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“ Democratic priorities are clear: we will fight to get the economy back on track, we will create jobs, and we will help unemployed workers. ” |
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Pelosi and Hoyer: Republican Congress Must Not Continue to Ignore the Needs of the American People
Washington, D.C. – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer sent the following letter to Speaker Dennis Hastert today insisting that Congress address skyrocketing home heating costs, the complicated Medicare prescription drug program, and Katrina rebuilding before they adjourn this week.
Below is the text of the letter:
December 12, 2005
The Honorable J. Dennis Hastert
Speaker
United States House of Representatives
H-232 U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C. 20515
Dear Mr. Speaker:
As you prepare to adjourn this session of the 109th Congress, we write to once again state the urgency of addressing skyrocketing home heating costs, the complicated Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit, and the needs of Hurricane Katrina survivors before Members return to their home districts.
Your office has indicated that you will not call the House of Representatives back into session until January 31, but there are pressing unmet needs in our country now. Without immediate action, progress on these issues will be delayed by a minimum of six weeks, and consequently, millions of Americans will suffer.
With energy costs soaring and winter bearing down on American families, it is imperative that the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) be provided with its promised level of funding ($5.1 billion) this year. The House and Senate spending bills have shortchanged this essential program, and therefore only about 15 percent of those eligible to receive energy grants actually will. Americans struggling with skyrocketing home heating costs cannot wait. Congress must vote to fully fund LIHEAP.
Meanwhile, as American families shoulder this burden of skyrocketing energy prices, oil companies are recording historic profits and continue to receive huge subsidies at great expense to the taxpayer. We call on you to bring to the House floor legislation to rescind the billions of dollars recently enacted in taxpayer subsidies, tax breaks, and royalty relief from taxes owed on public lands, and to use these funds to help meet the home heating needs of the American people,
As America’s seniors try to navigate the complicated and confusing Medicare Prescription Drugs law, it is apparent that beneficiaries need more time to choose a plan. Furthermore, as studies are proving that this costly legislation does little to reduce the exorbitant cost of prescription drugs for middle-income seniors, Congress must take action immediately to allow the federal government to negotiate for lower prices, and address the issue of drug reimportation.
More than 100 days after Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of our Gulf Coast, the issue of housing for many Katrina survivors is still unresolved, and in many cases, has become more dire. Many displaced residents are still living in tents or shelters, and legal and financial woes are pitting survivors against landlords, insurance companies, and banks. In the meantime, Congress must act to ensure that every survivor who needs a housing voucher receives one.
Furthermore, we still do not have answers as to why the response of the federal government failed so severely to the detriment of millions of residents of the Gulf Coast. The American people have made clear that they favor an independent commission, modeled on the 9/11 Commission, to conduct an in-depth investigation, removed from politics. We ask you to bring the Hastings-Menendez Independent Katrina Commission bill to the floor for a vote of the full House.
The American people cannot afford to have their needs ignored on the issues of home heating and Medicare, and Hurricane Katrina survivors deserve our immediate efforts.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Nancy Pelosi
House Democratic Leader
Steny Hoyer
House Democratic Whip
“ Democrats are united in presenting a New Direction for America, one that will make our nation as strong as its people, one that brings opportunity, security, and prosperity to all Americans. ”
Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi
