on this page: Remembering the Fallen |Working to Bring Our Troops Home | Fighting to Reduce Energy Costs | Providing New Tools to Fight Crimes | Privacy Statement

Dear Friends,

One of the highlights of my job is meeting Rhode Islanders both here and in Washington, D.C.  This month alone, I was pleased to spend time with members of the R.I. Council of Mental Health Organizations, the American Health Care Association, the R.I. Association of Realtors, the American Physical Therapy Association, as well as students from Cranston High School West and the R.I. School for the Deaf, and patients at the Veterans' Affairs Medical Center in Providence.

In particular, three meetings stick in my mind. First, I was happy to recognize Katheryn Clarke, a senior at Exeter-West Greenwich High School, as the winner of my annual Artistic Discovery Competition.  I always look forward to this competition to meet some of Rhode Island's youngest and most talented artists.  Second, I was delighted to invite Reva Sullivan-Murphy, a child care administrator at the Rhode Island Department of Human Services, to attend the National Summit on America's Children in Washington, D.C. She has dedicated her life professionally to young children and was a perfect fit to represent Rhode Island.  And lastly, it was an honor to meet retired U.S. Navy Seaman 2nd Class Frank Wildenhain and present him with his medals for his dedicated service during World War II.  Meeting veterans like Mr. Wildenhain is one of the greatest honors I have as your Congressman.

Langevin congratulates Katheryn Clarke, this year's art competition winner.

Remembering the Fallen

On Memorial Day, I joined my fellow Rhode Islanders at the North Kingstown Memorial Day Parade and the Veterans' Memorial Cemetery in Exeter to honor the bravery and sacrifices of our troops - - especially the men and women who have paid the ultimate price for defending our freedom.  I have tremendous respect for the amount of courage it takes a person to serve our country on a battlefield far away, knowing they may not come home.  I also know that the sorrow that follows when they do not return is not an easy burden for their loved ones to bear.  It is important to also reflect on the families that have experienced new grief since the beginning of our nation's military operations in Iraq.  As you know, there are many differing opinions on the current war, but there is one absolute truth -- these fallen servicemembers served their country honorably, and their dedication to our safety and liberty should be celebrated.

Working to Bring Our Troops Home

After weeks of deliberation between Congress and the White House, I voted last week in opposition to H.R. 2206, the emergency funding bill for operations in Iraq.  As you already know, I originally voted in October 2002 against giving the President authority to invade Iraq.  However, I later supported emergency spending bills because I believed that, irrespective of how we might feel about our operations in Iraq, we must stand together in support of our troops in the field.  Those spending bills provided much-needed body armor, up-armored Humvees and improvised explosive device (IED) jammers and helped our men and women and uniform as they undertook challenging and often unconventional missions.

However, the situation on the ground in Iraq has changed, and we must adapt our strategy accordingly.  We can no longer allow our military to referee what has become a civil war.  If we do not shift our mission in Iraq from a military approach to a comprehensive diplomatic and economic one, we run the serious risk of damaging the readiness of our military, doing long-term harm to our armed forces and endangering our national security.  I truly believe my vote against funding the war was done in the best interest of our troops.  We need to get them out of a civil war and bring our brave men and women in uniform home.

Langevin presents retired U.S. Navy Seaman 2nd Class Frank Wildenhain with his World War II medals.

Fighting to Reduce Energy

The rising cost of energy is one of the most frequent and understandable concerns I hear about from constituents- filling your car with gas is fast becoming just as important as food and housing in the family budget.  I have taken numerous steps to address this problem and provide greater protections for consumers.  With oil and gas companies reporting record profits, we must ensure that unfair trade practices are not contributing to high energy prices.  Unfortunately, under current law, the federal government has limited ability to investigate and penalize companies that artificially inflate energy costs.  To combat anti-competitive behavior, I cosponsored H.R. 1252, the Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act, which would make it a federal crime for a supplier to charge unconscionable prices for gasoline or other fuels in certain circumstances and would strengthen criminal and civil penalties for price gouging.  On May 23, 2007, with my support, H.R. 1252 passed by a vote of 284-141.

Looking forward, our nation must recognize that we cannot drill or dig our way out of the current energy crisis.  We must take a closer look at our energy supply and develop a comprehensive energy policy that guarantees reliable access to affordable power, encourages energy conservation efforts, and pursues increased use of environmentally responsible and renewable sources of energy.  Earlier this year, the House passed H.R. 6, the Creating Long-Term Energy Alternatives for the Nation (CLEAN) Act, a bill I cosponsored to roll back certain oil and natural gas industry tax breaks, thereby raising more than $12 billion for a new Energy Efficiency and Renewables Reserve Fund to finance future programs that promote renewable and alternative fuel sources.  Furthermore, I have cosponsored legislation that would require an increase in the fuel efficiency of automobiles, light trucks, and sport utility vehicles, which would reduce the amount of oil used for fuel by automobiles as much as 10 percent.

Providing New Tools to Fight Crime

One of the greatest responsibilities of government is to keep its citizens safe.  Crime is a concern for all Americans, and I have supported programs to assist our nation's law enforcement in protecting the people they serve.  On May 15, I voted for H.R. 1700, the COPS Reauthorization Act.  This measure will help local law enforcement agencies hire an additional 50,000 police officers nationwide over the next six years, with Rhode Island getting as many as 165.  The COPS program, initiated during the Clinton Administration, helped local law enforcement agencies hire 117,000 additional police officers nationwide between 1995 and 2005 for community policing efforts.  The program is largely credited with reducing crime rates, but President Bush terminated it in 2006.  H.R. 1700 relaunches the highly successful COPS program, which will come as welcome news to the men and women who keep our communities safe from crime.

I was also proud to help pass H.R. 1592, the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2007.  Under current hate crimes law, the federal government may prosecute certain crimes targeted at victims because of their race, religion and ethnicity.  Passage of H.R. 1592, of which I was an original cosponsor, would add sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and disability to the list.  As policymakers, we have a responsibility to address the problem of violence that disproportionately affects certain groups of people.  Expanding the federal hate crimes statute is a meaningful and substantive way to combat violence against Americans with disabilities, women, gays and lesbians, and other vulnerable groups of people that may be targeted because of their identity or personal characteristics.

Thank you for your continued interest and support.  Please do not hesitate to contact me about your priorities and concerns.

Sincerely,

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