I don't know when he started sending these but in case you haven't ever written him online here is a copy of his latest email to me. I have left this unedited other than to try to fix the hyperlinks pointing to his site and highlighting the topic headers to make reading easier:
Working Toward Solutions to Higher Gas PricesThe Senate is currently considering the Stop Excessive Energy Speculation Act of 2008 which aims to shed light on undisclosed and unregulated trading of oil that many experts say is contributing to higher gas prices. Last week, I spoke on the Senate floor in support of this bill and about how rising gas prices are adversely affecting Pennsylvanians.
You can watch my speech here.I also continue to build support for my bill to help volunteer firefighters who are seeing their fuel costs soar. Just as all Pennsylvanians are struggling with higher gas bills and are forced to make tough choices, so are volunteer fire departments that receive no regular government funding. My bill would help volunteer firefighters so they don’t have to make a choice between their budgets and saving lives.
You can read more about this bill here.Funding Cuts to Doctors and Hospitals AvertedIn July, legislation was passed by the Congress and signed into law that stopped payment cuts that threatened service to patients. The legislation also extended protections against specific funding cuts for hospitals in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
You can read more about this bill here.Helping Homeowners and Restoring Confidence in the MarketProblems in the housing market have turned the American Dream into a nightmare for many homeowners. And the effects on the economy are far reaching. As a member of the Senate Banking Committee, I have worked for over a year on a number of measures to help alleviate the mortgage crisis. The latest step is a significant bipartisan housing package that just passed in Congress and was signed into law. This package is designed to help homeowners, bolster confidence in the housing market and increase accountability for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. I have been at the forefront of the congressional response to the subprime mortgage crisis. Recently, I outlined steps - - many of which are included in the new law - - that could make Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac more accountable to taxpayers, rein in bonuses and salaries paid to executives as well as new measures to compensate taxpayers for their support when the entities' fortunes turn around.
You can read more about my work on the housing bill here. Renewing Our Commitment to AfghanistanI had the opportunity to visit Afghanistan and Pakistan in May where I met with U.S. troops and leadership of both countries. A key topic in the meetings was the strengthened insurgency in Afghanistan and the cross-border sanctuaries provided in Pakistan for Taliban and Al Qaeda extremists. I believe that any strategy for turning the tide in Afghanistan must account for what is happening across the border in Pakistan. We must work to strengthen Afghanistan’s security forces and we must demonstrate to the Afghan people the concrete benefits of democracy and standing up to extremists who would return their nation to the twelfth century.
You can read more about the my policies on Afghanistan here.
