Mike Doyle is currently serving his fourteenth term in Congress representing the 18th District of Pennsylvania, which includes the City of Pittsburgh and 53 other communities in Allegheny County.
His top priorities include creating jobs and revitalizing communities in the 18th District through economic development and high-tech initiatives, reforming health care, providing better public education, and establishing a comprehensive national energy strategy to curb climate change and create green jobs.
Representative Smith and I are proud to serve as the co-chairs for the Autism Caucus in the 116th Congress.
The goals of the bipartisan Autism Caucus include:
I want to thank each and every one of the parents and families who have dedicated themselves to raising awareness about the need for federal attention to this challenging life-long disorder.
All Americans – regardless of race, religion, disability, gender, or sexual orientation – are guaranteed equal rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I am deeply committed to protecting equal rights and ensuring that all Americans can pursue their dream. Racism, discrimination, bigotry, hate speech, and hate crimes have no place in our country. We must continue to strengthen anti-discrimination laws and level the playing field for everyone.
Racial Justice
Structural racism is built into our society in countless ways. It will take an organized, sustained effort to address systemic and structural racism, but we must. Until we do, our country cannot fully succeed.
Some policies I am focused on in the 117th Congress include:
Voting Rights
Voting is the cornerstone of any democracy, but efforts in the U.S. to disenfranchise minority voters have a long history and continue to this day. We should be encouraging every citizen to vote and making it easier for them to do so.
LGBTQ+ Rights
Even after marriage equality was recognized in 2015, LGBTQ+ Americans continue to experience pervasive discrimination and violence.
In the 117th Congress, some of the ways I am supporting LGBTQ+ Americans include:
Women’s Rights
Women are marching forward to show that their rights cannot be ignored, pushed aside, or debated without their input. I am proud to support legislation that – more than just protecting their equal rights – empowers them to break glass ceilings.
In the 117th Congress, I am supporting women across the country by:
It is clear that climate change is real, it is affecting our communities today, and it will get worse if we do not take aggressive action to cut our greenhouse gas emissions. We are seeing hotter temperatures lead to worse wildfires and draughts, rising sea levels and warmer water cause major flooding and devastation to fishing economies, and more extreme weather events are becoming more common. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which is the United Nation’s scientific research body for climate change, has concluded that in order to stave off the worst effects of climate change we must get our economy to net zero emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050. This conclusion was the result of thousands of research papers from scientists all over the world. Climate change is truly a global problem, and the United States must be a leader guiding the world to a cleaner energy future and a healthier planet for future generations.
I am working with my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee to have been working with my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee to craft the CLEAN Future Act, legislation that will get us to a 100% clean energy economy by 2050. We have released a draft version of this bill, which addresses most sources of the “greenhouse gases” that are causing climate change, including the 3 biggest sources of emissions in the United States: transportation, the power sector, and industry. Here are the steps I am taking to move us toward a 100% clean economy by 2050.
Power Sector:
Transportation:
Industry:
Environment:
Public lands, endangered species, and vulnerable ecosystems all play a vital role in our economy, and in the fight against climate change. We must protect vulnerable habitats and preserve our national treasures. Here are some of the things I am working on in the 117th Congress:
I believe that education can change lives and make our country a better place. Education creates productive workers who fuel the economy and improve standards of living for everyone. Education is also the engine that drives the U.S. leadership in research, technology, education, health care, and commerce. At the same time, education enables individuals to grow and change their own circumstance.
That’s why I believe that the federal government should be investing heavily in education at all levels, and for all Americans. No American should be denied a high-quality education as a result of financial need or because of where they grew up.
In the 117th Congress, I am working to ensure access to high-quality education by:
Pittsburgh is a testament to the power of education to revitalize a community. It is a hub for higher education and knowledge-based industries that are producing significant economic growth, but there are still gaps in educational opportunities that we need to address. I will continue to support education at all ages so that every American can reach their potential.
In our increasingly interconnected world, the foreign policies carried out by the U.S. Government have an impact on all of us - either directly or indirectly. Our country faces a number of serious foreign policy problems – not the least of which is terrorism. I strongly believe that a thoughtful U.S. foreign policy can save countless American lives – and that it can improve our standard of living.
In the 117th Congress, I’m calling for a strong, smart approach to foreign policy by:
A policy of consistently promoting such values will benefit our country substantially in the long run.
The most effective means of achieving these goals are usually diplomatic, not military, and involve the US government working with other countries to achieve our international and national security goals.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, more than 36,000 Americans are killed by guns each year, an average of 100 per day. Our region isn’t immune to this terrible trend; the deadly attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh makes that all too clear.
Such a high number of deaths and injuries isn’t inevitable. I firmly believe that there are policies that the federal government can adopt to reduce the number of gun deaths committed in our country each year, and I am working actively in Congress to have them enacted into law.
In the 117th Congress, I am working to end gun violence by pushing for legislation that:
As a member of the Gun Violence Prevent Task Force, I believe that these are commonsense steps to combat gun violence. I am passionate about ending the epidemic of gun violence in our country, and I believe that all of us in Congress have a responsibility to prevent more of these terrible tragedies from happening.
Healthcare
I believe that all Americans should have access to affordable, high-quality care. As a senior Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, I have spent years in Congress working to make health care in the United States better, more affordable, and accessible to all Americans.
In the 116th Congress, some of the ways that I am working to improve health care for all Americans include:
Medicare and Medicaid
Medicare and Medicaid help to provide much-needed financial security and dignity to more than 100 million Americans. Seniors, individuals with disabilities, and working families rely on these programs to access the health care services they need. No American should have to choose between bankruptcy and medical treatment.
In the 116th Congress, I am acting to protecting Medicare and Medicaid by:
I will continue to protect the progress we have made in securing access to health care for millions of Americans and support bills that would provide better, more affordable coverage for all Americans.
I believe that the United States has been made great by immigrants and I am proud of our history of welcoming those pursuing better lives. Nevertheless, I know that our immigration system is in desperate need of compassionate, comprehensive reform.
In the 117th Congress, I am working to:
I was opposed to the Trump Administration’s misguided and oftentimes cruel immigration policies, and I will be working with the Biden-Harris Administration to reverse:
Democrats and Republicans must come together and work towards a fair solution to our immigration challenges.
Creating jobs and revitalizing Pittsburgh's economy has been my top priority throughout my service in Congress. I have worked to promote economic growth and job creation across the nation – and especially in southwestern Pennsylvania.
I have secured federal funding for a number of local research and development initiatives - including Carnegie Mellon University’s CyLab, the Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Institute, the National Robotics Engineering Consortium, the National Energy Technology Laboratory, the National Center for Defense Robotics, the Energy Innovation Center, and the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center - all of which have helped transform the region into a job-creating high-tech hub.
In the 117th Congress, I’m working to create a sustainable workforce and boost our economy by:
I will continue fighting in the House to provide more federal support for such efforts.
I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, and I’ve lived here all my life. I love this region, and I’m working in Congress to make life for everyone in our region better and more prosperous.
Much of my work in Congress focuses on legislation addressing national issues – and of course, any legislation enacted by Congress affects the people of Southwestern Pennsylvania along with the rest of the country. Please see below for more information about how I've been working to support our region specifically.
Income inequality is at an all-time high across the country. With stagnant wages and federal policies slanted in favor of the wealthiest Americans, working Americans are putting in the hours and failing to see increased opportunities for themselves or their children. I am advocating for programs that are there to provide help when families need it.
Unfortunately, many of these programs have been underfunded and targeted for even more cuts. Even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trump Administration showed little enthusiams for programs that support the most vulnerable people in our society, like the elderly, the disabled, veterans, children, and working families who can barely make ends meet.
In the 117th Congress, I’m working to ensure that these programs help all of the Americans who need it, including:
Every American should be able to enjoy retirement and live healthy, fulfilling lives without worrying about making ends meet.
Social Security is the single largest source of income for people aged 65 and older, and I am dedicated to protecting it and ensuring its survival. Working Americans have paid into Social Security their whole lives, and Congress needs to ensure that the program can meet the demands of a growing population of older Americans who are living longer.
In the 117th Congress, I am supporting Social Security by:
I will continue to advocate for the future of Social Security, ensuring that this vital program continues to be there to support all Americans.
As the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, I am very active on issues involving Internet, radio, television, cable, and other telecommunications-related topics. Throughout my time in Congress, I have been especially interested in ensuring that federal policies in this sector truly promote competition and innovation in telecommunications services – and that those polices provide the greatest possible benefit to consumers through newer and better services and lower prices.
I am pleased that my legislation to provide consumers with the resources they need to avoid robocalls was included in S. 151, the TRACED Act, which was signed into law on December 30, 2019.
As I continue to advocate for consumer protections in the 117th Congress, I am calling for changes to our telecommunication policy such as:
I am deeply committed to maintaining the Internet as an open platform for competition and innovation. I will continue to lead on these issues.
We can never adequately express our gratitude to our nation’s veterans, but the least we can do is fulfill the commitments we made to them to provide health care and other services they need – and which they earned with their sacrifices for our country.
Just as it is the duty of every member of our armed forces to protect the freedoms and ideals of our country, it is our duty to uphold the promises that we made to our veterans.
I learned first-hand about veterans and their post-service needs from my father – who came back from World War II with a 100 percent service-connected disability. Consequently, since I was elected to Congress, I have worked to do right by our nation’s veterans.
In the 117th Congress, I am working to support our veterans by:
Brave men and women have placed themselves in the face of danger to protect our freedoms and liberties. I believe our government must ensure our veterans have access to the healthcare, disability, housing, and other services they deserve.
The Federal Budget isn’t just a plan for the US Government’s spending the following year. It’s also a statement about the federal government’s priorities. As such, it is often the subject of lengthy and heated debate.
The financial crisis 9 years ago reduced the amount of revenues the government took in, while it increased government spending on essential safety net programs like unemployment benefits and food stamps. The result was trillion-dollar budget deficits for four years.
As a result of both economic developments and Congressional action, federal budget deficits have dropped substantially from 2009’s record $1.4 Trillion. The 2013 deficit was $680 billion, for example, and the 2014 deficit was $485 billion. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office calculated that the most recent deficit, in FY 2015, was $439 Billion.
Simply put, we have cut the deficit by more than half over the last 7 years, despite having suffered through the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.
This improvement provided us with a remarkable opportunity to make jobs and economic growth our top priority in Fiscal Year 2016. Unfortunately, the Congressional Republicans who control both the House and the Senate chose once again to focus on cutting government programs that provide opportunity and security to all Americans.
On March 25, the House took up and passed a budget resolution for the coming fiscal year (Fiscal Year 2016). The House voted on a number of different budget proposals that day – budgets with a wide range of priorities.
I voted in favor of the budgets that placed their top priority on creating jobs, putting Americans back to work, and increasing economic growth:
The Congressional Black Caucus Budget (“the Butterfield substitute”)
Click here for more information on the CBC Budget
The Congressional Progressive Caucus Budget (“the Ellison substitute”)
Click here for more information on the Congressional Progressive Caucus Budget
The official House Democrats’ Budget (“the Van Hollen substitute”)
Click here for more information on the House Democrats’ alternative budget
Unfortunately, all these budgets were defeated.
I voted against the budget (H.Con.Res. 27) supported by the House Republican Leadership (“the Price Budget”) because it would make deep cuts in important government investments and safety-net programs.
H.Con.Res. 27 would have slashed more than $5 trillion from the federal budget over the next ten years – much of it from Medicare, Medicaid, and other health care programs, and most of it from programs that help the poor. By cutting government programs so much, this budget would have substantially reduced overall demand in our economy – killing American jobs and choking off economic growth. Nevertheless, H.Con.Res. 27 was approved on a vote of 228 to 199.
Click here for more information on H.Con.Res. 27, the Price Budget.
On April 30, the House voted to approve a conference report on the Senate-passed budget (S.Con.Res.11) by a vote of 226 to 197. I voted against this destructive budget, as did every Democrat present. In broad terms, it wasn’t much different from the version the House passed over my opposition.
Click here and here for more information on the final federal Fiscal Year 2016 budget.
As the debate over the 2017 federal budget priorities takes place, I will continue to work to enact legislation that places its top priority on job creation and economic growth.
Ensuring Americans have access to reliable, affordable, and environmentally sustainable energy supplies in the coming decades will be a tremendous challenge, but it also provides many opportunities for innovation, economic growth, and green jobs.
I have worked throughout my service in Congress to clean up the environment, protect our remaining wilderness areas, preserve our planet’s wildlife, and facilitate the adoption of more sustainable, less environmentally harmful energy supplies and technology.
PRESERVING WILDLIFE AND WILDERNESS: I have repeatedly voted to prevent logging in roadless areas of our national forests to ensure they are protected for generations to come. I have voted against opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Great Lakes to oil exploration. I have opposed efforts to gut the Endangered Species Act, and I have supported national and international efforts to promote biodiversity and protect endangered species from poachers and smugglers.
FIGHTING POLLUTION: I have consistently fought against weakening the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. I have voted against Bush Administration efforts to weaken restrictions on arsenic in our drinking water. I have opposed efforts to weaken the federal toxic release inventory, and I have supported efforts to strengthen the standards on which toxic releases must be reported to the federal government. In addition, I have voted repeatedly against bills that would allow exemptions to environmental protection laws for various government agencies.
DEVELOPING GREEN ENERGY: I have been working to enact federal policies to promote conservation, energy efficiency, greater reliance on alternative and renewable sources of energy, and a significant reduction in greenhouse gases. I support massive federal investments in the research and development of alternative energy technology that will greatly decrease the global warming gas emissions and toxic byproducts of our power plants and vehicles. I have strongly supported increases in the Department of Energy's research and development budget to help fund the development of technologies that produce energy but have little or no emissions as a byproduct. In fact, I am a co-chairman of the Distributed Generation Caucus and a member of the Fuel Cell Caucus.
CLEANING UP OUR COMMUNITIES: I have worked hard throughout my service in Congress to provide the tools that rustbelt communities like ours need to clean up and redevelop “brownfields” – old industrial sites. I have also worked to substantially expand federal assistance for water infrastructure improvements – and to provide federal assistance to Allegheny County communities for bringing their outdated, undersized sewers into compliance with federal anti-pollution laws.
CLIMATE CHANGE: In the 111th Congress (2009-2010), I worked closely with Committee Chairman Henry Waxman and Energy Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey to put together legislation (HR 2454, the American Clean Energy and Security Act) that would have reduced the emissions of global warming gases by 80 percent by the year 2050. This bill would have created millions of new clean energy jobs, saved consumers hundreds of billions of dollars in energy costs, and enhanced America's energy independence - while ensuring that our economy was not damaged and that America didn't "go it alone."
The American Clean Energy and Security Act was approved by the House in 2009, but it died in the Senate at the end of the 111th Congress. With the change in control over the House there is little chance that similar legislation will be approved any time soon, but I will continue to support efforts to curb global climate change.
I am a strong believer in safeguarding the rights of all Americans. No one deserves to be mistreated for their sexual orientation or gender identity. I remain committed to achieving full equality before the law for LGBT individuals in America and I look forward to a day when they can be both open about their identity and safe from discrimination, and when we can celebrate our vibrant, diverse community with genuine inclusion for all.
Same Sex Marriage
I believe that the civil institution of marriage should be available to gay and lesbian couples. They should be able to secure a government-issued marriage license which would be valid for all legal and financial purposes, while religious institutions should retain their right to decide which marriages they will perform.
Consequently, I was an original cosponsor of H.R. 1116, the Respect for Marriage Act, legislation in the 112th Congress that would have helped to legally define marriage in this manner. If enacted, the Respect for Marriage Act would have repealed the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and restored the rights of all lawfully married couples—including same-sex couples—to receive the benefits of marriage under federal law. Same-sex marriage is now legal in 13 states and the District of Columbia, yet across our nation, same-sex couples face financial struggles that opposite-sex couples are shielded from by legal marriage.
I also supported President Obama’s call to ensure that all couples were treated equally in hospital visitation. Partners should not be denied access to their loved one in the hospital in a time of emergency. I saw no justifiable reason to deny these rights to same-sex couples.
I was very pleased that the Supreme Court threw out the Defense of Marriage Act on June 26, 2013. As a result of that decision, the federal government can no longer discriminate against LGBT couples who have been legally married - and those couples will now enjoy the same federal benefits and protections as opposite-sex couples. The federal government's protections for married couples include the right to file jointly, deductions for health insurance coverage, Social Security survivors' benefits, family and medical leave, equal compensation as federal employees, and immigration rights, among others.
There is still work to do. I know that all across Pittsburgh, same-sex couples are living the same lives that straight couples live -- raising children and trying to save for their education, committing to each other emotionally and financially, paying taxes, and contributing to their communities. Same-sex marriage is still not recognized in Pennsylvania. I am confident, as we travel along the arc of history, that more states will recognize same-sex marriage and all the rights that status entails.
Bullying
Bullying based on sexual orientation is a very serious and pervasive problem. I am the cosponsor of several anti-bullying bills because I know how devastating such behavior can be. From the school yard to the workplace, bullying cannot be tolerated.
I believe that when children come to school, they should be free to learn without distractions. I'm a cosponsor of H.R. 1648, the Safe Schools Improvement Act, introduced by Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, because I believe that bullying and harassment have no place in our schools. Bullying can lead to decreased interest and concentration and increased absences. At a time when the U.S. Department of Education says that bullying and harassment affect nearly one in three American school children in grades six through ten and another study concludes that a majority of students are harassed in schools, we must give teachers and parents the resources to put an end to bullying and harassment.
Additionally, I've joined with Representative Jared Polis to introduce H.R. 998, the Student Non-Discrimination Act. This bill establishes a comprehensive Federal prohibition of discrimination in public schools based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity and provides victims with meaningful and effective remedies, modeled after Title IX. I'm proud to join in this bill that's also been endorsed by the ACLU; the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network; HRC; National Center for Transgendered Equality; and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund.
I am also a cosponsor of H.R. 1048, Congressman Rush Holt's Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act, which was introduced in honor of Tyler Clementi, a college freshman who committed suicide after being bullied and harassed for his sexual orientation by other students. This legislation would require that colleges and universities that accept federal dollars explicitly prohibit this type of harassment and that they support campus anti-harassment programs. I am committed to reversing the tragic recent trends and making America a safe place for LGBT individuals.
As Americans consider these issues and courts across the country continue to grapple with the constitutionality of these questions, I believe we must fight for a society that treats everyone fairly. We will not tolerate harassment, discrimination, bullying, intimidation, or violence towards the LGBT community.
Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
On September 20, 2011 the U.S. ended the practice of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in our military. This policy, which began in 1993, required gay men and women to hide their sexuality or be discharged from service. Now gays and lesbians can serve openly in the military, without fear of being harassed or discharged.
On May 27, 2010, I voted along with 233 of my colleagues in the House of Representatives to repeal the discriminatory Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy. The Senate then passed the legislation, and the President, Secretary of Defense, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs certified that the repeal was consistent with military readiness, military effectiveness, unit cohesion and recruiting, and that policies and regulations were in place for the transition.
Just as the armed forces integrated races and genders, I am very pleased that LGBT individuals are now included openly in the ranks of our military, as the misguided Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy has been struck down. This was a victory for the LGBT community and for America. I believe our military and our country are stronger for respecting the dignity of gay and lesbian service members.
Violence.
i am outraged and baffled by the passage of the unfortunate GOP-led House version of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). On May 16th, 2012, H.R. 4970 passed the House largely on party lines, with Republican support and Democratic opposition. If enacted, this legislation would reauthorize VAWA, while stripping back current protections for victims of domestic abuse. It would also leave out the immigrant, Native American and LGBT victims of domestic violence, who are included in the Senate and the House Democrat versions of the bill. I am a proud cosponsor of H.R. 4271, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act, which includes these communities because I see no possible justification for leaving them out. We must work to protect all victims of domestic abuse because Americans should be safe in their homes, and unafraid of violent outbreaks. The American government should not be in the business of granting immunity to abusive partners. The Republican House bill was opposed by over 320 advocacy groups, including faith-based groups, women’s organizations, civil rights groups, and domestic violence workers groups.
Adoption
I believe that every child deserves the opportunity to grow up in a loving, safe, supportive and permanent home. I also believe that LGBT Americans deserve the exact same rights as heterosexual couples in the adoption process. No one in the adoption process—prospective adoptive parents or children—should be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation, gender identification, or marital status. It is unfair and unacceptable to exclude LGBT Americans from experiencing the joys that family bring.
That's why I'm a proud cosponsor of H.R. 1681, Every Child Deserves a Family Act, which prohibits any adoption or foster care entity that receives federal assistance from discriminating against the prospective parent or adoptee based solely on their sexual orientation, gender identification, or marital status. This legislation is currently pending before the House Ways and Means Committee. While I do not serve on that Committee, I hope to have the opportunity to cast my vote in favor of H.R. 1681 if it comes before the full House.
As a longtime original cosponsor of an inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act, I strongly support its swift passage and enactment into law. It is my belief that it is un-American to discriminate against people because of immutable personal characteristics including a person's actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. Such characteristics don't affect a person's ability to get their job done and they should not factor in to employment decisions. The legislation also prohibits preferential treatment and quotas with regard to these characteristics. H.R 1397 is currently pending before the House Committees on Education and the Workforce, Administration, Oversight and Government Reform, and the Judiciary.
I believe it is important that our nation's immigration policies reflect our fundamental commitment to both basic family values and equality. I believe that most Americans are able to recognize and accept that stable American families come in all shapes and sizes, and that loving, stable and committed couples deserve the right to have to be a family together. Currently, at least nineteen countries allow residents to sponsor gay and lesbian permanent partners for legal immigration, including Canada, France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom, and I strongly feel it is time for the United States to join that list.
That is why I am a proud cosponsor of H.R. 1024, the Uniting American Families Act, introduced by Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY). If enacted, this legislation would add the term "permanent partner" to those sections of the Immigration and Naturalization Act that apply to legally married couples. "Permanent partner" is described as an adult who is in a committed, intimate relationship with another adult in "which both parties intend a lifelong commitment." This legislation would give to permanent partnerships the same immigration benefits as exist for married heterosexuals, and it would impose the same restrictions, enforcement standards and penalties as are currently in immigration law.
I adamantly oppose Republican efforts to gut these essential health insurance programs for poor, disabled, and older Americans.
The Republican Fiscal Year 2013 federal budget introduced by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan would dismantle Medicare and its guarantee of health insurance coverage and a wide range of benefits — and replace it with increasingly inadequate payments to either a government plan called Medicare or a private insurance company for Americans who are currently 55 or younger.
The result would inevitably be that seniors would be forced to buy less comprehensive coverage or pay higher premiums and copayments as the years went by. Those seniors would pay more for their health care, and very soon they’d end up paying most of their health care costs themselves, taking us back to the bad old days before the creation of Medicare when many seniors couldn’t afford all of the health care services they needed.
That doesn’t sound like “reform” to me; it sounds more like health care rationing, with only the wealthy being able to afford the level of health care that all Medicare beneficiaries enjoy today.
But the House-passed budget doesn’t just end Medicare as we know it for future seniors. It also calls for repealing the 2011 health care reform law, which among many other things, strengthened Medicare, phased out the Medicare prescription drug benefit donut hole, and eliminated co-payments for annual check-ups and preventive screenings like mammograms.
Repeal of health care reform would hit today’s seniors’ in their pocketbooks almost immediately. Eliminating the phase-out of the donut hole alone would affect more than 250,000 Pennsylvanians and cost them $150 million next year and $3 billion over the next ten years. That’s quite a change for most seniors living on fixed incomes. Click here for information on how health care reform (the Affordable Care Act) benefits seniors in Pittsburgh.
On top of that, the budget passed by House Republicans would convert Medicaid into a block grant and cut it by nearly a trillion dollars over the next 10 years. That fundamental change would eliminate the last guarantee that low-income seniors, the disabled, and the poor could get the health care they need at a price they could afford – and which pays for two-thirds of all nursing home residents in the country.
I voted against the Ryan budget and its draconian changes to the Medicare and Medicaid programs. I will continue to strongly oppose efforts to end the Medicare and Medicaid programs as we know them. I will continue to work to ensure that Medicare and Medicaid continue to provide a guarantee of affordable, high-quality health care for seniors, the poor, and the disabled.
One of the most pressing foreign policy issues facing the United States today is the threat posed by Islamist terrorists like al Qaeda – especially if they manage to get their hands on weapons of mass destruction.
While the number of terrorists we face is relatively small – probably no more than a few thousand – the challenge of finding and stopping them is great. For starters, we need to avoid turning our Muslim friends and allies into enemies by violating their civil rights here in the United States and by invading Muslim countries abroad with little or no justification.
I believe the Bush Administration badly bungled the War on Terror. We should never have invaded Iraq. Instead, we should have focused our efforts and our scarce resources – like our military special forces units and Arabic translators – on tracking down al Qaeda and its supporters.
Moreover, we should have done a better job of putting together a coalition of nations to track down and neutralize al Qaeda. There was a tremendous amount of sympathy and support around the world for the United States in the wake of 9/11, and I believe the Bush administration squandered that resource by pursuing its misguided unilateral approach to fighting terrorism.
I believe that the Bush Administration made another serious misstep when it authorized inhumane and unusual interrogation tactics for terrorist suspects and sent some suspects to countries where a number of them have almost certainly been tortured. Not only has this Administration run roughshod over our treasured Constitutional rights, but it has destroyed our country’s reputation as a paragon of individual liberty and the rule of law and alienated important and potential allies around the world. It’s a harsh irony that most intelligence experts believe that torture and other questionable interrogation tactics usually produce inaccurate information.
I have also voted against reauthorization of several expiring provisions of the so-called Patriot Act, which reduce the privacy rights of Americans who may have done nothing illegal.
The death of Osama bin Laden was welcome news for the United States, but the threat of terrorism remains real, and the US Government must continue to work to prevent terrorist attacks and prepare our first responders to deal with any likely threats. I believe we can successfully do that without suspending or abridging the civil liberties we have historically enjoyed, and I am committed to doing so.
In our increasingly interconnected world, the foreign policies carried out by the U.S. Government impact all of us - either directly or indirectly.
Our country faces a number of serious foreign policy problems – not the least of which are our dependence on foreign sources of energy and the possibility that weapons of mass destruction could fall into the hands of terrorists.
I'm a strong believer that a thoughtful US foreign policy can save countless American lives and resources in the long run and improve our standard of living.
That's why I support a foreign policy that seeks to curb the spread of weapons of mass destruction, and to bring peace to volatile parts of the globe like the Middle East and Africa. I also support humanitarian assistance for desperately poor parts of the world and the victims of war and natural disasters. Finally, I believe that the United States should promote democracy and human rights around the world – and that a US policy of consistently promoting such values will benefit our country substantially in the long run.
The most effective means of achieving these goals are usually diplomatic, not military. We must use all of the foreign policy tools at our disposal. We can't rely upon military force alone to protect our country.
Sometimes, however, the use of military force is necessary. I supported the invasion of Afghanistan because I believed it was necessary to substantially reduce Al Qaeda's ability to attack our country and our citizens. I believe the invasion achieved this goal - and that, especially after the death of Osama bin Laden, we should rapidly bring US combat forces home.
I opposed the invasion of Iraq from the start, on the other hand. I argued at the time that Iraq posed no immediate threat to the United States – and subsequent events have proven me correct. I believe that time has shown that invading Iraq did nothing to advance the war on terror – and that, in fact, it most likely had the opposite effect by angering many nations around the world – and especially by alienating many Muslims. The invasion and occupation of Iraq also distracted the Bush Administration from quickly and effectively ending our military's mission in Afghanistan. I have voted repeatedly to end US combat operations in Iraq.
The United States' long-term foreign policy interests are best served when the United States acts abroad as a peacemaker and an advocate of democracy and human rights. We must work now for peace in the Middle East, an end to the genocide in Sudan, and respect for human rights and the rule of law in places like Russia, China, Zimbabwe, and Kenya.
In addition, the US government should be working harder at multilateral efforts to combat terrorism and prevent the spread of the technology for developing and deploying weapons of mass destruction than it did under the Bush Administration. The United States has spent over $600 billion in Iraq – the Bush administration's signature endeavor to curb the spread of weapons of mass destruction. I think we could have gotten a lot more bang for our bucks – or maybe I should say "a lot LESS bang for our bucks"? One of the most cost-effective steps we could have taken to prevent devastating terrorist attacks with WMDs would have been to increase funding for the Nunn-Lugar program, which is dismantling nuclear weapons in the former Soviet Union. We should have stepped up our other anti-proliferation efforts as well. It's still not too late to do that, and I strongly believe we should, right away.
Finally, the United States should adopt domestic energy policies that will reduce our reliance on unstable regions of the globe for our energy supplies. We've spent the last 50 years supporting repressive regimes in the Middle East in order to ensure our nation's continued access to cheap petroleum. Our continued reliance on Middle Eastern oil probably constitutes our single greatest national security threat. Replacing petroleum imports with alternative sources of energy like wind, solar, and clean coal would do more to improve our national security than anything else. I've been working for years as a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee to enact policies that help the United States achieve energy independence. We've had some significant successes, but there's clearly more to do.