Interest rates on student loans will double July 1 if congress doesn’t take action. Democrats in the House have proposed paying for the lower interest rates by eliminating some tax breaks for oil and gas companies. Republicans say they have a solution too.

A Republican House bill passed a bill today that would pay for the student loan fix by repealing the Prevention and Public Health Fund, which provides support for hundreds of thousands of breast and cervical cancer screenings as well as childhood immunizations and screening newborns for birth defects. President Obama has stated he would veto the measure if it made it to his desk.

“It’s outrageous that Republican leadership is using the crisis of student debt as a tool in another attack on women and the entire middle class,” said Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. “They are telling students struggling with debt that we can help you, but only if we take away funding for cervical and breast cancer screenings, childhood immunizations and birth defect treatments.”

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On Friday, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will visit Fort Stewart in Georgia where the President will sign an Executive Order to help ensure all of America’s service members, veterans, spouses, and other family members have the information they need to make informed educational decisions and are protected from aggressive and deceptive targeting by educational institutions. We have a sacred trust with those who serve and protect our nation. It’s a commitment that begins at enlistment, and it must never end.  That’s why President Obama is committed to ensuring veterans and service members have the chance to get a college education and can find work when they return from service.
 
Since the Post-9/11 GI Bill became law, there have been reports of aggressive and deceptive targeting of service members, veterans, and their families by educational institutions, particularly for-profit career colleges. For example, some institutions have recruited veterans with serious brain injuries and emotional vulnerabilities without providing academic support and counseling; encouraged service members, veterans, and their families to take out costly institutional loans rather than encouraging them to apply for Federal student aid first; engaged in misleading recruiting practices on military installations; and have not disclosed meaningful information that allows potential students to determine whether the institution has a good record of graduating service members, veterans, and their families and positioning them for success in the workforce. 

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A new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists found that current U. S. Department of Agriculture policy is encouraging large-scale farming at the expense of smaller, diversified farmers who raise a variety of crops and animals. The report, “Ensuring the Harvest: Crop Insurance and Credit for a Healthy Farm and Food Future,” recommends a number of reforms that are included in a bill written by Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. The release of the report today comes as the Senate Agriculture Committee is taking up a new farm bill to set the nation’s food policy.

The Economic Development Administration (EDA) will provide the City of Auburn and the Auburn Business Development Corp. $1.7 million for the construction of infrastructure necessary for the development of a new 119 acre technology focused industrial park. The City of Auburn projects that the new industrial park could create approximately 200 new jobs and attract $10 million in private investment.

“This EDA award is an investment in Auburn’s future,” said Congressman Mike Michaud, whose Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Economic Development oversees the EDA. “The city has one of the busiest ports in Maine and is an attractive place for businesses to locate. The construction of this infrastructure will create jobs immediately, but it’s the potential for future development that will really position the area for major growth. This is an exciting time for the region, and I look forward to following this project’s progress.”

Last year, 145 Republicans and 160 Democrats supported an amendment offered by Michaud to H.R.1 to restore funding for the EDA agency.

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Congresswoman Chellie Pingree today called on Congress to act quickly to avoid a doubling of student loan interest rates for nearly 7.5 million borrowers this summer.

“Americans owe more on student loans than they do on credit cards,” said Pingree. “And if Congress lets the interest rate double on July 1st, borrowers are going to have to come up with thousands of dollars more just to pay off that debt. At a time when families are already struggling to make ends meet, this is the last thing they need.”

If Congress doesn’t act, interest rates on federal student loans will double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent on July 1st.

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There is a bank that has supported over $255 million in export sales from Maine businesses over the last 5 years, but it’s in danger of exhausting its lending authority at the end of May. It doesn’t need to be bailed out to continue to help Maine and our nation export products and create jobs. It simply needs Congress to pass a bill to reauthorize its authority.

And the kicker? It doesn’t cost the taxpayer a dime – it’s self sustaining based on fees it collects and loan repayments. In fact, the bank actually makes money for U.S. taxpayers and has returned $4.9 billion to the U.S. Treasury since 1990.

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Veteran returns home and greets his child

With 2.4 million U.S. veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars our nation faces many more challenges in assisting our warriors on the road to transitioning into civilian life. There are 150,000 veterans in Maine. Nationally, one in five veterans report symptoms of mental disorder.

Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that it would add approximately 1,600 mental health clinicians, including nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers, as well as nearly 300 support staff to its existing workforce of 20,590 mental health staff. Congressman Mike Michaud, Ranking Member of the Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Health, applauded the move and wrote to the director of the VA New England Healthcare System (VISN 1) urging him to ensure Maine receives the staff they need to meet demand.

Six years ago mental health services were offered only in Togus, Bangor and Portland.VA Maine Healthcare System now includes Togus medical center outside Augusta and 10 outpatient clinics around the state which Gov. John Baldacci and the Congressional Delegation fought for. The system’s mental health staff serve about 39,500 veterans and has increased from 43 in 2006 to 90. VA Maine has added teleconferencing consultations for veterans living far from clinics, expanded the Togaus psychiatric wing, instituted an insomnia program and patient care teams which include mental health professionals. But with the increase of veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars Maine needs more mental health professionals.

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On April 16, 2012 Representatives Mike Michaud (D-ME), Chairman of the House Trade Working Group, and Robert Dold (R-IL), member of the House Financial Services Committee, were joined by 38 of their congressional colleagues in sending a letter to House leadership urging immediate consideration of legislation to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank for four years. Information on Maine export-import recipients can be found here . From 2007-2012, the Export-Import Bank supported approximately $255,452,287 in export sales from Maine businesses.

“The Ex-Im Bank is an important tool in making U.S. companies more competitive. At no cost to taxpayers, it ensures that American businesses have the export financing they need to sell their products around the world,” said Michaud. “It’s critical that House leaders act immediately to reauthorize the Bank so that our companies can compete on a level playing field against foreign competitors in countries like Germany and China, whose governments provide billions more than the U.S. in export financing each year.”

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Today, Congressman Mike Michaud joined his fellow colleagues on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management to hold a hearing on the General Services Administration’s (GSA) waste of taxpayer dollars on a lavish conference as well as other incidents of waste and abuse of taxpayer dollars.

“I was appalled when I first heard about some of the things that GSA charged to taxpayers,” said Michaud, a senior member of the subcommittee. “Many of these expenses were in violation of rules designed to help small businesses and prevent excessive spending. In fact, according to the Inspector General’s report, those planning the conference were told to ‘make it over the top,’ and several suggestions to minimize expenses were ignored.”

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Congresswoman Chellie Pingree sits at the head of the conference table during a meeting with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta courtesy photo

In 2011 there were nearly 3,200 cases of sexual assault reported in the U.S. military, which was a 1 percent increase over 2010. The Pentagon estimates that 86 percent of sexual assaults go unreported. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta addressed the issue on April 9, 2012, announcing new steps to fight the problem. Before making the announcement, Panetta met with members of the House Armed Services Committee, including Democrat Chellie Pingree. Pingree met with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta last night to discuss the proposed changes.

“These changes aren’t going to make sexual assault in the military go away, but they’re a good start and will give victims more of the protection they deserve,” said Pingree. “It’s also important that Secretary Panetta is speaking out on this issue. He couldn’t have been clearer when he talked to us last night. He said the rate of sexual assault in the military is totally unacceptable and I couldn’t agree with him more.”

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