on this page: Fighting for Children's Health Care |Cost of Living | Update on Iraq | Advocating for Darfur | Privacy Statement

Dear Friends,

One of my most important duties in the 110th Congress is serving as the Chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology.  I chair hearings on a weekly basis in an effort to exercise rigorous oversight of the Bush Administration and hear from outside experts about the most glaring vulnerabilities that exist in our homeland defense structure.

Over the last year, I have learned about alarming security gaps in the vast computer networks and servers that control everything from our personal computers to the largest electrical grids and defense systems.  In order to draw attention to our nation's cybersecurity problems, I recently announced, along with the Center for Strategic and International Studies and my colleague Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX), a bipartisan commission that will develop a comprehensive strategy for organizing and prioritizing efforts to secure America's computer networks and critical infrastructure.  The findings of this Commission will be presented to the next President in January 2009.

I look forward to working with my fellow commissioners over the coming months to put together viable solutions to our most pressing cybersecurity concerns.  To track the work of my subcommittee, please click here.

Langevin participates in the I-Way Ribbon Cutting.

Fighting for Children's Health Care

I am continuing to work with my colleagues to reauthorize the State Children's Health Insurance Program, also known as RIte Care in Rhode Island.  I wholeheartedly support preserving and enhancing this successful program that has made health insurance a reality for over six million children in low-income families.  I was tremendously disappointed that the President did not agree that strengthening SCHIP was a national priority.  In response to his veto, the House leadership has put forth a compromise version of this bill, one that addresses lingering concerns while retaining the core principles.  This bill will protect existing coverage for children and ensure that the lowest income children -- who are currently eligible but not enrolled -- gain coverage.  I can only hope the President sees fit this time to join us in ensuring that 10 million children get the health care they deserve.

Langevin joins his colleagues at Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island to highlight the importance of the federal children’s health insurance program.

Cost of Living

Unscrupulous lending practices have taken their toll on hard-working families, who are increasingly unable to keep pace with their ballooning mortgage payments.  This month I proudly voted for the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act, which will change the tax code to prevent forgiven mortgage debts from being assessed as gross income.  This improvement will limit the financial penalties families incur when refinancing their homes at fixed rates and could even keep some families on the brink of foreclosure from losing their homes.  This legislation also guarantees that homeowners will not be unfairly taxed when a lender voluntarily agrees to waive prepayment penalty fees.  I believe this bill is another important step toward alleviating the mortgage crisis nationwide, and will help stabilize families throughout the nation and our economy as a whole.

I was also pleased that the House recently passed the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2007, which would be administered by the Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD). This bill would allow the use of profits from agencies such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to establish a dedicated funding source that states could use to administer affordable housing programs and build new housing. I'm especially proud that an amendment I offered was included in the bill. My amendment would create an online Green Housing Clearinghouse to provide trust fund recipients with information about environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient building practices.

Bill Weedon of Applied Radar in North Kingstown shows Langevin a model system.

Update on Iraq

Earlier this month, I supported legislation that will require the Administration to develop and share with Congress a comprehensive strategy for the redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq.  Our troops have done a superb job in a difficult mission, but they were not sent to Iraq to referee a civil war, and we need to bring them home.  The violence in Iraq does not have a U.S. military solution; the answer lies in the Iraqi political reconciliation, which we must support with different methods.

This legislation (H.R. 3087) mandates that the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, report on the status of planning for redeployment of U.S. forces from Iraq and to provide periodic updates on implementation.  This information is vital for Congressional oversight so that we ensure our policies are informed by sound judgment and reflect the complex logistical considerations involved with an undertaking of such magnitude.  I will continue to work with my colleagues to demand a swift and safe withdrawal of our U.S. forces from Iraq, and I encourage all of my colleagues to support this measure.

Langevin hears concerns while visiting the North Kingstown Senior Center.

Advocating for Darfur

While I advocate for a safe and quick withdrawal from Iraq, I am also continuing to support efforts to bring peace to Darfur, Sudan. The ongoing violence and humanitarian disaster in Darfur has resonated with people all over the world, and I am deeply concerned by how long it has persisted. In recent weeks I have cosponsored and voted for three different resolutions:

• H.Res. 573, which recognizes the efforts of the public and advocacy groups in the United States that are raising awareness about the worsening humanitarian condition and genocide in Darfur, Sudan, and urges the United States to encourage the Sudanese president to accept a full-scale international peacekeeping force in Darfur.
• H.Res. 726, which calls on the administration to improve assistance to victims and potential victims of rape and sexual violence in Darfur, Sudan, eastern Chad, and the Central African Republic. The resolution also calls on international organizations such as the United Nations, the African Union, and the European Union to provide sufficient resources and training for the protection of women and girls displaced in refugee camps.
• H.Res. 740, which condemns the September 29 attacks on an African Union Mission in Sudan, expresses its condolences, urges assistance to the governments and families of those killed, wounded, or missing during the attack, and encourages all parties involved in the Darfur conflict to negotiate a peace agreement at the peace talks in Tripoli, Libya.

Thank you for your continued interest and support.  Please do not hesitate to contact me about your priorities and concerns as the 110th Congress continues.

Sincerely,

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