THE LEADER'S REPORT: WEEK OF OCTOBER 22, 2007

This week, the House kept its promise to act quickly to pass new bipartisan legislation that will provide health insurance to 10 million low-income children after House Republicans sustained the President's veto last week.  We introduced a revised Children's Health Insurance Program bill on Wednesday, which was crafted with Senate and House Republicans and addressed the concerns raised by some Republicans.  The new CHIP bill continues to provide coverage to 10 million uninsured, low-income children, while clarifying that the focus would be on enrolling low-income children first, that illegal immigrants cannot receive benefits, and that coverage of adults would be phased out.   

Yesterday the House passed the CHIP bill with a strong, bipartisan majority.  As this bill moves to the Senate, we will continue working with Republicans to to create even more support for this legislation so that we will be able to override an already-threatened Presidential veto.  We will continue fighting until we provide needed health insurance to 10 million children.

Also this week, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel introduced a comprehensive tax package that will provide tax cuts to more than 90 million American families through a permanent repeal of the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) and the enhancement of other tax cuts.  While we do not expect to consider this legislation this year, Democrats have pledged to pass an AMT patch that will prevent millions of middle-income taxpayers from having to pay an unexpected tax increase.

Next week, the House will consider the Small Business Contracting Program Improvement Act, which will open up new opportunities for small businesses by updating the Small Business Administration's contracting program and ensuring that taxpayer dollars are protected.  We will also consider the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act, and the Trade and Globalization Assistance Act, which offers education grants and job training to American workers who lose their jobs due to outsourcing.

Sincerely yours,

STENY H. HOYER

P.S. Please invite your friends and family to sign up for this newsletter [1] to learn about what House Democrats are doing to lead America in a new direction.

Majority Leader Hoyer's Statement on Bipartisan Compromise on CHIP
Yesterday, Hoyer spoke on the House Floor in support of new CHIP legislation that will provide health care coverage to 10 million children, and responds to concerns expressed by some Republicans.
Read release [2] 

CHIP UPDATE: Read more about how Republican leaders again try to mislead Americans, and how the new bipartisan CHIP bill covers more uninsured children and addresses GOP concerns. [3] 

Hoyer Statement on New, Bipartisan CHIP Legislation
At a press conference Wednesday evening, Hoyer discussed the new CHIP legislation, calling it the result of bipartisan negotiations, and noting that the concerns of Republicans on the original CHIP bill had been addressed.
Read release [4]

Majority Leader Hoyer's Speech at Georgetown: Protecting America and the Values that Define Us As Americans
Hoyer delivered a speech at Georgetown Law School on Wednesday addressing the need to balance national security and civil liberties.  He discussed legislation revising the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo and Abu Gharib, and the Military Commissions Act and the elimination of habeas corpus.
Read release [5]

Hoyer Statement on Rising War Costs
The CBO released a report this week estimating that the Iraq war could cost $1.9 trillion by 2017.  Hoyer said that this report showed that it is more important than ever that Congress not give President Bush more blank checks to continue his failed war policy.
Read release [6]

Hoyer Statement on the AMT 
Hoyer announced that he will bring an AMT patch swiftly to the Floor to prevent millions of Americans from facing an unexpected tax increase this year.
Read release [7]

Hoyer: President Bush Sows Division Instead of Showing Leadership
Hoyer responded to remarks made by the President today, saying that the President continues to block compromise, and that it is time for him to work with Democrats to move important legislation forward.
Read release [8]