The Friday Faxline
Op-Ed
The Friday FAXLINE
The Weekly Update from Congressman Joe Pitts
No energy legislation before Congress leaves town
In voting to leave town on a five-week August break instead of working with Republicans to lower gas prices, Speaker Pelosi and the Democratic leaders in charge of this Congress once again proved how out-of-touch they really are. A bipartisan consensus has begun to emerge in the House to deal with high gas prices in a comprehensive manner, yet Speaker Pelosi remains adamant that she will not allow legislation to come to the floor to expand American made energy. She won't even allow a bill to come to the floor if it has the possibility of an amendment being offered to open up further oil and natural gas exploration. This comes in the face of a poll released this week noting a majority of people from Californian, Speaker Pelosi's home state, now favor more oil drilling off the coast, even though California is home to an immense coastline. Additionally, Reps. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) and John Peterson (R-PA) are moving forward with legislation that is gaining bipartisan supprt. It would repeal federal land leasing restrictions and get rid of the 125-mile moratorium on gas and oil production in the eastern Gulf of Mexico, as well as gut prohibitions on the development of oil shale. Speaker Pelosi is running out of supporters for her stubborn refusal to use American energy.
House condemns China's coercive abortion policy
On Wednesday, the House passed H.Res. 1370 which calls on the Chinese government to end its human rights abuses to ensure the Olympic Games take place in an atmosphere that honors the Olympic traditions of freedom and openness. The resolution acknowledges the many human rights abuses of the Chinese government. Of the many human rights abuses carried out by the Chinese government, their campaign of forced abortion and forced sterilization in order to maintain their one-child policy is most horrific. There are stories of mothers as late as nine months pregnant being literally taken in the middle of the night by Chinese authorities and forced to undergo abortions. Passing this resolution right before the President leaves for Beijing makes a strong statementurging him to pressure Chinese officials to end their government's human rights abuses.
Mongolia via satellite
The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, known in the U.S. as the Helsinki Commission, held a briefing this week titled "Mongolia After the State of Emergency." Mongolia's parliamentary elections on June 29 led to riots and unrest in the capital of Ulaanbaatar. A state of emergency was imposed and was not lifted until July 6. The briefing was held to discuss the future prospects for democracy in the central Asian country. I had the opportunity to chair a portion of the briefing, which happened to be the first briefing using a satellite link to allow the contribution of testimony from experts in Ulaanbaatar.
Supporting the Boy Scouts
For the last 80 years, the City of Philadelphia has supported the Boy Scouts by leasing them a building for their headquarters for just a $1 a year. This spring, the city decided to overturn that policy and begin charging the Boy Scouts $200,000 in rent because of the Boy Scouts' long held traditional values. I put together a letter from over 50 Members of Congress that asks the city to reconsider the decision, especially considering the good work the Boy Scouts do in the community and the guidance and character building they provide for young men, some of which might otherwise not have such opportunities.
Quote of the Week
"A solid majority of Americans want us to have more drilling for more American-made energy, and they aren't going to take no for an answer. Speaker Pelosi, Senators Reid and Obama are defying the will of the American people, and they're doing so at their own risk."
--Republican Leader John Boehner, (R-OH), on Congress' inaction on high gas prices.
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