America faces daunting challenges—and clear choices. The worst financial crisis since the Great Depression imperils our nation’s vitality and the economic security of every American. America’s brave men and women are still fighting a costly war in Iraq while focus needs to be intensified on Afghanistan and terrorism around the globe.

The 110th Congress began to move America in a New Direction. Toward energy independence and clean, renewable energy and an energy efficient future. To an America more competitive in a global economy, creating high tech and green jobs here at home. Putting our troops and veterans first. Working to make college, energy, health care, and home ownership more affordable for every American. Beginning to change the way we do business in Washington and restore fiscal responsibility and accountability to government.

The New Direction Congress has enacted into law key legislation to rebuild our economy, strengthen our national security, care for America’s children and families, protect our planet, and restore accountability—with significant bipartisan support more than 70 percent of the time. 

ECONOMIC RECOVERY
	Economic Rescue Plan with key taxpayer and homeowner protections SIGNED INTO LAW
	Recovery Rebates to jumpstart economy, help Americans with rising costs SIGNED INTO LAW
	Extended Unemployment benefits for 3.5 million Americans SIGNED INTO LAW
	First increase in the minimum wage in a decade SIGNED INTO LAW
	Saving 380,000 good-paying jobs by meeting shortfall in Highway Trust Fund SIGNED INTO LAW
	Authorizing completion of key highway projects, creating 40,000 good-paying jobs SIGNED INTO LAW
	Farm Bill with historic new investments in nutrition, energy, and conservation, and launching reforms to farm payments to reflect farmer need VETO OVERRIDDEN BY CONGRESS, ENACTED INTO LAW
	Terrorism risk insurance extension, aiding economic growth SIGNED INTO LAW
	Curtailing tax loopholes for companies that ship American jobs off shore SIGNED INTO LAW
	Making CEO pay subject to shareholder approval PASSED HOUSE
HOUSING FORECLOSURE CRISIS
	Comprehensive housing foreclosure crisis bill, preventing families from losing their homes and their neighbors from losing value in their homes, and creating a federal backstop and tough, independent regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which hold half the nation's mortgage debt SIGNED INTO LAW
	Helping states/localities purchase foreclosed homes, stabilizing communities SIGNED INTO LAW
	Tax credit for first-time homebuyers, and property tax deduction for non-itemizers SIGNED INTO LAW
	Reform of the Federal Housing Administration, expanding access to affordable mortgages, and to “reverse mortgages” for seniors who need equity from their homes SIGNED INTO LAW
	Stopping tax on “income” when lender forgives part of mortgage in foreclosure SIGNED INTO LAW
	Creating an Affordable Housing Trust Fund for rental housing SIGNED INTO LAW
EDUCATION AND COMPETITIVENESS
	Largest college aid expansion since the GI Bill in 1944, cutting college loan rates in half SIGNED INTO LAW
	Uninterrupted access to low-cost student loans, despite credit crunch SIGNED INTO LAW
	Giving colleges incentives to rein in tuition increases and expand access for low-income students SIGNED INTO LAW
	Cleaning up abuses in the student loan industry SIGNED INTO LAW
	Innovation agenda creating a math/science teacher corps; doubling research funding SIGNED INTO LAW
	Extended tax cut for innovative research & development SIGNED INTO LAW
	Head Start preschool improved and expanded SIGNED INTO LAW
	Key investments in education VETOED BY PRESIDENT
REDUCING TAXES
	A tax cut for 19 million middle-income American families facing the AMT in 2007 SIGNED INTO LAW
	A tax cut for 25 million middle-income American families facing the AMT in 2008 SIGNED INTO LAW
	Internet tax moratorium extension SIGNED INTO LAW
	Extended tax cuts for homeowners, families with children, college students, teachers SIGNED INTO LAW
AMERICAN WORKERS
	Minimum wage increased for the first time in a decade, 2nd phase this month SIGNED INTO LAW
	Reversing Supreme Court decisions that had weakened Americans with Disabilities Act SIGNED INTO LAW
	Extending & improving help for workers who lose jobs to foreign competition PASSED HOUSE
	Strengthening the Equal Pay Act by providing more effective remedies PASSED HOUSE
	Rectifying a Supreme Court decision to allow workers to pursue pay discrimination claims PASSED HOUSE
	Prohibiting employment discrimination based on sexual orientation PASSED HOUSE
	Collective bargaining rights for first responders PASSED HOUSE
	Free choice for workers to choose their own bargaining representative PASSED HOUSE
AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE
	Health care coverage for 10 million American children VETOED BY PRESIDENT
	Expansion of life-saving stem cell research to cure or prevent chronic diseases VETOED BY PRESIDENT
	Key investments in health care VETOED BY PRESIDENT
	Ensuring 44 million American seniors and people with disabilities have access to doctors they know and trust VETO OVERRIDDEN BY CONGRESS, ENACTED INTO LAW
	Ban on genetic information discrimination in health coverage SIGNED INTO LAW
	Ending discriminatory treatment of mental health care coverage SIGNED INTO LAW
	Medicare required to negotiate cheaper drugs for seniors and disabled Americans PASSED HOUSE
	Blocking $18 billion cut in health care for low-income children & seniors SIGNED INTO LAW
	Making America healthier by providing FDA regulation of tobacco PASSED HOUSE
NATIONAL SECURITY
	9/11 Commission terrorism recommendations given force of law SIGNED INTO LAW
	Investments to begin to fix the military readiness crisis SIGNED INTO LAW
	Iraq benchmarks, progress reports required SIGNED INTO LAW
	Providing for responsible redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq VETOED BY PRESIDENT
	Extending ban on torture to U.S. intelligence personnel VETOED BY PRESIDENT
	Tighter foreign investment rules, after Dubai Ports scandal SIGNED INTO LAW
TROOPS AND VETERANS
	New GI Bill to give free college education to Iraq and Afghanistan veterans SIGNED INTO LAW
	Largest veterans’ health care funding increase in history SIGNED INTO LAW
	Wounded Warrior Act, improving health care after Walter Reed scandal SIGNED INTO LAW
	Major pay raise for troops in both FY 2008 and FY 2009 SIGNED INTO LAW
	Tax relief for military families SIGNED INTO LAW
ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AND GLOBAL WARMING
	Landmark Energy Independence law: first new fuel efficiency standards in 32 years, historic commitment to renewable American bio-fuels SIGNED INTO LAW
	Historic new support for non-food bio-fuels in the Farm Bill VETO OVERRIDDEN BY CONGRESS, ENACTED INTO LAW
	Tax incentives to invest in clean, renewable energy and create hundreds of thousands of green jobs SIGNED INTO LAW
	Comprehensive Energy Security & Consumer Protection Act PASSED HOUSE
	Making Big Oil pay its fair share for taxpayer-owned resources and transition to energy independence
	Protect consumers by releasing oil from the government stockpile and increasing home heating assistance
	National Renewable Electricity Standard (15% by 2020)
	Responsible compromise on off shore drilling and increased American production
	Standards for more efficient homes and buildings
	Reduced transit fares and expanded service
	Further close “Enron-like Loophole” to curb excessive petroleum speculation PASSED HOUSE
	Holding OPEC and Big Oil accountable for price fixing; cracking down on price gouging PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE
	Greening the Capitol, making Congress carbon neutral ENACTED BY HOUSE
REBUILDING AMERICA
	Aid to the Gulf Coast recovering from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita SIGNED INTO LAW
	Major new commitment to flood control & environmental restoration projects VETO OVERRIDDEN BY CONGRESS, ENACTED INTO LAW
	Omnibus Public Lands Bill, with new protections for national parks, wilderness, historic sites, trails, and water resources from coast to coast SIGNED INTO LAW
	Modernizing and improving Amtrak and other inter-city passenger rail for energy efficiency ON WAY TO PRESIDENT'S DESK
CONSUMER PROTECTION
	Most sweeping FDA drug safety provisions in more than a decade SIGNED INTO LAW
	Banning toxic toys and children's products from China and other countries and toughening enforcement of the Consumer Product Safety Commission SIGNED INTO LAW
	Credit Cardholders' Bill of Rights PASSED HOUSE
	Passenger Bill of Rights for airline travelers PASSED HOUSE
FIGHTING CRIME
	Improved background checks for gun purchases SIGNED INTO LAW
	5,200 New Border Patrol Officers over two years SIGNED INTO LAW
	Saved the critical COPS program, proposed for elimination by the President SIGNED INTO LAW
	Reauthorized and strengthened Byrne Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) for local law enforcement, which the President had proposed eliminating SIGNED INTO LAW
	Tools and resources to prevent and prosecute hate crimes PASSED BY HOUSE
FISCAL DISCIPLINE
	Pay-as-you-go budget discipline ADOPTED IN HOUSE RULES
	A fiscally responsible budget that balances by 2012 and invests in key priorities PASSED BY HOUSE AND SENATE, NO PRESIDENTIAL ACTION REQUIRED
	Cracking down on “no-bid” contracts PASSED BY HOUSE AND SENATE
	Prohibiting profiteering by U.S. contractors operating in war zones PASSED BY HOUSE
	Requiring mandatory fraud reporting for U.S. contractors PASSED BY HOUSE
RESTORING ACCOUNTABILITY
	Widely-acclaimed landmark lobbying and ethics reform SIGNED INTO LAW
	New historic independent Office of Congressional Ethics ADOPTED IN HOUSE RULES
	Banning pensions for Members of Congress convicted of certain crimes SIGNED INTO LAW
	Strengthening Freedom of Information Act for government transparency SIGNED INTO LAW
	U.S. Attorney appointments depoliticized SIGNED INTO LAW
	Reducing enormous backlog in passport processing SIGNED INTO LAW
	Closing offshore tax loopholes for federal contractors SIGNED INTO LAW
	Whistleblower protections strengthened PASSED BY HOUSE AND SENATE
	Strengthening independence of federal Inspectors General ON WAY TO THE PRESIDENT'S DESK
	Holding private security firms in war zones accountable for criminal actions PASSED BY HOUSE
	Withholding federal contracts from tax-delinquent companies PASSED BY HOUSE
	Closing off shore tax loopholes for federal contractors PASSED BY HOUSE
	Requiring more transparency by companies that rely on federal contracts PASSED BY HOUSE
	Requiring standards for the preservation of White House and federal agency e-mails PASSED BY HOUSE