I condemn the Democrats’ massive farm bill, which would increase our nation’s food costs. Americans are already having trouble making ends meet, gas prices are rising to unaffordable levels, and food costs are off the charts.

Right now, Congress has the historic opportunity to lower these prices before they continue to get worse. Instead, the Democrats bring to the floor a bill that only makes the issue worse. Why are we forcing our nation’s hard working taxpayers to pay more to put food on their table?

I urge Congress to reject the farm bill.  We have the time, the opportunity, and the duty to write a bill that is better — one that will actually lower, not raise, food prices in the U.S. and the across the globe.

The Hill’s Sam Youngman and Bob Cusack discuss what Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the presumptive GOP nominee, has been doing with his campaign since clinching the nomination in March.

The Hill’s Klaus Marre has a story on the endorsement.

According to the latest figures from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, American taxpayers will, on average, be sending an additional 10 percent in taxes to Washington, D.C., simply because the bipartisan tax relief expires. Said still a different way, the typical worker, every thing else being equal, will see his or her take-home pay shrink by that extra 10% in taxes.

I raise this point because we’re talking about individual income tax reform. If we are to enter the tax reform playing field, we need to know the rules, including the size of the playing field in revenue terms. Are we assuming tax reform is not possible without a record tax increase? This is a question that all policymakers should have to answer. This is a question that the presidential candidates should have to answer.

Sen. Enzi is ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee.

I am strongly opposed to the Democrat proposal that the Senate is now debating on the floor to impose unionization on state and local first responders. This bill would jeopardize national security, impose an enormous unfunded mandate on states and towns, and trample the rights of first responders in the workplace.

Make no mistake: the only direct beneficiaries of this legislation are labor unions. The bill does not contain a dime of money or a single provision that would increase the pay or benefits of any firefighter, police officer or first responder. There is nothing in this bill that would enhance their working conditions, make their jobs safer, or their retirement more secure. It only imposes totally unfunded costs on states, cities and towns that will make those exact results less, not more, likely.

H.R. 980, the so-called Public Employer-Employee Cooperation Act, would jeopardize national security by eliminating the right of states to take certain items off the bargaining table, like manning and staffing levels, training and job requirements, deadly force rules, drug-testing, merit pay and promotion. Read the rest of this entry »

We know the challenges of securing America’s vast transportation system and it will continue to grow. The role of TSA is often thankless and obstacle ridden. We set forth an ambitious and demanding aviation and surface mode security schedule for TSA in last year’s 9/11 Act. The proper implementation of those goals will make an efficient use of an always strained and stretched budget.

The Hill profiles Alan Roth, lobbyist with USTelecom and former Staff Director and Chief Counsel to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Our country needs a strong, sensible long-term energy policy that can reduce our use of fossil fuels and cut our dependence on foreign oil. Last year, as part of the 2007 Energy Bill, we adopted the first increase in vehicle fuel-economy standards since the 1970s. That will raise average fuel efficiency by 40 percent, which can save the average family $1,000 in fuel costs annually.

We also need to boost investment in cutting-edge conservation technology, such as hybrid electric vehicles and the next generation of clean, renewable energy. Just this week, the U.S. Department of Energy issued a report saying it’s feasible for our country to obtain 20 percent of its electricity from wind power by 2030.

But we must also bring consumers immediate relief from high energy costs, which is why I cosponsored Tuesday’s amendment to suspend oil purchases for the government’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Our country needs the reserve for emergencies, but there is no reason to be taking oil off the market at a time of record prices. Read the rest of this entry »

We have learned the hard way that winning in November can be a hollow victory. Too often, we win the election, but in labor parlance, we fail to get the contract. The promises made at campaign time become yesterday’s news, not today’s agenda. This November 5th, that changes.

This year, when we pop the champagne to toast President Obama and our new pro-worker Congress, we will also be cheering the work about to begin.

With the same resources, passion, and effort we are using to support and help elect pro-worker candidates, SEIU is going to keep up the fight to restore economic balance in America between those who work for a living and those with wealth. For the first 100 days of the new Congress, SEIU will commit 50 percent of the International staff and 50 percent of our organizing budget to wage the most extensive campaign ever to pass meaningful healthcare reform and ensure workers have a fair shot at achieving the American Dream. By holding town halls in select districts, making in-person visits, and generating more than 10 million phone calls in those first 100 days, we’ll make sure that for our elected representatives, securing affordable healthcare for all and rebuilding the middle class by restoring workers’ freedom to join unions stay at the top of their to-do lists.

As for any elected leaders who turn their backs on these and other key issues for working people, we’ll waste no time dipping into a new $10 million accountability fund to recruit and support a primary opponent. Read the rest of this entry »

Last week, my colleagues in the House of Representatives and I passed the most comprehensive response yet to the ongoing mortgage crisis. The American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act (H.R. 3221) responds directly to the crisis currently faced by middle-class Americans and provides financial authorities and the federal government the tools to prevent such a meltdown in the future.

U.S. families are expected to lose more than $2.6 trillion in housing wealth between 2007 and 2009. As home prices continue to fall, homeowners’ debt on their houses has exceeded the equity in their homes for the first time since 1945. I have heard from hundreds of constituents – many of whom are credit-worthy but cannot refinance – who are agonizing over this housing crisis. It is estimated that over 7,000 homeowners are losing their homes daily and an additional 40 million neighboring homeowners could see their property values decline as wealth is destroyed throughout entire communities. Read the rest of this entry »