Statements For the Record
No one should be forced to lose their health insurance when they need it the most or be faced with bankruptcy trying to pay for health care. Unfortunately, we have a system today where insurance companies, not patients, are making those decisions.
Insurance companies have been using lifetime and annual limits since the 1970s to limit the total dollars in benefits that they will pay out over a year or the lifetime of a patient.
Rising health care costs and inadequate coverage burden many Americans. The current system lets insurance companies penalize a woman, just for being a woman.
It is unfair and it is wrong, plain and simple, that a woman can be charged a higher premium than a man or be denied coverage for a "pre-existing condition" such as pregnancy, having a c-section, or being a domestic violence victim.
An estimated 1.3 million women are victims of physical assault by an intimate partner each year, and 85% of domestic violence victims are women.
Let me give you one example.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.Con.Res. 248, a resolution that would require the President to precipitously withdraw American troops from Afghanistan by December 31, 2010. While I welcome today's robust debate on such a critical issue, there can be no doubt that abandoning Afghanistan and the region in this moment is against America's national interests.
Dr. Shah, good morning and welcome.
Your vision is to restore USAID as the world's premier development agency. As a Member of this Subcommittee, I am committed to making that vision a reality.
I want to elevate and strengthen USAID, and ensure your agency has the authority and resources it needs to focus on long-term development rather than crisis response and contract management. This is an exciting moment for USAID and for global development.
Madam Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in support of H.R. 2701, a bill to authorize appropriations for intelligence-related activities in fiscal year 2010. This bill strengthens the safety and security of every American family with targeted investments in our intelligence capabilities.
Madam Speaker, it is my privilege to join my colleagues today in recognizing the extraordinary American response to the earthquake that devastated Haiti on January 12, 2010. I am proud to support H.Res. 1048, H.Res. 1059, and H.Res. 1066. Each of these resolutions honors the courage and sacrifice of the Americans who rushed to aid the people of Haiti in their time of need.
The Commander-in-Chief, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Secretary of Defense all publicly support allowing gay and lesbian Americans to serve openly in the Armed Forces of the United States. This is a significant and long overdue development that I wholeheartedly endorse. It is time for Congress to now act to ensure that every committed and courageous American who wishes to serve our country, regardless of sexual orientation, can proudly wear the uniform of the United States of America.