WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today applauded Judge James A. Wynn, Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, for his concurring opinion in Liberty University v. Geithner, 671 F.3d 391 (4th Cir. 2011) (Wynn, J., concurring), wherein Judge Wynn became the first federal judge to uphold the Affordable Care Act (ACA) under Congress’s taxing power, laying the groundwork for the Supreme Court’s momentous decision. “Our federal circuit courts and judges often work in …
Category: Press Release
Statement from NC School Leaders Regarding Governor’s Budget Decision
STATEMENT FROM STATE SUPERINTENDENT JUNE ATKINSON REGARDING GOVERNOR’S BUDGET DECISION “Come this August, almost 1.5 million students will enter North Carolina public schools, an increase of nearly 12,000 students from last year. The budget the Governor vetoed needs to include more resources for principals, teachers and other support staff to meet the needs of these students. If we are going to increase our graduation rate from its current all-time high and prepare all students for college and a career, the …
Gov. Perdue Vetoes Budget that Falls Short
The General Assembly passed a budget that leaves too many needs unmet, like the fact that schools in North Carolina would receive $190 million less next year than they received this year. It also has too many misplaced priorities, like giving $336 million in tax breaks to lawyers, lobbyists, and other wealthy individuals. To learn more about the shortcomings in their budget, here’s a list of the top 20 flaws with the legislature’s budget: Click Here Despite the flaws in …
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers
To say this has been an eventful week would be an understatement! In this newsletter you will find my comments on the Supreme Court ruling on Obamacare and the failure of the Senate to address the jobs bills we have passed in the House. You will also find information and links to press releases, video and photos from press conferences and interviews I have given this week on the Obamacare ruling, the economy and jobs, and the contempt vote on …
Butterfield Joins Democratic Colleagues in Walking Out of Vote to Hold Attorney General in Contempt of Congress
WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01), Second Vice-Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, today joined his Democratic colleagues in walking off the House Floor to oppose a Republican-led vote holding Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress. “Never in our nation’s history has the U.S. House of Representatives voted to hold a sitting attorney general in contempt of Congress,” said Butterfield. “The Republican vote to hold Attorney General Holder in contempt is not about ‘gunwalking,’ the Justice …
Attorney General Roy Cooper: Feds Aren’t Going to Pay Your Utility Bills
Watch out for a new scam that touts a federal program that will supposedly pay your utility bills. The program isn’t real. Instead, it’s a ploy by scammers to steal your personal financial information and your money. The scammers tell you that to participate in the program, you need to provide your Social Security Number and bank account information. In return, they give you a bank account number that they claim will pay your utility bills—but the information is false …
CBPP: Health Reform’s Medicaid Expansion Is a Very Good Deal for States
Today’s Supreme Court decision essentially means that states can decide whether or not to expand their Medicaid programs to cover low-income adults. The typical (or median) state only covers working parents who make less than 63 percent of the poverty line ($12,790 a year for a family of three) and non-working parents with incomes below 37 percent of the poverty line ($7,063 a year). Only a handful of states provide coverage to any low-income adults without dependent children, regardless of …
White House: What the Supreme Court’s ruling means for your health care
View the full supreme court decision here: http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/11pdf/11-393c3a2.pdf Today, the Supreme Court issued a historic ruling: They upheld the Affordable Care Act and ensured that millions of American families will have access to health care and protection from the worst abuses of the insurance industry. Lots of people have questions about the Affordable Care Act, the Supreme Court’s decision, and their health care coverage. We’ve pulled together the most useful information — including President Obama’s remarks after the announcement — at …
McCaul-Butterfield ‘Creating Hope Act’ Goes to the President for Approval
WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Senate sent a bipartisan provision, authored by Congressmen G. K. Butterfield (D-NC) and Michael McCaul (R-TX), to the President for his signature into law. H.R. 3059, The Creating Hope Act of 2011, will incentivize pharmaceutical companies to develop new drugs for children with rare pediatric diseases, such as childhood cancers and sickle cell. The Creating Hope Act was passed as Section 908 of S. 3187, which reauthorizes various Food and Drug Administration (FDA) user fee …
White House: Do You Qualify for Refinancing?
President Obama’s plan to give mortgage relief to responsible homeowners boils down to one important principle. He wants to simplify the refinancing process. And the very first step is to let people know if they would benefit from the President’s proposal — so we’ve built a tool to help answer that question. Just enter a few basic facts about your mortgage, and this tool will help you figure out if you currently qualify for easy, low-cost refinancing — or whether, …
Senator Richard Burr Updates
Farm Bill This week, the Senate voted on the Farm Bill and related amendments. I opposed the bill because it shortchanged both taxpayers and southeastern farmers. Veterans Employment Bill Our nation is experiencing record levels of sustained, high unemployment, and unfortunately, the veterans who courageously served our country are bearing the brunt of this as they return from war and struggle to find jobs in a hurting economy. By enabling employers to post jobs targeted to specific military occupations on …
Congress Woman Renee Ellmers: Protecting Access to Our Seashores
This week, the House passed H.R. 4094, the “Preserving Access to Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area Act” as part of the larger Conservation and Economic Growth Act. This legislation will restore reasonable pedestrian and motorized access to the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area and I am happy to have joined Congressman Walter Jones as a co-sponsor. Below you will find more information about this legislation. On Bill LuMaye’s radio show this week, I talked about President Obama’s recent …
White House Weekly Address
President Obama discusses the urgent need for Congress to act now on two common sense measures to help middle class families: preventing interest rates on federal student loans from going up and putting hundreds of thousands of construction workers back on the job. West Wing Week: 06/22/12 or “Dreamers” This week, the President talks about an important policy change on immigration that more closely aligns our policy with our values, and traveled to the Group of 20 Summit in Los …
NC Schools Superintendent: Conference Budget Fails North Carolina
The state budget passed by the General Assembly today is one of the most disappointing pieces of legislation I have seen in my 30 years in education. Lawmakers have clearly chosen to put politics before the needs of students and in making that choice, they have let all of North Carolina down. This budget has fundamental problems that will harm public schools and the state’s ability to attract new business and sustain its economy. It includes significant education policies that …
Representative Michael H. Wray’s Raleigh Report
The House and Senate approved a budget Thursday that keeps North Carolina moving backwards. A year after losing 6,000 public school educators – including 3,000 teachers and teacher assistants – this budget leaves schools with $190 million less than they had last year. The total funding reduction for K-12 education over two years will reach $650 million dollars. Financial aid for UNC system students has been cut by $22 million dollars. The budget also continues the attack on women’s health …
Final Budget Released: Cause for Concern for NC Children
The final legislative budget does not prioritize children. The budget puts almost no funding back into public education, letting stand the harsh cuts that were enacted last year. A five percent increase to Health and Human Services is mainly due to increases in Aging and Adult Services and Medicaid. No restorations are made to NC Pre-K and only conditional restoration is made to Smart Start. No restorations are made to tobacco cessation and prevention program funding. Additional cuts are made …
Butterfield Applauds Havelock’s Receipt of Two EPA Brownfield Grants
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman G. K. Butterfield (NC-01) today applauded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for awarding two brownfield grants to the city of Havelock. The grants, valued at $200,000 each, will be used for environmental site assessments, community outreach activities, and to support cleanup planning. “The testing and cleanup of brownfield sites allow for the expansion, redevelopment, and reuse of these lands, which can potentially benefit local economies,” said Butterfield. “I thank the EPA for assisting the city …
Representative Michael H. Wray’s Raleigh Report
The General Assembly considered bills this week that weaken protections against racial bias in our courts and that open up North Carolina to a controversial form of energy exploration. We also learned more about the Senate’s budget plan for our state. The plan is particularly harmful for education, even more so than the House proposal in many ways. It cuts $250 million more from the public schools, eliminates the Teaching Fellows program and cuts deeper into funding for the community …
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers Newsletter
We learned this week that American families are poorer today than they were 23 years ago and 40% poorer than in 2007. The drop in American families’ wealth and news this week about a drop in retail sales is more evidence that middle class Americans and Main Street businesses are still struggling. Republicans in the House will continue to focus on legislation that cuts regulations and spending and promotes job creation. You can track the progress of jobs legislation on …
White House: Ending the Stalemate in Washington
Weekly Address: Ending the Stalemate in Washington. President Obama tells the American people that the stalemate in Washington is holding our economy back during this make-or-break moment for the middle class. Welcome to the West Wing Week, your guide to everything that’s happening at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. This week, the President welcomed the Girl Scouts, the Presidents of the Philippines and of Israel, the New York Giants, local tv anchors from around the country, and Betty White. He also kicked off …