Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) said HR 676, a bill that would create universal healthcare for all U.S. residents, will gain momentum thanks to Michael Moore’s latest documentary, “Sicko.”

Michael Moore’s artistry as a documentary filmmaker,” Kucinich said, “Is going to provide a tremendous boost for this legislation because its going to help create the climate of awareness that the American people need.”

At midnight tonight, President Bush’s fast-track authority — where Members of Congress are forbidden from offering any amendments to trade agreements — will expire.

Good riddance.

I cannot in good conscience cede complete trade negotiating authority to an executive unwilling to enforce labor or environmental rights abroad.

It is time for Congress to once again reclaim its constitutional authority in the trade debate.

In my district in west-central Illinois, fast-track has ushered in trade policies that have eroded the very backbone of our local economy-its manufacturing base. Read the rest of this entry »

The defeat of the flawed immigration legislation in the Senate is a victory for all Americans that value the rule of law and the safety and security of the United States.  The reason that this vote failed miserably is because the American people stood up en masse and told their senators, “No!” to this very dangerous piece of legislation.

They know that granting amnesty to illegal immigrants who have repeatedly broken the law does not solve the problem of illegal immigration.  It didn’t work in 1986 and won’t work today.

I am confident that this issue will not be pushed off until the next election, because the American people have made it clear that we must address the dangerous situation occurring at our southern border.  They want us to solve this problem by starting at the beginning.  They want us to build the fence, beef up interior enforcement and punish employers that knowingly employ illegals.

In this video, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) explains why he thinks young voters are joining his campaign.

“Why do we get so many young people coming into our campaign?” Paul said. “It might just be that freedom is popular.”

It’s a cliché in Washington that the immigration system in this country is “brokenâ€? — the border is porous and legal immigrants lack sufficient due process to improve their status and become citizens. The lesser-known fact is that the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) immigrant detention centers, where people awaiting decisions regarding their immigration status are held by the government, are truly broken, with people held in a dangerous state of chaos and neglect. Read the rest of this entry »

Despite substantial talk in Congress about the need to enhance America’s energy security, evidence is growing that the United States is being surpassed by other nations in this area.  We’re watching as countries including Iran, Russia, Venezuela, Bolivia, Algeria, Qatar and others establish a “Gas Exporting Countries Forumâ€? to promote coordination on natural gas policies and prices. The goal is an “OPECâ€?-like world energy cartel that could “strengthen the cooperation among gas producers to avoid harmful competition.â€? It’s a development the Wall Street Journal says has the potential to “unsettle energy markets and redraw geopolitical alignments.â€? We’ve already witnessed Cuba, Venezuela and other nations using their energy resources and production as leverage, diplomatically and economically.  And we’re sitting by as we see Brazil, Russia, India and China – the ‘BRIC’ countries — overtake the U.S. in dominating the global energy industry.  According to a recent study from Goldman Sachs Group Inc., in 1991 U.S. companies represented 55 percent of the world’s 20 largest energy companies, and European countries 45 percent. Today, the ‘BRIC’ countries constitute 35 percent, the Europeans 35 percent, and only 30 percent are American: the U.S. has dropped from first to last.  U.S. investment growth and competitive advantage could reportedly be damaged by the trend. Read the rest of this entry »

I am pleased that the Senate did not allow this amnesty compromise bill to move forward. Although I support reforming our immigration system and strengthening our borders, this Senate bill was not the answer.

Some in Washington have used the illegal immigration issue to tug at the heartstrings of Americans by appealing for compromise. They have advocated for Americans to accept these illegal aliens into our system with very little penalty.

As an American, I do not accept this line of thinking. Read the rest of this entry »

For months I have believed that impeachment was a dire course of action.  Over these same months, I have seen the vice president repeatedly drive our nation into increasingly dire situations, in Iraq, in Iran, and within our own country as he tramples over the Constitution like it is a doormat.

For months, I have considered if America would best be served by bringing forth articles of impeachment against the vice president.  I kept asking myself: Is the vice president’s conduct that dire, because impeachment is the closest thing there is to internment on political death row.

The founders intended impeachment to be used when those running the government forgot they worked for the people.  And, the founders intended impeachment to be used when those running government acted as if they were above the law. Read the rest of this entry »

On Thursday the House Energy and Commerce Committee, on which I serve, finished work on a so-called energy bill. The problem with this legislation is that there are no provisions that encourage or increase the supply of energy.

Unfortunately, our demand for electricity and fuel continues to rise. We see higher gasoline prices every time we fill up our cars, vans, and trucks. And our vehicles get bigger, which means lower gas mileage.

I supported two measures that not one Democrat voted for in committee. First, was an attempt to raise the CAFE standards or the mileage requirements for automobiles and small trucks. The Senate has included such a measure in their energy bill, yet the House Energy Committee refuses to do so. This proposal would have raised fuel economy standards to 35 miles per gallon for automobiles and 27.5 for light trucks by 2022. Read the rest of this entry »

This bill has had a long and tortured trail. I think we have a serious problem with illegal immigration; I personally didn’t think this bill solved that problem, but I think the failure to get cloture doesn’t mean the issue is over — this issue will come back. I think the first thing’s first: to provide demonstrated border security and border enforcement. At that point the American people will feel that we’re doing the first thing we need to do.