Congressional Briefs: Butterfield, Cummings, Lee, Lewis, Jones

Feb. 8, 2008, 12:20 a.m. - U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, California Democrat, issued the following statement to commemorate Black History Month:

"As First Vice-Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, I want to commemorate Black History Month by advocating for a greater commitment to the domestic and global HIV/AIDS pandemic.

"Under President Bush, funding for the Minority AIDS Initiative and our domestic HIV/AIDS programs has flat-lined, even as data shows communities of color are increasingly bearing the brunt of the disease. Over 188,000 African-Americans were living with AIDS at the end of 2005, representing 44 percent of all cases in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"On Monday the president will release his 2009 federal budget, which should include funding for HIV/AIDS. I urge President Bush to stand on the right side of Americans and increase funding for programs to combat the disease among African Americans and other communities. I will continue to work with the CBC and Congress to identify bipartisan solutions to eradicate HIV/AIDS in our nation and abroad."

Cummings, DeLauro to Mattel: 'Stop Selling Toxic Toys'

U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Maryland Democrat and a senior member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and U.S. Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, Connecticut Democrat and a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, joined by a coalition of 55 other colleagues, sent a letter to David Eckert, CEO of Mattel, calling on the company to cease the production of toys containing lead—including a toy known to have high levels of accessible surface lead. Text of the letter below:

"When the major leaders of the toy industry refuse to take a stand for our children's safety, a disgracefully low standard is set for other companies," Cummings said. "It is simply shocking to the conscience that a company as well-known as Mattel would be lining the toy stores—and the shelves of our children's bedrooms—with toxic toys."

"Parents should be able to trust that the toys their children play with are safe. With the Consumer Product Safety Commission sitting on the back bench, toy companies must step-up and surpass the standards set by law," DeLauro said. "Recalls based on geography not only allows unsafe toys to get into the hands of our children, but it damages brands like Mattel, which parents have come to rely on. This is about the health and well-being of our children and we should not have a race to the bottom."

Cummings and DeLauro have both individually written to Eckert in the past expressing concern over the safety of Mattel's products and intend to meet with representatives from Mattel to further discuss this issue. Most recently, in December, n Cummings requested from Eckert that the company recall a toy medical kit produced by Mattel's subsidiary, Fisher Price, which ironically contains a red blood pressure cuff with levels of lead at nearly 500 percent of the federal standard for paint.

Additionally, nearly six months ago when the public began to realize the number of contaminated toys in their homes and on store shelves, DeLauro wrote Eckert to better understand what the company was doing to institute better practices to prevent tainted toys from entering the marketplace.

Dissatisfied with the response from the company, Cummings and DeLauro circulated this follow-up letter to their colleagues.

Cummings encourages President Bush to embrace all community organizations

U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Maryland Democrat, released the following statement in response to the President's visit to an East Baltimore faith-based organization focused on prisoner re-entry programs:

"I commend President Bush for taking the time to visit Baltimore and applaud the great work being done here by Jericho to ease the transition for prisoners re-entering society. The assistance provided by organizations focused on offering ex-offenders the tools and resources necessary to find jobs and seamlessly begin new lives is invaluable.

However, we must be sure that our support of such crucial neighborhood programs is not limited to those based on faith. There are many organizations and support groups throughout Baltimore and the rest of the country—both faith-based and secular—that are committed to uplifting our citizens and helping those who need it the most. Only by applying a broad approach when providing federal resources and support to our community programs will we be truly successful in turning lives around.

The Congress will continue to work with President Bush in a bipartisan manner to meet the needs of the American people. However, for a nation that is facing a potential economic crisis, I was dismayed that the President offered no new ideas to the American people and no perspective on the span of his Administration.

We applaud the development and look forward to the passage of the Economic Stimulus package. Though the package is a bipartisan agreement, the Democratic leaders in the House pushed to ensure that as many people in the middle and lower tax brackets as possible would gain some benefit from the stimulus package. 117 million Americans will receive money to help pay their bills, to buy food, shelter, clothing and transportation. Their spending helps stimulate the economy and at the same time relieves some of the strain on American citizens.

Once again, the President is asking the American people to sacrifice without reigning in the expansion of the federal government and the cost of war. He announced tonight that he will again encourage budget cuts of 151 federal programs, cuts to programs like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, cuts to federal provisions that help children, help the sick, the elderly, the disabled, and the poor.

Yet he has not mentioned controls on the most bloated areas of the budget. Why should those who are struggling the most sacrifice all they have, while others with more resources enjoy the benefits of tax breaks? In this challenging economic environment, it would be fiscally irresponsible to allow the tax cuts for the rich to become permanent.

During the Republican-led 109th Congress, earmarks soared to their highest levels. During this unchecked and irresponsible spending spree, the President said nothing. In this Congress, Democrats reduced earmarks by nearly half during the last fiscal year and created a transparency never before known in the House appropriations process.

We have uncloaked the earmarking and enabled citizens to see where their money is going. Some earmarks are excessive and unreasonable, but most support meaningful programs, such as electronic medical records upgrade for Grady Hospital and land acquisition programs for Morehouse School of Medicine in the 5th District. These are the 5th District programs that would be cut if the President has his way. He is asking the Congress to end our earmarking in while his Administration uses the process liberally to meet the needs special interests. This is not right. This is not fair. This is not just.

I was glad to hear that the President mentioned the need for Americans citizens and businesses to conserve and preserve this little planet we call our home. I was encouraged by his attention to the issues of the environment. I do not believe he has made a clear statement of this kind on the environment in any other state of the union address.

He did discuss bringing about 20,000 troops home, which is good news. I continue to believe that we must do more. We must bring all our troops home as soon as possible and begin the diplomacy that will restore peace and order to the nation of Iraq.

Tubbs Jones Releases Statement on President Bush's Final State of the Union Address

U.S.Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Ohio Democrat, attended President Bush's final State of the Union address. Despite our struggling economy, a continuing war in Iraq with no end in sight, and the many other great challenges facing our nation, the President's speech included few new ideas for solving many of the country's most pressing problems. While the 110th Congress has begun to move America in a New Direction, the nation faces significant challenges that demand more action.

"It seems that President Bush will go out the same way he came in, with more of the same empty rhetoric than has led our country down the primrose path," Tubbs Jones said. "Our country and the people of the 11th Congressional District are facing real problems, particularly on the economic front. While I am pleased that the President is finally paying attention the issue of our lagging economy through his support of the recently proposed economic stimulus package, I'm afraid that it will be too little too late. Additionally, we continue to spend billions of dollars every month in Iraq, while our deficit continues to grow. Ohioans need more than just the same old song, they need real, long term action that will help them get back on their feet."

The President also called for more of the same in Iraq and offered no hope for a change of direction in Iraq. 2007 was the deadliest year for U.S. troops in Iraq and the President's refusal to change direction comes even though the troop surge has failed to meet its stated objective of political reconciliation in Iraq.

U.S. Rep. G. K. Butterfield's statement following President Bush's State of the Union Address:

It's encouraging to see President Bush's admission that there is a problem with the economy, rather than continuing to pretend everything is wonderful.

The House, Senate and President Bush have already reached a bipartisan agreement on an economic stimulus package that would quickly provide working Americans struggling in these difficult economic times with timely, targeted and temporary relief. As the legislation works its way through Congress, we must be sure to include rebates for seniors, a temporary increase in Food Stamps and an extension of unemployment benefits.

In Iraq, President Bush seems determined to stay the course. After five years, nearly 4,000 deaths and half a trillion dollars, it should be clear that continued open-ended military action is not in the best interest of the United States, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf Region.

While America's troops have made some tactical progress on the ground, President Bush's surge strategy has failed to produce the promised political progress and reconciliation. Overall, the situation in Iraq has yet to dramatically improve.

I visited Iraq this past weekend and was provided the opportunity to meet with General Petraeus. As General Petraeus has said, Iraq's problems can only be solved politically, not militarily. The time has come to strategically withdraw American troops and shift responsibility of winning the peace to the Iraqi government.

I was disappointed that President Bush didn't articulate a realist plan for reducing the deficit or restoring fiscal responsibility. And, the 47 million uninsured American adults and children also deserved to learn President Bush's plans for ensuring that everyone has access to affordable healthcare.

U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Maryland Democrat and a member of the Joint Economic Committee, released the following statement in response to the bipartisan economic stimulus package:

"While I am pleased with the quick manner in which House Democrats and Republicans were able to come together to reach a compromise on an economic stimulus for our lagging economy, I am concerned that the result is not as targeted as it could be. It is my hope that the Senate will be able to use this as a foundation on which to build the timely, targeted, and temporary plan that will maximize the dollar value of the package and truly stimulate our economy in the face of a looming recession.

"Many struggling low- and middle-class families will be receiving rebate checks in amounts equaling hundreds of dollars to help them stay above water. However, to truly help those who are being hit the hardest, it is critical that any stimulus package include provisions dealing with food stamps and unemployment benefits. Such provisions also maximize the likelihood that this money would be spent immediately, as opposed to tax rebates that are likely to be applied toward credit card or other types of debt rather than being pumped back into the economy.

"The hardworking families who are losing their homes and jobs are not limited to my neighborhood or my home state of Maryland. This is a crisis that is affecting people all across the country, and it is imperative that Congress produces a package that can assist families in need while at the same time strengthening our economy."

U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Ohio Democrat, released this statement on the Economic Stimulus Package.

"Overall, this stimulus package is a step in the right direction," said Rep. Tubbs Jones. "The provisions include temporary assistance to small businesses through enhanced expensing and most importantly the tax cuts for working families that will hopefully give them some relief during this time of rising costs of everything from gas to milk and eggs.

"Still, I am disappointed that there are no provisions extending benefits to the unemployed. They are the ones who have been hit the hardest by the drastic downturn in the economy, and by ignoring this problem now we risk it bubbling back to the surface sooner rather than later. Neither have we taken steps to rebuild our country's infrastructure. In our haste to fix the economy, we must be careful not to put a band-aid over what has become a hemorrhaging wound."

The legislation will provide tax rebates to middle-class and working families and is expected to directly affect as many as 116 million Americans. More than 70 percent of the rebates would go to individuals who pay taxes. Although work on the total economic stimulus package is not complete, the rebates are expected to phase out at $87,000 for individuals and $174,000 for couples. The economic stimulus package also includes provisions aimed at businesses, allowing for accelerated depreciation and the ability to write off equipment purchases.

Rebate checks are slated to be mailed out in May of this year, with the majority of Americans receiving them by July.

U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, California Democrat, released the following statement upon the House passage of her Congressional Resolution to cut poverty in half over a decade:

"As co-founder of the Out of Poverty Caucus, I am happy that the House has unanimously passed my legislation, which sets a national goal of cutting poverty in half over the next ten years.

"Yesterday our nation honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy of justice and equality, and in the coming weeks, we will develop an economic stimulus plan to support families struggling economically. It is then very timely that we make eradicating poverty a national priority.

"Over 37 million Americans—more than the population of my home state of CA—are in poverty and the number has grown by 5 million since the Bush administration took office; one in eight Americans now live in poverty; poverty in the US is far higher than in many other developed nations; and inequality is at an all time high. The richest 1 percent of Americans in 2005 held the largest share of the nation's income since 1929 and at the same time, the poorest 20 percent held only 3.4 percent of the nation's income. Perhaps the greatest example of the critical need for action though is the devastation of hurricane Katrina and its impact – One-third of those displaced by hurricane Katrina had incomes below one-and-a-half times the poverty line.

"These statistics quantify what most of us already know - we are heading in the wrong direction, and we need a national commitment to address the growing poverty crisis in this nation. This resolution helps get us back on track by setting an achievable, and in my view, a modest goal of cutting poverty in half over the next decade.

"By setting our sights to tackling poverty head on we can take serious steps toward bridging the gap between the haves and have nots and also help make certain that those of modest means will be able to participate and benefit in the economic recovery that must happen.

"The passage of this resolution is an important step, but only a first step. Now we must work together to make the goal a reality. I am thrilled that, on a bipartisan basis, my colleagues support the struggle to eliminate poverty in America."