Archive: 2010

“The inadequate legislation on physicians’ fees that Senate Republicans allowed to pass today is a great disappointment. The House has approved long-term reform that ensures that Medicare patients will have access to quality physicians’ services.”

“On Sunday, United Nations World Refugee Day, we again bring attention to the plight of men, women and children all over the world who have been forced to flee their homes for safety. The theme of this year’s World Refugee Day is: ‘They have taken my home, but they can’t take my future.’ This is especially fitting given the current statistics on refugees around the world.”

Small businesses are the engine of our economy, creating two-thirds of the new jobs over the last 15 years. Small businesses continue to face a lack of credit and tight lending standards, with 45% of small businesses seeking loans unable to get… Continue

Yesterday, after meeting with BP executives, President Obama announced BP will create a $20 billion disaster compensation fund for Gulf Coast workers, their families and businesses who have been affected by the oil spill. This fund will be administered by an independent… Continue

“America’s small business owners are the backbone of our economy. With this legislation, we are helping to ensure they have what they need to be the engine of our recovery.”

This week, the House is continuing their full inquiry into the disaster and demanding answers from all the players including BP, Transocean and Halliburton. On Tuesday, top executives from the big five oil companies testified before the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee… Continue

Today, the House passed the Government Efficiency, Effectiveness and Performance Improvement Act (HR 2142) by voice vote–giving Congress new tools to reduce wasteful and ineffective spending, producing cost savings for every American taxpayer. The bill: Requires federal agencies to assess agency performance… Continue

BP must be held accountable and responsible for paying the full costs of cleaning up the Gulf and restoring the local economy. Following today's meeting with the President, BP executives agreed to create an accountability fund to pay its obligations to the… Continue

Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced today that Claire Kowalewski Marsh is the winner of the 29th annual Congressional Arts Competition from California’s 8th Congressional district.

“History books up until now had not reported their story, nor described the pivotal role they played in erecting the Capitol. That the tale will be written forever into these walls, etched into this structure, and spoken from this marble chamber. Today, it is enshrined in these plaques, which state: ‘This original exterior wall was constructed between 1793 and 1800 of sandstone, quarried by enslaved African Americans, who were an important part of the labor force that built the United States Capitol.'”