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"More than a year after the financial crisis devastated the economy and triggered massive taxpayer bailouts, the House narrowly approved the most sweeping overhaul of financial regulations since the Great Depression in hopes of preventing a similar catastrophe."

In an op-ed in today's Washington Post, House Republican Leader John Boehner claimed President Obama and Democrats in Congress have failed to jump-start our economy and create jobs.

Wrong, Mr. Boehner.

“The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act will restore tough enforcement and strong oversight to Wall Street and the big banks - after a decade of Washington looking the other way - and inject transparency and accountability into a financial system. This legislation will finally protect Main Street from the worst of Wall Street."

This afternoon, the House passed the conference report on the FY 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Act (HR 3288) which includes the Transportation-HUD, Labor-HHS-Education, Commerce-Justice-Science, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, Financial Services, and State-Foreign Operations spending bills. The legislation addresses critical needs such as investing in community health centers and state health access grants, counseling and aid for families at risk of foreclosure, and increased housing assistance for the most vulnerable Americans.

Today, on the 61st anniversary of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we renew our call to protect and uphold the principles and ideals upon which America was founded.

The world needs American leadership. In Darfur, human rights violations and genocide continues without resolution. In Burma, democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi still languishes in detention. In China and Tibet, people are imprisoned for only expressing their ideas and political views. And for many people in the developing world, extreme poverty and the spread of infectious diseases continue to fuel a 'fury of despair' that devastates communities and creates instability.

“Today, on the 61st anniversary of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we renew our call to protect and uphold the principles and ideals upon which America was founded."