Skip to main content

Media

Latest News

Blog Post
March 2, 2007
General takes the fall for Army hospital's failures

Robert Burns, Associated Press - March 2, 2007

The general running Walter Reed Army Medical Center had been there six months when trouble arrived -- news reports about recovering soldiers languishing in dilapidated housing, their families complaining of inattentive administrators, followed by cries of outrage from members of Congress.

Heads had to roll, it appeared. At a time of growing public discontent with the Iraq war and with Democrats newly in charge of Congress, the embarrassments at Walter Reed seemed to magnify the claims of critics that the Bush administration is mismanaging the conflict and its costly human consequences.

Press Release
March 1, 2007
"Washington, D.C. - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today on the news reports on poor outpatient care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington: 'Our wounded military personnel and combat veterans deserve nothing less than the best care, but the continuing revelations at WalterReedArmyMedicalCenter show a troubling trend."
Blog Post
March 1, 2007
The House Judiciary Committee released the following statement:

Washington -- House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers today issued subpoenas against certain former U.S. Attorneys who were recently fired by the Bush Administration. The subpoenas were authorized by the Judiciary Subcommittee on Administrative Law (CAL), chaired by Congresswoman Linda Sánchez.

The subpoenas require former U.S. Attorneys David C. Iglesias, Carol Lam, H.E. Cummins, III, and John McKay to appear before a CAL Subcommittee hearing next week.

"The former U.S. Attorneys are alleging very serious charges against the Administration and we need to hear from them," Chairman Conyers said. "We want to hear their stories and we want the Administration to address the charges head on so that we can get to the bottom of this."

Blog Post
March 1, 2007
By a vote of 241 to 185, the House of Representatives passed The Employee Free Choice Act. Watch the closing speech by Education and Labor Chairman George Miller:

Blog Post
March 1, 2007
In addition to the introduction of the Presidential Donations Reform Act of 2007 by Represenatives Waxman, Duncan, Clay, Platts, and Emanuel, which would vastly increase transparency in the funding of presidential libraries, the Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2007 were introduced today by Representatives Waxman, Platts, Clay, and Burton:

Blog Post
March 1, 2007
To help ease the economic squeeze on America's middle class families, Democratic lawmakers have introduced the Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 800), a bill with 234 cosponsors that would help workers join together to bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions. Union workers earn 30 percent more, on average, than do nonunion workers, and union workers are much more likely to have healthcare, pensions and more generous paid time off. Debate is being held today on the floor.

More information from the Committee on Education and Labor >>

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Transcript):

Rep. Phil Hare (IL-17):

Rep. John Hall (NY-19):

Blog Post
March 1, 2007
To help ease the economic squeeze on America's middle class families, Democratic lawmakers have introduced the Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 800), a bill with 234 cosponsors that would help workers join together to bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions. Union workers earn 30 percent more, on average, than do nonunion workers, and union workers are much more likely to have healthcare, pensions and more generous paid time off. Debate is being held today on the floor.

More information from the Committee on Education and Labor >>

Rep. George Miller (CA-07), Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, opens debate:

Rep. Betty Sutton (OH-13):

Rep. Al Green (TX-09):

Rep. Chris Murphy (CT-05):

Rep. Rob Andrews (NJ-01):

Blog Post
March 1, 2007
During a Budget Committee Hearing on the Department of Veterans Affairs Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Priorities this morning, Rep. Brian Baird (WA-03) questioned Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson on the 2005 veterans budget shortfall and funding for veterans suffering from traumatic brain injury:

Rep. Baird has worked in a VA hospital, specializing in traumatic brain injury. This issue has emerged as yet another troubling problem in the way our government has been treating those who have sacrificed so much to protect us during the course of this war:

Military Mental Health Under Stress

Mark Thompson, TIME - February 26, 2007

Blog Post
March 1, 2007
Our wounded military personnel and combat veterans deserve nothing less than the best care, but the continuing revelations at Walter Reed Army Medical Center show a troubling trend.

The House will address some of the most pressing deficiencies at Walter Reed in the upcoming Supplemental Appropriations bill, but much more must be done to make the medical care system fully responsive to our wounded troops. House committees will respond as a matter of urgent priority and will conduct aggressive congressional oversight of military medical care.

Blog Post
March 1, 2007
Rep. Rahm Emanuel spoke on the House floor today regarding the alleged purge of US Attorneys:

Ex-Prosecutor Says Politics Was Motive for Dismissal

David Johnston, New York Times - March 1, 2007