It is with great sadness that we learn of the death of former President Gerald R. Ford. He became president of the United States during a trying time and immediately began the difficult process of healing a nation torn apart by scandal.

He will be remembered for leading with integrity and character. He brought West Michigan values with him to Washington and maintained them throughout his rise from Congressman, to Republican leader of the House of Representatives, to Vice President and President of the United States of America.

Throughout this difficult time, the thoughts and prayers of my wife, Diane, and I remain with Betty and the family of President Ford.

President Ford restored transparency to the White House. He did what he thought was right and explained his actions without spin. By showing himself as a regular guy who happened to achieve great things, he brought renewed respect to the presidency when the country really needed it. I was a freshman in Congress when he was president. During his presidency and many times afterward, whenever I talked to him, he was an all-American, regular guy.

Omaha, Nebraska born President Gerald Ford will be forever remembered for his great service to the people of the United States of America.  He served the people at a complicated and divisive time in our history with honor and distinction.  By helping our Nation heal from the political turmoil of Watergate, he helped move us forward.

President Ford was a man of selfless actions based in modest, Midwestern values.  As a public servant, I am proud of his efforts; as Nebraskans, we should be proud of our President.

President Ford was a man who gave up an NFL career to study law and ultimately serve the people in the highest office of public service.  His love for our Nation and our freedoms will live on through our work in Congress and his immortal words: “The Constitution is the bedrock of all our freedoms. Guard and cherish it, keep honor and order in your own house, and the republic will endure.”

On Friday, Dec. 22, a U.S. District Court of Appeals granted a stay of enforcement of the strongest part of Judge Richard Leon’s ruling in ACORN vs. FEMA. The agency will not have to reinstate section 403 housing funds for Katrina and Rita survivors.

But all wasn’t lost in the appeals court ruling. FEMA remains under orders to give evacuees who were terminated from the housing assistance program meaningful and understandable explanations of why they were cut off.

We are terribly disappointed that the housing assistance needed to keep a roof over the heads of dislocated families will not be forthcoming this holiday season. The courts have still upheld the basic legal point we made from the beginning — if you cut people off you have to tell them why — and we will work with affected families to appeal wrongful denials. Read the rest of this entry »

Each year, thousands of our soldiers leave the military to return to civilian life.  What they do next varies tremendously – some retire, some attend universities, and some enter the workforce.  Regardless of their destination, our government owes these selfless individuals the assistance they need to be successful in their next endeavor.

Earlier this year, I introduced legislation to help provide this support – H.R. 5220 Each year, thousands of our soldiers leave the military to return to civilian life. What they do next varies tremendously – some retire, some attend universities, and some enter the workforce. Regardless of their destination, our government owes these selfless individuals the assistance they need to be successful in their next endeavor. , the Veterans’ Certification and Licensure Act.  This legislation, as originally written, would create an advisory committee within the Department of Labor to focus on facilitating the seamless transition of military personnel into civilian employment through licensure and certification programs.  However, after positive feedback from the relevant federal agencies, as well as my colleagues on the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, this legislation received some modifications to provide for an actual demonstration project.

Under the demonstration project, the Secretary of the Department of Labor has authorization to select at least ten military occupational specialties that have skill sets similar to civilian occupations in areas of high worker demand or industry growth.  The Secretary will work with each State to identify local requirements for obtaining certifications, credentials, or licenses in areas relevant to these occupations.  Finally, the project will devise strategies to help military personnel overcome any obstacles or burdens created by these requirements. Read the rest of this entry »

I hope there is a strong interest in bipartisanship. I’ve begun talking to the new members to make sure that they know I want to proceed in a bipartisan manner and to get their ideas and their thoughts and find out what their expectations are.

Quick. How many amendments does the Constitution have? Time’s up! What about—What is Benjamin Franklin famous for (besides anything having to do with kites, bifocals, pot-belly stoves and c-notes)?

In the words of John McEnroe: You cannot be serious?!

If you’re still scratching your head and wishing you paid more attention in 7th grade history class, imagine now if you were an immigrant and knowing the answers to these questions and others like them could determine whether or not you earned the right to become a citizen. The SAT’s never looked so good.

Unfortunately, you’ve got company. In an informal survey of nearly 250 people conducted by People For the American Way Foundation in New York City this past week, more than 50% of respondents failed a simulated 10-question naturalization exam composed of 80 new questions released by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for a proposed new version of the exam set to be piloted in 2007.

Respondents averaged a failing 5.4 correct answers per exam. (None knew that the Constitution has 27 amendments.) For those attempting to earn citizenship, it takes 6 out of 10 correct—and no, it’s not multiple choice. If you think you can do better, take the test yourself! Read the rest of this entry »

The civil liberties community let out a collective sigh of relief when the 109th Congress adjourned for the last time.  The midterm elections and resulting leadership changes makes the ACLU optimistic about the prospect of increased oversight and better protections for civil liberties and fundamental freedoms.  However it certainly won’t be clear sailing in the 110th Congress for the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Lawmakers in the 109th Congress failed to act as an adequate check on the Bush administration’s excessive abuses of power.  Some of the resulting losses for civil liberties include:

•    Military Commissions Act passage;
•    Associate Justice Samuel Alito’s conformation;
•    Real ID Act passage;
•    Patriot Act reauthorization without necessary changes; and
•    Cybercrime Treaty ratification. Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday, a federal court ruled in favor of a challenge to the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Law of 2002 (BCRA) that I sponsored along with Representative Christopher Shays and Senators McCain and Feingold.  The provision of the law that was challenged prohibited groups from using “soft money” to run advertisements that name candidates one month prior to a primary election and two months prior to a general election.

Wisconsin Right to Life, an anti-abortion group, ran its ads to undermine my Senate partner in reform Russ Feingold, but it brought this case specifically to invalidate the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act that Russ and I fought for.

I am very disappointed by the split decision issued by the court, which is inconsistent with the Supreme Court ruling in McConnell v. FEC.  Fortunately, this narrow ruling only applies to the three specific ads mentioned in the case. Read the rest of this entry »

In the 110th, obviously we have to deal with challenge of Iraq. We have got to move in a new direction there. We also have to restore fiscal responsibility and get back on a more sustainable course. The debt is skyrocketing before the baby boomers retire, which is something that cannot be permitted to continue. So we have to begin to change the long-term outlook.