July 30, 2008

House Republican Whip Roy Blunt (Mo.) issued the following statement after 17 Democrats stood with every single Republican present to stop the Democratic leadership from adjourning Congress for a five-week vacation without taking up legislation to help American families struggling under the weight of record-high gas prices. Full release

Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke on the House floor this morning to support H. Res. 1370, legislation calling on the Chinese government to immediately cease human rights abuses ahead of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. The resolution passed by an overwhelming vote of 419 to 1. Below are her remarks: "I rise today in strong support of this resolution calling on the Chinese government to end its human rights abuses so that the Olympic Games can take place in an atmosphere that honors the Olympic traditions of freedom and openness." Full release

Today President Bush signed what has been called the most important piece of housing legislation in years. With the enactment of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act, Washington has extended a lifeline of help to homeowners caught in dangerous and deceptive mortgages. In response, Miles Rapoport, President of the national public policy center Demos, which has extensively studied the American credit and home lending crisis, issued the following statement praising the protections of the new bill, but warning that it doesn't go far enough to prevent foreclosures or industry abuses. Full release

This week, John McCain and his campaign have been all over the map on a very straightforward question: would he or wouldn't he consider raising Social Security payroll taxes. After adamantly making a blanket "no new taxes" pledge during the primaries and on the campaign trail, McCain switched his position when he refused to rule it out on ABC's "This Week," instead saying all options would be on the table. McCain's campaign has been scrambling all week, giving shifting and conflicting accounts about what Senator McCain plans to do. Full release

Speaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today in response to remarks by President Bush on energy this morning at the White House: "The President knows, as his own Administration has stated, that the impact of any new drilling will be insignificant - promising savings of only pennies per gallon many years down the road. Americans know that thanks to the two oilmen in the White House, consumers are now paying $4 a gallon for gas. But what Americans should realize is that what the President is calling for is drilling as close as three miles off of America's pristine beaches and in other protected areas." Full release

The Republican National Committee (RNC) today launched a new Web Site, titled "Obama Audacity Watch." From Obama's fond memories of "when I was a United States Senator" to his short-lived "presidential" seal, the Web site tracks his audacious comments. The Web site features news and video clips, and will be continually updated through Election Day. Full release

Today President Bush will sign into law a major new piece of legislation on global AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, but Congress is not providing the money to implement it for fiscal year 2009.
Full release

The Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics will issue a news release EMBARGOED until THURSDAY, JULY 31, 2008, AT 4:00 P.M. EDT. To access the embargoed news release and the full report now available on the BJS website, send an email to bjspress@usdoj.gov. You must type JUVENILE CORRECTIONAL AUTHORITIES in the subject line to receive a user ID and password. Full release

The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 will provide crucial support for the housing market and help prevent foreclosures for working families. It also establishes a series of landmark reforms that will put U.S. housing and mortgage finance on solid footing for the long term.
Full release

The following is an editorial written by Jonathan Weisman on July 29, 2008 and issued by the Republican National Committee: Perhaps he's beginning to believe the hype. In his closed door meeting with House Democrats this evening, presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama delivered a real zinger. According to a witness, he was waxing lyrical about last week's trip to Europe, when he concluded, "this is the moment, as Nancy [Pelosi] noted, that the world is waiting for." Full release

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