December 2, 2010 CARSON VOTES TO PERMANENTLY EXTEND TAX CUTS FOR MIDDLE-CLASS WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman André Carson issued the following statement regarding today's vote in the House of Representatives to extend tax cuts for income under $250,000. The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration. ______________________________________________________
"Today, the House approved a measure to permanently maintain tax cuts on income under $250,000. This means that nearly all Americans - even those who earn more than this threshold - will benefit from this plan. But more importantly, this bill extends much-needed relief for middle-class families, who would see average tax savings of approximately $1,000 per year. "Not only do these tax cuts make sense for these families-they make sense for the economy. By not providing this relief, we would risk families cutting back on spending for goods and services, which would have a negative impact on retail and other industries that drive economic growth. "For reasons beyond me, my Republican colleagues chose to not support these tax relief measures today. Instead of voting to help 97 percent of American taxpayers, they stood against this legislation because it did not include additional tax cuts for the wealthiest three percent of Americans. Furthermore, the Republicans want middle-class tax-payers to shoulder the future burden of paying for these breaks for the rich-a move that would add $700 billion to our deficit over the next 10 years. "I hope this glaring example of grossly out-of-touch policy is not a sign of things to come for the new Republican majority. We have a lot of work that remains to be done to get our economy back on track. This work should not include further lining the pockets of millionaires and billionaires, especially when it comes at the expense of future generations." ### | |
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December 2, 2010 HOUSE APPROVES CHILD NUTRITION ACT WASHINGTON D.C. - In an effort to help children gain the nutrition they need to be healthy and successful, Congressman André Carson today voted to approve the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. The legislation will provide healthier meals to 31 million children with over $300 million being sent to states - including $7.8 million to Indiana - to improve the nutritional quality of meals served in schools. "These enhancements are especially important for the growing number of children who arrive at school hungry and go home to little or nothing on the dinner table," said Congressman Carson. "Hunger is a barrier to learning. By expanding the school meal program and improving the quality of the food we serve during the school day, we are preparing our kids to excel in the classroom." Passage of the legislation today by the House will send the bill to the President's desk for his signature. The Senate had previously passed this bipartisan bill by unanimous consent on August 5.
Highlights of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act
• Add approximately new 115,000 students to school meal programs
• Connects an additional 4,500 students per year with school meals
• Enhances universal meal access for eligible children in high poverty communities
• Provides an additional 21 million meals to at-risk children nationwide
• Increases the federal reimbursement rate for school lunches for the first time in over 30 years for districts who comply with federal nutrition standards
• Establishes national nutrition standards for all foods sold in schools throughout the day
• Connects more children to healthy produce from local farms
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December 1, 2010 CARSON STATEMENT ON WORLD AIDS DAY WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman André Carson issued the following statement today in recognition of World AIDS Day. "While the investments in awareness and research made by our nation and the global community have helped to make significant progress in the battle against AIDS, we must recommit today and every day to continue educating ourselves and our loved ones about this life-altering disease. HIV/AIDS continues to impact individuals and families here in the U.S., and it's still devastating entire populations in economically-distressed regions across the world. "This Congress took up the challenge of combating HIV/AIDS, making significant investments in care, treatment and prevention services directed at minority populations who are disproportionally impacted by the disease. We also passed laws; like the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act, which extends and improves essential care and treatment for more than half a million low-income Americans living with the disease. "As we commemorate World AIDS Day, more and more people are gaining access to lifesaving treatments while millions more are taking steps to protect themselves. But much work remains to be done, and we still have a long way to go before finally eradicating this disease once and for all." ###
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November 30, 2010 CARSON SELECTED FOR LEADERSHIP POST WASHINGTON D.C. - Congressman André Carson today was selected to serve as a Regional Whip for the Democratic Caucus in the upcoming 112th Congress. As a whip, Congressman Carson will assist House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) in counting votes and rallying member support for legislation. Congressman Carson will be responsible for whipping votes among Democratic members from Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. "The Democratic Caucus relies on the whip team to pull together votes for legislation that's crucial to its agenda," said Congressman Carson. "I am proud to have been selected to serve in this important role, and it gives the people of the 7th District an even bigger voice in Congress." This new role is the second leadership position Congressman Carson has been elected to in recent weeks. Earlier this month he was elected to serve as the Whip for the Congressional Black Caucus.
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November 30, 2010 CARSON: DEADLINE FOR RETROACTIVE STOP-LOSS PAY NEARS WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today Congressman André Carson urged eligible veterans and beneficiaries to apply for the retroactive stop-loss pay owed to them before the upcoming December 3rd deadline. Eligible military personnel whose service was extended under stop-loss orders will receive $500 for each month of their extended service. "We have a responsibility to do all that we can to support our military men and women and this retroactive program is an important part of that commitment," said Congressman Carson. "We want to make sure our veterans receive these payments that they have more than earned through their service." Retroactive stop-loss pay became law in 2009. This allows eligible troops whose service was involuntarily extended between September 11, 2001 and September 30, 2009 to file claims in order to receive retroactive pay. The submission deadline is December 3, 2010 for benefits averaging $3,800. For more information or to submit a claim please visit www.defense.gov/stoploss.
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Floor Statement on the Importance of Social Security -- July 27, 2010 |
Madame Speaker, One of the more important social programs of our times is nearing its 75th birthday, and I am so pleased to come to the floor today and speak on the vital role Social Security continues to play for some 50 million Americans.
Our economy is indeed seeing signs of rebirth. However, millions of Americans are feeling the impact, and programs such as Social Security are playing an important role in ensuring these people are able to make ends meet.
It aggravates me to hear the other side continue to threaten cuts to these benefits or to once again focus on privatization. I believe the American people understand Social Security is not the cause of our budget deficits, and cutting this program is only stealing from those who have earned it.
I am committed to working for real solutions when problems arise, but the claim that Social Security is paying out more than it takes in is simply untrue. The trust fund has reserves of $ 2.6 trillion, which continues to earn interest and will pay out benefits in full until 2037. Again, I will continue to work for the American people and ensure this important program is there now and for future generations. | |
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Floor Statement on Military Families Financial Preparedness Amendment - May 27, 2010 |
Mr. Speaker-Thousands of active duty service members are returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq every year. Many of these individuals have been serving continuously since they enlisted right out of high school or college. For years, they lived a structured military life-on bases or abroad. This structure makes for a well disciplined, well trained military force. But it can also make for a difficult transition back to civilian life. Many returning service members have no experience with saving, budgets, credit, taxes and mortgages. As a result, many military families are falling into unmanageable debt, bankruptcy and foreclosure. My amendment-which is part of this en bloc amendment-seeks to alleviate these concerns. It simply expands the military's existing pre-separation counseling program to include a personal finances component. When this takes effect, military families will reenter civilian life with the information they need to build a stable, long-term financial future. I encourage all of my colleagues to support our military families by supporting this amendment. | |
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Floor Statement on Executive Compensation - July 31, 2009 |
REMARKS BY
THE HONORABLE ANDRÉ FLOOR REMARKS ON H.R. 3269, CORPORATE AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTION COMPENSATION FAIRNESS ACT OF 2009 FRIDAY, JULY 31, 2009
Mr. CARSON of My constituents sent me to Congress to move beyond the status quo of a broken financial regulatory structure. They sent me to enact commonsense reforms like those included in the legislation we're discussing today, Mr. Speaker. They know that average families have cut back, work longer hours, and have saved their money during this crisis. Meanwhile, Wall Street execs have acted irresponsibly and enjoy the lavish compensation packages that have allowed their companies to fail. So I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this bill that will bring about a new era of responsibility on Wall Street. I encourage my colleagues to do the same. | |
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Floor Statement on the Urgency of Health Care Reform - July 30, 2009 |
REMARKS BY THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2009 Mr. CARSON of | |
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Floor Statement on the Young Adults Financial Literacy Act - July 16, 2009 |
REMARKS BY
THE HONORABLE ANDRÉ CARSON FLOOR REMARKS ON H.R. 3147, THE YOUNG ADULTS FINANCIAL LITERACY ACT THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2009
Madam Speaker, I come to the floor to discuss the Young Adults Financial Literacy Act, which I introduced last week to help community organizations provide better financial education to young adults.
As our recession drags on, it is clear that many of the problems we now face could have been avoided by better educating people about the financial system.
Today, across our country, thousands of young people are getting their first credit card, taking out loans for college and renting their first apartments.
Yet statistics show that many of these young adults never learned basic financial skills like budgeting, saving and maintaining manageable debt.
My bill will help young people receive the financial education they need—before they take these critical first steps.
It will provide grants for the development and implementation of effective education programs—empowering a young generation of consumers at this critical economic time.
So, I encourage my House colleagues cosponsor the Young Adults Financial Literacy Act.
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Awarding Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Muhammad Yunus |
Awarding Congressional Gold Medal to Dr. Muhammad Yunus
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Congressman Carson on Congressional Gold Medal for Japanese Americans |
Congressman Carson on Congressional Gold Medal for Japanese Americans
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Central Indiana Job Fair |
Congressman Carson discusses the upcoming Central Indiana Job Fair
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Congressman Carson on Financial Literacy for Members of the Armed Services and Their Families |
Congressman Carson on Financial Literacy for Members of the Armed Services and their Families – June 8, 2010 | |
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I encourage all interested students to apply for a nomination to the U.S. Military Academy (West Point), U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and U.S. Coast Guard Academy. Students accepted receive full paid tuition and a modest living stipend. Eligible applicants must be at least 17 years old but not have passed their 23rd birthday, a U.S. citizen, unmarried and have no legal obligation to support children or other dependents.
Receiving a congressional nomination is required for admission (except for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy), but it does not guarantee admission to an academy. Academy admissions offices evaluates each candidate's high school record, class rank, standardized test scores, extracurricular activities, fitness exam and moral character before making their selections.
Interested applicants must submit all required materials to Congressman Carson's office before the November 1st deadline. For more information about the nomination application process, click here.