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New Congress must work together

January 11, 2007|Ben Chandler

In last November's elections, voters across America made their desire for change clear to Washington. People are demanding a new strategy in Iraq, improvement in our struggling health care and education systems, and a Congress that conducts business with honesty and integrity.

The 110th Congress is convening in January under new leadership. Democrats now hold a majority of the seats in both the House of Representatives and the United States Senate. As a member of the new majority party, it is my hope that the Democrats will meet the mandate handed down by voters last fall.

As a starting point, we must work cooperatively with individuals on both sides of the aisle. Then, in the first 100 hours of Congress, Democrats must keep to their word and push through an aggressive agenda that will get results for working families, young students and our elderly.

One of the first priorities of the new Congress is to help working families by increasing the minimum wage. Despite bipartisan support, a direct vote on the minimum wage was denied in the last Congress. Current legislation would raise the minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour over two years. If passed, there are 135,000 Kentuckians who would directly benefit from this pay increase.

Another important initiative for the new Congress is expanding educational opportunities for our young people by cutting the interest rates for student loans in half from 6.8 percent to 3.4 percent. On average, Kentucky students are graduating with over $15,000 in debt as tuition at our universities continues to rise. By cutting interest rates in half, over five million students across America will see a significant cut to their student loan debt.

Another issue of great importance to be brought up in the first 100 hours of Congress is making health care more affordable for our elderly by repealing a law that currently makes it illegal for the secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower prescription drug prices for Medicare recipients. Changing this provision will save money for our seniors who are struggling to pay for their medicines.

Other issues being addressed include:

Breaking the link between lobbyists and legislation by passing needed ethics reform in Washington, which will work to ensure that members of Congress adhere to the highest ethical standards.

Committing to a pay-as-you-go system of governing and reducing the national debt. In 2007, interest on the national debt will be the fourth largest item in the president's budget, exceeded only by Social Security, defense and Medicare.

Implementing the recommendations of the independent, bipartisan 9/11 Commission. This will include increasing funding for aviation and border security, and giving our first responders the equipment and training they need.

Rolling back the multi-billion dollar tax subsidies for the big oil companies by closing loopholes and giveaways in the tax code.

Promoting the advancement of promising stem cell research by increasing the number of lines of stem cells that would be eligible to be used in federally-funded research.

The agenda for the first 100 hours of Congress beginning in January is extensive, but so are the problems facing our country. Many of the measures being proposed will help the every day lives of all Americans, both young and old. When people went to the polls in November, they voted for change. It is my hope that the new 110th Congress will be the change that this country deserves.

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