ACORN Should Not Receive Federal Funds
Posted by: Congressman Joe Pitts (September 16, 2009, 01:36 PM)

Yesterday I signed onto Republican Leader John Boehner's Defund ACORN Act, H.R. 3571, to prevent any federal funding from going to the organization. It is appalling that an organization under indictments for voter fraud and that gives advice to persons seeking to traffic in underage girls, is eligible for taxpayer money. According to analysis from Leader Boehner, since 1994, ACORN has received $53 million in federal funds. I also joined with other Congressmen on a letter to President Obama asking him to take immediate action to sever all federal government ties with ACORN. Furthermore, ACORN's actions in aiding criminal activity should be investigated and prosecuted.

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Waxman Uses Gimmick to Block Pro-Life Amendment
Posted by: Congressman Joe Pitts (July 31, 2009, 02:29 PM)

Late last night, a majority of the Energy and Commerce Committee voted for an amendment to prevent the federal government from mandating abortion coverage in the Obamacare bill. I offered the amendment with my friend Bart Stupak, a Democrat from Michigan. Several moderate Democrats voted for the sensible amendment. But the liberals on the committee weren't content to lose. Chairman Henry Waxman, a liberal from Beverly Hills California, switched his vote to "yes" in the last minute so he could later make a motion to reconsider. He convinced one Democrat from Tennessee to switch his vote from "yes" to "no" and brought in one Democrat who had missed the first vote. The amendment then failed by one vote. These kinds of highly unusual tactics are typical of the anti-Democratic way Congress is being run these days. Now, if the bill becomes law, even Catholic hospitals may be told they have to perform abortions or close their doors. Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence, as mad as I am, had this to say. The Weekly Standard blog said this. Red State posted this.

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Rep. Pitts on Fox News: No Abortion Mandate in Healthcare Reform
Posted by: Pitts Press Office (July 20, 2009, 03:56 PM)

Congressman Pitts appeared on America's Newsroom on Fox News Channel this morning to discuss the hidden abortion mandate in the House Democrats' healthcare reform plan. The mandate will force private insurance providers to cover abortion and subsidize abortion with taxpayer dollars against the moral objections of millions of pro-life Americans. Click here for more information on the mandate.

Click on the video below to watch the segment.

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Justice Ginsburg's Comments Shocking
Posted by: Joe Pitts (July 16, 2009, 02:19 PM)

I took to the House floor today to proclaim my shock and disgust with the recent comments of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg regarding abortion's role in the reduction of certain populations in America. The comments came from an interview that appeared in last weekend's New York Times Magazine.

During the interview, she said: "Frankly I had thought that at the time Roe was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don't want to have too many of."

I cannot imagine any acceptable context in which a serious person could refer to "populations that we don't want too many of." This eugenic way of thinking debases the value of all human life.

All people are created equal and deserve the most fundamental right to life, no matter what race, religion, or socio-economic background.

I am shocked that a member of our Supreme Court believes that a compelling reason for the legality of abortion is because our society wants to reduce the growth of specific populations. Justice Ginsburg's comments are an assault and insult to the values of the American people.

Watch the video the of floor speech below.

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President Should Withdraw Dawn Johnsen Nomination
Posted by: Joe Pitts (May 13, 2009, 03:30 PM)

I took to the House floor today to call for President Obama to withdraw the nomination of Dawn Johnsen to the Office of Legal Counsel in the Department of Justice.

Johnsen is the President's nominee head the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, and she is truly from the radical fringe, which is why her confirmation is running into so much trouble in the Senate.

Johnsen is a former attorney for one of the nation's largest and most radical abortion groups. Her own quotes speak for her radical views.

She equated pregnancy to slavery, when she said that laws restricting a woman's "abortion choice are disturbingly suggestive of involuntary servitude." She has likened pregnant mothers to "no more than fetal containers." And she claims that abortion is a "relief" rather than the traumatic experience it truly is for women.

Her appointment is a slap in the face to fair minded Americans. And now, according to a Capitol Hill newspaper, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has indicated he does not have the votes needed to bring her nomination to the Senate floor. The President should take a cue from the Senate and withdraw this mistaken nomination--a nomination that runs counter to the values of the American people.

Video of the speech can be seen here:

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Hate Crimes Bill Would Set Dangerous Precedent
Posted by: Joe Pitts (April 29, 2009, 11:23 AM)

The House is set to vote today on H.R. 1913, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. This bill will set a dangerous precedent that makes thoughts, rather than crimes, illegal.

From the beginning of our nation, we have criminalized actions, not thoughts or beliefs. We all need to find a way to live peacefully together with our diverse views and beliefs, but criminalizing attitudes is a mistake that sets a dangerous precedent.

It is flawed policy to carve out a protection in the law for just one segment of people. All people should be protected by law from violence, no matter who they are.

This bill will violate the equal-protection set forth in our Constitution, and it infringes on religious freedom. It could lead to the prosecution of religious leaders for expressing their sincerely held religious beliefs.

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