Congressman Mike Ross, Fourth Congressional District of Arkansas



Volume 5, Issue 3,
December 21, 2004
Weekly Newsletter



 



 
MIKE'S WEEKLY MESSAGE


 
Congress Must Address Critical Priorities in 2005


 
This week, the halls of Congress are calm and quiet as staffers prepare to wrap-up the work of the 108th Congress and return to their respective homes for the holidays. But in just a few short weeks, the hustle and bustle of Congress will return when my colleagues and I convene for the start of the 109th Congressional Session.

On January 4th, I will return to Washington, D.C, to be sworn in for my third-term in office. You have put your faith and confidence in me to represent your interests and values in the United States Congress, and I am incredibly grateful that you have entrusted me with this honor and responsibility. 

I am optimistic and hopeful that the New Year and the new session will bring a fresh start and a new perspective to the manner in which Congress works together to accomplish meaningful legislation.  I use the term "meaningful legislation" to define legislation that truly benefits the majority of the American people.

We must pass a Transportation Reauthorization Bill - which Congress addresses every six years and which funds local transportation projects - that truly responds to our nation's vastly growing road needs. Would you believe that over the next six years, our nation has roughly $400 billion in road needs and highway projects alone? At a time when 9 million Americans are out of work and many of our nation's roads are in disrepair, passing a Highway bill that repairs our current roads, builds Interstates such as I-49 and I-69 that create economic opportunities for the future, and puts people back to work is simply the right thing to do. 

We must also pass an Energy Bill that will truly reduce the high-cost of gasoline, diesel fuel and natural gas, while encouraging the continued research and development of alternative fuel sources. Our nation is becoming increasingly dependent on foreign countries to supply our energy sources, setting a dangerous course that has hurt us economically. 

And finally, perhaps the most pressing issue Congress must address this year is how to salvage our nation's Social Security system, which today is on the verge of a financial crisis. It's estimated that by 2035, Social Security will owe $318 billion more to retirees than it can pay. To thwart this from occurring, we must reform the system immediately, and allowing payees to invest part of their savings into the risky and volatile stock market is not the solution. 

Politicians must also keep their hands off the Social Security Trust Fund! Since Social Security's institution, the government has borrowed $1.5 trillion from the Trust Fund - a practice that must stop. I am glad Congress and the Administration are finally coming together to have an open, honest debate on this issue that I hope will ultimately result in maintaining the solvency of our nation's retirement system for today's retirees and for future generations. Many seniors today depend on their monthly Social Security check to keep them out of poverty -- we cannot jeopardize their means of survival.

When Congress returns to Washington in January, I will be there every step of the way, fighting for the solutions that will be the most beneficial to the working families of Arkansas's Fourth Congressional District. And if I could have any wish for the New Year, it's that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will stop campaigning and start governing. It's time for Congress to put our differences aside and do the job we were elected to do - and that is to represent the American people.

I wish you and your family a safe and wonderful holiday season, and I'll see you next year.



 



 
Arkansas Delegation Announces Over $1.389 Million in Federal Funds for Emergency Food and Shelter Program



 
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – U.S. Senators Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor, along with U.S. Reps. Marion Berry, Vic Snyder, Mike Ross and John Boozman announced Tuesday that $1,389,454 million in emergency food and shelter grants have been awarded to 60 Arkansas counties. The grants were administered through the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFS), which is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). 

The funds are used to help individuals and families with non-disaster, temporary emergency needs.

The EFS National Board, chaired by the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and composed of representatives from American Red Cross; Catholic Charities, USA; United Jewish Communities; National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.; The Salvation Army; and United Way of America, provides supplemental funding to shelters, soup kitchens, and food banks.  Additional jurisdictions in Arkansas may be selected at a later date by the EFS State Set-Aside Committee, which received $71,165.

The following Arkansas counties received EFS awards:

Arkansas County 
 $12,328

Ashley County 
 $21,532

Baxter County 
 $16,865

Benton County 
 $43,573

Boone County 
 $17,956

Bradley County 
 $8,018

Carroll County 
 $10,766

Chicot County 
 $12,535

Clark County 
 $12,103

Clay County 
 $12,705

Cleburne County 
 $9,769

Columbia County 
 $13,552

Conway County 
 $11,387

Craighead County 
 $46,189

Crawford County 
 $25,880

Crittenden County 
 $35,291

Cross County 
 $15,472

Dallas County 
 $7,303

Desha County 
 $12,968

Drew County 
 $14,982

Faulkner County 
 $48,448

Franklin County 
 $6,512

Garland County 
 $45,060

Greene County 
 $22,850

Hempstead County 
 $12,441

Hot Spring County 
 $16,770

Howard County 
 $7,435

Independence County 
 $23,283

Izard County 
 $7,021

Jackson County 
 $15,283

Jefferson County 
 $63,374

Johnson County 
 $10,333

Lawrence County 
 $13,495

Lee County 
 $10,051

Lincoln County 
 $6,682

Logan County 
 $9,806

Marion County 
 $6,399

Miller County 
 $14,173

Mississippi County 
 $57,558

Monroe County 
 $6,117

Ouachita County 
 $19,311

Perry County 
 $6,268

Phillips County 
 $19,029

Poinsett County 
 $16,902

Polk County 
 $10,314

Pope County 
 $27,348

Pulaski County 
 $188,785

Randolph County 
 $15,076

St. Francis County 
 $25,033

Sebastian County 
 $51,648

Sevier County 
 $5,722

Sharp County 
 $9,562

Stone County 
 $6,418

Union County 
 $34,011

Van Buren County 
 $9,260

Washington County 
 $52,909

White County 
 $37,493

Woodruff County 
 $9,599

Yell County 
 $9,336

State Set-Aside Committee, AR 
 $71,165

The EFS Program has been in existence since 1983 and was authorized under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 1987.  The EFS Program has distributed more than $2.65 billion to communities nationwide, and has accounted for millions of additional meals and nights of shelter to the hungry and homeless most in need across the nation.


 




 
Please Contact Mike at 
1-800-223-2220 
mike.ross@mail.house.gov or
www.house.gov/ross



 


 

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