Cardoza on Democratic-controlled Congress
From my point of view one of the best accomplishments of the Democratic controlled congress is the passage of the Farm Bill. This is a very contentious bill that is only reauthorized every five years. This year’s bill took over a year to complete but the final product includes much needed reforms, recognizes the importance of specialty crops, funds nutrition programs at history levels, and provides a safety net for our nation’s hardworking farmers.
Additionally, this Congress has passed legislation that increased the minimum wage for the fist time in a decade, provided the largest expansion in college aid since the GI Bill in 1944, implemented all of the 9/11 Commission recommendations to protect the country from terrorism, and funded the mental and physical care of our veterans at historic levels. I am especially proud that Congress has accomplished all of this in compliance with pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) rules which ensure that we do not add one cent to the national debt.
My biggest disappointment in the Democratic-controlled Congress has been our inability to reauthorize and expand the State Child Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) due to President Bush’s repeated vetoes and Republicans’ unwillingness to override his vetoes. The SCHIP program provides health insurance to children in families with incomes that are modest but too high to qualify for Medicaid. In these tough economic times with the cost of heath care skyrocketing, and the number of uninsured children increasing, I am frustrated that we cannot enact this commonsense legislation.