Another speech – another missed opportunity to level with the American people. Almost five years after 9/11, America is less safe and more divided because of President Bush and Secretary Rumsfeld. Enough with slogans and staged speeches calculated to divide here at home while things get worse in Iraq, Afghanistan, and across the Middle East. No more rhetoric while Osama bin Laden is on the loose, homeland security is under funded and our borders are porous. No more speeches from an administration that has shortchanged our soldiers and our veterans. We need leadership that is better at destroying terrorists than it is at talking about terror for political gain.

At this point — two months before an election, and staged in a hotly contested congressional district — Senator Allard’s immigration hearing is nothing more than an obvious attempt to use taxpayer money to help his party.  This is particularly ironic since the Senate Budget Committee is charged with being a watchdog for taxpayers.
The time for informative field hearings was last year, before the House and Senate passed bills.  At this late stage, field hearings look more like a cheap political stunt than an honest attempt at crafting legislation.  There is too much talking and not enough action on immigration reform.  Both the House and Senate have passed legislation and now it’s time to get to work on a compromise bill.

As the deadline for Iran to halt its nuclear enrichment activities approaches, it has become apparent that Iran will remain defiant and continue to pursue its rogue program. This decision is unacceptable and dangerous.

A nuclear Iran would pose a grave threat to the United States and world stability. While Iranian leaders claim their nuclear program is “peaceful,” unfortunately, they cannot be trusted. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has explicitly called for Israel’s destruction and stated “we shall soon experience a world without the United States.” Such a leader would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons against those he so vehemently opposes.

As the United States continues to explore its options for dealing with Iran, I am pleased the Bush Administration has indicated its willingness to impose sanctions outside the realm of the United Nations. The fate of our nation cannot be left to those who turn a blind eye to Iran’s continued defiance of the world’s demands.

I arrived in New Orleans on Sunday afternoon as part of a 28 Member delegation organized by the Democratic Caucus Katrina Task Force.  This is my second trip to the Gulf Coast region since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck last year.  In March I joined several of my colleagues on a tour throughout the region, and I was overwhelmed by the extent of the devastation and moved by the resiliency of the people I met there.  I was determined to return to the Gulf Coast region to observe the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and to witness the progression of the recovery process first hand.

On Sunday my colleagues and I joined local officials at the Watson Memorial Teaching Ministries for a dinner and prayer service hosted by Governor Kathleen Blanco, Mayor Ray Nagin and the Louisiana Congressional Delegation.  This powerful ceremony was a vivid reminder of last year’s tragic events and set the tone for our Katrina anniversary visit.
On Monday morning we were briefed on the New Orleans rebuilding and recovery status by several officials.  We then embarked on an extensive tour of the City with the Louisiana National Guard and the Army Corp of Engineers.  Following our tour, we traveled to Mississippi to view the destruction and recovery process there.  Monday concluded with a town hall meeting in Bay St. Louis that focused on the difficulty residents experienced in collecting insurance money following the storm.

The past two days have been very intense and emotional, but I appreciate the opportunity to be here and see with my own eyes the monumental tasks that still abound.  Monday in particular was an unforgettable day, mostly because of the wonderful people who took the time to meet with me.

Shelbie Oppenheimer wants to see her daughter grow up.

Yes, politics and policy can sometimes be that simple. People on the campaign trail often comment on how hard it must be to run for office. They ask me: why put in the hours? Why shake the endless hands? Why meet the countless folks?

The answer is simple: the chance to meet – and one day help – courageous people like Shelbie.

Shelbie lives just outside of Philadelphia in New Hope, with her husband and eight year old daughter Isabel. A little over a decade ago she noticed a slight twitch and weakness in her left hand. Like most of us, she didn’t think too much about it. A few months later, she noticed the muscles in her hand had deteriorated further, so she and her husband sought medical advice. After a barrage of tests, she was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) - a fatal disease that will eventually leave her unable to walk, talk or breathe.

She was 28 years old. Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday, my campaign launched a research website that details the flawed legislative record of Rep. Mike Ferguson. I hope people will visit the website to learn the truth about Mike Ferguson’s positions on issues like Iraq, prescription drugs, stem cell research, and a woman’s right to choose. The voters in the 7th District in New Jersey are beginning to recognize how out of touch Mike Ferguson is with their concerns. Visit the website, and you will see what they are coming to realize about Mike Ferguson and his disturbing record in Congress.

One year ago, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in New Orleans.  The result was devastating - in terms of property damage, loss of life, and broken spirit.  The hearts of the nation focused on the Gulf Coast, with Congress rushing to send the resources necessary for the relief efforts.  Regrettably, the recovery has been muddled and billions of dollars that should have been helping storm victims rebuild their lives and communities has been lost to waste, fraud, and abuse.

I supported the initial aid package of $10.5 billion to provide immediate assistance to citizens and communities that were reeling from this storm.  I withheld my support from a second aid package of $52 billion because I believed it lacked oversight and accountability necessary to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse.  I supported two subsequent aid packages that included better oversight.  Regrettably, report after report - six independent government reports this year alone - has confirmed that the mechanisms were not in place to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse from diverting funds from the people who needed it the most.

Furthermore, though Congress approved a total of $125 billion for the clean-up and reconstruction of the Gulf Coast communities, after a full year, only a portion of that relief aid has even been spent, leaving this region far from recovered.  A sizeable portion of the aid was used to merely feed the bureaucracy and meet administrative requests.  Most disconcerting is that FEMA has does not have the necessary mechanisms in place for tracking how much money is obligated or actually spent in the relief efforts.  With dozens of Federal agencies involved, each with its own tracking, rules, and timelines, the necessary oversight is nowhere to be seen.  This has been a costly lesson, but I am hopeful that the next time a storm hits our shores we will be better prepared to be meet the needs of the communities and people affected by it.  True compassion means ensuring that the resources we rush to their aid actually reach them.

A year ago today Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast.  It is important that we mark this anniversary with a renewed commitment to rebuild the communities devastated by the costliest disaster to affect our nation. While we have made some progress, much work remains.  President Bush and the Republicans in Congress made many promises to the survivors of Katrina, too many of which remain unfulfilled.

Hurricane Katrina exposed incompetence at the highest levels of our government.  Democrats are concerned that those gaps in leadership and preparedness have not been filled.  We are committed to keeping the promises we made to the Katrina survivors and to fixing the problems that the storm exposed.

This week, I have joined a group of House Democrats visiting the Gulf Coast to stand in solidarity with Katrina survivors.  While I am frustrated by the slow pace of the recovery, I find hope in the optimism and resilience of the Gulf Coast residents with whom we’ve met.

I believe that our nation has a moral obligation to rebuild Louisiana and Mississippi.  Our wealthy nation must invest the resources necessary to make the Gulf Coast whole again.

I am currently touring New Orleans and the Gulf Coast with a delegation of Democratic lawmakers. What has shocked me one year after Katrina is how little has been done. The problem isn’t more money. Congress has already appropriated $110 billion.  One year later though, less than half of it has actually been spent.

There is a great deal of fraud in the Gulf rebuilding, with the 10 largest contracts going no bid. It is estimated that about $2 billion was lost because of waste fraud and abuse. There are 128 schools in New Orleans and only 56 of them will be open for enrollment this month. There are 10 acute care hospitals in New Orleans, and only three of them are able to receive patients. The largest one, Charity Hospital, took 95 percent of the city’s indigent patients and is still completely closed because it was flooded out and has to be torn down. Clearly, the dollars are not reaching the causes most in need.

The situation in New Orleans and many parts of the Gulf Coast is unacceptable and has got to change. The federal government must get its act in gear and get the money down where it is needed.  Reports of insurance fraud by major companies are especially troubling. Congress needs to hold hearings on the waste, fraud and abuse that is taking place. One year later, it’s a disgrace that so many of these people are still homeless, so many communities have not been rebuilt and so many peoples’ basic needs continue to go unmet.

I’m pleased with the re-opening of beef trade with Japan, but frustrated by reports out of Japan that consumer confidence in U.S. beef is weak. Considering the extensive efforts to lift Japan’s ban on U.S. beef and the importance of the Japanese market to the Nebraska and U.S. beef industry, it’s bothersome that U.S. beef has not even made its way to a majority of retailers and restaurants because many are still cautions about offering the product.

I sent a letter last week to U.S. Dept of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Johanns asking the agency to outline its plan to revive the fledgling Japanese market for U.S. beef. America’s beef producers have already endured enough delays in lifting Japan’s ban. Now that we’ve cleared that hurdle, we shouldn’t experience any more delays on behalf of the USDA’s lack of foresight and planning. According to a recent news report, the last time the ban was lifted the U.S. exported 700 tons of U.S. beef to Japan between Dec. 16, 2005 and Jan. 20, 2006 when trade was first reinstated. Since Japan re-opened its trade once more this month, the U.S. has only exported just over 17 tons of beef between Aug. 7 and 17, 2006.

I know the beef industry and exporters are doing their best to try and regain the confidence of Japanese consumers and I want to ensure that the USDA is also engaged in these efforts. I’d also like to offer my assistance in helping U.S. beef find market acceptance in Japan.

I don’t want to be too ominous, however. Just this week one of Japan’s largest barbeque chains announced it would be receiving its first imports of U.S. beef. I hope to hear more hopeful stories like this in the near future. Now that we’ve jumped the bureaucratic hurdles and resumed trade, we need a plan to reassure Japanese consumers of something I’ve long believed—that U.S. beef is the highest quality and safest beef in the world.