I regretted voting against an otherwise good Farm Bill - but I couldn’t support it with the tax increases the House leadership inserted on more than 101,000 Maryland workers including employees at three factories in my district, Breyers Ice Cream and Mack Trucks in Washington County and BP Solar in Frederick County.

While not a perfect bill, it moves us in the right direction. The Agriculture Committee came together to write a farm bill for 50 states that would not only benefit farmers, ranchers and rural America, but benefits everyone. Every man, woman and child has a vested interest in agriculture. By ensuring our producers have an adequate safety net, we in turn ensure that we have the most safest, most plentiful and affordable food in the world.

I was very pleased to see the “Comfort Women” Resolution, which has enjoyed widespread support throughout Congress, pass by voice vote.

Beginning in the 1930s, the Imperial Government of Japan orchestrated the enslavement of up to 200,000 young Korean women.  Many were abducted from their homes and sent to Japanese military brothels.  Others were lured from their homes under the false pretense of employment.  In what was one of the worst cases of human trafficking of the 20th century, the trauma that these women suffered drove many to conceal their past, either too embarrassed or scared to speak of it.  The surviving victims deserve the recognition that they so desire. Read the rest of this entry »

We need to send a crystal clear message to the Saudi Arabian government that their tacit approval of terrorism can’t go unpunished. Saudi Arabia should not get an ounce of military support from the U.S until they unequivocally denounce terrorism and take tangible steps to prevent it.

Last Friday (7/27/07), NASA released the findings of a review of NASA’s procedures for overseeing astronauts’ medical and behavioral health, commissioned in the wake of the scandal involving former astronaut Lisa Nowak.

When I got word of these findings a day before their release via the industry publication Aviation Week, I made it clear that the Committee would be looking for further explanation and details from NASA on the review’s disturbing findings.

Upon review of the actual report, my mind was not eased as to the situation. Read the rest of this entry »

In this video, Robert Hall of the American Academy of Pediatrics discusses the urgency of renewing the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) when it expires this fall.

House Armed Services Committee passage of H.R. 3087 is the first step toward working together as a Congress – not as Democrats or Republicans – toward a new plan from the Administration that will turn control of Iraq’s future over to the Iraqis. Our men and women in uniform have completed every task assigned to them, and they and their families have served our country admirably. General David Petraeus has said that a “political aspect” is necessary for us to achieve our goals in Iraq. Iraqi political leaders, however, have been unwilling or unable to work together to stabilize their own country, and they have failed to meet most of the benchmarks they agreed to with the President.

The fact that nine million children in our country live without health care is unacceptable. When it comes to family values, it’s time for Congress to start putting its money where its mouth is. We all know that members of Congress love to talk the talk about children, their health, and raising our kids right. Well, this week I’m going to challenge them to do just that when I bring my amendment to the floor of the Senate to fully fund the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) at $50 billion. This will bring coverage to approximately half of the nine million uninsured children in America today.

You would think it would be common sense to give some of the nation’s poorest kids healthcare. Not to this White House. President Bush spoke loud and clear when he said last week that he will block care for these kids with a stroke of his veto pen. Not only is he against expanding SCHIP – he doesn’t even want to retain the children who are currently enrolled. That’s wrong, and this Democratic Congress will make sure that insurance for kids will not fall victim to political games.

Political expediency trumped moral responsibility in the House’s vote on the Farm Bill. In the end, the House made only cosmetic changes to the outdated commodity payment system that benefits the favored few at the expense of broader, more equitable support for U.S. farmers of modest means.

While obviously disappointing, the passage of the House’s version of the 2007 Farm Bill is by no means the end of the push for broad reform. Wealthy special interests can only plug the leaks in the dam for so long.

The tide of reform for U.S. farm policy is still coming in. Eventually, the flood of constituents calling for a fair farm bill will overwhelm the narrow financial interests of the select few. Read the rest of this entry »

The 2007 Farm Bill (H.R.2419) provides for a record level of federal funds for the Chesapeake Bay. This landmark effort represents a major new chapter in the Chesapeake Bay clean-up effort. I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure that this legislation passes the Congress and is signed into law so that we can provide critical funds to the farmers in the Chesapeake Bay region to support their conservation efforts and help clean up the Bay.

The scientists have told us that the health of the Chesapeake Bay is in grave danger unless we take action now. Almost 50% of the excessive nutrient pollution comes from the runoff from farm operations. Our farmers want to be part of the solution to this problem but they need technical and financial assistance to do so. This bill provides farmers on the more than 66,000 farms in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed with the tools they need to help protect the Chesapeake Bay. It represents a historic leap in federal support for our efforts to protect this national, natural treasure, the Chesapeake Bay.