WASHINGTON —U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Representative Sander Levin (D-MI) today announced House passage of H.R. 3221, the Housing Assistance Tax Act of 2008, which includes a provision encouraging American manufacturers to invest in the economy, thereby creating jobs here at home. The provision allows manufacturers and other companies to utilize built up tax credits to stimulate the economy, invest in capital, and create new jobs. H.R. 3221 will now come to the Senate for final passage.

WASHINGTON – Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Carl Levin (D-Mich.) announced today that the Senate Appropriations Committee has approved a bill to fund $99,770,000 in military construction projects in Michigan for fiscal year 2009. The Detroit Arsenal in Warren will receive more than two-thirds of that amount, $68.5 million, to support the influx of more than 1,000 personnel moving to the base from other locations around the country.

From today’s Cit Pat:

Imagine having a four-hour dialysis appointment, then waiting up to three hours in the lobby, nauseated, for your ride home.

It can get tiring, especially for someone like Josephine Young of Summit Township, who has done it three times a week for nearly six years.

Young, 69, was one of a handful of patients at Jackson Dialysis, 234 W. Louis Glick Highway, who talked to U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, on Tuesday about public transportation issues and the soaring price of gasoline.
Young, who uses either a wheelchair or walker, relies on Jackson Transportation Authority’s Reserve-A-Ride.

Walberg also visited the American Red Cross, 3425 Francis St., where he heard from Executive Director Karen Randall and board members about the effects high gasoline prices have on the agency.

Randall said emergency services volunteers — the people trained to immediately respond to help people in a fire, accident or other disaster — have started using their own money to pay for gasoline to get there and back.

Walberg supports legislation that would seek more drilling for oil in the United States — including Alaska — and encourages investment in new nuclear power plants.

“Sixty years ago, President Harry S. Truman boldly signed an executive order to make the armed forces more reflective of the United States of America,” said Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (13th District, Michigan), Chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus. “Sixty years later, due to racial integration, brave men and women of color are unselfishly risking life and limb to protect our liberties and keep America’s homeland and borders safe. Their service to our country is immeasurable.”

From Saturday’s Jackson Citizen Patriot:
About 180 people attended a federal grant-writing workshop sponsored Friday morning by U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton.

The event was at Lifeways and drew representatives from area schools, churches, non-profit organizations and small business owners.

The workshop included a tutorial from a proposal-writing specialist from the University of Michigan on how to write a federal grant.

Over the past few weekends, I’ve held multiple events in the Seventh District to hear firsthand how high gas prices are affecting my constituents. One single mother offered remarks which I found particularly memorable.

She shared how she drives an hour, from Adrian to Ann Arbor, each way to the hospital where she works. Because of high gas prices, she recently requested and received permission to begin working back to back 8 hour shifts, two days per week, so she doesn’t have to make the hour long commute each day.

This remarkable woman then shared something that really struck me. She said that in a couple years, when her daughter turns 16, handing her daughter the keys to the family car will be an extremely stressful experience. But unlike when she was a teenager and her father was worried about her driving abilities and the car’s safety, this mother is worried she won’t be able to afford to pay for the gas her daughter will use to take the family car and go out with friends.

This is just one example of how real Americans outside the D.C. beltway are struggling to pay for gas. All across our great country and especially in rural areas, Americans can barely afford prices over $4 a gallon.  With wheat harvesting just beginning, high gas prices will mean higher costs for our family farmers as they harvest and transport this year’s crop to market.

Meanwhile, leaders in Congress will not allow any legislative action to increase American energy production. Instead they continue to push for tax increases on energy and offer silly proposals like having trial lawyers sue OPEC and requiring oil companies to drill on land where oil likely does not exist. This plan to tax, sue and mandate the Jed Clampett oil exploration method (no scientific research, just drill on the ground you have) will surely fail.  In fact, these proposals will likely produce less American energy.

Along with many of my colleagues, I am working daily to push for more American energy production. We have introduced, fought for and demanded votes on legislation to immediately drill in places like the Gulf of Mexico, ANWR and the Outer Continental Shelf and to increase our refinery capacity. We are also pushing bills to expand the development of alternative energies and build new nuclear power plants.

By passing these reasonable energy proposals, we could bring more American-produced gasoline to the market and lower our energy bills. Yet, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refuses to even allow a vote on these common sense solutions.

This week I sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi urging Congressional action to bring down high gas prices before Congress goes on summer recess. The full letter is available here.  In the letter, I state, “To solve America’s energy crisis, the House of Representatives needs to act now.” I believe the longer we wait to address energy prices, the greater the national security risk high prices become. America simply cannot continue to rely on large amounts of imported Middle East oil and Americans should not have to send hundreds of billions of dollars overseas because Congress has failed to allow American energy production.

In the coming weeks, I am going to continue fighting to at least hold a vote on the House floor to increase American energy production. As I do this, I need your help.

Just as with the woman I referenced above, I need examples and stories of how my constituents are struggling to pay for gas. If you have the time, please send me your personal experience. You can either leave a comment on my blog or email me.

With your help, we can continue building momentum for increased American energy production. It’s time for a forthright debate on the House floor that will give the American people a chance to have their voices heard.

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Carl Levin (D-MI) today announced the inclusion of funding for agricultural programs and research in the Agriculture Fiscal Year 2009 Appropriations Bill, which the Senate Appropriations Committee approved yesterday.

WASHINGTON —U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) today made the following statement regarding the World Trade Organization report finding that China’s treatment of U.S. and other imported auto parts violates China’s WTO obligations.

Congressman Walberg today sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging Congressional action to bring down gas prices.

July 17, 2008

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House of Representatives
H-232, U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Madam Speaker:

I respectfully urge you to allow the House of Representatives to vote on legislation to increase American energy production, so America can become energy independent and to bring down prices at the pump. Energy prices have skyrocketed, the economy has slowed, and hundreds of billions of dollars are flowing from the pockets of American families into the treasuries of nations who wish America ill. Yet you have still not allowed a vote in the House of Representatives to increase American energy production.

To solve America’s energy crisis, the House of Representatives needs to act now. A number of pieces of legislation have been introduced to increase American energy production by immediately allowing more oil and natural gas exploration, building new refineries and nuclear power plants, encouraging renewable energy development, and advancing technological innovations. I have listed a few for your consideration. As you are probably aware, some of them have had discharge petitions filed so they can immediately be brought up for debate.

• H.R. 3089 The No More Excuses Energy Act (Thornberry - TX)
• H.R. 6107 The American Energy Independence and Price Reduction Act (Young - AK)
• H.R. 2784 The National Environment and Energy Development Act (Peterson - PA)
• H.R. 2208 The Coal Liquid Fuel Act (Boucher - WV)
• H.R. 6138 Repeals the ban on using funds to issue oil shale regulations (Upton - MI)

Each of these bills contains innovative solutions to not only increase our production capacity, but also to embrace new technologies.

Gas prices are incredibly high and are affecting families, businesses, and our communities. I urge you to allow votes to increase American energy production and move our nation on a path toward energy independence before Congress leaves for a month long break. Families that want to take a vacation will not experience a break, businesses fighting to make it in a tough economy will not experience a break, and police departments forced to cut back patrols will not experience a break.

I implore you to bring these reasonable proposals to the House floor in the next week to move America towards energy independence and to create more American jobs. I look forward to working together and engaging in a forthright debate that will give the American people a chance to have their voices heard, and most importantly, to act immediately to solve America’s energy crisis. Thank you for consideration of my request.

Sincerely,

Tim Walberg
Member of Congress

Last week I led an effort to get eight other members of the Michigan delegation to support Battle Creek’s effort to be a host location for an Air Force Cyber Command Unit. The letter sent last week can be found here.

In these tough economic times, we need to showcase all the many great features Michigan has to offer. I believe that Battle Creek is an ideal location for a new command unit as the Battle Creek Air National Guard Base boasts excellent facilities, a secure location, a well-trained workforce, along with a great community.

WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Carl Levin (D-MI) announced today that six Michigan organizations have been awarded $258,401 through the Department of Homeland Security Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program (AFGP). The funding will be used to support operations and firefighter safety and to purchase vehicles.

WASHINGTON —U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) today announced the House and Senate’s successful override of President Bush’s veto of H.R. 6331 the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, which ensures patients’ access to quality, affordable health care. This legislation, which will now become law, protects Medicare from a 10% reduction in payments to physicians and health care providers for eighteen months. The new law also includes a number of provisions modeled after Stabenow-introduced legislation calling for the modernization of health care with innovations including e-prescribing and telehealth services.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) today made the following statement regarding President Bush’s veto of H.R. 6331 the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, which ensures patients’ access to quality, affordable health care. Both the House and Senate will attempt to override the President’s veto later today.

 

NO IS NOT AN ENERGY PLAN

Time to End the Ban

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The President lifted the Executive Moratorium yesterday and Congressman Tim Walberg Continues to push for legislative action.