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Blog Post
July 24, 2009
“The fiscal year 2010 Labor-Health and Human Services-Education appropriations bill includes strong increases for key health, education and worker training initiatives, including NIH research, Pell Grants, Head Start and clean energy jobs..."
Blog Post
July 24, 2009
This afternoon, the House passed the fiscal year 2010 Labor-Health and Human Services-Education appropriations bill by a vote of 264 to 153. The bill makes critical investments in our country's long term prosperity by funding health, education and worker training initiatives, including NIH research, Pell Grants, Head Start and clean energy jobs.
The bill also ends a ban against federal funding for needle exchange programs, putting science first in our public health policy. Speaker Pelosi:
Blog Post
July 24, 2009
Today the minimum wage increases by 70 cents, from $6.55 per hour to $7.25 per hour -- the final of three increases to take effect under legislation enacted by the Democratic Congress in 2007. The wage increase will help an estimated 4.5 million workers in 31 states provide for their families. The Economic Policy Institute estimates that this increased purchasing power will boost consumer spending by more than $5.5 billion over the next year and result in $120 in extra monthly income for the average worker.
More on those who will benefit:
Three-quarters of those who will benefit from this wage increase are 20 years old or older.More than half are families with yearly incomes of less than $35,000.
Over sixty percent are women, and over 400,000 of them are single parents with kids under 18.
Press Release
July 23, 2009
“Tomorrow, millions of hardworking Americans will be getting a raise. As the final step of the minimum wage increase goes into effect, studies have shown we are also stimulating the economy by giving hardworking Americans the income they need to buy groceries, fill up their gas tanks, and get their children ready to head back-to school..."
Press Release
July 23, 2009
"We last visited in Iraq on Mother's Day, May 10th, and it was a pretty exciting visit for us then because we could congratulate Mr. al-Maliki on the successful regional election that had taken place. At that time, we talked about corruption and how it is an impediment to investment in Iraq. We talked about the removal of our ground security forces from the city that would occur by the end of June -- and it has. And we talked about how we can work together to increase security, decreased corruption, promote the rule of law, and attract investment to Iraq, so important to its future."
Blog Post
July 23, 2009
Recent polls and studies continue to find significant support for health insurance reform -- even as political attacks and misinformation heat up around America's Affordable Health Choices Act:
A Kaiser Family Foundation poll released today shows support remains strong:
"As has been the case over the past ten months, a majority of the American people (56%) continue to believe that health reform is more important than ever despite the country's economic problems.""The public believes by a two to one margin (51% versus 23%) that the country will be better rather than worse off if Congress and the president enact health reform.
Blog Post
July 23, 2009
America's Affordable Health Choices Act takes a number of steps to ensure that when Americans face a health crisis, they don't also face a financial crisis. Yesterday, Speaker Pelosi and Reps. Xavier Becerra, Donna Edwards, Rosa DeLauro, and Mary Jo Kilroy held a press conference on the critical need to address crushing health care costs.
A recent study published in the American Journal of Medicine showed two out of three personal bankruptcies in 2007 were a result of medical debt, even though more than 75% of those bankrupted had private health insurance. House Democrats were joined by four Americans who have worked hard and played by the rules only to end up with crushing health care costs and debt.
Press Release
July 22, 2009
'Here we are today, one day closer than we have ever been in history -- to enacting real health care reform. We've made great progress -- two of our three Committees in the House, one of the two Committees in the Senate, as you know, have reported out legislation and the other two committees are hard at work in doing their jobs."
Speech
July 22, 2009
“The disability community is a major stakeholder in health care reform, and I thank you for your advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities and chronic health conditions. We know that health care reform that works well with people with disabilities will work well for all Americans..."
Speech
July 22, 2009
“I reiterate, when the Democrats took control of the Congress, we made it a rule of the House that we had to abide by pay-as-you-go. Now, we have a President of the United States who is committed to sign this legislation and we are able to pass it, not as a rule of the House, but as a statute, as a law of the land."