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Agenda Ahead

December 02, 2007

Economic Issues Will Share Center Stage With Iraq

After a year marked by partisan gridlock as the White House and the Democratic Congress joust over spending priorities and the Iraq War, next year’s legislative agenda will likely see more of the same, but with an even greater emphasis on pocketbook issues.

Bush Unlikely to Push Big Policy Agenda in ’08

Don’t expect any bold legislative ideas from the Bush administration in 2008, a year Congressional observers are painting as one likely to be marked by partisan gridlock and few legislative accomplishments with Democratic leaders focusing on winning the White House.

Lawmakers Plan Robust Domestic Agenda in ’08

The Iraq War and the presidential campaign will cast long shadows over the 2008 legislative agenda on Capitol Hill, but lawmakers insist they will enter the new year with robust legislative agendas.

Access, Cost, Quality Rule Agenda

The more things change, the more they remain the same. As we approach 2008, our health care agenda boils down to three continuing, if not perpetual, questions: Who in the United States has health care, how much are we paying for it, and what are we getting for our money? In short, it’s time for Congressional leaders to again address the critical issues of expanding access to care, lowering the cost of care and improving the quality of care.

Let Congress Walk Mile in Shoes of Uninsured

A checkup of the American health care system reveals a troubling trend: 48 million Americans lack health insurance. And the side effects are worrisome for everyone as costs rise, care is compromised and confusion reigns in doctors’ offices and operating rooms.

Make Tax Reform a Bipartisan Effort

With the growing housing crisis, credit crunch and falling value of the U.S. dollar, working families are finding it harder to get by. As Congress looks toward 2008, the American people expect us to focus on issues of economic and national security. It is in this context that I recently introduced the Tax Reduction and Reform Act, which would provide tax relief to more than 90 million working families while helping to ensure that American companies remain competitive internationally.

‘Baseline’ Question Is Key to Future Tax Policy

My goal is an efficient, sensible, modern tax system that encourages savings and investment. For a variety of reasons, it is unlikely that we’ll see any sort of comprehensive tax reform in this Congress, but such a fundamental overhaul seems very likely to occur in the next Congress. The most important thing we can do in the remainder of the 110th Congress is to educate policymakers and the public so that when that discussion begins we all understand what constitutes tax reform and what does not.

Crisis Rooted in Economic Insecurity

In the past two weeks, we have been reminded of the seriousness of the mortgage foreclosure crisis. Major mortgage lenders such as Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and Wells Fargo all have been forced to write off billions of dollars in losses as a result of their investments in subprime mortgages. The impact of the mortgage foreclosure crisis extends far beyond Wall Street. Housing foreclosures are changing the landscapes of our neighborhoods and causing a credit crunch, hence making loans to all consumers more expensive. In Hennepin County, Minn. (an area I represent), less than six years ago there were about 1,000 home foreclosures, but in 2006 there were more than 3,000. As Congress begins to address the mortgage foreclosure crisis, we need a comprehensive strategy that in the short term curbs the abuses in the subprime lending industry and in the long term addresses the root cause of the foreclosure crisis, which I believe is rooted in the economic insecurity of America’s working families.

Loan Restructuring, FHA Reform Keys to Relief

It’s no secret that this Congress has been painfully slow in moving legislation to the president’s desk. But for the downward- spiraling housing industry, this slow pace may be both a blessing and a curse.

Global Warming at the Starting Gate

What a difference a year makes. This time last November, Congressional Democrats were preparing to transition to majority leadership. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) would soon make a commitment to America that this Congress would address pressing issues such as oil dependence and global warming. She would soon create the Energy Independence and Global Warming Committee, which I chair, to make it clear that oil dependence and global warming were top-priority issues in this new Congress.

Look Closer at Global Warming ‘Solutions’

Just in time for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, the chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has scheduled a business meeting to consider legislation that seeks to impose mandatory global warming “solutions” on the American people. The global warming cap-and-trade bill (S. 2191) introduced by Sens. Joe Lieberman (ID-Conn.) and John Warner (R-Va.) seeks to regulate carbon dioxide by creating a whole new federal bureaucracy. In moving the bill out of committee, supporters of the bill are anxious for a symbolic “victory” just in time for their U.N. trip to Bali.