Media

Today, the House passed a package of housing measures that will help families facing foreclosure keep their homes, help other families avoid foreclosures in the future, and help the recovery of communities harmed by empty homes caught in the foreclosure process. The package is the most comprehensive response yet to the American mortgage crisis.

The American Housing Rescue & Foreclosure Prevention Act, H.R. 3221, will provide mortgage refinancing assistance, which will help keep families from losing their homes and protect neighboring home values and was passed in a series of three different votes (1, 2, 3).

"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's party couldn't bring troops home from Iraq and Congress's public approval ratings are near a record low. Still, the California lawmaker has emerged as the most powerful Democratic House leader since Tip O'Neill."

"In late March, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was about to lose a vote on one of her pet projects: an ethics panel to monitor lawmakers' behavior. Despite her entreaties, Rep. Bob Filner, a fellow California Democrat, refused to change his mind, according to people who were there."

From the Appropriations Committee:

FACT SHEET:

Emergency Supplemental: Iraq, Afghanistan, Veterans, and Workers

This week the House of Representatives will consider the emergency supplemental bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and pressing domestic needs. Under consideration are $183.77 billion in outstanding requests from the President. The Democratic proposal totals $183.686 billion, just under the President's request for appropriated dollars.

As Congress considers the most recent war request, it is important that we also meet our obligations to those who bravely serve and address the economic insecurity of those at home. Thus, the proposal also includes 2 new initiatives not requested by the President: