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Blog Post
June 19, 2008
The House has just passed the fiscal year 2008 supplemental. This version of the supplemental reflects an agreement that was reached yesterday by the House Democratic Leadership, the House GOP Leadership, and the White House. The proposal consisted of two amendments. Amendment #1 provides DOD funding of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as passed by the Senate on May 22, 2008, and passed by a vote of 268-155. Amendment #2 will fully restore GI Bill education benefits for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, provide extended unemployment benefits to Americans struggling in an economy on the brink of recession, provide urgently-needed disaster relief in the response to the floods and tornadoes in the Midwest, and block damaging Medicaid regulations.
Blog Post
June 19, 2008
The House has just passed the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act, H.R. 5781 by a vote of 278-146. This legislation will help families by providing four weeks of paid parental leave to federal and congressional employees. In addition to the four weeks, employees will also be allowed to use any accrued annual or sick leave for parental leave. Unlike current law, employees using their sick leave for parental leave will not need to demonstrate a medical need for the leave. The bill also authorizes the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to extend the parental leave period to up to eight weeks.
Blog Post
June 19, 2008
This afternoon Donna Edwards was sworn in on the House floor to fill the 4th district seat of Maryland.
| Rep. Edwards: "And so today I am an agent of change and an agent of their mandate. In America's... profile is slightly tarnished around the world, and with our economy teetering at home, we can only hope that we don't wait for that change to happen until next January. That my constituents have said to me, we can't wait for change to begin. |
Articles
June 19, 2008
"It was almost inevitable that a combination of $4-a-gallon gas, public anxiety and politicians eager to win votes or repair legacies would produce political pandering on an epic scale. So it has, the latest instance being President Bush's decision to ask Congress to end the federal ban on offshore oil and gas drilling along much of America's continental shelf."
Press Release
June 19, 2008
"We take an oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic. In that Preamble to that Constitution, we must provide for the common defense. Essential to honoring that commitment to protect the American people is to have the operational intelligence that will help us do that."
Speech
June 19, 2008
"We take an oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic. In that Preamble to that Constitution, we must provide for the common defense. Essential to honoring that commitment to protect the American people is to have the operational intelligence that will help us do that."
Press Release
June 19, 2008
"We were able to come to this compromise because we were ready."
Speech
June 19, 2008
"We were able to come to this compromise because we were ready."
Blog Post
June 19, 2008
The Oversight Committee is currently holding a hearing, "Examining Grantmaking Practices at the Department of Justice." The hearing will examine how the Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) awarded grants in fiscal year 2007.
Investigators Look for Favoritism in Justice Department Grants
Carrie Johnson, Washington Post - June 19, 2008
Blog Post
June 18, 2008
From today's White House press briefing:
Q I'll press for documentation from Pelosi's office as far as her claim on the 80 percent, but do you guys have information, statistics to verify --MR. FRATTO: The Energy Information Agency over at the Department of Energy, and Department of Energy can give you every data point they have available. They'll be more than happy to do it.
Mr. Fratto likely meant to refer to the Energy Information Administration, and we would be happy to facilitate the search for relevant data points.
Drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf: