The Washington Bureau will be covering the following events:

-Remarks by National Economic Council Director Lawrence Summers on “Rescuing and Rebuilding the U.S. Economy: A Progress Report”

-An appearance by Education Secretary Arne Duncan, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack at event to read to children.

-A House Financial Services Committee hearing on “Industry Perspectives on the Obama Administration’s Financial Regulatory Reform Proposals.”

-A discussion on “Scholars and Scribes Review the Rulings: The Supreme
Court’s 2008-2009 Term” at the Heritage Foundation.

-A discussion on discussion on “Healthcare Reform: Putting Patients First.”

By Courtney Ann Jackson-Talk Radio News Service

The energy and climate debate is making its way to the Senate, just two legislative days after the House passed the Waxman-Markey energy bill. The Committee on Environment and Public Works heard from White House and other government officials Tuesday. They highlighted the importance of making the U.S. a leader in the clean energy market, reducing the effects of global warming, and creating new jobs in the process.

“Clean energy is to this decade, and the next, what the Space Race was to the 1950s and ‘60s. America is behind,” said EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. “American businesses need strong incentives and investments now in order for this nation to lead the twenty-first century global economy.”

Other officials present included: Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Department of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.

Chu said that he applauds the House for passing the clean energy bill and said he looks forward to working with the Senate to pass “comprehensive energy legislation.” He also noted that denial of the climate change problem will not change the outcome but comprehensive legislation that caps and then reduces carbon emissions will.

Committee Chairwoman Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said, “I expect you will hear fierce words of doubt and fear and worse from the other side of the aisle regarding our legislative efforts to move forward with clean energy jobs legislation. This is consistent with a pattern of “No we can’t.” I believe this Committee, when the votes are eventually taken on our bill, will reflect our President’s attitude, which is “Yes, we can, and yes, we will.”

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) agreed that the bill will pass through their committee but he does not believe it will pass on the Senate floor. He said the Senators will have more time to review the many points of the legislation than House members did prior to their June 25 vote.

Gov. Haley Barbour (R-Miss.) also testified Tuesday and stressed the importance of informing the public about the facts of energy policy.

“The gigantic effect of energy policy on American life means Congress should work particularly hard to ensure Americans know the facts about the policies Congress is considering. To the contrary, the House of Representatives added more than 300 pages of its 1200 page energy bill a few hours before it was brought to the floor and passed. That is just the opposite,” said the Governor.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack says he hopes Congress will enact a bill that meets the President’s objectives on energy, which include creating an efficient, cost-efficient and a comprehensive approach that leverages the Nation’s capacity for innovation. He also touched upon the need for job creation, reduced dependence on foreign oil, and protection of U.S. children from “ills associated with pollution.” (0:20)

 

 Standard Podcast [0:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Coffee Brown, MD, University of New Mexico, Talk Radio News

Please don’t call it “swine flu” anymore.

That was the main message at the Senate Appropriations Committee Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing on the 2009 H1N1 virus.

Witnesses, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, acting Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, answered
questions from Sens. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), Robert Bennett (R-Utah) and Mark Pryor (D-Ariz.) about the commercially regrettable naming of the 2009 H1N1 virus and about vaccines.

Vilsack said the USDA has been aggressively campaigning with trading partners to protect pork’s image as a safe food, but China and Russia
have suspended purchases of American pork. Prices have fallen about 20 percent, he said, versus about 45 percent during the 1976 swine flu
scare.

Brownback asked whether there should be more surveillance of animals, since several recent infections have been zoonotic, or transmitted from
animals to humans. Vilsack said that such surveillance is ongoing but that funding has been flat. He stressed that while the last round of bird flu was from birds to humans, this flu has so far only gone from humans to animals. “We should really be calling this the human flu,” he said.

Kohl wanted to know if vaccines would be ready for a possible reoccurrence of the current atypical flu in the fall, and mentioned previous estimates at similar hearings of four to six months to prepare such a vaccine. Sharfstein responded by emphasizing the uncertainties: time to develop the vaccine, time to test it, and the final decision whether full production was merited. He said that full production would not significantly reduce production of the usual seasonal vaccine, as that version will have almost finished the year’s order by the time a decision has to be made.

Kohl asked Sharfstein whether this strain would prove to be dangerous, and Sharfstein replied that it doesn’t look bad now, but viruses mutate, so he couldn’t make predictions about future behavior.

By Suzia van Swol-University of New Mexico, Talk Radio News Service
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced $84.7 million in stimulus funding for 55 Watershed Operation Projects in 20 states.

These projects “are part of President Obama’s national recovery plan to modernize our nations infrastructure, jump start the economy and create in this case, close to 1,500 new jobs,” said Vilsack during a conference call.

Vilsack said that the Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service has worked closely with local sponsors to identify projects that are ready for implementation, and those receiving resources have an 18 month time frame to “put them to work,” said Vilsack.

Projects are intended to provide both economic stimulus, assist local economies, and bring the benefits of natural resource conservation to watersheds nationwide. “These projects and funding means reduced soil erosion, better water quality, protecting people from the ravaging of flooding, and more reliable water supplies in communities across the country,” said Vilsack.

Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack speaks on a conference call discussing Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) opposition to bipartisan energy reform that eliminates tax breaks for oil companies. Vilsack says that this, and other moves have shown us that McCain has chosen the side of the oil companies over that of the American people (19:37).

 

 Standard Podcast [(19:37)m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

“The reality is that Sen. McCain (R-Ariz.) can visit oil rigs and do photo ops all he wants, but it is pretty clear from the policies he is advocating that he is literally over the barrel when it comes to the oil industry,” said former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack. He spoke on a conference call to discuss Senator McCain’s opposition to a bipartisan energy compromise due to its rollback of tax breaks for oil companies.

Vilsack also said that McCain’s opposition to the compromise shows that he has chosen the side of oil companies over the American people, and that he is only open to policies that will help these organizations. Conversely, Vilsack says that Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) plan would roll back these tax breaks and give this money to the middle class in order to assist them with sky-high energy costs.

Vilsack said that by instituting policies that push renewable energy, he was able to create more jobs and stimulate the economy for the state of Iowa, as well as make more money available to schools and other programs. He also challenged McCain’s image as a ‘maverick’ who fights corrupt businesses and said, “I think it’s time for McCain to be accountable for the decisions he is making.”