Hot Topics Archive: New Congress Makes Significant Progress First Year

Bringing an End to the Iraq War

The U.S. House passed legislation to provide our troops with the equipment they need, require Iraqis to take control of their country and establish a date for withdrawal from Iraq. The House also passed two bills that were the first to exercise any level of oversight and accountability on the president's Iraq war. The bills tied economic aid to 18 benchmarks on political, security, and economic progress and required the president to develop and report to Congress a comprehensive troop redeployment strategy. (HR 1591; HR 2206; HR 2956; HR 3087)

Making America Safer

The U.S. House passed legislation to implement the recommendations of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission, including improvements in border security, port security, and aviation security. This legislation marked a long-awaited first step toward making Americans safer.

The House authored defense spending bills to include a greater focus on equipment shortfalls, training, troop pay, health care, and housing. These new priorities contribute to our military being fully prepared to face the threats and challenges of today and tomorrow. (HR 1; HR 3222; HR 1585)

Building a More Energy Secure Future

The U.S. House passed legislation to reduce our dependence on foreign oil by increasing investments in homegrown renewable and alternatives energies and raising gas mileage standards for the first time in 32 years. The House also increased funds for climate change research and held dozens of oversight hearings to ensure the science on climate change is not distorted. (HR 6; HR 2641; HR 2643)

Read more here.

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