Rep. Kilpatrick is chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Haiti, the poorest nation in the western hemisphere, has been overwhelmed by malnutrition, famine, poverty and violence. Haiti is our neighbor and deserves prompt food aid, debt relief and Temporary Protective Status (TPS). We have sent a letter to President Bush and spoken with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to convey the dire urgency of crisis and appeal for expedient relief. Read the rest of this entry »

If we are going to develop real solutions for Hoosier families, for America’s families, we have to move past the partisan gridlock.

I am proud of Senator Obama’s call for change in Washington — change I have been advocating since I first sought public office.  I am truly hopeful that his campaign and election will help unify our nation and ultimately change our politics.

I am pleased that Senator Obama clearly and unequivocally denounced Reverend Wright’s remarks.  Hoosiers don’t feel that way about our country, I don’t feel that way about our country and Senator Obama made it abundantly clear that he doesn’t feel that way either.

His comments regarding statements made by Reverend Wright showed me another aspect of Senator Obama’s leadership — a strength of character and commitment to our nation that transcends the personal.  One of the tests of a true leader is his ability and willingness to come to a new conclusion based on new events.  Senator Obama did just that yesterday. Read the rest of this entry »

The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) has a growing concern about the effects of wartime exposures especially those being identified in the newest generation of disabled veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Military deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan are among the most demanding since the Vietnam War over four decades ago. In addition to causing the heavy physical injuries and casualties, the rates of “invisible” wounds of war: post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, substance abuse, suicide, and family distress, for those who have served in Operations Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) are dramatically high and rising. All too often these conditions go unreported and unrecognized.

There are several reasons for the emergence of PTSD in these veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Many studies have shown that more frequent and more intense involvement in combat operations increases the risk of developing PTSD, major depression, and other associated mental health conditions. Military commanders report that the combat environment in Iraq is very intense and service members are being returned for two, three or even four deployments. Furthermore, our military is fighting an insurgency war without clearly identifiable front or enemies; these conditions result in an environment where constant vigilance is necessary because there are no safe places and no safe roles. For an increasing number of veterans, these stressors are having devastating mental health consequences and are resulting in historically high rates of PTSD. Read the rest of this entry »

Members of Congress showed their support for the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act at a press conference on Capitol Hill Tuesday, and The Hill’s Erica Wisniewski reported on the event.

Sponsored by Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) and Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), the bill boasts increased educational benefits for recent veterans.

Sen. Baucus is chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

Seatbelts, life preservers, bicycle helmets — there are plenty of measures we take to protect people who might find themselves in harm’s way.  We do these things because it’s easier to prevent a tragedy than to react to one.  And, it’s easy to see how most folks could use a hand every now and again.  The Medicaid program is often called America’s health care safety net because it’s designed to prevent problems before they occur.  It safeguards the most vulnerable Americans in cases when their health could be in jeopardy.

Right now, the Medicaid program needs protection.  The Department of Health and Human Services has issued a number of regulations that would reduce Federal funding for several vital Medicaid programs and services by nearly $20 billion over the next five years.  These policies would keep hundreds of thousands of Americans — both children and adults — from receiving the assistance they need to stay well.

Every governor in the country opposes these regulations.  Last week, 349 members of the House of Representatives — both Democrats and Republicans — agreed, and took action to prevent these rules from taking effect.  Wednesday’s strong, bipartisan House action on these rules echoes the Senate’s unanimous vote to protect America’s health care safety net.  Now, I intend to pick up where the House left off, and work with my colleagues here in the Senate on strategies to stop harmful Medicaid regulations. Read the rest of this entry »

Degrading the structure of the Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program sends a signal to producers that protecting against higher input costs and the increased production risks is not a priority of the 2007 Farm Bill.

VGPA was joined by six other state grain grower associations urging Congress and the 2007 farm bill conference committee to commit to a strong structure for the ACRE program option.These organizations support a strong ACRE program in order to make it a viable revenue-based safety net for producers. Our producers are concerned that the program will be rendered useless if it does not provide basic provisions such as offering the ACRE program next year instead of waiting until 2010.With an insufficient structure, ACRE offers no better protection than traditional programs and will not be an option that our producers can wisely choose. Read the rest of this entry »

The GI bill is 60 years old, and it is time we updated. The face of the military has changed, now including many women. We have also come to rely heavily on our National Guard and our Reserve Units. It is long overdue that they be included in the new GI Bill for the 21st Century, H.R. 5740, to receive educational benefits for their sacrifices. It is vital we update our GI bill to keep pace with today’s world and with today’s cost of college.

We are very optimistic that the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 will pass. It now has the sponsorship of a majority of the Senate and a majority of the House. The bill has the support of dozens of veterans’ organizations, and we believe that it is a cost of the war. We are going to have a war supplemental that will be in the range of $100 billion. A few billion dollars for educational benefits for our veterans is a small price to pay for their service.

More than 140 years ago, as he took the oath of office for the second time, Abraham Lincoln told the citizens gathered that day that Congress has a responsibility to ‘care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.’  Today we share that same responsibility to look out for those brave men and women who look out for us.

While we may not all agree on the same foreign policy and war strategy, we can agree that each and every veteran deserves our admiration, respect and support.  That is exactly what this G.I. Bill does, and that is why it is cosponsored by more than half of the Senate, more than half of the House, and most of our nation’s leading veterans’ organizations.

This bill helps our veterans afford an education so they will have the tools to succeed at home after their successes in battle.  These opportunities will reward those who choose to serve in our military and will benefit our economy for everyone.  At its heart, this bill is about helping a large and deserving group of young men and women readjust to the civilian life we enjoy because of the sacrifices they make.  We can never fully repay our bravest for their service, but with this G.I. Bill we can fulfill Lincoln’s plea that our support for the troops not end with their tours of duty.

I thank Senators Webb and Hagel for their service and their commitment to our veterans, and I call on the President to work with Congress to provide all veterans with the benefits they deserve.

Gasoline today at the pump is $1.25 more, on average, than it was when the Democrats took over Congress. Why is that a good place to measure?  Because during that period, we’ve had an opportunity to build more refineries, and the Democratic majority voted it down.  We’ve had an opportunity to open up additional parts of the Outer Continental Shelf and the Democratic majority voted it down. It’s clear that on the production side of the equation, this new majority is not interested in doing anything.