Staggering Job Losses Should be a Clarion Call to Action
Chairman Rangel, Subcommittee Chairman McDermott will seek additional extension of unemployment benefits
September 5, 2008

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Income Security and Family Support Subcommittee Chairman Rep.Jim McDermott(D-WA) said today that they will introduce legislation to extend unemployment benefits to help more Americans when Congress resumes work next week.  McDermott’s subcommittee has jurisdiction over the nation’s unemployment insurance system.

“Today’s jobs report brings the economic insecurity facing millions of American families into focus and Congress must act accordingly to provide additional relief to those in need,” said Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel.  “We will be introducing legislation to extend unemployment benefits to help give some peace of mind to the millions who have lost their job through no fault of their own and are struggling to regain their footing in this weak economy.”

“The unemployment data released today – the 8th straight month of significant job loss and an unemployment spike to 6.1% nationally- shows a staggering economic crisis befalling the American people and an urgent need to act now,” said Income Security and Family Support Subcommittee Chairman Jim McDermott.

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McDermott Announces Hearing on Challenges Facing American Workers
September 5, 2008

Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support of the Committee on Ways and Means, today announced that the Subcommittee will hold a hearing on challenges facing American workers.  The hearing will take place on Thursday, September 11, 2008, at 12:00 p.m. in B-318, Rayburn House Office Building.  In view of the limited time available to hear witnesses, oral testimony at this hearing will be from invited witnesses only.  However, any individual or organization not scheduled to appear may submit a written statement for consideration by the Subcommittee and for inclusion in the record of the hearing.

BACKGROUND:

The current downturn in the economy presents new risks for workers, especially the continuing rise in unemployment.  Concerns about this recent deterioration in the labor market are magnified by longer-term trends affecting workers.  For example, the median duration of unemployment has increased over 85 percent since the 1960s, employer-sponsored health insurance coverage has declined 4.9 percentage points since 2000, and real average wages have decreased compared to the early 1970s.  These negative trends have occurred even as worker productivity has risen significantly over the last three decades.

In announcing the hearing, Chairman McDermott stated, “Too many Americans are working more for less—less wages, less security, and less dignity.  We need to understand the trends affecting workers, so we can determine how best to respond.  American workers are not whiners.  They are simply struggling to stay afloat and the lifeboat they need doesn’t always reach them.”

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McDermott Statement on the Department of Health and Human Services Proposed Rule to Regulate a Woman’s Access to Reproductive Health Care
August 22, 2008

“The proposed new rule by this President’s Department of Health and Human Services makes clear that November 4th can’t come soon enough. A proposed new federal regulation concerning a woman’s access to reproductive health care is a thinly veiled attempt to regulate a women’s right to choose. The Bush Administration claims that this proposed regulation simply reiterates protections for health care professionals who object to performing abortion related services. However, because the regulation fails to define abortion services, the result may be that some women are denied access to contraceptives. The proposed rule offers no assurance that this regulation would not jeopardize access to women’s reproductive health services.

“Within all the legalize and technical jargon, the proposed new rule presents a clear and unmistakable threat to a woman’s right to have control over her own body and I cannot accept it, will not support it, and will do everything I can to defeat it. I have previously joined with several members of the Pro Choice Caucus in sending a letter to President Bush opposing any effort to undermine access to reproductive health care services.   

“There are petitions circulating to gather signatures against the proposed new HHS rule and I urge everyone to sign.  Too many people have fought for too long in defense of a woman’s right to choose and we cannot accept any change that is a first step backward for women’s rights.”

U.S. Senate Acts on Rep. McDermott’s SSI Legislation Today
August 1, 2008

Rep. Jim McDermott’s House-passed legislation (H.R. 2608) to help elderly and disabled refugees, and other immigrants in the U.S. on humanitarian grounds, obtain Supplemental Security Income (SSI), took a significant step forward today when the Senate unanimously passed an amendment that closely mirrors McDermott’s bill. 

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House Acts on Key McDermott Africa Initiative: Measure Inside H.R. 6560 on Suspension Calendar
July 29, 2008

Inside the chairman’s legislation is Rep. McDermott’s previous stand-alone bill, H.R. 5059, to repeal the Abundant Supply Provision in the African Growth and Opportunity Act, because it has significantly curtailed the manufacture and export of clothing from several African nations officially classified as lesser developed nations, and to add Mauritius to the list.

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McDermott Recognizes and Honors Genuine American Heroes at Ft. Lawton
July 28, 2008
 

                       
The families of the Fort Lawton soldiers stand with the Honorable Discharge plaques they received from the U.S. Army during the ceremony.  Rep.  McDermott,  other local officials and representatives from the Army stand behind the families.

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Congress Passes the Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act
July 24, 2008

Mr. Speaker

This is an especially proud day for me to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and to cast my vote in strong support of H.R. 5501, the Tom Lantos & Henry J. Hyde United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008. 

Today, the People’s House will say eloquently and unequivocally that America intends to exert its moral leadership in the world; that all Americans stand united in fighting this global pandemic. 

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Click here to learn more about H.R. 5501  

A Housing Rescue Plan That Includes Low Income Americans
Chairman Rangel and Subcommittee Chairman McDermott Praise Passage of Housing Bill
July 23, 2008

Passage of the American Housing Rescue & Foreclosure Prevention Act (H.R. 3221) today was hailed as major victory for the American people by Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel and Income Security and Family Support Subcommittee Chairman Jim McDermott (D-WA), who fought to ensure that the comprehensive housing legislation included provisions to help low-income and vulnerable Americans to secure access to affordable housing. 

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