By Laura Smith – University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

A collection of Republican Representatives urged Congress Thursday to listen to soldiers who have served in Afghanistan.

“This is about Congress being informed about how our decisions affects those people out there fighting … this is not a partisan deal,” said Hunter during a press appearance with the organizations Vets For Freedom. “This is about winning in Afghanistan and then bringing our troops home victoriously. That’s what this is all about.”

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), who joined Hunter, said the appearance was held to back up President Obama, and not in opposition, noting that when Obama was campaigning for President he offered support to the families of those overseas.

“As he was campaigning, he made it very clear that the best way to protect American families was to defeat the terrorists in Afghanistan,” Wilson said.

Pete Hegseth, Chairman and Executive Director of Vets for Freedom, said his organization had one non-partisan message, and that was to “support and listen to the commanders on the ground.”

“You’ve appointed General McCrystal. He’s the smartest guy we’ve got on Afghanistan. He’s lead the counter-terrorism fight for the last five years in Iraq and Afghanistan. If there’s anybody that who knows how to kill bad guys, it’s General Stan McCrystal,” said Hegseth.

“Our message today on the Hill is: ‘Let’s give that commander the assets and resources he needs to finish the job. It’s a very simple message. Give him what he needs to finish the job,” Hegseth added.

By Marianna Levyash- Talk Radio News Service

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Thursday re-introduced the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, a bill aimed at ensuring employment opportunity for all Americans and banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

According to Committee Chairman Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), about 20 states have already enacted laws banning discrimination on sexual orientation, some of which include gender identity.

“Qualified workers should not be turned away or have to fear losing their livelihood for reasons that have nothing to do with their capabilities, skills or performance. Such practices are un-American and it is time for them to stop,” Harkin stated.

Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Al Franken (D-Minn.) also showed their support for the legislation.

“We are on the path for a struggle … to have full equality under the law.” said Merkley.

Harkin said he hopes the bill will be signed by President Barack Obama by 2010.

By Meagan Wiseley – University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

AARP CEO A. Barry Rand announced Thursday that the lobbying organization for seniors’ interests is endorsing the House health care bill.

“On behalf of our nearly 40 million members, AARP is pleased to endorse the Affordable Health Care for America Act,” Rand said during a press conference.

Rand said the House bill improves and strengthens Medicare benefits and protects the program for future generations. He also said the bill restricts insurance companies from discriminating against older Americans.

“The Affordable Health Care for America Act…meets those goals with improved benefits for people in Medicare and needed health insurance market reforms to help ensure every American can purchase affordable health coverage,” said Rand.

The House is preparing to vote on this bill as soon as Saturday.

Rand added, “As members of the House gear up for this historic vote, they will hear from older Americans.”

AARP is the largest membership organization for people over 50.

By Leah Valencia, University of New Mexico- Talk Radio News Service

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday that the decision has not been made over whether lawmakers will be allowed to offer amendments to the Affordable Health Care for All Americans Act once it reaches chamber floor, including any amendment pertaining to abortion.

“We may not have any amendments,” Pelosi said during her weekly press conference.

Rep. Brad Ellsworth (D-Ind.) and Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) along with many other pro-life democrats have threatened to oppose the bill until language barring federal funding for abortions is introduced.

Current versions of the House health care legislation do not directly address the issue of abortion, however House leaders have maintained throughout the health care debate that the bill would not allow abortions to be federally funded.

The Speaker needs 218 votes to pass the bill, including as many pro-life Democrats as possible. Pelosi said that although she knows some Democrats have strong convictions regarding abortion, she still believes in their support for health care reform.

“Congressman Ellsworth’s record in Congress and his statements outside of Congress have been strongly pro-life,” Pelosi said. “He and others who have strong pro-life convictions want very much to see a health care bill passed.”

The House Rules Committee Friday will finalize all the rules for this weekend’s House health care debate.

White House Correspondent Lovisa Frost will be covering the White House press briefing with Press Secretary Robert Gibbs

The Washington Bureau will be covering:

-House Speaker Pelosi’s weekly press conference.

-Representatives Blackburn and Hunter with Afghanistan vets on troop update.

-House Minority Leader John Boehner, Rep. Tom Price, GOP members healthcare “House Call.”

- House Armed Services Committee Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing on “Iraq and Afghanistan: Perspectives on U.S. Strategy, Part II.”

-Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee full committee hearing on “Employment Non-Discrimination Act: Ensuring Opportunity for All Americans.”

-AARP will be making a major announcement regarding health care reform.

By Meagan Wiseley – University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) to exclude a provision that exempts insurance companies from tort claims from the proposed health care bills in the House and the Senate.

Section 514 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) states, among other things, that if an insurance company improperly denies benefits to an individual, it cannot be sued for any resulting injury or wrongful death, regardless of whether it acted in bad faith in denying benefits.

“Why does a health care reform bill continue immunity to insurance companies so they can injure and kill people?” Shadegg asked during a press conference Wednesday.

The intent of the ERISA provision is to prevent the misuse and loss of pension funds to protect American retirees. Section 514 of ERISA contains a preemption that does not allow civil courts to sue insurance companies for injury or wrongful death, because 514 is a federal statute.

Standing alongside Shadegg was Florence Corcoran, who suffered the loss of her unborn baby in 1989. Corcoran took to the podium and explained that she was diagnosed with Toxemia during her 36th week of pregnancy. Her doctor had requested that she be admitted to the hospital for further monitoring of her unborn child, but her insurance company, United Health Care Inc., maintained that she would be adequately cared for while on bed rest at home. Corcoran left the hospital, and the next week her baby went into distress and died.

“Insurance companies, all they look out for is money. That’s all, it’s not the patients health that they are concerned about,” said Corcoran.

Shadegg offered an amendment to strip the immunity in section 514 in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, but said the amendment was rejected by Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) The Arizona Republican said that he will offer an amendment to remove this language in the House Rules Committee.

“I hope…that the American people will rise up and demand that Nancy Pelosi fix this bill before it’s voted on in the House…or that in the conference committee it be fixed.”

By Laura Smith – University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele congratulated new Republican Governor elects, Bob McDonnell for Virginia, and Chris Christie for New Jersey, citing their victories as signs of a “Republican renaissance.”

“The Republican renaissance has begun,” said Steele. “The message was sent yesterday. It’s not about the change we need, it’s about the change we want.”

“As recently as a couple of months ago, Republicans were written off,” Steele added. “Many of you were writing our epitaph.”

He went on to say that independents played an important role Tuesday night, explaining that Republicans won independents 2-1.

“The real heroes last night, who brought home the victory, are the Republicans, Independents and yes, even Democrats, who spoke up against an incredibly arrogant government in Washington that has put our country our freedoms and our economy at risk with unprecedented spending,” he said.

A reporter asked Chairman Steele if he thought the loss of third party conservative candidate Dough Hoffman in New York’s 23rd Congressional district should have been a warning to conservatives that they should back off the local party process. Steele responded, “There should have been, in New York 23, a primary process. There should have been a process that involved something other than having individuals in coordination with the state party make that decision. This is what happens in hot contestant races when you have that type of process in place.”

By Ravi Bhatia – Talk Radio News Service

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has teamed up with Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) to find common ground on creating bipartisan climate change legislation, with hopes of making progress before the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen next month.

“The green economy is coming. We can either follow or lead,” Graham said at a press conference on Wednesday. “Those countries who follow will pay a price. those countries who lead in creating a new green economy for the world will make money.”

Graham and Kerry wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times published on Oct. 11 that highlighted some of the goals of the legislation, which include acknowledging that climate change is real, investing in wind, solar and nuclear energy and breaking U.S dependence on foreign oil.

Republicans boycotted the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee markups of the Kerry-Boxer Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act on Tuesday and Wednesday in an attempt to urge the committee to submit the legislation to the Environmental Protection Agency for economic analysis. Ranking member Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) was the lone Republican to attend Wednesday’s meeting, although he departed after only 15 minutes.

“I do believe that all of the cars we have on the road and the trucks and the energy we use that produces carbon daily is not a good thing for the planet,” Graham said. “But if environmental policy is not good business policy you’ll never get 60 votes.”

According to Lieberman, the stakes are “too high” to wait on drafting climate change legislation.

“We will be held accountable by history unless we make every effort to find common ground,” he said.

Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) who called the health care vote one of the most historic votes since he’s been in Congress. He goes on to say that warn that the House health care reform bill fundamentally changes the U.S. government’s role in Americans’ lives. (1:14)

 

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John DuBois, University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.), who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, said Tuesday that he looks forward to reworking aspects of the U.S. Patriot Act to make the legislation less “extreme.”

“We have a real opportunity before us to fix some of the most extreme provisions of that law and bring a better balance,” said Conyers during a markup of the USA PATRIOT Amendments Act, a piece of legislation concerning provisions in the original act that expire this year.

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) expressed concern with some aspects of the new act.

“The bill repeals the lone terrorist provision,” Smith said. “Once this provision expires, all al-Qaida will have to do is publicly disavow one if its members … claiming that the target of an investigation is not affiliated with the terrorist group and intelligence officials will be prevented from conducting surveillance on that lone terrorist.”

New included provisions to the USA PATRIOT Amendments Act puts more control on the use of National Security Letters, a form of subpoenas that require no probable cause, to ensure people’s constitutional rights.

“Since 2005, I have introduced legislation to curb these abuses, to put some more controls on the use of NSLs and more judicial supervision on the gag orders to ensure people’s constitutional rights,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.)

The Patriot Act was passed in 2001 with the intention of granting law-enforcement organizations more authority to investigate terrorism.