e-Alerts: 2012

26 Oct

E-ALERT: Standing Up for a Safe Food Supply and Strong Nutrition Programs

When we go to the grocery store we expect the food we buy to feed our families is safe and raised responsibly. In a country as affluent is ours, we also expect our safety net to provide assistance to our neighbors who are struggling to put food on their tables. I work everyday to make sure that the federal government is doing its part to meet that standard.

17 Oct

E-ALERT: New Medicare Report on the Ryan/House Republican Budget

A new report highlights the dangers of the Ryan/House Republican budget for seniors in our community.

There’s been a lot of talk this year about how the Ryan/House Republican budget would impact vital services for middle-class families, senior citizens, and children.

We know it would end the guarantee of Medicare and increase health costs for seniors, significantly undercut Medicaid (MediCal in California), eliminate funding for public broadcasting, and cut Pell grants for college -- while at the same time providing a massive new tax break for the very wealthy.

Now a new official Congressional report was just released showing how the Ryan/House Republican budget would hurt seniors right here in Alameda County.

Read the report now.

You can view reports for all 435 Congressional districts here.

I’m fighting to make sure Congress stands up for our senior citizens, working families, and children and makes everybody pay their fair share -- not give more tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans.

Sincerely,

Pete

12 Oct

E-ALERT: Fighting for Green Jobs

This week, the U.S. Department of Commerce took an important step to protect American workers and the U.S. solar industry by imposing import duties on certain Chinese solar panels.  The duties will apply to panels that are illegally subsidized and flood our market, thereby undercutting American-made panels.  This change will help level the playing field for U.S. manufacturers.

There are more than 18,000 workers in the solar manufacturing field nationwide, including more than 4,000 in California.  Last year, I joined with members of the House and Senate in writing to the Administration to support action against China’s unfair trading practices in the solar industry.

In 2011, more than $3 billion in Chinese solar panels and solar cells were dumped into the United States at artificially low prices.  As a result, a dozen U.S solar companies were forced to close their plants or layoff workers, including many workers in California.  Now, many Chinese solar imports will have an added duty of as much as 250 percent.  That means they’ll no longer be artificially cheaper than U.S.-made products. 

I applaud this action by the U.S. Department of Commerce and will continue fighting to protect jobs at home.

04 Oct

E-ALERT: Saving Medicare

Throughout my time in Congress I have worked to protect and strengthen Medicare for current and future beneficiaries. That is why I was pleased to participate in a hearing hosted by the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee this week entitled, "Saving Medicare for Seniors Today and in the Future."Invited witnesses testified about their hopes for Medicare’s future -- specifically discussing their concerns about the Romney-Ryan plan for Medicare.

While Republicans are careful to claim that traditional Medicare may be an option for purchase under their Medicare voucher plan, they leave out the fact that it will only be an option for those who can afford it. They’ve designed their program so that the voucher won’t cover the cost of Medicare in many areas -- forcing beneficiaries into private plans that will limit their choice of doctor and may not meet their health care needs. To add insult to injury, they are undermining Medicare like this in order to finance tax breaks for millionaires.

Those are the wrong priorities for our nation. Tens of millions of senior citizens and people with disabilities will pay the price -- literally and figuratively -- if they succeed.

You can view my questioning of the witnesses here.

The full hearing can be viewed here.

28 Sep

E-ALERT: Extending the Legacy of Steve Jobs

Nearly 30 years ago I worked with Steve Jobs to introduce a provision into our tax code to encourage companies to make donations of computer equipment to public schools and libraries.

21 Sep

E-ALERT: Helping Constituents

One of the most gratifying parts of being a Member of Congress is helping make sure government works for the people you represent.   Joseph Goleman of Newark is a recent example of this important work. 

18 Sep

E-ALERT: Celebrating the Constitution and Protecting Voters Rights

Today marks the 225th anniversary of the signing of the Constitution. This founding document establishes the ideals that our nation is based upon, including giving citizens the right to vote. Since then, several amendments have expanded and protected this sacred right.

10 Sep

E-ALERT: Service Academy Information Night

Next week, my office is hosting a Service Academy Information Night for high school students who are interested in applying to one of our Service Academies. I highly encourage interested students, and their parents, to attend this event on Monday, September 17, 2012. 

06 Aug

E-ALERT: Your Voice in Washington: Constituent Services

As Americans we enjoy a government of the people, by the people -- and just as importantly -- for the people. Unfortunately, there are times when government services are interrupted or made unnecessarily difficult.

31 Jul

E-ALERT: Fighting for Middle Class Tax Cuts

Extending middle class tax cuts -- which are set to expire this year -- will help working families and spur our economy. The wealthy in this country have consistently received the biggest tax breaks and it's past time we asked them to pay their fair share.

30 Jul

E-ALERT: The Working Families 2012 Best of Congress Award

I was humbled to be awarded a 2012 Best of Congress award by Working Mother Media and Corporate Voices for Working Families on July 25th. The few of us who won this honor were recognized for our support for working families through legislation, advocacy, and by setting an example through the family-friendly policies promoted in our own Congressional offices.

20 Jul

E-ALERT: Opposing Wasteful Defense Spending

Yesterday I voted against a bloated defense and war spending bill (H.R. 5856) that will cost taxpayers $608.2 billion, including another $88.5 billion for the Afghanistan War. Defense currently consumes almost 60 percent of our discretionary budget. With so many vital programs, like health, education, transportation, and scientific research facing damaging cuts, we simply cannot afford to spend so much on weapons we do not need and wars we should not be fighting.

Many politicians claim entitlements like Medicare are driving the debt, but it is clear that defense spending has become just as much of an entitlement with ever escalating costs. To add insult to injury, yesterday's legislation exceeds the Republicans' own funding caps set by last year's Budget Control Act by almost $8 billion. I cosponsored a simple amendment that would cut the budget by that same amount, but the Republican majority defeated it.

It is time for us to bring our troops home from Afghanistan and make responsible reductions to the defense budget so we can make needed investments right here at home.

Watch the short video of my floor speech speaking against the Republican defense bill by clicking here.

You can read my full statement by clicking here.

Sincerely,

Pete

18 Jul

E-ALERT: American Olympians Should Wear American-Made Uniforms

We don't outsource the athletes who represent the United States in the Olympics and we shouldn't outsource the manufacturing of Team USA's uniforms. The uniforms for the upcoming 2012 Olympic Games were designed by Ralph Lauren and made in China.

While I appreciate the fact that we live in a global economy, allowing Team USA to wear uniforms made overseas gets away from a core value: our country's success is built on the innovation and industriousness of American workers.

That is why I've led a bipartisan coalition of nearly 60 Members of Congress in calling on the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) to implement a policy that ensures Team USA's uniforms are made in America. (To read the letter click here.)

I also support legislation that would amend Congress' Olympic Charter to require USOC to ensure our Olympians' uniforms and other apparel is made in the USA.

Sincerely,

Pete

11 Jul

E-ALERT: Americans Want Jobs, Not Health Reform Repeal

Once again, the Republican House Majority refuses to focus on Americans' top priorities: getting our economy back on track and creating jobs. Instead, we voted today -- for the 31st time -- to consider repeal of the health reform law. I voted NO, but the House passed the mostly party line bill 244 - 185. Not only was this a colossal waste of time, it shows that those who support repeal would put Americans' health at risk and put insurance companies back in charge.

Repeal of health reform would mean:

• 6.6 million young adults would lose the guarantee of being allowed to obtain insurance coverage on their parents’ health insurance plans.
• 17 million children with pre-existing conditions could again be denied health insurance coverage.
• 105 million Americans would again be subject to lifetime limits on health insurance -- which could stop coverage when they need it most.
• 12.8 million Americans who are due over $1 billion in rebates from the health insurance industry this year would never see that financial relief.
• The more than 5.3 million Medicare beneficiaries who have been helped with high drug costs would see that assistance disappear.
• The 86 million people who have already received life-saving preventive benefits free-of-charge would lose access to that vital benefit.

For more detailed information about how the health reform law works for you and other Americans, please visit healthcare.gov.

To read my full statement on today's repeal vote, click here.

To read my full statement on the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the law, click here.

Please come discuss these and other issues with me at one of my next town hall meetings on Saturday, July 21st.

03 Jul

E-ALERT: Jobs, Gay Rights, Student Loans & Transportation Funding

Below is a roundup of what I've been up to in the East Bay and in Washington. I look forward to discussing these and other issues with you at my next Town Hall Meeting on Saturday, July 21st. (For details, click here)

Bringing Jobs Home From Overseas

We need to focus on exporting American-made goods, not American jobs. Today I joined Josie Camacho, Alameda Labor Council Executive Secretary Treasurer and Richard Valle, CEO, Tri-Ced and Alameda County Supervisor at a press conference at Tri-Ced Community Recycling in Union City to highlight the need to curb outsourcing of American jobs. I'm a co-sponsor of the Bring Jobs Home Act, H.R. 5542, which would provide a tax incentive for companies that bring production back to this country and eliminate tax breaks for companies that move jobs overseas. This is a simple bill and I'm urging Congressional leadership to bring it to the floor for a vote right away.

Gay Rights

I'm honored that today, ThinkProgress named me one of the "11 Most Pro-Gay Representatives" in the U.S. House of Representatives. I have long been a supporter of equal rights for all, and I will continue my fight to ensure this becomes a reality.

Compromise on Student Loan Rates & Transportation Funding

For months, I have joined with President Obama and others in calling on House Republicans to bring to the floor bipartisan transportation legislation to create jobs as well as legislation to prevent interest rates on college loans from doubling. On Friday, Republican leaders finally allowed a vote on a bill that addresses both priorities. We voted to protect 7 million students -- including 570,000 Californians -- from owing an extra $1,000 per year on their student loans. The same legislation reauthorized our transportation programs to get people to work rebuilding our infrastructure.

Both are critical to Americans' economic security and I voted in support of the legislation that the President will soon sign into law. I did not support all provisions of this bill, but with Republicans once again bringing us to the brink of allowing these important programs to expire, Congress had to act. (For my full statement, click here) I will continue working to make college affordable for all Americans and to boost transportation infrastructure investment.