What does a congressional response look like when accused of perpetuating a Fascist Reign by Business/ Gov’t?
TOTAL SPIN RESPONSE >>> January 2008
Congressional Update: National
Dear Friend:
This past year Congress has been working hard to move in a new direction. Under the guidance of our new leadership here in the house we have been able to make strides to raise and pass important legislation that will keep us safe and enhance the quality of life for every American. Last year at this time we set some clear goals for legislation we wanted to work towards this session. I am pleased to say that we have made some progress that I would like to share with you.
In a continuing effort to bring our troops home and find a suitable resolution to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan , bill H.R. 2956, the Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act, was introduced and passed the House. This bill changes the direction of President Bush’s Iraqi policy: requiring the President to redeploy our troops, while continuing to provide our troops with the resources they need. President Bush has asked Congress for an additional $200 billion for Iraq . The House voted on a $50 billion package -providing for the current needs of the troops while making an effort to establish more accountability for the additional outlay of funds.
Troops returning from the Iraq war represent the largest number of servicemen returning from any conflict since WWII. Many of our sons and daughters are returning with challenges, both physical and emotional. Some of them will have difficulty reintegrating after the traumatic experience of going to war and many of our veteran’s are ending up homeless. This year we announced a three year grant for $298,997, for Duval County Homeless Veteran Reintegration. The purpose of The Homeless Veterans’ Reintegration Program (HVRP) is to expedite the reintegration of homeless veterans into the labor force. The program is administered by the Assistant Secretary for Veterans’ Employment and Training at the Department of Labor.
Our nation’s children were also on the top of the agenda this session. This session I worked with my colleagues to reauthorize (SCHIP) the Children’s Health and Medicare Protection Act to provide basic health coverage for our most vulnerable citizens. The measure was passed is August, but was then vetoed by the president forcing the Congress to attempt to override, which was unsuccessful. This issue is currently under consideration through other vehicles and we hope to reach a resolution by the end of the session.
With respect to transportation, I have been concerned with recent incidents calling in to question our rail safety. The Federal Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2007, introduced and passed this session, provides for regulations over the industry regarding the number of consecutive hours worked and the administration of time off. These new measures are put into place to reduce the incidents of derailments and other accidents resulting from human error.
This session the long overdue Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) was passed. This bill authorizes several important Corps of Engineers and water and sewer improvement projects in the Third District. Projects include dredging at the Jacksonville Port , St. John’s River Improvement Studies, JEA water reuse projects, and the JWSEA sewage replacement program.
This has been a productive year and I am looking forward to continuing that progress in the second half of this session. I believe that we are on the path to regaining the stability in this nation that has eroded in the past few years. If we continue to work together, these changes will come. I look forward to working with you this year.
Sincerely,
Corrine Brown
Member of Congress
Note: Please do not respond directly to this e-mail. To ensure a timely response to any future questions/concerns you may have, please visit my website ( http://www.house.gov/corrinebrown/IMA/issue.shtml ) to send your comments.
Is the Congresswoman intentionally refusing to acknowledge the accusation or spin justifying her work & position?