109th Congress

Number: 
109

The Clock’s Still Ticking: No Answer Yet If President Opposes Contraception

 WASHINGTON, DC - Today, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan again refused to answer the question of whether or not President Bush opposes contraception. Reporter Les Kinsolving initially asked the question at a May 26 press briefing - McClellan replied that he would not dignify such a question with a response (see transcript below). Rep. Carolyn Maloney (NY-14) and 18 other Members of Congress have since sent the president a letter asking the very same question (text of letter: http://maloney.house.gov/sites/maloney.house.gov/files/documents/olddocs/choice/071205PresidentContraception.pdf), so Kinsolving again raised the same question today - and McClellan again refused to directly answer the question (transcript also below).

Is the President Opposed to Contraception?

 WASHINGTON, DC - Yesterday, 19 Members of Congress, led by Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), requested that President Bush respond to a question that he has left unanswered for over a month: is he opposed to contraception? On May 26th, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said that he would not dignify the question with a response. The transcript is attached and the text of the letter to the president is available here: http://maloney.house.gov/sites/maloney.house.gov/files/documents/olddocs/choice/071205PresidentContraception.pdf.

Reps. Maloney, Bilirakis, and 30 Members of Congress Send Letter to Secretary Rice Seeking Clarification About Travel to Northern Cyprus

 WASHINGTON, DC - In response to recent trips by U.S. citizens to northern Cyprus through an airport that the country’s sovereign government considers illegal, Representatives Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Michael Bilirakis (R-FL), founders and Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, and 30 of their House colleagues sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressing deep concern about the legality of this travel and seeking clarification about the U.S. government’s position on the matter (link to pdf).

Reps. Maloney, Bilirakis, and 21 Members of Congress Send Letters to President Bush and Secretary Rice in Support of UN-sponsored Negotiations Between Greece and FYROM

 WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Congressman Michael Bilirakis (R-FL), founders and Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, and 21 of their House colleagues sent letters to President Bush and Secretary of State Rice urging them to play active roles in the UN-sponsored negotiations between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), and specifically to address the compromise proposal recently made by United Nations mediator, Matthew Nimetz.

June Job Numbers: JEC’s Senior House Democrat Says Bush Economy “Consistently Performs Below Expectations”

 WASHINGTON, DC - The Department of Labor reported today that 146,000 jobs were created in June - less than economists’ expectations of 175,000 or more and less than the 150,000 jobs needed to keep pace with the expanding workforce. The unemployment rate edged down a tenth of a percent to 5 percent.

In Wake of London Attacks, House Dem HS Task Force Chair Calls for Stronger Public Transportation Security

 NEW YORK, NY - In the wake of the terrorist attacks on London public transportation today, the Chair of the House Democratic Task Force on Homeland Security expressed sympathy and resolve to strengthen public transportation security in New York and across America. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (NY-14) released the following statement:

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