The Armenian Genocide, an atrocious eight year period that began in 1915 and cost the lives of 1.5 million Armenians, has for too long been the victim of political maneuvering that kept the U.S. government from properly recognizing it as a genocide.  However, to truly dedicate ourselves to improving human rights across the world, our government must first learn from and properly condemn the mistakes of the past.

That is why I am proud to announce the introduction of the Armenian Genocide Resolution with my bi-partisan colleagues: Representatives Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Joe Knollenberg (R-Mich.) & George Radanovich (R-Calif.), and to stand with them at a press conference in 1334 Longworth at 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday to discuss the need for its swift passage.  We are also honored to be joined by two genocide survivors at the introduction.

It is long past time for our government to properly recognize and condemn this tragic loss of human life, and our Resolution calls on the U.S. Government to take that crucial step.

Members from both parties understand how grave the threat of terrorism is. This is a long-term battle we’re facing. This Caucus will help educate Members about the threat and how it continues to evolve. The more Members with expertise on this issue will only help to better serve the country.

The SCHIP program [State Children's Health Insurance Program] has been very successful.  I look forward to working with Senator Baucus to improve the program so it covers as many children and gets as much bang for the buck as possible.

Chavez, a self-proclaimed Communist, is determined to emulate his mentor, Fidel Castro, through fear and manipulation of the Venezuelan people.  We recently saw him move to nationalize key sectors of Venezuela’s economy and suppress free speech by shutting down one of the country’s biggest networks.  And last week, Chavez threatened to kick U.S. Ambassador William Brownfield out of Venezuela after Brownfield said the nationalization of Venezuela’s largest telephone company must be transparent.  Clearly, these are the actions of a man who is intent upon forcing his people to live in a socialist state like that of Cuba.

If Chavez boots Ambassador Brownfield from the country, the world will once and for all know Chavez’s true intentions: an end to diplomatic relations with the United States and the start of a new era of conflict and isolation that will change the Western Hemisphere.

Chavez is a threat to the freedom, security and prosperity of the Venezuelan people and all of the Western Hemisphere.  The U.S. cannot let his words and actions go unnoticed.  The Bush Administration and the Democrat-controlled Congress must take real action against this growing threat.

Our fifth successful missile defense intercept test since June of 2006 sends a clear message to Iran and North Korea that their ability to threaten and coerce with ballistic missiles is short lived.

More importantly this fifth successful missile defense intercept test since June of 2006 and the United States 44th successful missile intercept test since 1999 sends a very clear message of dissuasion to those nations proliferating ballistic missiles including Iran and North Korea.

Build it and they will not come.

The THAAD (Theater High Altitude Area Defense System) achieved its third successful realistic operational test as it intercepted a single stage SCUD missile off the coast of Kauai at the Pacific Range Test Facility 7:20am Friday January 26th, 2006 Hawaiian Time. Read the rest of this entry »

The President’s Health Care Tax Deduction initiative proposed during the State of the Union was designed to produce two main results: (1) limit the economic distortions currently present in the tax code with respect to health care, and (2) reduce the number of uninsured in America.

How Does It Work?
The President is seeking to accomplish these two goals by eliminating the exclusion of employer-provided health insurance from income and replace it with a standard tax deduction – $15,000 for family and $7,500 for individual – available to anyone who has health insurance, regardless of the price.

Such a change in the tax code would largely accomplish the first goal. However, introducing a deduction in the income tax system alone would not affect a large fraction of the uninsured who already pay no federal income taxes. Therefore, the President was forced to look at what federal taxes those uninsured actually pay if he wanted to lure them to purchase health insurance from his plan. Read the rest of this entry »

Republican Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is planning to visit the presidential battleground state of South Carolina this week, his first trip to the state since garnering Senator Jim DeMint’s endorsement earlier this month.

DeMint is scheduled to appear alongside Romney at a Rotary club meeting in Aiken, South Carolina. DeMint has also sent a letter encouraging support for Romney to thousands of his supporters earlier this month.

Romney has recently come under increased scrutiny for changing his positions on social issues to appear more conservative. The clip below includes excerpts from Romney’s 1994 senatorial debate against Senator Ted Kennedy. Romney says he believes “that abortion should be safe and legal in this country” and that he supports “the right of a woman to make that choice.”

The FDA may soon endorse the use of meat, milk and other food from
cloned animals - which is why I’ve introduced the Cloned Food Labeling
Act.  The legislation will require the FDA and the Department of
Agriculture to mandate that all food that comes from cloned animals be
labeled as such.  The label will read: THIS PRODUCT IS FROM A CLONED
ANIMAL OR ITS PROGENY.

The public deserves to know if their food comes from a cloned animal.
My legislation will help the American public make an informed decision.
I am strongly opposed to the FDA approving meat and milk products from
cloned animals for human consumption.  If cloned food is safe, let it
onto the market, but give consumers the information they need to avoid
these products if they choose to.  We need to let Americans - many of
whom find this repugnant - speak with their dollars and choose the food
that they feel confident is safe. Read the rest of this entry »

While I am pleased my colleagues in the Senate agree with me that this unfair tax on seniors needs to be repealed, I am disappointed that they’ve chosen only to pay lip service to the issue. Passing a non-binding resolution simply is not enough to right this wrong that was done to our seniors 14 years ago. This tax was unfair when it was implemented in 1993 and it is unfair today. My amendment would have once and for all lifted this burden from the backs of our seniors and it is a shame that the Senate failed to act.

We are going to find out how committed the Democrats are about providing some relief to our nation’s seniors because you can be certain I will offer this amendment again. These seniors have worked hard all their lives contributing to the Social Security System and they should not have to bear the burden of this excessive and unfair tax.

On his recent trip to New Hampshire, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani discusses the state of the Republican Party following the 2006 election. He says “we’re the party of the future” and that Republicans best understand how a disciplined government spurs a growing economy.

Giuliani stops short of saying he is running for president but says Republicans should wait before labeling him a moderate. He says “we got to give” President Bush’s new Iraq plan “a chance” because we must win the global War on Terror.