Media

The holy month of Ramadan is a time of reflection, spirituality, discipline and devotion for Muslims across the country, and around the world. Yet, it is also a time for all Americans to reaffirm our commitment to religious diversity and pluralism.

This period offers each of us the chance to rededicate ourselves to the values shared by all faiths; to recall our obligations to each other; to help the less fortunate; and to pursue justice and work for the common good.

May this Ramadan bring joy, wisdom, and peace to all who observe it. May you and your families be blessed. Ramadan Kareem.

Health insurance reform opponents continue to spread myths about components of the America's Affordable Health Choices Act, this time about the bill's impact on doctors. However, the fact is that the America's Affordable Health Choices Act will put the power back into the hands of doctors and other health care professionals.

Myth: Under the House bill, treatments will be decided by government boards, and doctors would be forced to participate in a government-run public option.

In 2008, credit-card issuers imposed $19 billion in penalty fees on families with credit cards--exploiting loopholes in the law to make profits at the expense of responsible credit cardholders with minimal oversight. In May, the House passed, and the President signed, the Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights applying common-sense regulations that ban unfair rate increases and forbid abusive fees and penalties.

The first set of consumer protections go into effect today--requiring 45 days advance notice of all interest rate and fee hikes and statements be mailed 21 days in advance of payment due dates. These reforms, combined with remaining provisions set to take effect in February, will protect 91 million households from excessive fees, unfair interest rate hikes, and arbitrary agreements that credit card companies revise at will.

Today the world remembers the victims of the bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in December 1988, and expresses our deep alarm that the convicted perpetrator of this unspeakable crime has been allowed to go free.

I am deeply disappointed by the Scottish Executive's decision to release Abdel Basset Mohamed al-Megrahi, who was convicted of this crime and sentenced to life in prison in 2001. Instead of returning to Libya, he should be serving the remainder of his sentence in Scottish custody.

We continue to condemn this brutal, criminal act and stand steadfast in our commitment to international efforts to prevent terrorism and punish its perpetrators.

My deepest sympathies continue to be with the families of the 270 victims, including 189 Americans, who lost their loved ones as a result of this horrific crime.

"In San Francisco, Pelosi found a uniformly supportive audience who frequently interrupted her with applause as she hammered home her message: The bill must meet the fourfold goal of reducing costs, improving quality, expanding coverage and retaining choice."