Dear Friends,

At 7 am this morning, a short time ago, I voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. It passed.

If you are like me, it is hard to respond with uninhibited celebration. It is hard to celebrate when you are...

Last night, we took a huge step forward towards passing health care reform. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid unveiled details of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the CBO score stating that the bill will reduce the budget deficit by $127 billion dollars over the first 10 years...

The past few months the political debate inside and outside the beltway has largely been centered on health care reform, but I wanted to take a moment and turn the discussion to the big battle looming on the horizon.

Congress is gearing up to take on another critical challenge...

Greetings! I wanted to take a minute and give you an update on the current status of health care reform in the Senate. But, before I begin, I want to commend you all for keeping the pressure on your Representatives and Senators to support a public health insurance option. It's...

Over and over again, I hear from Oregonians that we need real health care reform that provides every American with access to quality, affordable care. That is why Congress and President Obama are so focused on this issue.

Of course there are folks in the insurance and hospital industries, from...

Last time I posted here, Congress was embroiled in a vigorous debate about whether to pass the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Opponents were fighting tooth and nail against the bill deeming certain parts of the package "wasteful spending." One of the programs opponents were calling wasteful was funding to...

This week the Senate is debating whether to pass the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, a bill we absolutely need to help arrest our economic freefall. Economic policies championed by the Bush Administration largely focused on tax cuts for the big corporations and the wealthiest among us. Not...

Time is running out for the Bush administration, but that isn't stopping President George Bush from trying to roll back a woman's right to choose before he leaves office.

Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services proposed a new rule that would force hospitals and clinics to...

Five years ago, Gordon Smith and George Bush led our country in war. It's been a disaster. Nearly four thousand military men and women have given their lives, and billions of dollars have been squandered.

The plan was authored by distinguished military experts, including Major General Paul Eaton (U.S. ARMY...

Last week it came to my attention that the federal government was once again failing our brave veterans by refusing to meet their obligations and promises.

My father taught me that there is no greater gift Americans can give to their country than being willing to fight and die for...

Since 9/11, there's been a consistent collision in the United States between fighting terrorism and protecting the civil liberties of American citizens both through law and through judicial oversight.

That collision moves into stark contrast this week with the U.S. Senate's vote on the extension of the Protect America...

Energy policy is critical to America's future. Energy is the key to our policies for national security, the economy and our environment. But right now we are a long way from getting it right.

Three recent events--the passage of a watered down energy bill, the Environmental Protection Agency's ruling against...