Almost three years after Hurricane Katrina, the government is still discovering critical governmental flaws, according to Congressman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) at a hearing before the Joint Homeland Security Committee to discuss the delivery of donated goods to catastrophe survivors. Thompson said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) did not properly manage and distribute the donated supplies after Hurricane Katrina. (more…)

At a press conference on oil companies’ profits, Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) says that big oil companies have not delivered anything to anyone despite their record profits. Schumer says that big oil companies form the most selfish and more hypocritical group of companies. Schumer addes that Exxon spends more money on its chief executive officer than it does on research. (0:42)

 

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Exxon spends more money on its Chief Executive Officer than it does on energy research, according to Senate Democratic Conference Vice Chairman Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.). Schumer said that he was not surprised with the profits oil companies are making but rather, he was surprised about how oil companies are spending their profits. According to Schumer, oil companies are using the profits to buy back their own stock and increase their share prices. (more…)

America has a long history in which the voting process has been largely controlled independently by states, according to U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) at a hearing on the Bipartisan Electronic Voting Reform Act. The Bipartisan Electronic Voting Reform Act would help amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 and provide for auditable, independent verification of ballots. This would ensure the security of voting systems. (more…)

“The gavel allows you to push issues” according to Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Senator Arlen Specter (R-Penn.) and he added that he missed being the one holding the gavel. (more…)

Over 1.6 million businesses owe more than $58 billion to Uncle Sam, according to Senator Carl Levin (D-Mich.) at a hearing before the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on unpaid payroll tax abuse. A study by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded that more than half this debt is now uncollectible. (more…)

The Energy Daily and Covanta Energy hosted a media breakfast with Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) to discuss the congressional outlook on energy. At the forefront of discussions was the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Moratorium. The OCS Moratorium was put in place by Congress in 1981 to protect America’s coasts from threats of oil and gas developments as well as to prevent leasing of coastal waters for fossil fuel development. (more…)

The Democratic National Committee hosted a conference call to discuss Senator John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) position on the Community Choice Act. The Community Choice act is a top priority of the disability community that would allow people with disabilities the chance to choose home-based or community care with in-home services over being forced into nursing homes or institutions. The act would increase the percentage of Medicaid that goes toward in-home care. (more…)

 

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U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) says that after Ovation Pharmaceuticals acquired the rights to the drug Indocin from Merck, they quickly increased the price by more than 18 times. Klobuchar points out that eventhough it is an American company, the price they charge is 44 times higher than what they sell it for in Canada. Klobuchar says there is no real justification for the huge price disparity. (1:04)

 

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Mustargen treats rare cancers, Cosmegen treats kidney disease and Matulane treats Hogdkins lymphoma. These miracle drugs have one thing in common. According to calculation from the Pharmaceutical Reseach in Management and Economics (PRIME) Institute, the prices of these drugs have seen increases as high as 8,000 percent. (more…)