January 21, 2009

peaker Nancy Pelosi released the following statement in reaction to an independent analysis by one of the nation's leading economists, Mark Zandi of Moody's Economy.com, demonstrating the need for Congress to act quickly on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan. Zandi's report indicates that the plan would create and save nearly 4 million more jobs and that the unemployment rate will be 2.2 percent lower if the legislation is enacted than if it is not. Full release.

The following is a statement of Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer praising "ground breaking" ethics Executive Order issued today by President Obama. Full release.

Peter Flaherty, President of the National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), today made the following statement: "Timothy Geithner paid his payroll taxes for 2003 and 2004 after being audited, but did not pay for the years 2001 and 2002, relying only on the statute of limitations. He later paid them after being considered for the Treasury post by Barack Obama. These very simple circumstances should disqualify anyone from a high government post, especially service as the Treasury Secretary, who oversees the IRS. Full release.

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) has released their recommended 'Principles for Infrastructure Stimulus Investment' designed to help guide lawmakers and the Obama administration when allocating economic stimulus funding for infrastructure projects poised to aid in rebuilding the nation's economy. ASCE is encouraged by last week's introduction of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill of 2009, which highlights a shared focus on accountability and infrastructure investment. This investment is expected to create and sustain jobs, and begin to address the nation's crumbling infrastructure if appropriately applied to areas that most require federal support. Full release

Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA) released this statement on the first day of Congressional action on President Obama's recovery stimulus legislation: "Swift action on the $825 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is job one for the 111th Congress. As Appropriators we will consider this legislation today as the first step in a process that concludes with President Obama's signature, and I will be one of the first members of the House to cast a vote on this critical legislation in the House Appropriation Committee." Full release

Amnesty International welcomed the new U.S. administration's moves to suspend military commission proceedings at Guantanamo as a "positive sign," and said that it hoped it was a "clear signal of this administration's intention to move away from unlawful practices of the past." Full release

The American Academy of Actuaries applauds President Barack Obama's pledge to address Social Security's and Medicare's long-term financial challenges and urges public policymakers to reach bipartisan solutions to ensure both programs' viability. Full release

San Francisco Health Plan (SFHP), the City's community health plan, today announced it is honored to be the U.S. leader in childhood immunizations for Medicaid health plans nationwide. 90.7% of SFHP's pediatric members are fully immunized, besting second-ranked Kaiser Permanente of Hawaii by approximately 0.2 percentage points. Full release

Senator Sam Brownback and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers will join Family Research Council's Blogs for Life, on Thursday, January 22, 2009. The conference will also feature several prominent conservative voices including Amanda Carpenter, Jill Stanek, Michael New, Ph.D., Charmaine Yoest, Ph.D., Michael Illions, Peter Shinn, Chris Gacek, J.D., and Martha Shuping, M.D. all speaking with bloggers live from Family Research Council's headquarters. Full release

There is no way to know exactly how many billions of dollars in federal contracts American small businesses lost during the eight years of the Bush Administration. During President Bush's tenure, administration officials went to extreme lengths to make it difficult, if not impossible to obtain the government's records on small business contracting. Full release

Non-profit organization GetToKnowUsFirst.org produced five 30-second commercials featuring gay and lesbian families, with the message "Marriage promotes families. Support marriage equality." The ads, while not tied to any current election, are the result of California's passage of Proposition 8 in November. The group aired the spots in 42 of the states' 58 counties -- everywhere the initiative passed by 50% or more -- during Tuesday's coverage of the Presidential Inauguration. KABC is the only station that refused to sell the ad space. Full release

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