Today we are here to discuss childhood obesity and child nutrition programs. Over the last ten years, obesity in the United States has been increasing at a staggering rate. The most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that more than 72 million adults, or over one-third of the United States population, are obese. In addition, 17 percent of children ages 2-19 are c... Read more »
The so-called Employee Free Choice Act replaces federally-supervised secret ballot elections with a public sign-up process for forming a union – and the bill’s special interest backers would have you believe that this is no big deal. But it is. The secret ballot is a practice that’s almost as old as democracy itself. In fact, today it’s used in both political and everyday life. To remind ourselves... Read more »
Following this morning’s White House meeting on health care reform between President Obama and congressional Democrats – but not a single congressional Republican – Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA) issued the following statement: “We stand ready to work with the President and Democrats in Congress on common sense health care reforms. The question is, are they ready – or willing – to work with u... Read more »
Mr. Chair, there is a trend here that troubles me. Over the past few months, the federal government has stepped in to take control of more and more industries in America. So far, these have included: the banking industry … the auto industry … and the credit industry. And there’s talk of the federal government becoming even more involved in other areas, too. These include the health care industry …... Read more »
Union leaders have never been shy about their expectation that card check legislation would be delivered by Democrats in Washington as payback for their political and financial support in the last election. But now, The Hill reports that even the White House is spelling out the quid pro quo: “The Obama administration owes organized labor a lot for its victory in the presidential election, Vice Pre... Read more »
I am happy that you have convened this hearing today to help us identify the challenges facing our nation’s high schools. The focus of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and its 2001 reauthorization, through the No Child Left Behind Act, was on closing the achievement gap faced by disadvantaged students as they progressed in school. As we will hear today, our nation is faced with what this... Read more »
Dear Republican Colleague: The Administration just released their FY 2010 budget proposal, which they eagerly claim saves a total of $17 billion government-wide. While I applaud the effort at trimming unnecessary government programs, I was disappointed that the president’s scalpel wasn’t sharper. This month I introduced the Priorities in Education Spending Act which would repeal 68 ineffective or ... Read more »
The so-called Employee Free Choice Act has come under increasing fire in recent weeks, and those taking aim might not be who you expect. Although card check is often painted in partisan terms, the reality is that an increasing number of Democrats are joining Republicans in speaking out against this anti-worker legislation. It turns out that there are members of both political parties who support b... Read more »
The U.S. Department of Labor this morning reported that the American economy shed 539,000 jobs in April, bringing the unemployment rate to 8.9 percent. Total job losses since the recession began in December 2007 stand at 5.7 million. At the same time, The Washington Post is now reporting that beleaguered U.S. automaker General Motors plans to ship many of the company’s planned new jobs overseas: “... Read more »
Following the release today of additional details on President Obama’s FY 2010 budget, Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), the top Republican on the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement: "The budget put forward today is as disappointing as the outline offered earlier this year. It still spends too much; it still taxes too much; and it still borrows too much. Only no... Read more »
