This week marked one year since President Bush opened up federally controlled offshore areas for oil and natural gas exploration. We are currently the only industrialized nation not taking advantage of our offshore resources. In fact, the Chinese are leasing areas off the Cuban coast just over the international maritime border. President Bush’s action was a concrete step to move us toward energy independence. Unfortunately, one of the first actions of President Obama’s administration was to reinstate the ban and conduct yet another study of the issue. We know how dependent our nation is on foreign oil and we are becoming increasingly dependent on foreign natural gas. It’s time we opened these areas to exploration.

Empire State Building Honors Communist China

Last night, the Empire State Building was lit up red and yellow in honor of the 60th anniversary of the founding of Communist China. I’m very disturbed that this classic American building honored a government that refuses to acknowledge the violence perpetrated under Mao and that continues to suppress religious and ethnic minorities. The Chinese are still not allowed freedom of expression or political thought with dissidents routinely harassed and thrown in prison. While China has come a long way in opening up its economy in recent decades, the Chinese people continue to suffer under a government that denies them many basic rights.

Petition Calls for 72 Hours to Consider Bills in the House

As you may remember, this year the House has been forced to vote on legislation with little time to actually read the bill. The 1,000 page stimulus bill was finalized at midnight and the next morning the House was voting on the bill. The cap and trade bill had a 300 page amendment added at 3:00 in the morning and again the House was voting on the bill the very next day. Members need time to read and understand these bills. Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA) and Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) have introduced legislation requiring the Speaker to post legislation on line for both Members and the public to read at least 72 hours before a vote. Democratic leadership refuses to bring the bill to the floor so Baird and Walden have started a bipartisan discharge petition that would force the House to vote on the bill should a simple majority of Members sign on. So far, 182 Democrats and Republicans have signed on which means we need only 36 more to force a vote.

Bipartisan Letter Calls for Vote on Abortion Funding

On Monday, my colleague Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) and I led 181 Representatives on a letter to Speaker Pelosi and Rules Committee Chairwoman Slaughter calling for a vote on an amendment to keep government funding for abortion out of healthcare reform. Twenty-five Democrats and 158 Republicans signed the letter which simply asks for the opportunity to vote on an issue as fundamental as life. Slaughter’s Rules Committee will determine what amendments will be allowed consideration on the floor and, unfortunately, she has already indicated that she does not want to allow a fair vote. The bill, as it currently stands, would allow government funding of abortion for the first time in decades. President Obama has stated that his healthcare reform bill will not include abortion. If the Speaker wants her bill to become President Obama’s bill, then she should allow our amendment.

Quote of the Week

"Listen I think it's a great idea to promote Chicago but he's the president of the United States, not the mayor of Chicago. And the problems we have here at home affect all Americans and that's where his attention ought to be." 
--Republican Leader John Boehner, on President Obama’s trip to Copenhagen to lobby for a 2016 Chicago Olympics. The International Olympic Committee selected Rio de Janeiro as the site for the 2016 games.