because a lasting recovery requires workers who can compete with anyone in the world, the budget supports early childhood education, high standards for elementary and secondary schools, and wider access to college through increased Pell Grants.

All of these plans are vital to our future economic health and competitiveness. As President Obama recently pointed out, "A cash-strapped family may cut back on all kinds of luxuries, but will insist on spending money to get their children through college." Our country is in the same position—these tough times are no excuse to cut back on investments that will pay off many times over down the road.

At the same time, though, it is essential that our future be fiscally sustainable. So I am heartened that a commitment to fiscal responsibility has been a hallmark of the new Administration. President Obama started the budget process with an honest account of where we are, an assessment that included the cost of two wars. From that honest foundation, the budget cuts the deficit from 10.5% of GDP in 2009 to 3% of GDP in 2013—in other words, by nearly two-thirds.

Those savings come from spending restraint and oversight that save taxpayer money. Most importantly, the House is strongly committed to statutory pay-as-you-go (or PAYGO). PAYGO is a budgetary principle that simple requires that you pay for what you buy with offsets for new spending or tax cuts. President Obama asked Congress "to develop a PAYGO law that would help return the nation to a path of fiscal responsibility," and that is what we intend to do. The House will not consider any bills on middle-income tax cuts, the estate tax, AMT relief, or the sustainable growth rate in the Medicare program unless they include statutory PAYGO, they are fully offset, or statutory PAYGO has already been enacted. We also have a unique chance to take a forthright look at our fiscal condition and begin the difficult work of controlling the costs of our entitlement programs.

These first 100 days have been as pivotal and action-packed as any start of a Congress that I can remember. Even so, the most important work—from lasting healthcare reform, to regulations for Wall Street, to bipartisan action on entitlements—remains ahead of us. In my view, a lasting legacy of these days has been something less tangible than any legislation: a renewed confidence, felt throughout America, that our government is taking the serious, sober action that these hard times demand.

Cops Funding is Being Restored;
Aid to Fire Departments and Commuter Rail

Our law enforcement officers and volunteer and career firefighters sacrifice a great deal to protect our communities, our businesses and our homes. This important responsibility must be matched with a commitment by government to ensure they are provided with the equipment and training that they need to keep their departments running safely and efficiently. It is critical that our firefighters, first responders, and police officers have the resources they need to better protect themselves and the communities they serve.

Unfortunately, limited budgets often make it difficult for both police and fire departments to purchase proper equipment and hire enough personnel to efficiently and safely do their jobs. For instance, a ladder truck for a local fire department can run upwards of $750,000 and outfitting one firefighter with turnout gear and breathing apparatus can approach $4,500. In addition, departments must fund training programs for paid and/or volunteer firefighters.

As co-chair of the Congressional Fire Caucus, I helped to lead the effort in Congress to establish the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program to meet the basic equipment, training and firefighter safety requirements of America’s fire service, in order to bring our fire departments to a baseline of readiness to respond to all hazards.

Since 2001, Maryland has received more than $55 million in grant funding from the program. Fire departments that have received grants in the 5th Congressional District include La Plata, Hughesville, Mechanicsville, Solomons, Laurel, Prince George’s County Fire/Emergency Medical Services Department and Arson Investigation Unit, Seventh District, Leonardtown, College Park, Cobb Island, Second District, Brandywine, Greenbelt, Benedict, Waldorf, Newburg, Prince Frederick, Potomac Heights, Bryans Road, Berwyn Heights, and Ridge.

The application period for the next series of grants is now open until May 20, 2009. The application is available at https://portal.fema.gov. For additional information please visit www.firegrantsupport.com

I addition, I helped establish the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Firefighters (SAFER) Program to help fire departments hire new firefighters, recruit and retain volunteer firefighters, and provide relief to stations currently operating short of staff. It is critical that first responders are provided all available resources to enhance their ability to protect our communities from harm. I will continue to fully support these programs in order to meet the needs of our nation’s firefighters.

Fire departments are not alone in being asked to do more with less. Local law enforcement agencies often have greater personnel and equipment needs than their budgets can afford. The Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program is another initiative that has proven to be effective in amplifying the efforts of those tasked with the difficult job of protecting our communities. That is why the House this week passed the COPS Improvement Act, a bill that bolsters this successful program with $1.8 billion a year over the next five years to help improve community policing efforts and place an additional 50,000 police officers on the street nationwide with assistance grants for hiring personnel, purchasing new technology and bringing on community prosecutors.

As a member of the Congressional Law Enforcement Caucus, I have long been a supporter of the COPS program. Since its creation in 1994, the COPS program has seen great success across the country, allowing officers to spend more time on the streets fighting and preventing crime through time-saving technology, information-sharing systems, and improved communications equipment.

Since its creation, the COPS program has provided Maryland with over $210 million to hire more than 2,500 officers, and the Fifth Congressional District has received over $31 million to hire nearly 600 police officers since 1995. Despite its success, funding for the program was cut significantly under the previous Administration and was completely eliminated in FY2006 and 2007. The new majority in Congress worked to restore funding for the program in the years since.

The cuts to COPS significantly hampered the ability of law enforcement agencies to hire additional officers and invest in the community policing programs that have proven to be so successful. Now, during a time of recession, enforcement agencies are being hit again – operating under smaller budgets at the same time they must address the rise in certain types of crime brought on by increased foreclosures and other economic stresses. That is why the COPS program is so important.

Firefighters and police office risk their lives every day when protecting us, our neighborhoods, our businesses, our homes, and our families. The very least we can do is provide them every resource available to ensure they go home safely to their families at the end of each day.

Commuter Rail Will Curb Carbon Pollution

In 1970, an ad was published in The New York Times to publicize the first Earth Day. It stated, "Earth Day is a commitment to make life better, not just bigger and faster; to provide real rather than rhetorical solutions. It is a day to re-examine the ethic of individual progress at mankind’s expense. It is a day to challenge the corporate and government leaders who promise change, but who shortchange the necessary programs. It is a day for looking beyond tomorrow. April 22 seeks a future worth living." This statement still resonates today.

Over the past few weeks, volunteers, residents, community groups and environmental organizations have spread throughout our state to affect change to the state of our environment. Hard-working, concerned volunteers have demonstrated their dedication to improving our community by volunteering to clean up neighborhoods, remove trash from our waterways and provide solutions to the challenges we face to protect our environment.

This Wednesday, April 22, we celebrate Earth Day, which provides another opportunity to commit to the preservation of our environment. This day highlights the efforts of individuals throughout our region who will work to make our waterways cleaner and our open spaces more vast. But, it isn’t enough to rely on individual responsibility; our nation must commit both locally and nationally to fight to make the environment a priority and reverse centuries of abuse.

That is why President Obama and this Congress are so deeply committed to enacting bold clean energy legislation to curb carbon pollution and make clean, renewable American energy a foundation for our economic recovery. The House passed a budget that embraces that goal, including short- and long-term plans for achieving energy independence to ensure the security of our nation, create jobs, and build a clean energy future.

And in March, Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee Henry Waxman released the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, the initial draft of major legislation to create millions of new clean energy jobs, save consumers hundreds of billions of dollars in energy costs, enhance America’s energy independence, and cut global warming pollution. The Committee is aiming to complete action on this legislation prior to Memorial Day.

To put people back to work today and reduce our dependence on foreign oil tomorrow, we are seeking to double our renewable energy production and renovate public buildings to make them more energy efficient. The energy provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed into law by President Obama on February 17, will create more than 500,000 jobs, and accelerate deployment of smart grid technology, provide energy efficiency funds for the nation’s schools, offer support for the nation’s governors and mayors to tackle their energy challenges, and establish a new loan guarantee program to keep our transition to renewable energy on track during the economic crisis.

This action couldn’t come any sooner. There is clear evidence that the Earth’s surface is warming, causing surface temperatures to increase and sea levels to rise at an alarming rate. According to the United Nations Energy Program, eleven of the last twelve years have been among the warmest in global surface temperature on record since 1850. And scientists at a recent conference in Copenhagen on climate change reported that sea levels are rising "almost twice as rapidly as had been forecast by the United Nations just two years ago."

If we don’t act soon to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions polluting our air and water, the health of the environment and our own health will continue to degrade. Indeed, the Environmental Protection Agency declared just last week that greenhouse gases are a danger to human health and welfare, and that there is justified cause for government to help address the threat.

Earth Day’s call to action reminds us that, as a community, we can influence the quality of our water and air, the beauty of our local stream or woods, and the richness of our recreational surroundings. And, that environmental protection does not have to come at the expense of economic opportunities and job creation, encouraging new small business entrepreneurship and assuring the future of our long-standing business, farming and service industries. Economic growth does not have to mean environmental destruction.

I am proud to say that the citizens of the Fifth Congressional District are sponsoring many events to commemorate Earth Day. To find out more information on these coming events, you can go to www.earthday.net, or contact the Earth Day organizers at 202-518-0044.

U.S. Service Academies –

Serving Your Country and Your Future

Young people today face the challenge of entering a job market that has become increasingly service-oriented, technology driven and globally competitive. When considering what path to take after high school, students have an appealing option in our nation’s United States service academies. An education at one of these prestigious institutions ranks among the best in the country and offers qualifying young men and women the opportunity to develop the leadership skills, technical abilities and character discipline that employers desire while simultaneously serving their country as a member of the armed forces.

If you or a student in your family is interested in attending one of the nation’s elite educational institutions, my office can be of assistance. Every year Members of Congress are afforded the opportunity to nominate outstanding candidates for admission into four of our United States service academies: the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York.

As I mentioned before, completion of the program at a service academy leaves young Americans with more than a top-notch education. In addition to training students in how to be a professional officer in our nation’s military, these institutions teach skills that are invaluable in today’s job market. Graduation from one of the academies ensures a successful future for today’s young men and women, both for those who pursue a career in the military and for those who enter the job market after fulfilling their obligations.

A glance at the academies’ alumni lists provide a sense of the extraordinary caliber of education and training that has produced some of our nation’s greatest leaders. Graduates of the U.S. Service Academies have occupied the upper echelons of our military and civilian leadership, have been recipients of the most prestigious awards for public service, and have served as astronauts, business executives, entrepreneurs, educators and scientists.

In order to receive a nomination from my office, one must be between the ages of 17 and 22, a citizen of the United States, a legal resident of the Fifth Congressional District, and unmarried with no legal obligation to support a child or dependent. Four of the five academies, with the exception of the Coast Guard Academy, require a Congressional nomination for appointment. Interested candidates from Southern Maryland should contact my office or those of Senator Barbara Mikulski or Senator Ben Cardin to apply.

In order to begin the nomination process, students can obtain the application packet online at my Web site www.hoyer.house.gov/services/academy.asp or can contact my Greenbelt Office at (301) 474-0119. Included in the packet are all information and materials needed to complete and submit the application, which must be postmarked and mailed to my office for delivery by October 15, 2009.

Competition for appointments in the Fifth District is very keen. I strongly encourage interested students to begin the application process in the Spring of their junior year and provide the requested information promptly. Nominations are made competitively on the basis of the composite of the candidate’s academic record, extra-curricular activities, SAT scores, and an interview with the Fifth District Service Academy Selection Board. Once the nominations are forwarded to the Service Academies, each student’s eligibility is evaluated based on his or her academic and extra-curricular record, leadership skills, physical stamina and other requirements. Appointments for entrance are offered by the Academies as the students are evaluated.

Students interested in attending a service academy may also want to attend my annual Service Academy and Military Career Forum, which will be held on Monday evening, April 20, at the Show Place Arena at 149000 Pennsylvania Avenue in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Here, you can visit with representatives from each of the Academies, local college ROTC programs, and the military services to discuss a potential future in the military. The Services Academy and Military Career Forum will run from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. This forum is your opportunity to learn more about an interesting and fulfilling career in the United States Military.

If you have any additional questions about the application process, or the Service Academy and Military Career Forum, please contact Ms. Betty Rogers in my Greenbelt Office at (301) 474-0119.

I wish all applicants the very best of luck!

We Can’t Run Deficits Forever:

Controlling Entitlements is the Next Priority

Congress’s debate on the federal budget this week provided a vital opportunity to confront the severity of our country’s fiscal condition. For years under the previous Administration, we put off a reckoning, and now our nation is constrained by trillions in debt and billions in interest payments. Democrats are tackling this problem with a budget that makes strategic investments in our future growth — especially in the areas of education, energy and health care — while cutting our deficit in half by 2013. Passing that budget this week is the prerequisite to three hard steps back to fiscal responsibility.

The first step is economic recovery. The longer we remain in this recession, the less revenue we’ll have to work with to reduce our deficit. In order to jump-start the economy, President Barack Obama has already instituted dramatic policies. They include legislation with the power to save or create 3.5 million jobs, a plan to address the mortgage mess at the root of this crisis, and continued efforts to restore the flow of credit to families and businesses.

In the short term, many of those steps mean deficit spending, something that, as a fiscal hawk, I’ve often criticized. But economists widely argue that given the severity of this crisis, spending is the only way out of the recession, since only the government has the resources to stabilize our markets and spark demand.

Such deficit spending would be reckless, however, without a plan to get our deficit back under control. Indeed, the second step on the road back to responsibility requires an honest account of where we are. For the first time in years, for example, the president is refusing to hide the costs of two wars. And if you doubt how tough the Democratic plan is, just look at the special interests lining up to complain about its savings — from health insurance companies facing competitive bidding for Medicare Advantage plans to hedge-fund managers who will no longer be able to take advantage of tax loopholes.

Mr. Obama has also joined House Democrats to push for the reinstatement of the pay-as-you-go rule, which would require our government to pay for what it buys. He has led by example by spelling out how he would pay for his major initiatives, including increased Pell Grants for students, health-care reform, and clean energy plans.

Furthermore, Mr. Obama has asked a board led by former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker to make recommendations for tax reforms that would allow for an extension of his tax cut for 95% of Americans, and a permanent solution for the alternative minimum tax without increasing the deficit.

The third step is renewing our commitment to America’s long-term economic health. Our investments must be made with an eye toward savings and growth. Better educational opportunities, from early childhood through college, can build a workforce that is competitive with the best in the world. Investments in new energy technologies such as wind, solar and a smart electric grid, can bring down costs in the long term. And because health care costs are straining family budgets, crippling American businesses, and consuming more of our budget each year, it is essential that we expand access to health care while bringing costs down. The Democratic budget makes these investments a priority, and they can all bring us high returns.

But the single most important thing we can do to get our budget under control is to deal with the costs of our entitlement programs: Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

Fixing Medicare and Medicaid is inseparable from health care reform. We will never be able to control the growth in spending of these programs as long as health care costs continue to increase at more than twice the rate of inflation. We know the policy options necessary to make Social Security fiscally sound: restraining the growth of benefits, bringing more revenues into the system, and raising the retirement age, among others. We simply need the bipartisan will to choose and implement such reforms.

All of these steps will require serious work ahead. But there has never been a more crucial moment for cooperation. These challenges are everyone’s, and we will confront them with the gravity the times demand. If not, we will only dig a deeper hole for future generations.

Health Reform Can’t Wait

Since 2000, the health care premiums of American families have more than doubled, while wages have stood still. Last year alone, employees’ out-of-pocket healthcare costs jumped by more than 10%. None of us can wait for reform—not the working families being squeezed more and more by healthcare costs each year, and not the 45 million Americans with no coverage at all.

Today, America spends $2.5 trillion a year on health care, 17.6% of our GDP. Without a change, that number is slated to rise to $4.4 trillion in less than a decade. And as the recent CBO projections have shown us, our country is facing unprecedented levels of near- and long-term debt and deficits. It is impossible to pay down our debt, reduce our spending, and get a handle on our economy without tackling healthcare costs.

Those costs are crippling American businesses. Our companies spend more than twice as much on health care as their foreign counterparts, putting them at a severe disadvantage against competitors around the globe. The CEO of Starbucks once testified before Congress that their firm spent more on health care than on coffee; the Big Three automakers tell us that an extra $1,500 is tacked onto the price of every car they sell, just to cover health care costs. Small businesses are also under intense pressure—their health insurance costs have increased by 129% since 2000. Healthcare reform means a level playing field for our employers and more jobs for American workers.

Businesses aren’t the only ones feeling the squeeze. With 61% of Americans getting coverage through their employers, lost jobs mean lost healthcare. Every time the unemployment rate ticks up one percent, it means that 2.4 million more people lose their employer-sponsored insurance. And in this recession, 14,000 Americans are losing their coverage every day.

Even those of us lucky enough to have steady jobs and good benefits are paying more, for less, every year. Beneficiary costs are going up, employers are scaling back coverage, and, in some cases, current insurance law means that workers are just one disease away from disaster. Lifetime caps, annual caps, and exclusions for pre-existing conditions mean that even Americans with insurance can find themselves unprotected in a time of sickness.

America is home to the best practitioners in the world, the greatest technology in the world, the most advanced research and development in the world—but it is also saddled with a system in desperate need of reform.

Over the coming weeks and months, Congress will debate just what that reform will look like. Recent history has shown us that this argument can be partisan, rancorous, and full of distortions. That is why it is so important for Congress to be clear with the American people about its intentions.

Democrats want to build upon the current system of employer-sponsored care, so that people who like what they have now can keep their current policies. We also want to preserve an element so key to American life: choice. We want a system that guarantees patients their choice of insurance coverage and their choice of doctors.

But we also recognize that, for the almost one in five of us without insurance, the current system isn’t working at all. Without insurance, all the healthcare choice in the world is meaningless. So we are looking to pursue policies that will strengthen private and public coverage and make affordable healthcare available to all.

Finally, without serious work on our part, the cost of healthcare will continue to strain family budgets—and the combined costs of healthcare and our entitlement programs will swallow our national budget in a sea of red ink. We need to lower healthcare costs with a focus on prevention, up-to-date information technology, and national research on the best, most cost-effective treatments. We also have to rein in the growing costs of Medicare and Medicaid—a task that will require, from both parties, political will and a readiness to make hard choices.

President Obama has indeed laid out an ambitious agenda for our nation. But these times call for decisive action. Attentive to our constituents’ needs, and mindful of the urgency of these hard times, we are united in our commitment to health reform that will embrace these clear goals: decreasing costs, increasing coverage, improving quality, and preserving choice. And we look forward to working with Republicans and independents to make reform a reality.

Taxpayer Resources

As every American taxpayer can contend, springtime brings more than just flowers, warmer weather and baseball. That’s why as April 15th quickly approaches, and as Maryland families across the state are preparing their taxes, I wanted to make sure taxpayers have access to information to help make the navigation of our tax system a little easier.

As many people are painfully aware, our tax code is outrageously complex, confounding millions of Americans each year and treating many taxpayers unfairly. Over the last four years alone, the code and regulations have grown by more than 10,000 pages.

The IRS now prints more than 1,000 publications, forms and instruction booklets. The tax code has grown from 500 pages in 1913 to over 60,000 pages today. Four common forms – form 1040 and schedules A, B and D – take an estimated 28 hours, 30 minutes to prepare, according to the IRS, up from 17 hours, 7 minutes in 1988.

This in turn increases the calls of fraud and diverts IRS compliance resources from closing a tax gap that some estimate could be close to $250 to $300 billion annually.

Even the simplest form – the 1040EZ – now requires an average of 3 hours, 43 minutes to prepare, up from 1 hour, 31 minutes in 1988. The burden of some of the most complex parts of the tax code - those associated with the Earned Income Tax Credit - fall on those who have the least ability to pay for assistance.

Specifically, the Earned Income Tax Credit rules are some of the most complex rules in the entire tax code. But it is one of the most helpful and beneficial parts of the tax code for working families who are looking to make a way for themselves.

That is precisely why it is so important that Marylanders get the help they need with their taxes and the EITC, and why I recommend the services of the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service program. This program provides an independent system to assist taxpayers who are facing hardships and to assure that tax problems are promptly and fairly handled.

If you need help with an unresolved tax problem, visit www.irs.gov/advocate/ or, you can call the Maryland/DC Taxpayer Advocate Office at (410) 962-2082.

IRS.gov is in general one of the best resources for taxpayer information, including a list of services through which you can file your taxes electronically. The e-file method offers a safe and convenient method that allows you to file your tax return from the comfort of home. And for those making $56,000 per year or less can prepare and file their federal taxes for free through designated e-file services found on the IRS website. Fees for the electronic filing of state tax returns may apply; however, some companies offer Free File state tax return preparation and e-filing.

This time of year also reminds us of the importance of pursuing commonsense reforms in our tax system with the goal of making it more simple, more fair and more efficient is better for economic growth and better for the average American. Tax reform and simplification should have the goal of making compliance simpler for every taxpayer as well as for the administration of taxes.

I believe several proposals should be part of this effort. For example, we must address the Middle-Class Time-Bomb – the Alternative Minimum Tax. We must move toward a "return-free" income tax system, we must simplify tax rules for average working Americans and small businesses, and we must get serious about stopping individuals and corporations from cheating the system.

Congress has acted this year to provide tax relief to citizens during the economic recession. As a result of the recently enacted American Recovery and Reinvestment Act two million Maryland taxpayers will receive a tax cut of up to $400 per person and $800 per family. The "Make Work Pay" Tax Credit provides tax relief to single workers earning up to $100,000 and married couples earning up to $200,000. Some families helped by the Making Work Pay Credit — those with children and low or moderate incomes — will receive additional help through expansions in the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit. Approximately 186,000 children in Maryland will benefit from increased refundabilty of the child tax credit. The credit to be paid out in workers’ paychecks beginning this year.

Smart Grid Saves Energy

It’s the principle behind every clearance sale: The less a product is in demand, the less it sells for. It’s why you can find the cheapest winter coats in March and the cheapest new cars at the end of a model year. So why can’t we extend the same principle to the most basic commodity of all—electricity?

As a matter of fact, the demand for electricity fluctuates every day. It tends to be highest in the afternoon (when people are at work and when lights, computers, and heating and cooling are running at full blast) and lowest at night, when most appliances are off. But most people can’t take full advantage of the lowest-demand hours, because homes can’t "talk back" to utilities. Your home and your utility still have a primitive way of communicating: a meter that can spin faster or slower, but can’t do much of anything else.

Imagine, though, that your home knew the real cost of power from second to second. Imagine that it could tell you the source of the power, from a coal-fired plant to a wind farm. Imagine that you could actually sell power back to the grid. Those are some of the principles behind what could be the biggest energy innovation on the horizon: the "smart grid," or what author Thomas Friedman calls the "Energy Internet."

Creating a smart grid means bringing real-time communication to the systems that store and transmit our energy. With a smart grid, you could load your dryer and dishwasher before you go to sleep, but program them to start only when electricity hits its lowest price of the night. You could charge your car battery at night and then sell back excess power when you get home from work; or you could sell the energy you harvest from your own solar panel. During storms, the sources of power outages would be easier to pinpoint, and your lights could come back on faster. And your utility could shrink its carbon footprint by knowing when to buy power from clean sources.

A smart grid could save you hundreds of dollars a year on your electric bill, and it could help us all use energy more efficiently, getting more output from fewer plants and expanding our use of renewable resources. It’s one of the cases in which our environmental and economic interests are one and the same.

And it’s coming sooner than you may think. President Obama has made it clear that, when it comes to ending this recession, we can’t just cater to the impulses of the moment. We have to take responsibility for our future, which means using the economic recovery plan to invest in some of our country’s most important long-term priorities, including affordable healthcare, broadband Internet, and new energy technology. Upgrading our grid is one of the most promising of those investments. That’s why the recovery plan sets aside $4.5 billion to start building a smart grid. That money means jobs for American workers today; and tomorrow, it means cheaper energy and a cleaner environment.

Now that those funds are authorized, we have to make sure they’re spent wisely. Creating a smart grid means updating everything from home meters to transmission lines to utilities. It will be a piecemeal process, because America has many regional electric systems, some using the latest technology, and some getting by with infrastructure that dates back to the New Deal. The first step will be building a common backbone, including better transmission efficiency across America. The systems that are already in the best condition are ready for smart home meters—but we can’t ignore states that aren’t yet ready to make the full leap. Energy independence and climate change are national challenges, and we can only face them together.

I know it can be hard to look so far ahead, at a time when so many of us are struggling just to pay the bills. But as President Obama reminded us, some of our biggest leaps have come in our darkest moments: "In the midst of civil war, we laid railroad tracks from one coast to another ….And a twilight struggle for freedom led to a nation of highways, an American on the moon, and an explosion of technology that still shapes our world."

One of the great advances that could come out of this dark moment is a smarter, greener way to light our homes, and a cleaner, cheaper, more sustainable system to power our future.

Celebrating Women’s Contributions & Achievements

In 1987, I worked with my colleagues in Congress to pass a resolution designating the month of March as "Women’s History Month." During this month we honor the generations of women who fought for a full and equal share in our Nation’s life, from the voting booth to the workplace. Some of them were historic leaders; many more were the women who proved, with their daily dignity, that they could be the equal of any man. To the extent that America has put sexism behind it, that is their living legacy.

This year’s theme, Women Taking the Lead to Save our Planet, honors the efforts of women in preserving and protecting the environment for present and future generation. Women have taken the lead throughout history to preserve our environment. We take this opportunity to show our appreciation for, and continue to educate ourselves about, the many accomplishments of women environmental leaders, political and business leaders, writers, scientists, artists and educators.

Today, women are employed as professionals in fields that 30 years ago were not even an option, and hold positions of authority and responsibility at almost every level of government. In this year’s 111th Congress, there are a record 93 women serving, including Barbara Mikulski, who has served Maryland in the U.S. Senate since 1986, and Donna Edwards, who has been serving in the U.S. House since last year.

Since women were belatedly endowed the right to vote in 1920 by the 19th Amendment, American women have increased their political involvement over the years and have actively exercised their right to vote.

Further, the 19th Amendment has empowered women to get better jobs and better pay and demand equal pay for equal work. And over the years, women have become an increasingly powerful force in the workplace.

According to the Center for Women’s Business Research, there are 10.1 million privately-held women-owned firms in America, accounting for 40 percent of all privately-held firms in the country. These women-owned firms generate more than $1.9 trillion in sales and employ 13 million people.

Women have also taken full advantage of the opportunities offered to them by increased educational equality. Thirty-three percent of 25 to 29 year-old women have attained a bachelor’s degree or higher, exceeding the percentage of men (26 percent) who hold a BA. Furthermore, 58 percent of bachelor’s degrees and 59 percent of master’s degrees are expected to be awarded to women this year.

This success, however, has not come without great challenges. In 2008, women earned 77 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts. While working women in Maryland are farther along the road to equal pay than women in many states, earning 83.5 percent as much per hour as men, pay discrimination affects the majority of American families. With over 64 million women in the workforce, collectively, American families lose over $200 billion annually in wages due to pay inequity.

The federal government must do more to help women reach the height of their potential.

I am proud, this month especially, that we have Congressional leaders and an Administration committed to that goal. And I’m grateful, as the father of three daughters, that the first bill President Obama signed was aimed at ending pay discrimination. It was a reminder that the best way to honor our equality pioneers is not with memory, but with action.

As we honor the women who have made this country great, we must also pursue new policies that take our country in a different direction. This March, I join the nation in celebrating our strong, successful women and pledge my commitment to help make their future even brighter.

President Obama’s Budget Good for Maryland and the Nation

Last week, President Obama released his budget for Fiscal Year 2010, and it clearly shows the commitment to responsibility that is becoming a hallmark of the Obama Administration. After years of Administration budgets that relied on accounting gimmicks that covered up costs and masked the true obligation of taxpayer dollars, we have a budget that is upfront and truthful about our nation’s fiscal situation.

The budget begins with an honest assessment of where we are: We are running a record deficit, and our national debt has topped $10 trillion. Those high figures were largely brought on by years of reckless borrowing. President Obama makes no attempts to cover up the seriousness of our situation. His budget honestly accounts for costs that have been hidden for years: the cost of two wars, indexing the alternative minimum tax, and disaster relief.

The budget is also a strong blueprint for getting our Nation out of its fiscal mess. It makes the hard choices necessary to save trillions of dollars and cut the deficit in half by 2012. President Obama has also called for reinstating the pay-as-you-go rule in law—committing our government to paying for what it buys. President Obama has led by example by spelling out how he would pay for his major initiatives, including his tax cuts for 95 percent of American workers and investments in healthcare reform and clean energy.

Finally, the budget makes investments in long-term economic growth: access to affordable healthcare, which is essential to fiscal stability; investments in clean energy technologies and addressing climate change to bring down the cost of energy in the long run; and more access to both early and higher education, which are necessary for a prepared, competitive workforce.

These are areas that will build a stronger economy and future for Maryland as well as the Nation. On top of the economic recovery legislation just enacted -sending an estimated $3.8 billion to our state over the next two years - the budget’s investments in such critical areas as health care, education and energy, will help strengthen our economy and keep it strong for years to come.

The commitment to health care is very important. Health care costs in this country are out of control and the millions of uninsured are driving up prices even more. The President’s budget establishes a health care reserve fund in anticipation of reforms Congress will be working on this year to improve the quality, efficiency and accountability of health care, and expand coverage and bring down costs, including addressing Medicare overpayments, Medicare and Medicaid payment accuracy, and drug prices.

Transforming our nation’s energy system and addressing global warming also receive great attention in the President’s budget. Congress will be moving to develop clean energy technologies and jobs, and save American taxpayers money by slashing the government’s energy use, weatherizing low-income homes and modernizing the country’s electric grid.

Another priority that President Obama outlined in his budget is education. Providing a better education system for America’s youth, including investments in early childhood and higher education, not only provides the pathway to opportunity, it is the key to U.S. competitiveness and economic growth.

Other key areas that the budget include rebuilding America from the ground up by creating a National Infrastructure Bank, making investments in high-speed rail, increasing security at major ports, investing in clean and safe drinking water, expanding access to broadband to support education and health in rural areas. And it provides needed support to our troops by increasing the size of the Army and Marine Corps, improving mental health care, saving money by reforming DOD acquisition, and increasing VA funding by $25 billion over the next five years.

President Obama’s budget is a serious document for serious times, one that no longer sacrifices long-term needs to the politics of the moment. I look forward to working with President Obama as we make the tough decisions necessary for economic recovery and long-term fiscal stability.

Black History Month: Celebrating a

New Chapter in America’s Progress

Throughout the month of February, Americans come together to celebrate Black History Month. In this historic year, when we swore-in President Barack Obama to serve as our nation’s 44th President, we all have reason to be proud of the rich diversity of our nation.

African American history is filled with remarkable individuals who have left an unforgettable mark on our nation. This month, and throughout the entire year, it is important to take notice of the cultural, political, social and scientific contributions made by African Americans who have enriched our nation.

As I have done every February for the last 29 years, I will join our community in celebrating the achievements and recognizing the critical role African Americans have played in the founding and developing of our country at the Black History Breakfast held annually in Maryland’s 5th Congressional District. Over the years, we have been honored to welcome a number of local and national African American leaders to the breakfast, including President Barack Obama, who was the keynote speaker three years ago.

President Obama’s ascendency to the nation’s highest office is a historic milestone for our country and a tribute to the many generations of Americans who struggled and overcame to advance equality for all. One such individual is former Virginia Governor Lawrence Douglas Wilder. Governor Wilder was the first African American to be elected as governor of a U.S. state, and we will be honoring his role in history and his lifetime of public service at this year’s Black History Breakfast.

Overall, the new Democratic-led Congress has been working on improving the lives of African American families, along with all other American families. Last Congress, we raised the minimum wage, benefiting more than 2 million hardworking African Americans; cut the cost of college for the 2.3 million African Americans enrolled in degree-granting institutions; and continue to work to address the crisis in the subprime lending market, which has taken a disproportionate toll on African American homeowners.

During this current economic downturn, a great number of African American families – like other American families – are struggling to make ends meet. Congress is responding – recently enacting an economic recovery package that will create 3.5 million American jobs and provide assistance to families hit the hardest during this recession.

I am committed to continuing to work with the African American community to help tackle the challenges that exist in education, health care, homeownership, and economic development. And I will continue to fight for accessible and affordable health care and quality public education and to work towards a budget that reflects the priorities of the American people.

Black History Month not only provides our nation with the opportunity to honor the rich history of a community that has overcome so much, but also allows us to recommit ourselves to ensuring that America continues to make progress. Every day, we experience the lasting legacy of the civil rights movement and the impact of its leaders on our lives. The accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and countless others who worked beside him have forever changed this nation’s history for the better. Let us celebrate the African Americans who made extraordinary sacrifices in the name of justice and equality in the past. Their legacy is honored and perseveres in the progress we continue to make and strive for.

In electing our nation’s first African American governor, and 20 years later electing our first African American President, our nation moves forward in fulfilling the great promise of equality for all. As Americans, diversity is one of our greatest strengths, and we must recommit ourselves all year long to ensuring that equality is a reality for all of our citizens. Let us recommit ourselves to continuing to work for an America that fully lives up to its ideals and ensures that every American has the tools and opportunity to pursue the American Dream.

Reinvesting in Our Economy, Rebuilding America

Last week, Congress passed President Obama’s plan to restore our economy and stop the hemorrhaging of American jobs that has pushed national unemployment to its highest level in 16 years. Since the start of the recession in December 2007, more than three and a half million American jobs have been lost, half of those coming in the last three months. Last month alone, the economy lost almost 600,000 jobs – that’s the equivalent of losing one out of every four jobs in the State of Maryland.

Behind each of these statistics lies a story of personal crisis for an American family or business. We have seen friends, neighbors and family members lose their jobs, see their pensions depleted, or be forced to foreclose on their homes. Our economy is suffering, people are in need, and we are shedding jobs at a rate of 20,000 per day. The need to act is clear.

Congress took its first step to stabilize the economy last fall when the Bush Administration requested federal funds for its Troubled Assets Relief Program. While many of us had strong misgivings about the proposal, we nonetheless supported the action because we believed that the consequences of inaction would be disastrous – not just for the banking system but for our entire economy.

At that time, Democrats also insisted on the need to pass an economic stimulus to counter the depressive force the financial meltdown was having on average Americans. President Bush, however, did not agree. So as we prepared for a change of leadership, Congress looked ahead, holding several hearings and meetings last fall with the nation’s top economists.

What we learned is that economists and elected leaders from across the ideological spectrum agree on the need for bold and swift government action, especially because the tools traditionally used during times of economic decline have proven ineffective. The Federal Reserve has already brought lending rates down to record levels, and it is clear that our financial markets are in no position to lead an economic recovery on their own.

That is why President Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is so necessary to prevent a crisis from becoming a catastrophe. The overarching goal of the economic package is to spur job creation and build a robust and sustainable 21st-century economy through a combination of tax cuts and government investment. The plan would create or save up to 4 million jobs with projects to rebuild our roads, bridges, schools, and flood control systems; invest in science and energy innovation; make healthcare more efficient; and transform our economy for long-term growth. More than 90 percent of these jobs will be in the private sector, and many of the rest are public safety officers, teachers, and health care workers in our communities.

The recovery legislation will also give 95 percent of working Americans an immediate tax cut. And it will include unprecedented accountability measures: no earmarks or pet projects, strong oversight of spending, and an historic degree of public transparency online at www.recovery.gov.

While addressing the economic crisis has been our immediate priority, we are also focused in the long-term on returning our nation’s budget to balance. The fact is that President Obama is inheriting record deficits and debt, and an economy in shambles. During the two terms President Bush was in office, he took a $5.6 trillion surplus and turned it into the worst deficits in American history, nearly doubling the national debt in just eight years.

With our nation already in such a deep fiscal hole, it will take some time to turn our budget around. I’ve used my position as House Majority Leader to fight for fiscal responsibility, and I’ll keep doing so. Already, I’ve spoken several times to President Obama about the need for long-term fiscal reform, and I am confident that the President will work with Congress to make the hard, responsible choices necessary to put us back on a fiscally sustainable path.

It should also strengthen our confidence to know that President Obama has learned from President Bush’s mistakes in administering the fiscal stabilization plan. As he promised, "We are going to fundamentally change some of the practices in using this next phase of the program." That means finally fighting the wave of foreclosures at the source of this crisis; tracking how funds are spent and ensuring that banks are using them for the intended purposes; detailed reports from the recipients of taxpayer money; and a guarantee that taxpayers are not subsidizing million-dollar Park Avenue apartments for CEOs.

We hope that his new approach, combined with an infusion of jobs from the recovery plan, will get our economy back on track. This plan may not be perfect, but it is desperately needed and our best hope to reverse the economic freefall that is being felt here in Maryland, and across America.

Our nation has survived far worse challenges than this one. And with strong and wise action from Congress and President Obama, we can return America to prosperity, and millions of Americans to work.

Health Care for Kids Gets a Boost

I want you to know the story of Deamonte Driver. This is from the Washington Post, on February 28, 2007: ‘Twelve-year-old Deamonte Driver died of a toothache Sunday. A routine, $80 tooth extraction might have saved him....[But] by the time Deamonte’s own aching tooth got any attention, the bacteria from the abscess had spread to his brain, doctors said. After two operations and more than six weeks of hospital care, the Prince George’s County boy died.’

If you want a picture of American health care, in all its excellence and squalor, there it is: The best doctors, the latest technology, six weeks of hospital care for a sick boy, at a cost of $250,000-in a country that can’t find $80 to fix a toothache. To paraphrase Adlai Stevenson, American health care swallows tigers whole-but it can choke to death on a gnat. We couldn’t find $80, and in the end it cost us a quarter-million-and one precious life. A system that makes such errors on a regular basis is both financially foolhardy and morally insupportable.

Yes, on a regular basis. Deamonte Driver’s case may have been extreme, but it was hardly unique. Every day, uninsured parents are forgoing much cheaper preventive care and using the ER as the first line of defense for their children’s health. And we are all paying for it. We are subsidizing those ER visits; we are dealing with overburdened hospitals; and we are creating a sicker, less productive workforce.

Fixing American health care will take a much longer. But an imperative is upon us to find a way to do what is best for our children and give them the health care they need and deserve. There is no more medically pivotal time in life: Make it through childhood without checkups, without a doctor’s care, and you are still facing a lifetime of endangered health. Every other developed nation in the world seems to get that. Every other developed nation in the world makes sure all of its children are covered-except for the United States.

The children’s health bill passed by Congress and signed into law last week by President Obama takes a major step in the right direction, cutting the number of uninsured kids in this country by 4 million by bringing them into the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Along with the children currently enrolled, the new bill will cover a total of 11 million kids, including 152,800 in the State of Maryland. And, vowing to fill the gap in care that allowed Deamonte Driver to fall through the cracks, the new law includes a guaranteed dental benefit for all kids in the program.

At a time of economic recession, it is easy to see just how vital this program is. More and more Americans are out of work; more and more American parents are losing employer-sponsored health care for their children; and more and more family budgets are strained to the breaking point. Today, health coverage for kids could make the difference between a family’s economic ruin and economic stability. As Yale University’s Jacob S. Hacker writes, access to affordable health care could be ‘an immediate...lifeline for working families.’

The children’s health bill, now law, maintains that lifeline. It will allow us to help raise a healthier generation of Americans, reduce the much more costly use of emergency rooms for primary care, and move us closer to providing every child in our nation with affordable, high-quality health care.

Renewing American health care—bringing the best care in the world to all of our people—is a hugely complex job. That work does not end with this law. But this important inclusion of more than 4 million of our children in the guarantee of access to health care is a victory for America’s values and its healthier future.

Recovery and Reinvestment to Create Jobs and Stimulate the Economy

President Obama and the new Congress took their oaths of office in one of the worst economic climates in recent memory. In the last year alone, the United States shed 2.6 million jobs—the worst year since 1945. We are in the midst of the worst housing market since the Great Depression, and turmoil in the financial markets has threatened the savings and retirements of millions of Americans. Even in Maryland, where the economy tends to be more resilient than in other parts of the country, the unemployment rate has risen to a 15-year high of 5.8 percent.

All of those facts speak to the urgency of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which the House passed on Wednesday. Without it, economists expect more Americans to lose their jobs, more small businesses to shut their doors, and more homeowners to face foreclosure.

This legislation is the result of an honest, urgent effort to include the best ideas from economic experts from across the spectrum, as well as both sides of the aisle. It is an effort that cannot become weighed down by partisanship or parochial interests.

The recovery plan is projected to create or save three to four million jobs—a projection confirmed a by wide range of leading economists. Mark Zandi, a former economic advisor to Senator McCain’s presidential campaign, found that "the jobless rate will be more than 2 percentage points lower by the end of 2010 than without any fiscal stimulus." His projections also forecast a gain of nearly 100,000 jobs in Maryland over the next two years as a result.

Overall, this plan contains what is widely viewed as the right mix of spending and tax cuts to spur our economy. It will include tax relief for 95 percent of working families; tax cuts for job-creating small businesses; projects to put Americans to work renewing our crumbling roads and bridges; and nutrition, unemployment, and healthcare assistance to those families who are being hit hardest by this recession.

Those steps will have an immediate impact: the Congressional Budget Office estimates that two-thirds of recovery funds will be spent in the first 18 months, which means an immediate jolt to our economy, and we will continue working with President Obama to increase that number. The CBO also estimates that, if we pass this bill, by the end of next year America will have up to 3.6 million more jobs than if we do nothing.

But a real economic recovery isn’t just about responding to a short term emergency—it’s about building a wise foundation for the future. Besides creating jobs immediately, we will invest in new energy technologies, upgrade our schools with 21st-century classrooms, and computerize health records to reduce costs and improve care. All of those are investments that promise growth and savings in the years to come, to ensure that our nation does not slip back into recession.

Finally, we’ve included in the recovery plan unprecedented levels of accountability and transparency, so our constituents will know that their tax dollars are being spent on getting us out of a recession, not siphoned off by the politically-connected. So there will be no earmarks or pet projects in this bill. A new Accountability and Transparency Board will be working to keep waste and fraud far away from this bill. And all of the plan’s details will be published online, so we and our constituents can track the success of these efforts to turn our economy back into the productive engine that it has been in the past.

Recent polling shows that a majority of Americans support this plan and has confidence that it contains the necessary elements to jumpstart the economy and help put people back to work. It is essential that the Senate pass it quickly, and that President Obama sign it as soon as possible, so we can turn our economy around and get Americans back to work.

Health Care Reform Can’t Wait

Earlier this month, the House voted to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and bring health coverage to an additional 4 million low-income children at the most medically pivotal time of their lives. It is the first step in an effort to rethink a ramshackle healthcare system that is both morally insupportable and financially foolhardy.

There is a powerful economic case for healthcare reform—and it directly contradicts those who argue that the recession forces us to put this national priority on hold. The recession actually makes healthcare reform more pressing and more feasible. Three strong economic arguments point toward expanding access to coverage as soon as possible.

The first is the high cost of our current patchwork system. America pays twice as much for healthcare as almost every other industrialized country, without seeing better health. In large part, that’s because our 47 million uninsured are forced to skip less costly preventive care as their health grows worse and worse. As one ER doctor from Boston put it: "The uninsured wait….They get sicker. Almost every day, I see children with asthma who, because they weren’t treated for a simple cold, end up in the intensive care unit."

Just as damaging is the continual economic drain of sicker Americans missing work and sacrificing productivity. In a recent report, the New America Foundation found that "in 2007, our economy lost as much as $207 billion because of the poor health and shorter lifespan of the uninsured." The report went on to point out that that annual sickness tax is more expensive than the public cost of getting every American insured. From that perspective, expanded coverage is a relative bargain.

The second argument focuses on the rising economic burden on those with health insurance. During the eight years of the Bush Administration, insurance premiums have tripled. One big reason why is that those of us lucky enough to have insurance are subsidizing those of us without it. Every year, uninsured Americans receive $56 billion of uncompensated care—and remember, that care costs much more per patient, as in the case of the simple cold ending up in the ICU. Those with insurance are paying higher premiums to help cover those ICU visits. Reducing those visits—by getting more Americans covered and in to see the doctor sooner—is a key way to bring down costs for everyone.

Third, healthcare reform can be a robust antidote to the recession. Jacob S. Hacker of Yale University argues that healthcare reform can put money in families’ pockets right now: Expanded access could be "an immediate economic lifeline for working families." With rising healthcare costs eating into profits and causing layoffs, reform can also be a lifeline to our small businesses, which are still responsible for two-thirds of our job creation.

In sum, there is no need to pick between fixing the economy and fixing healthcare—we can and must do both. Fixing healthcare will be an essential part of our economic recovery, leading to more productive workers, more secure families, and healthier small businesses.

So the worse the economic news gets, the more urgent healthcare reform becomes. That’s why it is so important to expand SCHIP, bringing into the system millions of children who are eligible but not enrolled. President Bush vetoed similar bills in the face of large bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate, and despite his campaign promise to bring healthcare to more needy children. We trust that President Obama will take a different view.

We can also bring down costs and improve quality over the long run with smart upfront investments. Developing health information technology will let doctors store and access patient records at any hospital in America. Funding long-term research on health outcomes can help doctors ground their treatment choices in the best empirical data, taking much of the guesswork out of medicine. And ultimately, Congress must work with President Obama to move America toward universal healthcare access.

Sometimes, our moral instincts and our financial self-interest give us conflicting advice. But this is one of the times when they line up. The clear economic facts are seconded by stories of uninsured Americans living sicker and dying sooner than the rest of us, of families bankrupted by a sudden illness, of struggles with insurance companies weighing down the last months of a loved one’s life.

I know you’ve heard those stories; maybe you’re living one of them. When it comes to healthcare, you can listen to your checkbook or your conscience—and they will tell you the same thing.

Remarks of Congressman Steny Hoyer at

Southern Maryland Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast

Years ago, there was a powerful man who was born and raised in Southern Maryland. For years he studied and practiced his profession, and every day he grew a little in skill and in ambition, until one day, when he was at the height of his power, he sat down and wrote this: "The class of persons who had been imported as slaves [and] their descendants…are beings of an inferior order, and altogether unfit to associate with the white race either in social or political relations, and so far inferior that they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect."

We know a tremendous amount about Roger Taney, the man who wrote those words. We know his birthday. We can find the Maryland tobacco farm where he was born. We can look at his college grades and see that he graduated first in his class. We have volumes of his opinions as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, including the Dred Scott decision, from which I just read to you. We know the day of his death, the same day the State of Maryland abolished slavery.

And we know what he looked like. We have photographs and portraits—and a life-sized statue. It sits next to Maryland’s State House, and over the years it’s turned green with age. Over those same years, Roger Taney’s words turned from the most respectable opinion to the ugliest slur. And for all those years, his statue has sat there, as if to remind us that words like his, and the hateful acts of generations of men and women like him, are a part of our history that can never be erased. We can’t wash away a single line or letter.

But there is another history. It’s the story of slaves, not slaveowners. It’s the story of Africans making their way on the other side of the world and becoming, generation by generation, African Americans. It’s the story of the powerless waking up to their power.

So much of that history comes to us through scraps: a half-excavated cabin; a bill of sale; a line in a will or a church record or a chronicle. So much of that history is lost—it’s the history we so rarely see. But we know, almost at the very beginning of it, that there was a man named Mathias de Sousa.

We know that he came to America with the Jesuits in 1634 on a ship called the Ark. We know that he was a fur trader. We know that he once owed money and paid it back. He was, we think, the first black man to cast a vote in an American assembly.

And we don’t know much else. We are sure that he voted; we don’t know which way, or what he said at the time, or if he had any idea that he was the first. He travelled with Jesuits; maybe he was a Catholic, and maybe he wasn’t. We can guess from his name that he came from Angola or the Congo; but a guess is all we have. We have no idea what he looked like. Nine years after he comes into the record, he passes out of history again. It could be that he died; it could be that he took passage on a ship. From that point on, he is part of the history we don’t see.

But the records are beyond doubt on one point: Mathias de Sousa was a free man. And he has his place in the half-seen history of millions who used their freedom to show that they were no one’s inferior, and millions more who kept their dignity even in chains, who fought and spoke up and sat in and marched until they were free.

We know that astronomers have found new planets in the sky, without even seeing them—they looked for those planets’ pull on what they did see. The same power is in Mathias’s life, and the millions of half-seen lives that were as rich and purposeful as his. Those lives have their own gravity. They are the force that, in the words of Dr. King, bends the long arc of history toward justice.

The Inauguration of Barack Obama as President is their moment, too. It is the day that they have made with us—so let us rejoice and be glad in it, because we have seen history moving in our lifetimes.

On the other side of our State House, there’s another statue—a statue of Thurgood Marshall, the black man who helped take apart, brick by brick, the wall that Roger Taney helped build. I think those two will stand there, not far apart, as long as there’s a State House, saying that our story is full of both Taneys and Marshalls, of shame and self-sacrifice, of hate and of hope.

Blood Donations Needed in the Area

January is National Blood Donor Month and serves as an opportunity to remind the millions of eligible donors across the country, and particularly those in Southern Maryland, that the need for blood donations is always present and that giving blood is an easy way to make a significant contribution and even save a life.

I join our region’s blood collection organizations, including the American Red Cross and the American Association of Blood Banks, in encouraging blood donations during this time of the year when the blood supply is often low due to holidays, bad weather and travel schedules. Donations are especially needed this year after severe winter storms across the Central Plains, Midwest and Northeast have crippled blood collections, causing a strain on supplies across the United States. In fact, parts of our country have less than a one-day supply of some of the most frequently needed blood types.

Specifically in our area, the Greater Chesapeake and Potomac Region (GC & P) of the American Red Cross reports that it is in urgent need of Type "O" and Type "B" blood donors. While these types have fallen to an unsafe level, all blood types are still needed. Overall, our region needs more than 1100 pints of blood each day to meet patients’ needs, and the GC & P supplies blood to over 80 hospitals throughout Maryland, Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia and Southeastern Pennsylvania. And because red blood cells only have a 42-day shelf life, our blood supply is perishable and must be replenished daily.

What many people don’t realize is that the need for blood far too often outweighs the supply. Every day in the United States, approximately 39,000 units of blood are required in hospitals and emergency treatment facilities to save the lives of accident victims and patients undergoing surgery. Blood is also needed to treat people who have cancer, blood disorders, sickle cell, anemia and other illnesses. In our country, a blood transfusion is needed about every two seconds. While a five to seven day supply is the optimum blood level to meet local patient need and maintain an adequate reserve in the event of an emergency, the current levels stand at less than one day in some regions, causing some hospitals to postpone elective surgeries.

Approximately 95 percent of the U.S. population will need blood during their lifetime or know someone who will. Yet, only five percent of eligible donors in our county donates blood in a given year. Healthy donors are the only source of blood, and each donation may help save the lives of up to three people. Blood donation must be a national priority, and there is no greater gift a volunteer can give to their community than the gift of life.

All eligible donors are urged to make an appointment to give blood today and every two months thereafter to help replenish supplies and ensure an adequate supply to meet patients’ needs throughout the year. This time of critical need is the perfect opportunity to become a first time donor, and to continue a habit of contributing to the community blood supply. Donors can give blood every 56 days, or six times a year. In general, donors must be at least 16 years old and weigh at least 110 pounds to be eligible to give.

The Red Cross and other blood collection organizations cannot help save lives without blood donors willing to give the gift of life. By donating blood, you will not only help our region avert critical blood shortages this winter you may give a newborn, a child, a mother or a father, a brother, or a sister another chance at life. Take the time today to be a hero.

Those interested in donating blood may call one of the following numbers for more information and to find out where they can schedule an appointment to donate:

· American Association of Blood Banks 1-866-FROM-YOU (1-866-376-6968); · www.aabb.org

· America’s Blood Centers 1-888-USBLOOD (1-888-872-5663); · www.americasblood.org

· American Red Cross 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1-800-448-3543); · www.givelife.org; · www.redcross.org – Locally, Southern Marylanders can find a list of blood drives at: · http://chapters.redcross.org/md/charlescounty/giveblood.htm or call (1-888-276-2767)

2009: A Progress Agenda for America

America rings in 2009 with many great challenges before us – an economy in recession, ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, and rising unemployment, health care costs, and foreclosures. The new year, however, offers a unprecedented opportunity to forge ahead with solutions to both new challenges and those that have gone unaddressed for far too long. With the inauguration of a new President and an American public that is hopeful for change, we are poised to make real progress for the greater benefit of our county and its citizens.

In the next Congress, our first focus must be on efforts to restore the health of our economy, including investments to create jobs by rebuilding our worn-down infrastructure—the roads, bridges, pipes, and tracks that serve our communities and our commerce.

Economic recovery will also mean helping hard-pressed states with federal Medicaid assistance, so that workers who have lost their jobs and their health insurance will still have access to health care. These investments will be particularly important here in Maryland, where the state is facing a $2 billion budget deficit and would benefit substantially from funds made available for these critical priorities.

Conditions also warrant temporarily increasing food stamp benefits and extending unemployment insurance. Those measures do not just help those who are hurting most—economists consider them some of the most efficient kinds of stimulus.

While we work to stabilize our financial system, we must also aggressively address the turmoil in the housing market which triggered the greater financial fallout. We are currently pushing the Administration to do more to help struggling homeowners and will work with the new President to ensure foreclosure mitigation remains a top priority.

Outside of the economic recovery, we will continue to be committed to governing in a fiscally responsible manner and upholding the principle of pay-as-you-go. The reality, however, is that recovery legislation will raise the deficit in the short term. As a fiscal hawk, I still believe that that is the right course, because a wide consensus of economists tells us that deficit spending is both the way out of a recession like this one and the way to prevent even more catastrophic decline.

In the long run, fiscal responsibility can and must be the watchword of the next Congress and the new Administration. For eight years, the Bush Administration lived by the proposition summed up by Vice President Cheney, when he said: ‘Reagan proved deficits don’t matter.’ Businesses and consumers pursued that siren song to the brink of financial destruction—and some, of course, have gone over that brink. We are now experiencing the stark, painful reality that debt does, indeed, matter.

I have always believed that fiscal responsibility is, at heart, a moral proposition: it means that we do not indebt our children to finance our own immediate demands and desires. It means that we must pay for what we buy. But more than that, we must buy the right things.

Wise investments will grow our economy, protect the well-being of our people, and help us get back to long-term fiscal health. Spending wisely today can save us money tomorrow. That is why our country needs far-reaching proposals, even in this recession. In the broad sense, fiscal responsibility should be at the core of our entire governing philosophy.

On energy, for instance, a fiscally responsible strategy must invest in new technologies to bring the price of energy down in the long term—because there is nothing more shortsighted than acting as if our foreign oil addiction is a problem only when gas costs more than $3 a gallon, or only during an oil shortage, or only over the summer. Ending that addiction would halt what T. Boone Pickens rightly calls the greatest transfer of wealth in human history—from America to the petro-states of the Middle East.

On healthcare, fiscal responsibility will mean investing in information technology to help make our healthcare system more efficient. And it will mean changes that lower the cost of healthcare, as well as expand access, because the hugely inefficient way in which America pays for healthcare is harming businesses’ productivity and imposing huge costs on them during a recession. Healthcare is an urgent priority, and we must move on it with dispatch. We have already seen the consequences of doing nothing.

Making progress on these challenges requires the work and support of a broad consensus around ambitious goals, pursued thoughtfully, and with time taken to win arguments and build the agreement that has so far eluded us. As our next President said in Grant Park on election night: ‘While the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.’

Now our work is to turn from promise to progress, from speeches to statute. In the next Congress, we will take counsel from every part of our party, from our Republican colleagues, and from the White House - and we will then work to make concrete the change that America has chosen and embrace this opportunity for a Nation renewed and reaffirmed.

Keep Yourself and Others Safe During the Holidays

Like most Americans at this time of year, I am looking forward to celebrating the holidays with my family and friends. It is a special time of year, and it is encouraging to hear stories of the tremendous good will exhibited by our community. But it is regrettably also a time when there is a tragic jump in the number of alcohol-related highway fatalities between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.

That is why I am joining with other national, state and local highway safety and law enforcement officials to remind everyone this holiday season to always designate a sober driver before each holiday party or event involving alcohol.

Every 30 minutes, nearly 50 times a day, someone in America dies in an alcohol-related crash, and hundreds of thousands more are injured each year. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about three in every ten Americans will be involved in an alcohol-related crash at some point in their lives.

The risk is even higher during the holidays. According to the NHSTA, on average from 2002 to 2006 (the last year for which complete data is available), about 40 percent of all fatalities during the Christmas and New Year holiday periods occurred in crashes where at least one of the involved drivers was alcohol-impaired.

These statistics show why it is necessary during the holiday season to deploy all of our resources to protect citizens from the dangers of drunk driving. And it is why every December nearly 10,000 law enforcement agencies join forces with hundreds of traffic safety organizations in all 50 States to conduct intensified anti-drunken driving campaigns for the holiday season.

Once such effort is the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Tie One On For Safety holiday ribbon campaign. The "Tie One On For Safety" campaign was initiated in 1986. Previously known as the "Project Red Ribbon" campaign, the purpose of the initiative is to increase public awareness of the consequences of drinking and driving during the holidays. Tie One On For Safety is the largest campaign coordinated by MADD and simply requests holiday drivers to tie a red MADD ribbon to their vehicle in a visible location. Displaying a ribbon on their vehicle in this way is a demonstration of the motorist’s pledge to drive in a mature manner – safe, sober, and with a seat-belt securely fastened; and it reminds others to do the same.

Programs that encourage the use of designated drivers are another key to preventing alcohol related accidents. Combined with highly visible law enforcement, designated driver programs give people the information they need to make informed choices and seek alternatives to driving while impaired. A person who gets behind the wheel after consuming alcohol is not only endangering the lives of him/herself as well as any passengers, but also the lives of everyone else on the road at the time. But there is hope: impaired driving is 100 percent PREVENTABLE.

Remembering to designate a sober driver before the party begins is just one of several simple steps to help avoid a tragic crash or an arrest for impaired driving during the holiday season. Other reminders include:

· Never get behind the wheel of your vehicle if you’ve been out drinking;

· If impaired, call a taxi, – use mass transit if available, – or call a sober friend or family member to come and get you;

· Or, just stay where you are and sleep it off until you are sober;

· If you are hosting a party this holiday season, remind your guests to always plan ahead to designate a sober driver, always offer alcohol-free beverages during the event, and make sure all of your guests leave with a sober driver; and

· Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk. Take the keys and never let a friend leave your sight if you think they are about to drive while impaired.

Whether you are trying to stop someone else from getting behind the wheel, or making a decision yourself about whether or not to drink and drive, there is always an alternative. Though it is often difficult and awkward to reason with someone who has been drinking, the alternative — the loss of a friend or loved one — is much worse.

Driving impaired or riding with someone who is impaired is simply not worth the risk. Have a safe and happy holiday season.

Inauguration Day Heralds "A New Birth of Freedom"

Every four years, our nation has the privilege of electing our President. By this action, we choose someone who will lead our country, provide for the well-being of our citizens and uphold our American ideals. It is a responsibility so great that every citizen is called upon to cast their vote and make their choice known.

The 2008 Presidential election gave way to one of the most significant elections of our lifetime – the selection of our nation’s first African American President, Barack Obama. That, coupled with President-elect Obama’s inspiring message of change the desire for a new era of American leadership, has led to an incredible level of interest in the Inauguration ceremony to take place at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, January 20, 2009.

The theme for this year’s inauguration is "A New Birth of Freedom," and commemorates the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth. The words come from the Gettysburg Address, and express Lincoln’s hope that the sacrifice of those who died to preserve the nation shall lead to "a new birth of freedom" for our nation.

Already, my office has received an unprecedented amount of requests for tickets to attend the swearing-in ceremony. Unfortunately, the number of requests far outweighs the number of tickets made available to my office. That is why I wanted to devote this week’s column to information pertaining to ways interested citizens can participate in the inaugural activities. For those who have made a request for tickets through my office, you will receive separate information regarding ticket notification and inaugural information.

In an effort to include as many people as possible who would like to witness the swearing-in ceremony, the Presidential Inauguration Committee (PIC) has announced that the entire length of the Mall beyond the areas requiring tickets will be open to the public. Large screens and audio systems will be displayed throughout for viewing. In the upcoming weeks, the PIC will release additional information regarding the National Mall viewing and other inaugural events. This information will be posted at www.pic2009.org

It is also important to note that all official tickets for the Inaugural Ceremonies are provided free of charge. Constituents are advised to be aware of potential scams. No website or ticket outlet has official inaugural swearing-in tickets to sell, regardless of what they may claim.

I will continue to update my Fifth District website with inaugural information, so please visit www.hoyer.house.gov to stay informed. While there, you can sign up for my newsletter, the Hoyer Herald, access my voting record, and get information about important public issues.

Parking on Inauguration day will be severely restricted. Constituents are strongly encouraged to take public transportation. For more information, please visit www.wmata.com.

If you wish to learn about volunteer opportunities for Inaugural events, please visit the Presidential Inaugural Committee’s website at www.pic2009.org/content/home/.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee is responsible for the planning of all balls, galas, receptions, parties and the official Inaugural Day parade. For more information, please visit www.pic2009.org/content/home/.

Applications to participate in the Inaugural Parade are no longer being accepted. The deadline for application submission closed at 5 pm on November 18, 2008. The Presidential Inaugural Committee is responsible for making final decisions regarding participation and notifying selectees.

Presidential Inauguration Committee:

Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies: (in charge of Inaugural events only pertaining to the Capitol building and site)

Official Tourism Information for Washington, DC:

DC Presidential Inaugural Committee:

Help Available for Marylanders with High Home Heating Costs

Winter is on its way, and with the cold weather comes another difficulty for families hit hard by the bad economy – paying to heat their homes. Meanwhile, many utility companies are under pressure to balance their books by more aggressively pursuing a rising number of delinquent payments and cutting service to millions of customers with past due accounts.

Anticipating an increased need for assistance with home heating costs, Congress enacted into law this September legislation providing $5.1 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). This marks a $2.5 billion above last year’s levels. LIHEAP is a block grant program under which the federal government makes annual grants to states, tribes, and territories to operate home energy assistance. States may use LIHEAP funds to help households pay for heating and cooling costs, for crisis assistance, weatherization assistance, and services, such as counseling, to reduce the need for energy assistance.

The additional funding for this year will provide 2 million more families nationwide essential assistance to pay their rising home energy bills and will send approximately $109 million to Maryland to help families in our state. In addition, eligibility rules have been expanded, allowing people with higher incomes to qualify. To inquire about or apply for energy assistance, citizens should contact St. Mary’s Home Energy Program office at 1-800-255-5313.

In general, federal LIHEAP eligibility includes households with incomes up to 150 percent of the federal poverty income level. States may adopt lower income limits, but no household with income below 110 percent of the poverty guidelines may be considered ineligible. In Maryland, the eligibility limit is an annual income of $18,200 for an individual and $6,300 for each additional household member.

The Maryland Office of Home Energy Programs helps administer LIHEAP and a number of state programs to help low-income citizens pay their heating bills, minimize heating crises, and make energy costs more affordable. The Maryland Energy Assistance Program (MEAP) provides direct assistance with home heating bills and has limited assistance to replace broken or inefficient furnaces.

The state also offers an Electric Universal Service Program to assist eligible low-income electric customers with their electric bills. Assistance is available whether you are an active customer or you are currently without service. Eligible electric customers may receive help in three ways: to pay current electric bills; to pay past due electric bills; and to install energy efficiency measures to reduce future electric bills.

The Weatherization Assistance Program is another program that offers assistance with energy efficiency, providing home weatherization services to eligible individuals such as weather stripping, caulking, plastic window covering, etc. to help make your home or apartment more fuel efficient and comfortable at no cost. For additional information please call 1-800-638-7781 or log on to www.dhcd.state.md.us.

The state also offers the Utility Service Protection Program to protect low-income families from utility cut-offs, allowing eligible households to enter into a year-round even monthly payment program with their utility company.

As colder temperatures move into our region, Marylanders should also explore ways to conserve and improve energy efficiency in their homes. For instance, you can lower the temperature of your thermostat during the day when no one is home or add an extra barrier against cold weather by covering your windows tightly with plastic. Taking steps such as these can lead to great savings, not to mention reduce your carbon imprint.

Southern Marylanders who anticipate having a tough time with their heating costs and would like to inquire about LIHEAP assistance or other programs should call the St. Mary’s Home Energy Program office at 1-800-255-5313 or visit www.dhr.state.md.us/meap to see if they are eligible. You may apply for all of these energy assistance programs with a single application. An application for assistance can also be downloaded at www.dhr.state.md.us/meap/down.htm.

America will recover from this economic downturn. But as winter quickly approaches, we must ensure that our children and families are kept safe and warm while they work to get back on their feet.

Honoring America’s Bravest

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year of 1918, the world celebrated the end of World War I, and in recognition November 11th became known as Armistice Day.

Had World War I really been "the war to end all wars," perhaps we would still be celebrating Armistice Day today. However, in 1939, World War II consumed Europe, Africa, the Pacific and finally the world. Congress subsequently proclaimed in 1953 that November 11th would be a day to honor all of America’s veterans and called upon Americans everywhere to rededicate themselves to the cause of peace.

Americans celebrate this Veterans Day at a time of ongoing global threats to our nation’s security. As American troops fight terrorism around the world, it is particularly important to honor the 25 million living American veterans, especially those who have recently returned from battles overseas. 4,780 U.S. troops have now died in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, including 85 brave men and women from Maryland who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Like all Americans, I mourn the loss of these brave patriots.

On Veterans Day, we show our appreciation in symbolic ways: parades, town meetings, and family gatherings. While words of thanks are a valuable part of this celebration, it is even more important to honor our veterans by providing them with the services they have earned.

The most pressing need, according to nearly every veterans group across the country, is health care. Unlike other wars in recent memory, citizen-soldiers are fighting on the front lines of this conflict. With more guardsmen and reservists deployed than at any other time in history, the obligation to provide our veterans with adequate care has never been stronger.

Before the 110th Congress, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) budget had been on a treadmill for years, straining its ability to provide health care and benefits to the veterans who earned them.　 Under the new Democratic leadership, we have changed that.

Congressional Democrats have provided more in overall funding increases for veterans in the past 2 years than in 12 years of Republican rule.　 In 2007 alone, Democrats passed the largest increase in veterans' health care and benefits funding in the history of the VA.　 In all, the Democratic led Congress has passed $16.3 billion in increases for the VA.　

This funding means real improvements for veterans, including the addition of more than 15,000 new medical services staff, an increased focus on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury, and the hiring of thousands of new claims processors to address backlogs, resulting in an 8.5 percent increase in claims processed over the past year.

Earlier this year, we also passed the GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century, fully restoring full, four-year college scholarships for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans – on a par with the educational benefits available after World War II. This is a significant increase from current GI educational benefits, which pay only about 60 percent of a public college education and 30 percent of a private college education.　 We also passed the Joshua Omvig Veterans Suicide Prevention Act to reduce the incidence of suicide among veterans and the Wounded Warrior Assistance Act to address the problems brought to light by the Walter Reed Army Medical Center scandal and improve outpatient medical care for wounded service members at military health care facilities.

In Iraq, 30,774 soldiers have been wounded in combat – including more than 13,000 injured too badly to return to duty. Furthermore, thousands of our troops have been hurt in incidents unrelated to combat and hundreds have undergone at least one limb amputation. As these new veterans with special health needs enter the system, we should be increasing resources to help provide our veterans with healthy and productive lives, not scaling back.

Veterans Day is an important time to reaffirm our support for every American service member who fought to protect our freedoms. As I participate this Tuesday in Veterans Day events, I look forward to sharing my thanks with the veterans and the families of servicemen and women in the 5th Congressional District. Their bravery and sacrifice for our nation deserves our recognition, our respect and our deep gratitude.

America’s veterans have laid the foundation of our great nation. The sacrifice of service is considerable, and we are eternally grateful for the patriotism of our troops. On this Veterans Day, I salute America’s bravest, and pledge to honor their courage year round.

Pride for Southern Maryland Bases

This past week, on October 27th, our nation observed the 86th annual Navy Day. The observance of Navy Day is an important time to acknowledge the hard work done by the members of the U.S. Navy, as well as the inspiring actions taken by those who serve at the naval bases in our area - Patuxent River Naval Air Systems Command, Indian Head Surface Warfare Center, and the Webster field at St. Inigoes. I would like to take the observation of ‘Navy Day’ to salute their efforts and to acknowledge the vital roles and important military capabilities performed at these three facilities.

Navy Day was first celebrated on October 27, 1922, when the Navy League of the United States proposed such an observance to recognize Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday. Always an advocate for a strong Navy as well as serving as an Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Roosevelt had long supported recognizing Navy Day. The date also had special significance in the Navy’s history because October 27th was the anniversary of a 1775 report issued by a special committee of the Continental Congress. The report, which favored the purchase of two merchant marine ships, made essential the establishment of the American Navy.

We celebrate Navy Day in commemoration of past and present servicemen and women of the Navy as they have fought the enemies of freedom, and prevailed. Their courage and resolve is imperative to our security and way of life. Navy Day gives us the opportunity to appreciate their achievements and to be inspired by their bravery. They succeed because they are dedicated to the values of this country and to its national security in the face of global terrorism.

The three naval facilities in Southern Maryland are shining examples of why our nation’s Navy is the most revered in the world. Work at Webster Field, St. Inigoes is critical to troops all over the world who rely on the latest technologies in communication and electronics equipment to keep their forces effective and safe. Patuxent River Naval Air Station continues to hold a strong reputation as the premier aviation research, development, evaluation and testing center in the nation. And Indian Head Surface Warfare Center, also recognized as a premier naval facility, houses some of the most advanced development and testing of energetics technology in the world.

These bases effectively make use of defense money, maximize the technological capabilities for national preparedness, and are vital institutions in our country’s system of defense. They are among the most well-regarded military installations in the country, and I am proud they are housed in our region.

The vital role Southern Maryland naval facilities play - both as security assets and as significant contributors to our region’s economy - is the reason that I continue to place the future of the Navy, and a naval presence in Maryland, as one of my highest priorities.

I have worked extremely hard over the years to ensure that Southern Maryland’s military installations will continue to keep the region’s economy strong and improve and strengthen our national security.

I am pleased that in the last round of BRAC, the Pentagon recognized what valuable assets we have in Southern Maryland. Their recommendation to maintain Southern Maryland’s installations is an unequivocal expression of just how critical a role they play in helping our nation meet the threats and challenges of a new century.

As a community, we owe special thanks to the members of the naval family that sacrifice their own safety to protect our nation. These men and women, who work hard in their offices in Maryland, across the country and overseas deserve to know that our thankful nation supports their service and sacrifice. They exemplify the determination, fortitude, and character that make America great. I encourage you to show our community’s unconditional support to these naval bases to strengthen their role in our state and in our nation.

The Great Oyster Debate and Why it Matters

Last week, the Army Corps of Engineers released its draft environmental impact statement on potential methods to restore the oyster population in - as the Algonquin's called it - the Great Shellfish Bay.

This was authorized by Congress in 2003, and the Corps has been the lead federal agency - working with a number of interested agencies, groups, and experts to analyze the ecological, cultural, and economic impacts of several alternative oyster restoration strategies.

These options include expanding restoration efforts of our native oyster, implementing a temporary oyster harvest moratorium, establishing a large-scale oyster aquaculture industry, and introducing a non-native species.

What the report concluded is that there are both advantages and risks involved with various alternatives, including the introduction of a hardier, non-native Asian oyster species that could potentially restore the oyster’s role as a filter-feeder and revive the commercial fishery. The potential risks identified with this strategy are that the Asian oyster might not flourish at all or that they might thrive too well and push out the native species.

A public debate on the pros and cons associated with the various alternatives occurred two weeks ago with the Great Oyster Debate held at the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons as part of the Third Patuxent River Summit. The event drew scientists, watermen, public policy makers, elected officials, aquaculturists, and private citizens from around the region to debate major initiatives related to oyster restoration in the Chesapeake Bay.

The fact that such a variety of individuals came together to understand and tackle the challenges we face in preserving these priceless natural resources underscores just how important their health is to all of us and why we continue to fight to preserve them.

For more than 20 years, many of us have gathered with Bernie Fowler on the shores of the Patuxent at Broomes Island to participate in the annual River Wade-in. In 1988, the year of the first Wade-in, Senator Fowler only got to 10 inches of water before he lost sight of his sneakers.

There have been improvements in water clarity since 1988; however, as of late, we have been moving in the wrong direction and, I am sad to report, the state of our river today is poor.

Last summer, Bernie waded out into waters 26 inches deep before his sneakers disappeared. This was up somewhat from the previous year, but down from the 42.5 inches we saw in 2002.

Bernie readily admits that his method is somewhat unscientific, but his findings have been validated by the recent report card issued by the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science and the Patuxent Riverkeeper.

The 2007 Patuxent River report card gave our river watershed a D- an alarming grade, no doubt, and one which is made even more alarming for those of us who live here in Southern Maryland. The lower portion of the river was rated an F.

While the rating did not specifically assess the health of our fish and shellfish, it did determine that the conditions under which these creatures can thrive - or even survive - are significantly lacking.

Our efforts to restore the Patuxent River, the Chesapeake Bay, and the oyster population demand cooperation and the involvement of all levels of government, the scientific community, business, development, and agricultural sectors, and a sense of ownership among all citizens.

I am pleased to report that in recent months, we have advanced a number of bills in the Congress that would have a direct impact on the efforts to nurse this river and the Chesapeake Bay back to health.

We’ve strengthened the ability of the Army Corps of Engineers to undertake Bay oyster restoration, water pollution control and environmental infrastructure projects in the 2007 WRDA bill.

We’ve also included approximately $438 million in mandatory funding in the Farm Bill to help Chesapeake Bay Watershed farmers in their ongoing efforts to implement practices to prevent runoff and control shoreline erosion.

The provision also directs the secretary to give special consideration to producers in specific, targeted river watersheds, including those of the Potomac and the Patuxent.

In addition, we passed legislation reauthorizing the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network, which links together the many historical, cultural, and natural sites in the watershed in the hopes of enabling visitors to better understand and appreciate the role they can play in the Bay’s survival.

And we passed a bill introduced by my Maryland colleague, Rep. John Sarbanes, which seeks to ensure that the importance of environmental education in our schools is not overlooked and that future generations are equipped with the tools necessary to tackle problems like restoring our oyster population.

I will continue to work hard at the federal level to secure funding and provide resources necessary to ensure that we may restore the health of our rivers, our Bay and our once bountiful shellfish fishery.

Congress Strengthens Protections for Disabled Workers

October marks a series of important observances to raise awareness for issues that demand national attention and advocacy. We celebrate survivors and highlight the need to continue the fight against cancer by observing National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We note the importance of raising money and providing international resources to cure AIDS during AIDS Awareness Month. And we initiate campaigns to increase sensitivity to the abuse that plagues our nation by recognizing National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

One equally important observance is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which provides us with an opportunity to acknowledge the contributions that millions of Americans with disabilities make to our workplaces and to reflect upon the huge, often overlooked, potential to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Indeed, awareness has to be the first step to tearing down the barriers, both physical and social, that prevent the full participation of Americans with disabilities in our workplaces and communities. According to the National Organization on Disability there are 54 million Americans with disabilities, well over half of whom are of working age. Only 32 percent of those who are of working age are employed full or even part time. That compares to 81 percent of the rest of the population. This employment gap reflects a shocking inequality that simply must be addressed if disabled Americans are to share in all that our nation has to offer.

Most disturbing is that these figures do not represent people who do not want to work, but people who are consistently denied the opportunity to contribute to our nation’s prosperity. In America, the ability to provide for yourself and your family helps to defines one’s identity and maintain one’s self esteem. Employment impacts every aspect of a person’s life: access to independent living, home ownership, health care, advanced education, socializing and economic self-sufficiency. Jobs are the ticket to inclusion and equality, freedom and integration.

Ultimately, National Disability Employment Awareness Month calls us to strive to make improvements to the employment opportunities for people with disabilities, but this monthly observance is also a time for celebration as we recognize and acknowledge the skills, vision and commitment of people working with disabilities - many of whom benefited from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 and subsequent progress in improved access to employment.

Earlier this year, we marked the 18th Anniversary of the ADA, landmark legislation that extended civil rights to an estimated 43 million disabled Americans. As the lead sponsor of the ADA in the House of Representatives, I am proud that since 1990 we have seen signs of progress everywhere—ramps, curb cuts, Braille signs, captioned television programs, wheelchair lifts, and assistive listening devices at movie theatres, to name a few. Most importantly, the ADA has helped improve the attitudes Americans have toward people with disabilities. Winning the hearts and minds of the general public is an essential part of achieving true progress.

Despite this important and widespread advancement, the promise of the ADA remains unfulfilled for far too many. In recent years, the Supreme Court has slowly chipped away at the broad protections of the ADA and has created a new set of barriers for Americans with disabilities. Under the cramped interpretation of the ADA by the courts, a broad range of people with physical and mental impairments have been held not to be "disabled enough" to gain the protections of the law. This is not what Congress intended when it passed the ADA.

To address this unacceptable development, the Congress passed and the President signed the ADA Amendments Act. Bipartisan legislation I introduced to reinforce the letter and the spirit of the law to ensure that people who Congress originally intended to protect from discrimination are covered under the ADA. Furthermore, it will clarify the message of the original ADA, which is: it is unacceptable to discriminate against someone simply because they have a disability.

I remain steadfast in my commitment to enforcing the ADA and expanding opportunities wherever possible. With thousands of severely injured soldiers returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan, we have a special responsibility to assure that they will receive the fair treatment they deserve as they attempt to return to work and re-integrate themselves into our communities. Our obligation to disabled veterans goes beyond expressing words of gratitude. It requires providing the resources necessary for healthy and productive lives.

Whether it’s an injured Army lieutenant or a person born with cystic fibrosis, every American deserves the equality of opportunity promised in our Constitution. During this National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we should pledge to work together to build a stronger work force that more accurately reflects America’s diversity.

Main Street at Heart of Economic Stabilization Bill

Our economy is not stable. Working families are suffering. We have lost millions of homes to foreclosures. Unemployment is at its highest level in years. Small businesses and individuals are having trouble accessing credit. Retirement accounts have been chipped away.

On Friday, the government released its unemployment report for September, and it only offered more discouraging news. America has lost jobs every month of 2008; September’s loss of 159,000 jobs brings the yearly total to 760,000.

Combined with more than a million home foreclosures, those unemployment numbers demonstrate, in Americans’ daily lives, the failure of the Bush Administration’s economic policies that have left many behind.

But they also demonstrate the real-world impact of a crisis threatening to paralyze our financial system. In the past couple of months, we have seen the collapse of major financial institutions impact the flow of credit, making it harder for small businesses and individuals to get loans. Uncertainty in the stock market has taken a toll on retirement and pension funds and sales in major industries that drive our economy have fallen.

It is clear that what is happening on Wall Street is bound up with the jobs, the retirements, the homes and the dreams of millions. And if disaster strikes those few square miles in Manhattan, it is in Maine, Maryland, and Montana, and all across the country that the impact will be felt.

That is why Congress had to act, passing an Emergency Economic Stabilization Bill this past week. We simply can’t afford to allow the collapse of Wall Street to ripple into every corner of our economy. But this is only a first step. This action will help relieve the financial crisis and get the economy back on track, but we need to also make the long-term reforms to ensure this doesn’t happen again, and we will do so in the coming months with Congressional hearings and next year under the leadership of a new Administration.

The bill that we passed originated as a plan put forth by the Bush Administration to stabilize the markets and restore the flow of credit. Over the past two weeks, Congress has made significant improvements to that original plan.

The heart of the bill remains a plan for the government to buy up bad financial assets, restoring the flow of credit. But we fought to ensure that taxpayers will be the first to profit if and when those assets rise again in value—making the true price tag nowhere near $700 billion. As Warren Buffett said of this bill: ‘If they do it right, and I think they’ll do it reasonably right…they’ll make a lot of money.’

In addition, we made sure that the financial community will be obligated to pay the taxpayers back for their loan. We restricted executive compensation, because CEOs whose recklessness helped bring on this crisis do not deserve taxpayer-subsidized golden parachutes.

We are also subjecting the Treasury Secretary’s decisions to strong oversight. And we will help homeowners renegotiate their mortgages, to prevent a further flood of 2 million projected foreclosures. Combined with the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, the provisions of which went into effect on October 1, we will continue to work to help current and future homeowners across Maryland and to steady the nation’s housing market during these difficult times.

The final economic rescue bill also includes changes made by the Senate that include an increase in the federal insurance of bank accounts from, $100,000 to $250,000, and the addition of several tax cuts.

I strongly disagreed with adding those tax provisions, because the Senate chose to finance them with debt. This crisis is teaching us a lesson about the dangers of fiscal recklessness—a lesson the Senate has ignored.

But an emergency like this calls for the courage to compromise. Last week, Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee Barney Frank said: "If we aren’t prepared to accept some of the things we don’t like, we will not have the power to deliver for the people we care about."

For me, those people are families in Prince George’s County unable to take out a loan to buy an appliance or pay for college. They are citizens in Southern Maryland who have worked their whole lives, only to see their retirement accounts threatened. They are millions of workers in the State of Maryland and across the country fearing a pink slip they did nothing to earn.

So while nobody is happy about having to take this action, it is the responsible thing to do. The cost of inaction is far too great.

The Era of Neglect Is Over

The turmoil in our nation’s economy has reached new heights in recent weeks with the collapse of major financial institutions and the subsequent tightening of available credit. While it is Wall Street that has taken the immediate hit, the consequential threat to the overall economy and individuals is very real.

Since becoming evident that this crisis would require immediate action, the Administration has put forward a plan that will enable the government to purchase illiquid assets clogging up the financial system. The hope, although no one can be certain, is that the rescue will allow frozen credit markets to thaw and help families keep their homes in the process.

While we are focused on a response that will stabilize the financial markets and rescue our economy Congress has made clear, that we will not simply hand over a $700 billion blank check to Wall Street and hope for the best. With Republicans and the Bush Administration, Democrats have worked to significantly improve the proposal and protect the taxpayers’ interests. We want to ensure the package will include rigorous and independent oversight; help every American homeowner maintain value in their home by enacting more tools to prevent foreclosures; keep CEOs and Wall Street executives from bailing out with golden parachutes; and provide equity for the American taxpayer.

As we move to take this action, I think it is also important to examine some of the factors that led us to this point. Though the situation we face is exceedingly complex, it is becoming clear that it has two deeper causes: a failure of responsible regulation and a failure of responsible fiscal policy.

When we needed them the most, the economic referees were taken off and kept off the field. We are only now emerging from an era of neglect, typified by three specific failures of responsible oversight and consumer protection.

First, for years, Congressional Republicans and regulators were lax in preventing the abusive lending practices that sparked the subprime collapse. Since 1994, no laws have been passed to crack down on irresponsible mortgage lending, even as the housing bubble swelled. And worse, regulators failed for years to enforce the law already on the books, even though they first saw loan standards eroding as early as 2003.

Second, as the bubble grew, the push for deregulation grew with it. The Administration and its allies in the Congress handed out exemptions from anti-predatory lending laws to the biggest financial players. And while exotic financial products like collateralized debt obligations were proliferating, common-sense regulations failed to keep up. Again and again, ideologues put laissez-faire dogma above the public interest.

Third, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac turned out to be at the heart of the meltdown; but for years, efforts to ensure their safety and soundness were quashed. Former House Financial Services Chairman Mike Oxley made that point bluntly this month. When the House attempted to reform the GSEs in 2005, "What did we get from the White House? We got a one-finger salute."

At the same time, America was piling up record deficits and debt. The current Administration swung the Clinton surplus $9 trillion in the wrong direction, into record deficits. Its foreign borrowing exceeds the total of the first 42 Administrations, combined. Those deficits and debt have contributed to a crisis of confidence in the American financial system.

Our debt ties up huge amounts of capital that could help the federal government mitigate an emergency like this one. Last year, Harvard economist Kenneth Rogoff called our debt "an Achilles’ heel that considerably amplifies the magnitude and duration of a crisis," and he is being proved right.

We must learn from those mistakes if we want to set our economy back to rights. In the short term, Congress will take action on a proposal to stabilize our markets. The goal, in the end, is to help Main Street: Jobs, retirement savings, and the state of an entire economy are all at stake.

We will also continue to push for a broader economic recovery package, which could include investing in America’s worn-down infrastructure, a proven way to create jobs.

Finally we are going to lay the foundation for safety and soundness in the long term. We will be working hard to restore some sensible oversight to our financial markets—oversight that protects individual investors and taxpayers above all. Already, the Democratic Congress passed comprehensive GSE and subprime lending reform. At the same time, Congress will keep its pledge of fiscal responsibility, sticking by pay-as-you-go rules except in emergencies.

This is not a time to put politics away. Bad political decisions—misplaced priorities and shortsighted planning—helped get us into this mess. It will take intelligent political decisions to pave our way out.

Supporting our Firefighters

The 7th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks reminded us that our volunteer and career firefighters sacrifice a great deal to protect our communities and it is our duty to provide them with the equipment and training that they need to keep their departments running safely and efficiently. It is critical that our firefighters and first responders have the resources they need to better protect themselves and the communities they serve.

Unfortunately, fire departments often have difficulty purchasing proper equipment. A ladder truck for a local fire department can run upwards of $750,000 and outfitting one firefighter with turnout gear and breathing apparatus can approach $4,500. In addition, departments must fund training programs for paid and/or volunteer firefighters.

As co-chair of the Congressional Fire Caucus, I led the effort in Congress to establish the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program to meet the basic equipment, training and firefighter safety requirements of America’s fire service, in order to bring our fire departments to a baseline of readiness to respond to all hazards.

Grant funds made available through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program are awarded to fire departments and EMS organizations across the nation to enhance their response capabilities and to more effectively protect the health and safety of the public and emergency response personnel.

Since 2001, Maryland has received more than $50 million in grant funding from the program. Fire departments that have received grants in the 5th Congressional District include La Plata, Hughesville, Mechanicsville, Solomons, Laurel, Prince George’s County Fire/Emergency Medical Services Department and Arson Investigation Unit, Seventh District, Leonardtown, College Park, Cobb Island, Second District, Brandywine, Greenbelt, Benedict, Waldorf, Newburg, Prince Frederick, Potomac Heights, Bryans Road, Berwyn Heights, and Ridge.

Every year, I lead the annual budget fight against attempts to cut funding for the program in the federal budget. After the Bush Administration proposed a 55 percent cut to the AFG program for FY 2008, the Congress restored funding to $560 million. Congress also restored funding for the Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Firefighters (SAFER) Program, which helps fire departments that are currently operating short of staff to train, hire and retain career and volunteer firefighters. Once again this year, President Bush has proposed deep cuts to AFG and the elimination of SAFER.

With nearly $3 billion in applications submitted for the current program year, there clearly continues to be a huge unmet need in our nation’s firehouses. The continued reduction of funds to train and equip our nation’s firefighters is simply bad public policy.

Firefighters risk their lives every day when protecting us, our homes, and our families. The very least we can do is provide them every resource available to ensure they go home safely to their families at the end of each day.

Next month, I will have the honor of attending the 27th National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service Emmitsburg, Maryland to commemorate to those firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty. On this occasion, we will memorialize 118 fallen firemen and women, their deaths a grave testament to the dangerous and sometimes fatal nature of the fire service.

Every day, our volunteer and career firefighters provide an unbelievable service and sacrifice a great deal to protect our communities. In 2007, U.S. fire departments nationwide responded to 1.6 million calls. These fires caused 3,430 civilian deaths, 17,675 civilian injuries and $14.6 billion in direct damage. Although tragic, these numbers would no doubt have been far greater were it not for the dedicated service of our first responders.

And we recall too, how on that fateful day of September 11, 2001, firefighters were among the first on the scene at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in the fields outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Their heroic efforts saved lives that day, but it is also what the firemen and women do on a daily basis that defines the invaluable service they provide.

These brave protectors are responsible for leading both defensive and offensive efforts to ensure the safety of our homes and communities. They are the trained professionals ready to respond at the first sign of distress, and they are the front line in the event of an emergency.

It is critical that our firefighters and first responders are provided all available resources to ensure their safety and enhance their ability to protect our communities from harm. I will continue to fully support these programs in order to meet the needs of our nation’s fire fighters. I will remain vigilant in this latest fight on behalf of some our bravest first responders.

9/11 Anniversary: A Day of Remembrance and Resolve



A photo of Navy Electronics Technician First Class Brian A. Moss, who died along with 183 others during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack at the Pentagon, sits on the inscribed memorial unit dedicated in Moss’ honor. The memorial park was dedicated on Sept. 11, 2008. Defense Dept. photo by John J. Kruzel

For all of us, September 11 is seared into our memory, just as December 7 was for an earlier generation. On that somber day in our history, nearly 3,000 men, women, and children were murdered on American soil – at the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Virginia, and on United Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. Fifty-four of those brave Americans were Marylanders and eight from Southern Maryland.

September 11 - or 9/11- was a day of horror and of heroism, and each year it is a time for us to renew our devotion to the ideals that make our nation what it is: ideals of liberty, tolerance, equality, and the rule of law.

In commemoration of the seventh anniversary of September 11, I joined 9/11 families, Pentagon workers, elected officials and military dignitaries in designating the new memorial at the site of the plane crash at the Pentagon. The memorial, a park featuring 184 light benches for the 184 victims lost at that site, is the nation’s first 9/11 memorial and will forever enshrine the memory of the brave souls who perished in that unimaginable assault.

Congress also paid its special respects. I, along with the Republican Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, offered a resolution recognizing September 11 as a day of remembrance and resolve.

The resolution echoes the pledge all Americans make as we remember that fateful day and the thousands of men, women, and children we lost. We pledge to keep their names alive and their memories fresh. And we pledge ourselves, once again, to continue to offer support to those who loved and lost them.

We recall the heroism, the light of courage that shines brightest in the darkest hours. We remember the service and the sacrifice of our first responders; firemen, policemen, medical personnel. Three hundred and forty-three firefighters; 37 port authority officers; 23 police officers—they served unto death, and they died in service.

We remember the heroic passengers of United Flight 93, ordinary Americans who found in themselves unthinkable reserves of heroism, and made the ultimate sacrifice to spare the lives of those of us visiting and living and working in our nation’s capital at the cost of their own.

We also send our thoughts far away where our servicemen and women are standing and fighting in harm’s way. Inspired by each and every one of those sacrifices, let us renew our resolve. We commit ourselves to defending our people against any and all future threats.

We remain steadfast in our commitment to disrupt, dismantle, defeat, and destroy terrorist networks that endanger all we hold dear. We will devote to that cause all our military might, all our diplomatic skill, all our moral force.

Americans have worked tirelessly to make our nation safer. This Congress has passed, and the President has signed, numerous laws to assist victims, combat terrorism, protect our homeland and to support the members of our armed forces who defend our interests at home and abroad.

Most importantly of all, we adopted last year all of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission—and now, we must now fully implement them. We must keep working to keep America secure. We can always do more. We are stronger today than we were seven years ago; but as the chairmen of the 9/11 Commission pointed out, we are not yet strong enough.

September 11 is a reminder that in this uncertain century, even the most powerful nation on earth is vulnerable. So let us add humility and watchfulness to our mourning because we are defending something greater and more powerful than our own lives.

We are defending the same ideals to which our founders pledged, more than two centuries ago, their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. We are defending the American ideals that stretch through our history and animate our spirit even today. And no attack can ever break them.

Let’s Invest in Clean Energy

A few weeks ago, I was asked by the Wall Street Journal to participate in a debate about how I would spend $10 billion of American resources over the next four years to help improve the state of the world.

How would I spend a hypothetical $10 billion? I can’t help noting, at the outset, that it’s not just a question of priorities. It’s also a question of fiscal responsibility. After all, President Bush managed to turn a projected $5.6 trillion budget surplus into a projected $4 trillion deficit in less than eight years. So unless we’re willing to make some tough fiscal choices, the money we’re talking about will have to remain highly hypothetical.

But if I had the cash on hand, and had to choose from the list of worthy causes, I’d focus on one issue: energy.

A dramatic investment in clean energy would reap a broad range of benefits that would span across economic, national security and environmental spheres. Energy independence would be the most effective check on aggressive petro-regimes from Moscow to Tehran; it would be the best long-term solution to global warming; and it is by far the most effective step we can take for Marylanders staggering under the burden of high gas prices.

That’s because the forces that have produced this summer’s record prices are not going away. We are facing skyrocketing world demand for an ever-shrinking quantity of oil, and unless Congress figures out a way to amend the laws of supply and demand, that fundamental fact is not going to change. This is a large-scale problem, and it’s going to take large-scale solutions.

One of those solutions is using America’s resources for America. Right now, 311 million acres of public land are available for oil leasing. Of those, the oil companies are sitting idle on 68 million acres, including 33 million on the Outer Continental Shelf. Republicans seem incapable of acknowledging that those 68 million acres are already leased, yet completely undrilled. The public wants drilling on that land, and Democrats agree.

But ultimately, we are still consuming nearly a quarter of the world’s oil while, according to the Oil and Gas Journal, we are sitting on just 1.6 percent of the total world supply. Even with more domestic production, there’s only one lasting solution: find new sources of energy, and use the energy we already have more intelligently.

That is why I have supported bills that raised the gas mileage standard for the first time in more than three decades, increased production of homegrown biofuels, supported efforts to develop the next generation of vehicles, and launched a comprehensive advanced energy research program.

With an additional $10 billion, we could give that work a massive push. Government-sponsored research has an excellent track record; the defense research agency DARPA, for instance, has sparked the development of GPS, the computer mouse, the Saturn rocket engine, the Predator drone and computer-aided design — not to mention the Internet.

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy and other government-sponsored researchers are now doing the same thing for clean technologies. Over the past 10 years, the federal government has been spending an average of a little less than $1 billion per year on energy research. An extra $10 billion infusion would allow us to double those efforts for a decade.

Imagine the effect on our economy if we mastered cutting-edge technologies like these, not just for our own consumption, but for export to the world: hydrogen-powered vehicles; fuel cells; plug-in hybrids; new nuclear technology, for safe, carbon-neutral plants; carbon sequestration, which would let us keep relying on coal, while storing emissions in the ground.

These, and other promising solutions, are hardly space-age endeavors; most of the science already exists. The difficulty lies in achieving economies of scale and cost-effectiveness, but it’s exactly there that government support could make the difference.

We could also use the money to support existing clean technologies. We could extend tax credits for renewable-energy electricity and solar projects, help local governments issue bonds for renewable energy construction, and preserve incentives for homeowners to install solar panels, small windmills, geothermal heat pumps, and fuel cells on their property.

It would be worth every penny. So much is at stake when it comes to clean energy, beginning with lower gas prices and a healthier planet for our children. Global leadership is at stake, too. In the 21st century, it will take more than an accident of geography to be a world energy leader: It will take innovation, ingenuity, and smart investment. With the right choices today, we can earn that role for generations to come.

Labor Day – Restoring the Promise of the American Dream

"The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pays tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom, and leadership - the American worker." – U.S. Department of Labor

This is the spirit and meaning behind the Labor Day holiday. While many enjoy a long weekend, and mourn the end of summer with perhaps one more visit to the beach, it is also a time to recognize the significance of this important holiday and honor the achievements, contributions and value of the American worker.

In 1882, the first Labor Day festivities celebrated the creation of the labor movement and the social and economic achievements of the American worker. We have since taken this day to pay national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

When this holiday was first proposed, people celebrated with a street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations" of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day, and this is certainly true throughout Maryland this holiday weekend.

In the first parade held in New York City, between 10,000 and 20,000 people marched, celebrated, and sought to bring greater awareness and change to the sad conditions that existed for far too many American workers. For the following few years - as the growth of labor organizations spread - the unofficial holiday continued and took root across the country. Finally, on June 28, 1894, Congress passed legislation to honor the contributions and achievements of America’s workers and make the first Monday of every September, Labor Day, a federal holiday.

Today, Labor Day continues to serve as a day to celebrate the hard labor that has made this country the most productive and prosperous nation in the world. Our observance of this holiday also reminds us that the struggles of working Americans are far from over. Despite our nation’s leadership in the global economy, millions of Americans worry that the American Dream is no longer within reach. They are working harder, but living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to make ends meet and going deeper into debt because of the high cost of health care, energy, housing, and education.

Just last week, the Census Bureau released data confirming what millions of American families know first-hand: our economy is in trouble and has worsened significantly under the current Administration. Since 2000, the typical family here in Maryland has seen their real income increase by just $254, making it difficult to keep up with rising costs.

The report also shows that since 2000, nearly 6 million more families are living in poverty—a total of 37.3 million, in the richest country in the world. And though the number of uninsured Americans decreased slightly last year, that is cold comfort to the nearly 46 million - 762,000 in Maryland - who still go every day without health insurance.

Combined with this summer’s record gas prices, the foreclosure crisis, and the skyrocketing costs of everything from food to higher education, the economic outlook is truly discouraging for those of us who find ourselves outside the top one percent.

Already, the new majority in Congress has succeeded in moving America in a new direction, to help create greater opportunity and a chance for prosperity for all Americans, not just the privileged few. We have worked to strengthen Maryland families by raising the minimum wage, sending economic stimulus checks to 2.5 million people in our state and expanding opportunities for more students seeking a college education. In addition, we extended benefits for an additional 13 weeks to give a boost to 43,990 Marylanders who have lost their jobs in this poor economy.

Additionally, the Congress is working to help families and businesses with rising energy prices, and to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. And we have passed legislation to help Maryland families and communities deal with the housing crisis that has weakened our economy and led to a record loss of homes in our state.

On this Labor Day, it is important to recognize that America’s workers are the lifeblood of our nation, and their hard work, innovation, creativity, energy, and determination has made our country as strong as it is today. It is our responsibility to provide the necessary resources to empower the American worker so that they have the highest quality of life and standard of living. In my opinion, that is how we can best observe the Labor Day holiday.

Celebrating Progress and Continuing

Efforts Toward Full Equality

Our country began its history with a declaration that "all men are created equal." And in the years since, bit by bit, struggle by painful struggle, we have brought new meaning to the word "equality" in every generation. In every generation, we have brought the Founders’ promise a little closer to fulfillment.

This month, we mark one of the greatest milestones in our path to fulfill this promise: the day American women were afforded the right to vote.

I use that word deliberately. Milestones don’t mark a beginning or a end; they mark a journey. They let us know we’re still on the right road, and they tell us how many miles are left until we can rest at our destination.

This milestone reads: On August 29, 1920, 88 years ago this week, the 19th Amendment was ratified and women claimed their right to vote. But look back up the road: We’ve been travelling it since before we were a nation; we’ve been travelling it so long that no one can fix with certainty the day we set out.

One might set the date in 1648. That was the year that Margaret Brent—the first female landowner in our state, and the first woman to act in court as an attorney in the whole New World—appeared before the Maryland General Assembly in St. Mary’s City and demanded a vote. And when it was withheld from her, she had the audacity to declare that she "protested against all proceedings…unless [I] may be present and have a vote."

And for nearly three centuries, you could say that all the work of our legislatures went on under protest—the protests, often voiced, sometimes silent, of those who were shut out for so long. Trailblazers like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton gave voice to that complaint, as did suffragists like Alice Paul and Lucie Burns. And at long last, they were heard.

But the years since 1920 have shown us that the right to vote was in many ways only the beginning. Freedom from harassment and discrimination; equal representation in our government; a fair shot in the workplace; access to affordable healthcare—the right to vote didn’t guarantee any of those. It was necessary, but far from sufficient.

If someone asks you to believe that the journey is over, that we’ve reached our goal, ask them why women still make 77 cents for every dollar earned by a man. Tell them the story of Lilly Ledbetter.

For almost 20 years, Ms. Ledbetter was a supervisor at a tire plant in Gadsden, Alabama. She faced two kinds of discrimination at the same time. There was sexual harassment: There was the manager who told her that women shouldn’t work in a factory, or the supervisor who tried to use performance evaluations to extort sexual favors. And there was pay discrimination: By the end of her career, she was making about $6,700 less per year than the lowest-paid man in the same position.

Both kinds of discrimination were meant to send the message that women don’t belong in the workplace; even in 2008, both kinds are far too common. But there is an important difference. Sexual harassment works because it is blatant. Pay discrimination works because it stays hidden. It depends on keeping women in the dark.

In fact, by the time Ms. Ledbetter found out she was suffering discrimination, it was too late. The Supreme Court ruled on the technicality that because she did not discover the discrimination soon enough, her claim had to be thrown out.

In my opinion, that decision was far off base. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who has herself been a crusader for women’s and civil rights, put it best: "The Court does not comprehend, or is indifferent to, the insidious way in which women can be victims of pay discrimination."

But Congress comprehends it. Congress is far from indifferent. And we are actively fighting discrimination in the workplace. Last year, the House passed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which would give women a fair window in which to file discrimination claims. And just this summer, we passed the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would help bring discrimination out of the dark by preventing employers from retaliating against workers who share or inquire about pay information. It would also strengthen sanctions against discriminatory employers, which have not been adjusted for 17 years.

I am proud of both of those bills, and I am confident that they will find their way to the president’s desk—this president, or the next one. I know that the House, led by the first female Speaker in our history, will continue to stand by the principle of equal pay for equal work.

Congress Working to Lower Gas Prices;

Increase Energy Independence

With gas prices and energy costs pinching the pockets of Americans across the country, Congress has been committed to meeting the challenge head-on.

Over the last few months, the Democratic-led House has put forward 13 major proposals that would increase supply, reduce prices, protect consumers and transition America to a clean, renewable energy-independent future.

Each time a majority of House Republicans has voted against these proposals, including legislation to immediately increase supply by releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and to increase domestic oil production by drilling on already available land.

Instead of working with Democrats to find real solutions to America’s energy challenges, the minority has created legislative gridlock, repeatedly obstructing the process to make a politically motivated argument that the only way to bring down gas prices is to open up currently protected lands in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) for drilling.

Don’t get me wrong: Democrats support drilling. We support increasing domestic supply by drilling on the 311 million acres of land and waters that are available for development or will be accessible pending the completion of land-use planning or environmental reviews–an area which hold reserves equal to 107 billion barrels of oil and 658 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. According to the Energy Information Administration, these reserves are equal to 10 times the amount of the economically recoverable oil that could be produced from opening up ANWR and more than 14 years of current U.S. oil consumption (7.5 billion barrels per year).

Democrats also back legislation requiring oil companies to drill now on 68 million acres (33 million in the OCS) of those lands and waters on which they have leases but are not currently drilling. And Democrats in the House support a measure to spur drilling in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, which contains more oil than the environmentally-sensitive ANWR. House Republicans blocked these measures in order to make a political issue out of a serious problem.

The truth is those who say that opening up protected lands for drilling in ANWR and the OCS is the only way to lower gas prices are offering a false choice. Eighty-percent of the oil available in the OCS is already open for leasing, and companies hold leases on millions of acres in the OCS on which they are not drilling. Drilling in ANWR wouldn’t yield any oil for 10 years—and then would only save drivers 1.8 cents per gallon in 2025. [Source: Energy Information Agency]

Despite what some would have you believe, drilling in ANWR and the OCS is not a silver bullet, nor is it one that will deliver immediate relief. The Department of Energy says the impact upon energy prices of new drilling will be longer term and small – pennies per gallon a decade or two from now. Releasing oil from the government’s own stockpile is the only plan that would bring down gas prices immediately. Again, House Republicans have blocked this from moving forward.

The reality is there is no single or simple solution. Failed policies of the past have left America far too reliant on foreign sources of oil. But the Democratic-led Congress has begun to turn things around. Reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil requires a comprehensive approach that invests in renewable energy and energy conservation and increases the domestic supply of oil and natural gas in a responsible manner.

This Congress has already made historic investments in affordable American-grown biofuels and alternative energy - which are keeping gas prices almost 50 cents lower. And we have made a serious commitment to renewable energy, including solar, hydropower and geothermal energy, and enacted the first increase in the vehicle fuel efficiency standard in 32 years.

These changes may not cause prices to drop tomorrow, but they are critical to putting America on a path towards a sustainable energy future that is less dependent, and thus, less vulnerable to factors causing fluctuations in the international oil market. We will continue to work towards solutions that will meet America’s energy needs – today and in the future – and reduce our dangerous dependence on foreign oil.

Digital Television is Coming: Are You Ready?

Just six months from now, our nation will undergo one of the most significant technological changes in history: the transition to digital television. On February 17, 2009, full-power television broadcasters will begin airing exclusively digital signals – and analog television sets that are not connected to a digital-to-analog converter box or cable or satellite service will stop receiving a signal.

There is no question that the digital television transition will bring our nation great benefits. Some of the channels currently used by analog television stations will be freed up for commercial advanced wireless services. Other channels have been set aside for public safety communications, including a nationwide, interoperable broadband network for public safety, which is a key recommendation of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks (the 9-11 Commission).

The digital television transition will also bring benefits to television viewers. Digital television will mean greater access to free, over-the-air television channels, in addition to clearer images and enhanced sound quality.

Consumers need to begin preparing for this monumental change now, not only to enjoy the benefits of digital television, but also to avoid losing television service altogether. Families who use analog television sets to receive television service over-the-air, using a traditional rooftop antenna or "rabbit ears," will have to acquire a new digital-to-analog converter box to ensure that their sets can display digital signals. Analog television sets connected to cable or satellite service should not require a new converter box.

This shift from analog to digital television is a major undertaking. Many of those who will be affected are not aware that they need to take action. In June, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) consumer survey found that 35 percent of homes that rely on over-the-air reception and 52 percent of homes with at least one analog television set not connected to cable or satellite service are unprepared for the transition. Those numbers suggest that much work remains to educate consumers, including seniors, non-English-speaking households, and other vulnerable populations. If households are not properly informed and prepared, there is potential for much confusion in February.

At Congress’s direction, the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has established a program to help consumers defray the cost of digital-to-analog converter boxes. Every household is eligible for two $40 coupons, each of which can be used towards the purchase of a converter box. Coupons can be obtained by submitting a request to the government. The easiest way to apply is to call 1-888-388-2009, or apply online at www.dtv2009.gov/ApplyCoupon.aspx.

Coupons expire 90 days after they are mailed and will have the expiration date printed on the coupon. The last day to apply for coupons is March 31, 2009, or until supplies are exhausted.

TV converter boxes from a variety of manufacturers are available now at most consumer electronic retail stores, and are expected to cost between $50 and $70. Some retailers may offer coupon application forms at their stores, however, retailers, cannot provide the coupons; consumers must request them from the government. The decision to provide applications is up to each retailer.

Although the transition date is six months away, you can begin enjoying the benefits of digital television today. Because most full-power stations are currently broadcasting both in digital and analog, viewers can plug in their converter boxes and generally receive a clearer picture and "multicast" channels, where they are available.

Every one of us has a crucial role to play in this transition. I will continue working to educate my constituents about the steps they should take. On my website, www.hoyer.house.gov, I have posted information on the steps Maryland citizens need to take to be ready for the digital television transition. Consumers can also call 1-888-DTV-2009 or visit www.dtv2009.gov to learn more.

February 17, 2009, will be a notable day. Together, we can ensure that it marks an important milestone in broadcasting history, not a day of nationwide consumer disenfranchisement and confusion.

Korean War Veterans Deserve Recognition

Fifty-five years ago, after tremendous sacrifice, on July 27, 1953, the Korean War came to an end. Waged for three years on the Korean Peninsula, the Korean War called 5.7 million Americans to arms; 36,000 of them gave their lives. Yet, this conflict, in which so many Americans served with such bravery, is often called the "Forgotten War," because it has not commanded the recognition or respect that it deserves.

Korea was a war unlike any we had seen. Total wars with unambiguous endings and surrender ceremonies—those, we could understand. But in Korea we saw a fight for uncertain, shifting aims; a struggle as much about cold war politics as military might and a war ending in a shaky armistice that lasts to this day.

In his book The Coldest Winter, David Halberstam wrote: "It was a war fought on strikingly harsh terrain and often in ghastly weather, most particularly a numbing winter cold that often seemed to American troops an even greater enemy than the North Koreans or Chinese….It was a puzzling, gray, very distant conflict, a war that went on and on and on."

America watched the war happen and simply couldn’t find a story to make sense of it. It is almost as if, confronted with such unfamiliar facts, we did not know where to file them in our nation’s memory.

But that does not make them any less real. Our failure of memory takes nothing away from the millions of Americans struggled and starved through the Korean winters. And it cannot possibly take away from the brave soldiers who never came home.

As long as they live, they will never be forgotten. And, I trust, they will be remembered even longer than that. Because in recent years, America has taken great strides to give Korean War veterans the respect their courage merits.

In June, Congress passed legislation I introduced along with Senator Ben Cardin and Korean War veteran Congressman Sam Johnson from Texas to grant a Federal Charter to the Korean Veterans Association (KWVA), one of the few veterans’ service organizations of its size that has not been recognized with the prestigious honor. The President signed the bill into law on June 30, in time for the anniversary of the armistice.

Congress has long recognized various military and veterans patriotic organizations in public law. While a Federal Charter does not confer any special rights, privileges or benefits to a membership organization, it is an acknowledgement that a group serves the public interest by providing its members important services and community support.

Incorporated in 1985, the KWVA is the only fraternal veterans’ organization in the United States devoted exclusively to Korean War veterans. Over the last two decades, the 25,000-member charitable association has established a strong record of service and commitment to fellow Korean War veterans, ranging from efforts on behalf of Project Freedom to its successful campaign to construct a national Korean War Veterans Memorial on the National Mall.

Granting this charter to the Korean War Veterans Association will also focus more attention on issues important to Korean War veterans, and it will allow the KWVA to fully participate on veterans’ advisory panels and select groups with other congressionally-chartered veterans’ and military organizations. This is important because 13 states currently deny membership on veterans’ advisory panels to groups without a Federal Charter.

Korean War veterans deserve this recognition. They deserve to have a seat at the table and to be recognized for their struggles and sacrifices on behalf of freedom. From the memorial in Washington DC, to the well-deserved federal charter, we have worked hard to fill the hole in our memory and ensure that those who fought in Korea have an honored place among our veterans. Today, at last, that place is a little more secure.

Federal Budgeting 101: Prioritize Wisely,

Buy What You Can Afford

It’s probably safe to assume that when you sit down to craft a personal, family or business budget, you begin by making a list of necessary expenses, such as groceries, your mortgage or office supplies. The next step is figuring out how much they cost, measuring your expenses against your income, and spending within your means—without needlessly going into debt. Sounds simple enough, right?

For years, this rather basic concept eluded the Congress and the President – the two branches complicit in allowing federal deficits to explode and the national debt to reach unprecedented new heights.

Consider the facts: six years ago, when President Bush took office, the 10-year budget projection was an estimated $5.6 trillion surplus. Assuming no change in government’s fiscal behavior, that forecast would have yielded a zero balance on our national debt by the year 2011. However, in the first six years of the Bush Administration, increased government spending coupled with lopsided tax cuts that have largely benefited the wealthiest few took us in the opposite direction. The $5.6 trillion projected surplus became a $3 trillion deficit - a fiscal collapse of nearly $9 trillion.

As a result, the new Democratic majorities in this Congress inherited a fiscal debacle last year. But rather than continue down the path of recklessness, we have committed to putting the nation’s fiscal house back in order and managing the federal finances in the same manner that a Maryland family would manage a household budget.

One of the first orders of business when the new Congress convened in January 2007 was to reinstate pay-as-you-go budget rules to ensure real fiscal discipline. These rules—which simply state that you can only spend what you have— require the federal government to do what every Maryland family must do: spend within its means.

We have followed that by adopting two consecutive budgets that will return the budget to balance by 2012. But our budget is not solely a blueprint for fiscal responsibility. It is a budget that meets the critical needs of our citizens, making investments to keep America safe, boosting economic growth and create jobs, providing tax relief, and helping families struggling in the current economic downturn.

This year’s budget matches the President’s request for defense, while shifting funds to high priorities such as nuclear non-proliferation programs. It increases homeland security funding over the President’s request. And it rejects the President’s proposed cuts to first-responder programs.

The budget we adopted also increases funding for veterans health care by $3.7 billion, and boosts funding for renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives, as well and invests in scientific innovation, education, training and social services.

Furthermore, it accommodates an immediate and long-term fix to the Alternative Minimum Tax, and additional middle-class tax relief.

Finally, the budget rejects the President’s harmful cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, to the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, to state and local law enforcement programs such as COPS, and to Environmental Protection Agency grants to protect public health. It also rejects the President’s proposal to increase fees for veterans and military retirees by $18 billion.

As anyone who has ever devised a budget knows, managing ones finances isn’t exactly rocket science, but it does require discipline and a real commitment to fiscal responsibility. If we are going to meet the needs of American families and maintain economic stability, Members of Congress need to work together across the aisle, spend responsibly, and create viable budgets that address our nation’s key priorities—without mortgaging the futures of our children and grandchildren.

Every family deserves the opportunity to leave their children with a more prosperous nation than the one they inherited. It is our responsibility to ensure that the policies we pursue are consistent with the values we cherish and the promises we have made. We can and must continue to work to put our nation’s finances in order and get America back on the right fiscal track.

House Acts to Extend Unemployment Benefits for Maryland Workers

The poor economy is affecting everyone, but it is taking a particularly painful toll on workers in Maryland and throughout the country who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own and are struggling to make ends meet while they look for work in this poorly performing economy.

Recent unemployment data underscores just how serious the problem is. The most recent Department of Labor monthly jobs report shows that the nation’s unemployment rate for May rose from 5 percent to 5.5 percent – the biggest monthly increase in 22 years. In addition, the report found that 49,000 workers lost their jobs in May, for a total of nearly 325,000 jobs lost since the beginning of the year.

And, over the last 12 months, the number of unemployed Americans has increased by 1.6 million (from nearly 6.9 million in May 2007 to nearly 8.5 million in May 2008). In fact, 1.5 million workers are long-term unemployed, which means that they have been jobless for more than six months.

In Maryland, unemployment has risen 0.7 percent from 4.5 percent in March 2007 to 5.2 percent in March 2008. All the while, working Americans have been confronted with decreasing household incomes, exploding gas and food prices and escalating health care costs.

All this makes clear the need for an effective unemployment insurance program that helps workers weather the economic storm that has chipped away hundreds of thousands of American jobs in recent months.

That is why the U.S. House of Representatives took action last week to approve the Emergency Extended Unemployment Compensation Act extending the length of time qualified workers who have lost their jobs can collect unemployment benefits.

The legislation would immediately provide up to 13 weeks of extended unemployment insurance in every state to workers exhausting regular unemployment compensation. And, in states with higher levels of unemployment, an additional 13 weeks is available on top of that. The extended relief would run through March 2009 and would benefit 3.8 million Americans, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Federal unemployment trust funds, which have more than enough reserves to cover the cost, will finance these benefits.

The temporary extension of these benefits are also believed by economists and policy experts to be one of the most cost-effective and fast-acting ways to stimulate the economy because the money is spent quickly. It is estimated that every $1 spent on unemployment benefits generates $1.64 in new economic demand.

Democrats in Congress have pushed to extend unemployment benefits since the beginning of the year -as the economy weakened - but have faced continued resistance from the Bush Administration, which has threatened to veto the measure. Even with the biggest one-month jump in the unemployment rate in two decades, and huge job losses in the airline and auto industry among others, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said recently, "…no administration has increased or extended unemployment benefits while unemployment was this low."

There is no justification for the President’s threatened veto of this much-needed legislation. Under this Administration, the American worker has been forced to contend with job loss, decreasing incomes, exploding gas, food and health care costs, and unprecedented foreclosure rates. America’s workers and families can wait no longer, and neither will this Congress. But this bill is not only a sign of compassion and a demonstration of our values; it is also a fast-acting form of economic stimulus for the floundering Bush economy.

Extending unemployment is the right thing to do for our workers and our economy. I have urged the Senate to take this bill up as soon as it can, and I hope that Senate Republicans – as they have done on several major pieces of legislation – will not obstruct passage of this bill.

Appreciating the Bay through the Chesapeake Bay

Gateways and Water Trails Network

Those of us fortunate to live in this region have been blessed with a multitude of magnificent natural resources, not the least of which is our nation’s largest estuary – the Chesapeake Bay, a body of water that has played such an important role in shaping the cultural, economic, political, and social history of our region.

Unfortunately, the Chesapeake Bay of 2008 is not the pristine body that Captain John Smith first charted on his expeditions some 400 years ago.

Indeed, earlier this year, the EPA Chesapeake Bay Program released the Chesapeake Bay 2007 Health and Restoration Assessment which found the overall health of the Bay remains significantly impaired. Shortly thereafter, on April 3, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science issued a Report Card grading the Bay’s health a C-.

In the 110th Congress, I have joined with my colleagues in Maryland’s Congressional delegation in successfully advocating for legislation to improve the health of the Bay.

We’ve strengthened the ability of the Army Corps of Engineers to undertake Bay oyster restoration, water pollution control, and environmental infrastructure projects in the 2007 WRDA bill.

And, we’ve included approximately $438 million in mandatory funding in the Farm Bill to help Chesapeake Bay watershed farmers in their ongoing efforts to implement practices to prevent runoff and control shoreline erosion.

Just last week, we took another important step forward in our efforts by permanently authorizing a program that has already done so much to raise awareness of the fragile health of the Bay and directly engage our region’s citizens and visitors to take an active role in fulfilling our shared goal of restoring the Chesapeake.

That program provides grants for the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Water Trails Network, which ties together more than 156 museums, state parks, wildlife refuges, Indian reservations, water trails, and other sites in six states and the District of Columbia to enable visitors to appreciate the far-reaching role the Bay has had in the culture and history of the region.

There are twenty-five Gateway sites located in Southern Maryland, including Piscataway Park, Smallwood State Park, St. Clements Island-Potomac River Museum, Historic St. Mary’s City, Point Lookout State Park, Myrtle Point Park, Calvert Cliffs State Park, Sotterley Plantation and Chesapeake Biological Laboratory.

Through the Chesapeake Gateways program, matching grants of $5,000 to $50,000 are allocated for projects that advance Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network goals to help conserve, restore and interpret their roles in the Bay’s natural, cultural, and social history. Past Network grants have funded new maps, improved signs, and expanded trails that have helped enhance the public’s ability to learn about and enjoy the Bay’s natural and cultural resources, and empower citizens to be good stewards of the this great national treasure.

As I do every year, I will be participating in former Senator Bernie Fowler’s annual Wade In into the Patuxent River to gauge the health and cleanliness of the waterway. The Wade In was started by Senator Fowler as an effort to emphasize the importance of working together to clean up Maryland’s waterways, particularly those that flow into the Chesapeake Bay. In the 21 years that Senator Fowler has conducted his Wade In, we have seen a rapid deterioration in the quality of the Patuxent – as well as a corollary decline in the health of the Bay. However, as a measure of public awareness, the event has been an unqualified success.

That is the goal of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network – to enable citizens to better understand the challenges confronting and appreciate the role they can play in the Bay’s survival. I encourage Southern Maryland residents to explore the treasures of the Bay through the Gateways Network. Information on all Network sites as well as events and activities throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed is available at <www.baygateways.net.

Memorial Day: Remembering

Those Lost in the Fight For Freedom

On Monday, Americans across the country will celebrate Memorial Day to honor those men and women who gave their lives while protecting our freedom. Since this nation’s founding, America’s soldiers have been staunch and steady defenders of our democracy.

Memorial Day’s origin is traced to the wives of fallen Civil War soldiers, who began the tradition of visiting their husband’s graves and decorating them with flowers. Now, as then, we understand the importance of publicly recognizing the sacrifice made by our heroes in service of their fellow man. The families and loved ones of those lost should take comfort in knowing that a grateful nation shares in their pain.

Since March 2003, our nation has suffered the loss of 2,450 servicemen and women, including forty-one from the state of Maryland. These dedicated patriots made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, and my thoughts and prayers continue to be with their families.

While it is important to express words of gratitude, our nation has a moral obligation to honor our fallen soldiers by providing their surviving relatives with the resources they need. Unfortunately, today’s Military Families Tax unfairly penalizes the widows of those who have died from service-related injuries. I am fighting in Congress to end the Military Families Tax, which penalizes more than 50,000 survivors.

Memorial Day is also a gripping reminder of the obligation we have to those men and women fortunate enough to return from battle. There are approximately 25 million veterans in America – nearly three-fourths of whom served during war or an official period of hostility. There are more than 486,000 veterans living here in Maryland, and approximately 3,000 Marylanders are currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.

These patriots, who have courageously accepted their country’s call to duty, must receive the resources they have earned. That is why I have joined my colleagues in the House of Representatives in proposing the New GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century. The bill honors the sacrifices of our troops, veterans and their families and ensures that they receive all the benefits they deserve. It will bolster support for our troops in harms way, and pays special attention to the unique needs of the National Guard and Reserves. It provides better health care, education, and job training benefits for those who have answered the call, and affords long overdue services to disabled military retirees and military families.

In 1944, Congress enacted the original GI Bill of Rights, to honor the Greatest Generation, which ultimately won World War II. In doing so, the federal government supported returning troops with educational benefits, loans to buy a home, and medical assistance. And, in each major military conflict since (Korea and Vietnam), we have honored the service of our soldiers through a new GI bill.

Now is the time for our government to fulfill it’s moral obligation to those who have fought for freedom and democracy, and renew it’s pledge to adequately fund veterans’ health care, including meeting the costs of care for mental health and prosthetics.

Shamefully, more than 50,000 veterans are now waiting in line for up to six months for their medical care. This problem will inevitably grow as more servicemen and women return home and enter the system.

Last week, I opposed the budget passed by Congress that triples health care fees for veterans and slashes $6 billion in veteran services over the next five years.

On the battlefield, the military pledges to leave no soldier behind. As a nation, it should be our pledge to make that same commitment to our veterans. We must honor their service by passing a modernized GI Bill of Rights, making sound investments in health care, and promising never to balance the budget on the backs of our veterans.