REPUBLICANS PROPOSE CUTTING FOOD STAMPS FROM 3 MILLION, INCLUDING CHILDREN AND ELDERLY

On Thursday the REPUBLICAN LED House Committee on Agriculture approved a version of the legislation known as the farm bill that cuts $16.5 billion from food stamps, $12 billion more than the cuts approved in the Senate's version last month. Eighty percent of farm bill funding goes towards food stamps.

The two versions of the bill will have to be reconciled between the chambers before a uniform bill can be passed by both the House and Senate. Some Republicans oppose entitlement programs and argue that the bills don't go far enough to cut spending amidst a ballooning deficit, while Democrats say the food stamp cuts unfairly target those who rely on them.
"Today marked an important step forward in the development of the next farm bill," said Republican Rep. Frank D. Lucas of Oklahoma, who chairs the House agriculture committee. "This is a balanced, reform-minded, fiscally responsible bill that underscores our commitment to production agriculture and rural America, achieves real savings and improves program efficiency."
Food stamps, officially known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), feed 45 million Americans every year. The number of people receiving food stamps has grown exponentially since 2007 when the country entered a recession. Economic recovery has been slow, forcing families to continue their reliance on the program.
Connecticut Democrat Rep. Rosa DeLauro said up to 3 million people could lose their food stamp benefits if the current House bill gets passed, and 300,000 children would no longer receive free school lunches.
"These cuts are a slap in the face to millions of people trying to make ends meet," said California Democrat Rep. Lynn Woolsey.
The bill approved by the agriculture committee faces a ticking clock in being sent before the full House for a vote: Congress is only scheduled to be in session until August 3, and a five-year farm bill must be passed before September 30 when the current version, passed in 2008, expires.

D.C. Passes Bill To Restrict Secure Communities Immigration Enforcement Program

WASHINGTON -- As groups around the country rally this week against the Secure Communities immigration enforcement program, the District of Columbia approved its own measure on Tuesday to fight back. In a unanimous vote, the D.C. Council approved a bill that will limit the ability of the federal government to enforce immigration laws by restricting the circumstances in which individuals can be held in the custody of local law enforcement at the request of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The nation's capital joined a handful of cities across the country that are taking a stand against the spate of immigration enforcement measures seen in states like Arizona, where local police are now required to ask people who they suspect of being in the country illegally for their documents, during actions as routine as traffic stops.

"We want to be the anti-Arizona," Sarahi Uribe, a D.C.-based organizer for the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, told The Huffington Post. "Our entire campaign to get cities to break ties with federal immigration enforcement is an effort to be the opposite of Arizona."

New Conspiracy Theory: Why are Leading Republicans Trying to Look Like BIG BOY???

Understanding the Affordable Healthcare Act

President Obama Swears in 25 New, Brave, Heroic Citizens!

Twenty-five members of the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force were sworn in as citizens in the East Room of the White House. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano delivered the oath of allegiance and President Obama congratulated the new citizens.
Our new citizens are from seventeen different countries and include a marine who has been awarded the Purple Heart and several winners of the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
Those sworn in today include:  WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!!
-- Byron Oswaldo Acevedo, born in Guatemala City, Guatemala, enlisted in the Marine Corps in April 2010 from Providence, R.I. Lance Corporal Acevedo has served in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and served in Helmand province, Afghanistan in a Quick Reaction Force and Aerial Interdiction Force. His personal awards and decorations include a Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Global War On Terrorism Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Nato Medal-ISAF Afghanistan, and an Armed Forces Reserve Medal.
-- Oluwatosin K Akinduro, born in Lagos, Nigeria, graduated high school in Houston. He joined the Army National Guard in search of new opportunities and a new challenge to lead by example.
-- Miguel Andrade, born and raised in the Cape Verde Islands, moved to the United States in the fall of 2008. Private First Class Andrade has distinguished himself, earning a coveted position in 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment's Scout Platoon.
-- Alla Victorovna Ausheva, born in Russia in March 2011, joined the New York Army National Guard in July 2011 and serves as a maintenance technician in Company G of the 427th Brigade Support Battalion. The unit supports the 1st Battalion 258th Field Artillery. She lives in Bayside, N.Y.
-- Francisco Jose Ballesteros de la Rosa, born in Mexico, joined the Marine Corps in December 2009. Corporal Ballestros' personal awards and decorations include the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.
-- Oscar Javier Beltran Medina, born in Bolivia, enlisted into the United States Air Force in 2009 as a Vehicle Operator. Airman Beltran is currently assigned to Joint Base Andrews, Md. During his two-and-a-half years, Airman Beltran has completed college courses at Northern Virginia Community College and volunteered his time at Charlotte Hall Veterans home in Maryland.
-- Silvano Carcamo, born in Honduras, moved to Springfield, Ohio, in 1996. Specialist Carcamo enlisted in the Army in October 2009 and became a medic. His first duty station was Bravo Troop, 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division where he served as a line medic. During his deployment from March 2011 to March 2012 he earned several awards among them an Army Achievement Medal, Combat Medic Badge and a Navy Achievement Medal.
-- Luisa Maria Childers, born in El Salvador, moved to the United States at the age of 6. She joined the Army Reserves in 2009 and is a 72R, Parachute Rigger. Her goal is to ultimately become an Army Medic.
-- Mamadou Aliou Diallo, born in Conakry, Guinea, enlisted in the Marine Corps in May 2011. Private First Class Diallo is an Online Message Board Clerk at Marine Barracks in Washington, D.C. His decorations include the National Defense Service Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.
-- Terence Njikang Ekabe, born in Cameroon, enlisted in the Air Force in June 2011 as a 4N0/med technician. Airman Ekabe also helped raise money for Veterans' families, Airmen in need, and the Air Force Assistance Fund. His charitable giving extends beyond the United States to his home country where he raised $3,000 worth of toys, clothing and others items for the village children of Cameroon during Christmas.
-- Sergey Eliseev, born in Russia, has received numerous decorations and personal awards, including the Army Achievement Medal, Honor Grade from 88M10 AIT, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon.
-- Andriy Olegovich Gener, born in Odessa, Ukraine, arrived in the United States on Sept. 10, 2001. Private First Class Gener is currently serving with 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division as a member of the Brigade Personal Security Detail in Fort Carson, CO for the Brigade CSM and the Brigade Commander. His awards and decorations include the Army Service Ribbon, and the National Defense Medal.
-- Daniel Arcenal Geneta, born in the Philippines, came to the United States in August 1994. Geneta joined the New York Army National Guard in 2006 because of the events of September 11, 2001. He is a squad leader in the 719th Transportation Company and in civilian life works as an account executive at Urban Associates, a New York City real estate company.
-- Alexey Isachenko, born in Russia, has received numerous decorations and personal awards, including being selected to Commandants List 88M10 AIT, the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Army Service Ribbon.
-- Yuxiong Jin, born and raised in China, arrived in the United States in 2008. Jin is enlisted in the US Army.
-- Carlos Eduardo Navichoque, born in Guatemala City, enlisted in 2009 in the Army. Specialist Navichoque deployed with the 2-14 Infantry Battalion to Iraq from March 2010 to August 2010 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. During his tour, he served as a Motor Transport Operator and was awarded the Combat Action Badge.
-- Faye Ubad Ngirchomlei, born in Palau, enlisted in the Army in 2008. In April 2009, Nigirchomlei was assigned to 511th Military Police Company at Fort Drum, N.Y., as Automated Logistic Specialist. She was deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan, where she was responsible for ensuring the maintenance section supported outlying platoons, with supplies and other support services.
-- Aegean Pascua Obed, born in the Philippines, Obed currently serves as a Mobile Gun System crew member in A Company, 3-21 Infantry.
-- Praseuthsith Phimmasone, born in the Philippines, enlisted in the Marine Corps in March 2007. Private First Class Phimmasone currently serves in the 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Marine Logistics Group. Corporal Phimmasone was selected 6th Engineer Support Battalion's Noncommissioned Officer of the Quarter for the fourth quarter of 2009 and was also awarded Noncommissioned Officer of the Quarter for third quarter of 2010. Sergeant Phimmasone's awards include a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, a Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, a National Defense Service Medal, Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation Ribbon, a Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon, two Meritorious Masts, and a Letter of Appreciation.
-- Fatima Vanessa Rivera Fuentes, born in El Salvador, joined the New York Army National Guard in 2009 and has served as an aviation electronics technician working on UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters. Fuentes came to the United States in 1999.
-- Guillermo Enrique Roche Rendon, born in Ecuador, went to middle school and high school in the US but had to drop out in the 11th grade to help support his family. In time, he earned his GED and also completed college courses. He joined the US Army as a Cavalry Scout. Private First Class Roche's awards include the Army Service Ribbon and the National Defense Service Medal.
-- Sedrick Kwesi Sam, born in Ghana, serves as an Airman for the Air Force.
-- Hans Lemuel Pang Sy, born in the Philippines, moved to the United States with his parents and three siblings in 2005. He joined the US Army on Oct. 18, 2011.
-- Jhonathan Gerardo Zapata, born in Colombia, joined the Army in January 2012.
-- Cristian Felipe Zapata Gil, born in Colombia, moved to the United States at the age of 13. After Haiti's earthquake Zapata Gil decided to join the U.S. Army where he serves as a Watercraft Engineer.

Hypocrite Republican Congressmen Use Obamacare BUT Don't Want YOU to Have It!

HP Reports: WASHINGTON -- Congressional Republicans may not have been happy about the Supreme Court's ruling upholding the Affordable Care Act, but many of their children probably are. According to an analysis by The Huffington Post, dozens of Republicans who want to repeal Obamacare have adult children who are allowed to stay on their parents' health plans thanks to the law, which extended this benefit nationwide. Many of the lawmakers' children are employed and on their own health care plans, but others continue to take advantage of their parents' coverage.
"He [My 24-year-old son] is on his health plan right now -- on his mother's plan -- but again, that wouldn’t weigh in on where I stand on the issue," said Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) last week, before the Supreme Court handed down its ruling. "Again, I just think the whole thing needs to be scrapped. And I don’t even want to think about certain provisions yet."
But Walsh and his GOP colleagues are soon going to have to start thinking about which provisions they want to keep if they are going to try to repeal Obamacare. Republicans are almost completely unified in wanting to get rid of the health care law, but they are significantly more divided on what a plan would look like going forward -- and whether they should keep some of the law's most popular provisions.


On Sunday, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Republicans would not require parents' health insurance plans to extend eligibility to adult children if Obamacare is repealed.
Walsh demurred when asked if he supported maintaining the provision. “No, I don’t know that I do. I don’t know that I do," he said. "I don't know where I am on that, and that's a lousy thing to say. My oldest is 24. That doesn’t matter to me, though, irregardless of that."

Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.), however, wants to keep it.  "There are good things in the health care bill, and that's one of them," said Amodei, who has a 25-year-old daughter with her own health insurance. "I haven't talked with anybody who thinks that's something we ought to get rid of."
"I support it. Oh, sure. ... It would be [incorporated] in any Republican proposal," added Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), whose 22-year-old son is a full-time student.
So far, Republicans have not put forward a comprehensive alternative plan to Obamacare, focusing mostly on talk of "patient-centered reforms" that allow the "market to work." While three large health insurance companies promised to keep covering adult children on their parents' plans regardless of the Supreme Court ruling, many children would have lost coverage if the court had struck the law down.
Since the Affordable Care Act became law in March 2010, the share of Americans aged 18 to 25 without health insurance dropped to 23 percent from 28 percent.
Before the law was passed, 34 states had enacted laws that extended eligibility for adult children to stay on their parents' health plans, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics and conducted by researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. But as the National Conference of State Legislatures noted, many of these states had tighter restrictions on the age and other eligibility requirements for dependents than are in the Affordable Care Act.

After Colorado, New Jersey and South Dakota enacted mandates for young people in 2005 and 2006, young adults reported increases in health insurance coverage, more physical exams, a greater likelihood of having a primary care physician and fewer occasions when they went without medical care because of costs than their counterparts in 17 states that do not mandate insurance coverage for that age group.
Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) has at least one of his daughters on his health care plan (he isn't sure about the second). He said he liked the provision. He believes, however, that the market would have provided the extra coverage for adult children, even if the Supreme Court had struck down the Affordable Care Act.
"They're going to continue that [provision] anyway," he said. "I think the insurance companies have all kind of decided that that's an okay thing. They were in our office, they've been in our office in the last few weeks."
The reason that health insurers began widely offering such benefits, however, is because Obamacare mandated it. The provision proved to be extremely popular with the American public. Without the law in place, it's unclear how long insurers would continue to offer such coverage, since they would no longer be required to do so.
Rep. Scott Rigell (R-Va.) has a 21-year-old daughter on his health care plan, which his spokeswoman noted was not the federal plan that members of Congress receive. He has declined federal benefits -- including health insurance and retirement -- and instead has coverage through a private insurance plan that he pays for through his business, Freedom Automotive.


Rigell was not elected until 2010, after Congress had already voted for health care reform, but he would like to see it repealed going forward. Still, he also said he supports the provision covering young adults.
"I think that is a good provision," he said. "There are parts of the Affordable Care Act that I support."
Rep. Bob Turner (R-N.Y.), however, was less sure.
"I haven’t really thought too much about this," he said. "I do know, whether your kid is 22 or 26, who’s gonna pay for that? Is it everybody pays for that or is it the person who has the kids pays for it? So I'm gonna let this sort itself out when we get through the bill."


"I don't think this is going to be one of the biggest drivers of things -- that particularly," Turner said. "High-risk pools, portability -- such important issues. This one has some merit, but I don't consider this one important."
Lawmakers who want to both keep their children on their health plans and repeal the Affordable Care Act could face political problems, as has Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.).
Brown has said his 23-year-old daughter is still on his health care plan, despite his opposition to Obamacare.
"Of course I do," he replied when the Boston Globe asked him whether he keeps his daughter on his plan.
Elizabeth Warren, Brown's Democratic challenger, immediately hit him with charges of hypocrisy, with a spokeswoman saying, "He says he likes being able to keep his daughter on the family health insurance plan; what he doesn't say is that he voted to stop other parents from doing the same."

Obamacare Details Republicans Don't Want You to Know!

One of the reasons Republicans and their Rich Friends are afraid to let the American People know what is contained in "Obamacare" is the fact that once the American People learn what's in it, they will never let it go away!
It is GOOD for the American People!
As the Boomers Age, WE NEED Universal Healthcare!
It is Affordable and pays for itself!
It is good for Small Business!
It is good for America!