The verdict is in. This last Congress, the actions of Washington have been part of the problem, not the solution, damaging efforts to put our economy back on track.

Here's why. Thanks to Congress, we've seen one fiscal cliff after another, including crises over the debt limit, the funding of...

The recent $2 billion loss by JP Morgan demonstrates clearly that Wall Street hasn't learned anything from the economic meltdown of 2008. They continue to make high-risk bets, putting our economy at risk.

Let's be clear: There's nothing wrong with high-risk trading, but if the bets go bad, only the...

Big banks are formulating a host of arguments -- wild, off the mark arguments -- aimed at dismantling the Volcker Rule firewall between loan-making, customer-serving banks and high-risk hedge funds.

That firewall is essential for a stable banking system. When hedge funds blow up, and they regularly...

Three years ago we experienced the greatest financial implosion since 1929. High stakes gambling and risky bets gone bad on Wall Street left our financial system near collapse and our economy in shambles. This crisis had many causes -- all man-made.

And it affected every last one of us, not...

In the aftermath of September 11th, our nation went to war in Afghanistan. We had three goals: to dislodge the Taliban government, destroy al Qaeda training camps, and to bring to justice those who masterminded the attacks.

Thanks to our men and women in uniform, the Taliban government was...

Millions of Americans remain unemployed and countless families are losing their homes to foreclosure. So why are House Republican leaders proposing to torpedo the economy?

We all agree that reducing our deficits is essential for long-run economic health, preparing the path for growth and prosperity. But instead of recognizing deficit...

For too long, tricks and traps in mortgages, credit cards, and other financial transactions have stripped wealth from working families. This is insane. Our policies should build the wealth and success of families, not undermine them.

That's why one of the most important provisions of the Wall Street reform bill...

When historians look back at the financial crisis of 2008 and the Great Recession that followed, they will fix their blame, in part, on the invention of complicated financial products that hid massive risks and spread them throughout the economy. They will record how Wall Street chased short-term gains at...

Last night, I joined my Democratic colleagues on the Senate floor in an effort to pass an extension of unemployment assistance to millions of Americans who have been hurt by the current recession. This bill would have also fixed the cuts in Medicare reimbursement rates for physicians and extended access...

We may be in the middle of a huge snowstorm here in Washington D.C. but there is another storm brewing on Capitol Hill. Master manipulator Frank Luntz is at it again, with a memo for the lobbyists and their allies in Congress who want to derail financial reform...

Today one of my Republican colleagues introduced a proposal to brazenly overturn sound scientific work done by our nation's leading public health experts and prohibit the Environment Protection Agency from doing its job to protect the health and welfare of the American people. This extremely damaging proposal is a political...

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...