Congress recessed late last week and I am back at home in the 17th Congressional District.  Like many Americans, I will have the privilege of celebrating Thanksgiving with my family.  My thoughts and prayers are with those serving in uniform far from home.

As we celebrate this holiday, I am thankful for the honor of serving in Congress.  We all share the hardship and uncertainty of an economy that has taken the worst turn since the Great Depression and the news is filled with the gloom of ‘recession’ and ‘bailout’. 

Even though this is a difficult time, I am optimistic and have hope that the new leadership of President-Elect Obama and a Democratic Majority in both the House and Senate will stop digging and begin to climb out of this hole.   As we speak, The Obama Economic Team is working diligently to embark on a path to economic recovery that fosters both growth and stability.

I know that with your continued help and support we will successfully face the challenges ahead.  The leaders of the Nation are determined and I am excited and honored to be a part.

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Congress has reconvened for a brief moment, with the focus being the current crisis in the American auto industry. Before I explain my stance, I’d like to congratulate some of my colleagues. Today, we will be swearing in Congresswoman-elect Marcia Fudge (OH-11), who will occupy the seat vacated by my dear friend, the late Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones. I look forward to working with Marcia in the 111th Congress to move Ohio forward.
In addition, I would like to congratulate the newly elected leadership for the Democratic Majority:

Speaker of the House: Nancy Pelosi of California
Majority Leader: Steny Hoyer of Maryland
Majority Whip: James E. Clyburn of South Carolina
Democratic Caucus Chairman: John B. Larson of Connecticut
Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman: Xavier Becerra of California
Assistant to the Speaker and Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee: Chris Van Hollen of Maryland

Last week, I authored a letter to Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer expressing the urgency to help American automakers. We need to ensure stability and stimulate growth in our domestic auto industry. With 5 million American jobs at stake, we can’t afford to look the other way. In my district, the local GM plant in Lordstown is looking at laying off 1,060 employees.  Government intervention will provide an opportunity for these automakers to develop advanced fuel efficient cars and renew American interest in buying domestic.

I will keep you posted as this session continues…

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On Tuesday morning, I had the honor of cutting a ribbon at a facility in my Congressional District that will provide housing for homeless veterans. On any given night in the United States, 200,000 veterans are homeless. These are brave men and women who made great sacrifices and risked their lives to defend our country. As a response, my colleague, Mr. Green from Texas, introduced H.R. 3329, the Homes for Heroes Act. This act will expand housing assistance and supportive services for homeless veterans through a $200 million a year assistance program through The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in addition to 20,000 rental housing vouchers available to homeless veterans and their families.

This bill will ensure that housing assistance will continue for the veterans’ families, even in the event of the veteran’s death. HUD will be required to submit an annual report in order to ensure that the housing needs of these homeless veterans are met, and that an appropriate allocation is maintained. I support this bill enthusiastically, and I am hoping my colleagues will join me. This bill continues my policy of honoring our country’s veterans and making sure that providing for veterans remains a focal point of our new direction in Congress.

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Tonight between 6 and 7 I'm going to the floor to talk about gas prices with some friends from the 30 Somethings, you can watch us on CSPAN. Before that I wanted to give you an idea of whats on my mind.

Many Congressional Republicans blindly voted for or supported Bush’s party line on energy policies that were written by oil company lobbyists under the cover of darkness in the Vice President’s office. Now they want you to believe that the Democratic majority, which has been in office for a year and a half, is responsible for the rise in gas prices?

This Congress has an actual plan to overturn the failed policies of the past. We are taking both short-term steps to try and bring down gas prices, and long-term steps toward ending our dependence on foreign oil. Misleading Congressional Republican attacks on this Congress’ record are a distraction from the hard work that needs to be done to help Americans at the pump. It’s time for them to step up and become partners in the solution, rather than play political games on an issue that strikes to the heart of our national security.

The new argument will tell us that opening up new areas for oil and natural gas development is the way to solve our problems. I oppose it for the following reasons:

(1)    There are 68 million acres onshore and offshore in the U.S. that are leased by oil companies—open to drilling and actually under lease—but not developed.

(2)    80 percent of the oil available on the Outer Continental Shelf is already open for leasing—but the oil companies haven't decided it’s worth their money to drill there.

(3)    Drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge wouldn’t yield any oil for 10 years—and then would only save the consumer 1.8 cents per gallon in 2030.

(4)    Although oil drilling technology has improved since the infamous Santa Barbara oil spill disaster in 1969 , drilling on the OCS still presents serious environmental risks, and should not be undertaken unless all other alternatives have been exhausted.

(5)    All told, the U.S. has only 1.6 percent of world's known oil supply anyway.  But every day, Americans use a quarter of the world’s daily oil consumption.  The bottom line is, we CAN'T drill our way out of this problem.  Even if we could immediately access all of the U.S. reserves, it would amount to a mere drop in the bucket when compared to long-term needs.

Also, this was me earlier today on a local radio show talking about this problem.

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Trying out the Fuel-Cell Vehicle

                Here in Congress, my colleagues and I have been working hard to push the Green-based initiative on behalf of the American people. Even within our halls, we’ve launched a program called “Green the Capitol”. This program sets us to be the World’s first carbon neutral legislative body, reducing our energy consumption by 50% a 10-year time frame, reduce waste by using only completely compostable items, and that’s only a few to mention.

Outside our walls, just a few weeks ago, the House passed H.R. 6049 (The Renewable Energy and Job Creation Act) to not only extend, but also expand tax incentives for renewable energy, retain and create hundreds of thousands of green jobs. The bill also closes loopholes allowing U.S. corporations and executives to avoid U.S. taxes by shipping jobs and investment overseas.

Keeping in the spirit of “going green”, I had an opportunity to check out GM’s new Fuel-Cell Vehicle, based on the Chevrolet Equinox. This car produced zero emissions, using NO gasoline. It also had quite a bit of pickup, with an ability to go up to 100mph. There was very little noise from the engine, and the drive was fantastic. The unfortunate part is that these cars will be hard to come by until production meets demand, plus the fact that there aren’t a whole lot of stations to recharge these cars. I’m very excited, however, to see how this technology will positively impact the auto industry as years go by.

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Reflections from Memorial Day

Yesterday I had an opportunity to participate with local veterans in three different events in my District. The morning started off at a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Trumbull County Veterans Memorial in Warren. The memorial will honor our brave men and woman who from our community who have fought honorably for our country. I then attended a flag presentation with the American Legion at the Campbell Memorial High School. Finally I finished at VFW Post 6488 & Ladies Auxiliary in Youngstown, where I spoke and honored former Mahoning County Coroner Dr. Nathan Belinky, who survived one of the most brutal events of World War II, the Bataan Death March.           

Last week was a good week in Congress to reflect on how our nation can give back to those men and women who put everything on the line for us. We came to an agreement on a $1.3 billion tax relief package for military families which included allowing service members in combat to get the Earned Income Tax Credit. The measure also expanded veterans’ homeownership opportunities and provided foreclosure relief for those returning home from the field. We also passed a series of measures to address the health care needs of veterans and provide a cost-of-living adjustment for service-connected disability compensation rates for veterans, among others.  Since last January, Speaker Pelosi and the new majority have committed ourselves to being the most veteran friendly Congress in a generation. We believe that, “supporting our troops,” isn’t just some slogan; it is a commitment to ensure they have the tools and training they need in the field, but also every opportunity to succeed in civilian life when they come home.

A New GI Bill for the 21^st Century

The New GI Bill for the 21^st Century: Passed by the House and Senate:

Restores a full, four-year college education for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans – on a par with the educational benefits available after World War II.

Makes Iraq and Afghanistan veterans a part of an American economic recovery, just as the veterans of World War II helped grow and strengthen the American middle class.   

Makes military service more attractive and improves the quality of military recruits as we work to strengthen and rebuild our military stretched thin by the Iraq War. 

Broadly supported by all major veterans’ organizations, including the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Largest Increase in Veterans Health Care in History

FY 2009 Budget Resolution (H.Con.Res. 312, S.Con.Res. 70; PASSED BY HOUSE & SENATE & FINAL AGREEMENT will be voted on in June)

Provides blueprint for another historic veterans’ budget increase – 11 percent above last year and $3.3 billion more than the President’s budget. 

Invests $39 billion more over 5 years than the President’s budget. 

Rejects President’s plan for $2.3 billion in new enrollment fees and drug co-payments increases on 1 million veterans.

Strongly supported by major veterans organizations, including the American Legion, the Independent Budget (AMVETS, Disabled American Veterans, Paralyzed Veterans of America, and Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States), and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.

Key increases include:

Medical services, administration, facilities and research -- 28 percent ($8 billion) increase

Non-recurring maintenance at VA facilities to prevent a Walter Reed-like tragedy – 240 percent ($600 million) increase

Substance Abuse – 20 percent ($70 million) increase

Homeless veterans – 104 percent ($66 million) increase

Focusing on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury

Required the VA to spend at least $2.9 billion on mental health care – 32 percent more than in FY06.

Added $100 million in the Iraq supplemental (5/07) for mental health care.

Strengthened polytrauma centers providing care for those with multiple injuries and related psychological impairments and functional disability, such as TBI and amputations. 

Required that current level I polytrauma centers and the centers of excellence for Mental Health and PTSD will be fully staffed and operational in FY2008

Focusing serious attention on the nearly 400,000 claims backlog by hiring additional claims processors

Added 3,100 new VA claims processors -- 400 new hires funded through the FY 2007 Joint Resolution, 800 new hires in the FY 2008 Iraq Supplemental, and 1,800 new hires in the FY 2008 Omnibus.