Blog Post

The decision by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez not to renew the license of Radio Caracas Television in order to silence criticism is exactly the kind of action that raises concern about his leadership. President Chavez should know that efforts to suppress the media will not only ultimately fail, but are also a detriment to one of the pillars democracy: freedom of expression. He should reconsider this ill-advised decision.

The United States Senate has already called upon the Organization of American States to respond appropriately, and the House may consider similar action soon.

From the Education and Labor Committee:

Today, the bipartisan Congressional Delegation met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Speaker Pelosi applauded Chancellor Merkel's extraordinary leadership in fighting climate change and stated, "we are trying to preserve the planet, which many in our country, including I, believe is God's creation, and we have a responsibility to preserve it."

The President's decision to impose tougher economic sanctions on Sudan was the right one. The Bashir government has made it clear by its actions that it only responds to pressure, and it is up to the international community to apply the kind of pressure that will end the violence in Darfur. It has been three years since the Bush Administration correctly termed the conditions in Darfur as 'genocide' and it is long past time for all countries concerned by the suffering that continues in Darfur to take the steps necessary to end it.

We arrived in Berlin Monday morning at about 3am. By 8am we were off to a meeting with German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel. I found him to be very informative. We discussed Germany's role in reducing carbon dioxide emissions and global climate change in general.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and a bipartisan Congressional Delegation today commemorated Memorial Day with U.S. Marines and retired veterans at the Allied Museum in Berlin, Germany. In honor of America's fallen soldiers, a Marine Color Guard presented the colors of the United States and Germany during a moving ceremony on the grounds of the museum.

The bipartisan delegation met with Dr. Konrad Steffen, who is the lead scientist at Swiss Camp located on the Jakobshavn Glacier. According to NASA, the Jakobshavn Glacier is the world's fastest glacier, doubling its speed between 1997 and 2003. The scientists said that the rate of melting can be slowed if the world's nations reduce the emission of greenhouse gases.

I am so privileged to be participating in this trip and to have the opportunity to see firsthand the economic and environmental impact of global warming. The information we gather on this trip will be very valuable as Congress considers legislation to address global warming.

Our first stop was in Greenland.