 |
|||||
|
|
|||||
News From Congressman Vic Snyder-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recent News on Capitol HillLast week, the House and Senate passed separate budgets, which reflect the priorities of President Obama for the next fiscal year, to create jobs and lay the foundation for economic growth over the long-term. This budget invests in health care reform, energy efficiency, education and also makes strides to reduce the deficit by 2013. The differences between the two versions must now be resolved in conference between the House and Senate before a final version can be approved. I’m confident an agreement will be reached and that a final budget will be adopted by the Congress. Then the work begins on the annual appropriations process. The House recently passed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, authorizing the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco products. Prevention is a quality of life issue and significantly benefits public health. Tobacco use is the foremost preventable cause of premature death in America. It causes over 400,000 deaths in the United States each year, and approximately 8,600,000 Americans have chronic illnesses related to smoking. Reducing the use of tobacco by minors by 50 percent would prevent well over 10,000,000 of today's children from becoming regular, daily smokers, saving over 3,000,000 of them from premature death due to tobacco-induced disease. Such a reduction in youth smoking would also result in approximately $75,000,000,000 in savings attributable to reduced health care costs. As Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association said, the legislation passed last week puts the tobacco industry under the only agency ‘that has the experience and know-how to regulate it.’ I hope the Senate passes this bill, so that Congress can send it to President Obama’s desk.
I support improved U.S.-Cuba relations, and I joined my colleagues last week to co-sponsor the Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act. This act prohibits the President from barring Americans from traveling to or from Cuba, except during war or hostile times of disputes between the United States and Cuba, or except when there is imminent danger to the public health or the physical safety of U.S. travelers. Restoring travel is only the beginning, as our entire Cuban foreign policy has failed, and it needs to be reexamined to enhance economic and diplomatic exchanges. I am confident that opening up travel to Cuba will pave the way to a more robust policy, which would significantly benefit Arkansas businesses and Arkansas farmers, and ultimately help American national security.
On Thursday, April 2nd, I introduced H.Res 329, to recognize the 144-year anniversary of the tragic accident of the steamboat ship SS Sultana. The explosion of the SS Sultana on April 27, 1865, is considered the worst maritime disaster in American history. This resolution honors the memory of the soldiers and passengers who lost their lives in this disaster and expresses regret over the lack of military and civilian oversight that led to the explosion and tremendous loss of life. It also calls for Congress to rededicate itself to honoring all our veterans and military families with the highest level of support in quality resources, equipment and services. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recent News from my CommitteesLast week, I traveled with the staff from the Oversight & Investigations subcommittee to military schools as part of a review of the military's professional military education system. These schools are important to shaping military leaders of the future. As members of Congress, we need to provide oversight to these institutions to ensure our training corresponds to current and probable future conflicts. On Wednesday, April 1st, I chaired the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee on Coordinating Contract Support on the Battlefield. This hearing was a follow-up to check on the progress on implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Defense, Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development governing contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan. The agencies agreed to move toward use of a single database, called the Synchronized Personnel Operational Tracking (SPOT) system, for contingency contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Across the government, all agencies need to be involved in supporting increased contract management, coordination, and oversight because this directly and constantly affects the men and women we send into harm's way. Our witnesses told us that SPOT has to crawl and walk before it can run. I really appreciate all of our witnesses for their commitment to making this work. I look forward to returning to this topic in several months, when I'm certain we will see even more improvements. This isn't just about a data base, it’s an example of how various Departments must come together in creating interagency solutions to practical but life and death matters. On Thursday, April 2nd, the House Armed Services Committee received testimony on the new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan and developments in U.S. Central Command (U.S. operations in the Middle East) and Special Operations forces. The Under Secretary of Defense (Policy), Michle Flournoy, and the Commander of U.S. Central Command, General David Petraeus, testified that the primary goal of the U.S. in Afghanistan and Pakistan is to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda and its safe havens in Pakistan, and to prevent their return to Pakistan or Afghanistan. In response to my questioning, Secretary Flournoy testified that the current administration is attempting use a more whole of government approach to its operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. She indicated that the interagency coordination is starting at the highest levels, and is partnering in the United Nations. She also stated that for Iraq and Afghanistan, the Ambassador and in country Commander are working together to create a joint civil-military plan.
Also on Thursday, I participated in the Military Personnel Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, where testimony was received regarding improving recovery and accountability of POW/MIA personnel from all past conflicts.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recent News from the DistrictThe American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, enacted last month, makes significant investments to strengthen our nation's economy. It was recently announced that under this law, every person who receives unemployment benefits during 2009 is eligible to exclude the first $2,400 of these benefits when they file their tax return next year. For a married couple, the exclusion applies to each spouse, separately. Thus, if both spouses receive unemployment benefits during 2009, each may exclude from income the first $2,400 of benefits they receive.
|
Featured Photo
On Tuesday, March 31, 2009, His Excellency Pierre Vimont, the French ambassador to the U.S. welcomed Congressman Snyder to the French Congressional Caucus reception at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. |
||||
|
|||||
