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The Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia and the Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight are currently holding a hearing, "Declaration and Principles: Future U.S. Commitments to Iraq." This is the latest in a series of hearings out of the Foreign Affairs Committee on this issue, see highlights of the February 8th hearing, as well as related questioning during a February 6th Armed Services Committee hearing.

This afternoon the Education and Labor Committee held a hearing to examine how to improve nutrition and food safety in the nation's schools. Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture ordered the largest recall of meat in the nation's history after investigations revealed that meat from non-ambulatory (or "downer") cows at a California slaughterhouse had been allowed to enter the food supply. More than a third of the tainted meat had gone to federal nutrition programs, including to schools.

Chairman George Miller gave opening remarks:

Americans are now paying the price for years of a failed energy policy that has resulted in record energy costs, a dangerous dependence on foreign oil, and the rising threat of global warming. The price of a barrel of oil is now four times higher than it was when President Bush took office and more expensive than in 1980.

The New Direction Congress has begun to break with the failed energy policy of the past by enacting the first increase in fuel economy standards in 32 years, dramatically boosting efficiency standards for buildings, lighting, and appliances, and investing in homegrown biofuels.

Washington, D.C. --Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent the following letter on Friday to House Republican Leader John Boehner on ethics reform. The Speaker indicates her willingness to consider changes proposed by the Republicans and invites Leader Boehner to meet with her to discuss ways to improve the operation of the House ethics process.

"As I indicated during our discussion, I am pleased to consider additional changes to the ethics process beyond those contained in the plan developed by the bipartisan committee, which we plan to bring to the floor soon."

Below is the text of the letter:

February 29, 2008

The Honorable John A. Boehner

Republican Leader

United States House of Representatives

Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Mr. Leader:

From the Oversight Committee:

The Administration's Medicaid Regulations: State-By-State Impacts

WASHINGTON, DC -- Today Chairman Henry A. Waxman released a new report: The Administration's Medicaid Regulations: State-by-State Impacts.

The report details the state-by-state impacts of seven regulations issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service (CMS) that would make major, wide-ranging changes in Medicaid, the nation's largest low-income health care program.

"One of the major shortcomings in last year's admirable energy bill was its failure to extend vital tax credits to producers of wind, solar and other renewable fuels. This was entirely the doing of the Senate, which caved in to the oil companies and their White House friends."