Blog Post

This afternoon, Representative Bill Owens was sworn in on the House floor to fill the 23rd district seat of New York left open when John McHugh resigned to become the United States Secretary of the Army:

Rep. Owens brings the House to 258 Democrats and 177 Republicans.

The cost of inaction to our fiscal health is clear--family premiums are projected to increase an average of $1,800 each year, the number of the uninsured will reach 61 million by 2020, and with employers unable to afford rising health care costs, our country could see an additional 3.5 million people unemployed and without benefits in the next 4 years.

“Within the next few days, the House will vote on the most comprehensive health care legislation in our history. Our bill will provide affordability to the middle class, security to our seniors, and responsibility to our children by not adding a dime to the deficit."

“Congress has taken critical - and necessary - steps to protect the middle class and set the stage for economic growth. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has created or saved nearly 1 million jobs so far, and our rescue efforts have placed the financial system on firmer footing."

This afternoon, Representative John Garamendi was sworn in on the House floor to fill the 10th district seat of California left open when Ellen Tauscher resigned to become the State Department's Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs:

By a vote of 403-12, this afternoon the House passed the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act to extend unemployment benefits, the homebuyers' tax credit, and tax relief for military families and businesses.

This afternoon the House observed a moment of silence on the tragic shooting at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas:

Speaker Pelosi:

Last night, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its analysis of the House Republican bill. CBO's analysis on key issues:

COVERING MORE AMERICANS?