On the environment:

“My record demonstrates my deep commitment to leaving a sustainable planet to our children.  It is imperative that we increase our investment in conservation and in development of  renewable and alternative energy sources. I am a cosponsor of H.R. 969, which would require utilities to provide 20 percent of our energy from renewable sources by 2020.  I also supported Congress’ landmark renewable energy bill, the Energy Independence & Security Act. This law will increase average fuel economy standards from 25 miles-per-gallon to 35 by 2020, the first such increase in thirty years, and by increasing our supply of ethanol and biodiesel, will move our nation away from dependence on foreign oil.

“I’ve been proud to earn the support of local and national environmental groups. In the next Congress, I will continue to fight for the safety of our environment.”

On choice:

“I have always been a strong proponent of a woman’s reproductive rights, as outlined in Roe v Wade.

“With regards to stem cell research, I support full funding of research using stem cells from leftover, donated, fertilized eggs that would otherwise have been destroyed. Such research is crucial in developing new ways to fight diseases such as Alzheimer’s, diabetes and cancer.”

On fiscal responsibility:

“As a proud member of the Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, I’ve fought hard for fiscal responsibility and transparency in Congress. At the urging of coalition members, including myself, Congress has adopted pay-as-you-go budget rules that have brought fiscal sanity back to our legislative system. We are working to slow the growth of our national debt, which has skyrocketed over the past several years to more than $9 trillion.

“By prioritizing our spending, we can afford to reduce the tax burden on Eight District families. I have consistently voted to cut taxes by eliminating the estate tax, renewing the Savers Tax Credit for eligible IRA contributions, extending lower rates on capital gains and dividends, supporting tax-deductible Medical Savings Accounts for eligible health care expenses, enhancing deductions for higher education expenses, increasing the child tax credit and eliminating the marriage penalty.”

On the safety of our children:

“I started my career in public service because of my children. I wanted to make sure our government was doing the most it could to make sure they were safe and had the best opportunity for a healthy life. My focus has not changed.

“Since coming to Congress, I’ve become a leading proponent of Internet Safety laws. I authored and led House passage of SAFERNET, a bill that provides for a national Internet safety education campaign. I cosponsored other initiatives to increase resources for tracking known sex offenders online and requiring offenders to register their email and Internet addresses with the national registry.”

“Over the next year and in the next Congress, I will push for greater accountability and more resources toward our inspection of consumer goods, particularly toys. As recall after recall is announced, we are learning about the disturbingly high percentage of imported goods that contain dangerous amounts of lead. I back legislation that would require mandatory, third-party testing of all children’s toys and products, and would require clear labeling that tells parents where a toy comes from.”

On health care:

“While the United States has the world’s best-trained health care professionals, and is a leader in research and innovation, 46.6 million Americans do not have affordable access to our health care system.  And it’s getting worse. The number of uninsured in this country has risen by 5 million over four years.

“This growing problem is raising health care costs for all of us. We need to explore new ways to reduce the cost of access to health care, such as increasing health care tax deductions, allowing the uninsured a chance to buy into federal employee health plans and strengthening the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

“In Congress, I voted to extend SCHIP to an additional 4 million low-income children, and I’ve taken other steps to make health care accessible. I helped introduce legislation that allows self-employed taxpayers to deduct their health insurance costs.  I voted to allow small businesses to share costs and risk by pooling together through association health plans to purchase coverage for their employees.  To make government health care programs like Medicaid more efficient, I supported legislation that pushes the administration to use technology, such as electronic medical records, to improve the quality of care, reduce costly and duplicative paperwork, and eliminate dangerous errors caused by poor or outdated patient records.”

On the war in Iraq:

“I traveled to Iraq in October 2005 and again in October 2007. While some level of military progress has clearly been achieved, political and economic progress has not met the benchmarks that the Iraqi people set for themselves.

I support a responsible guideline for phased reduction and redeployment of U.S. troops' focus from sectarian violence to fighting terrorism and training Iraqi forces, so they can provide for their own security.  Our redeployment reinforces the need for the Iraqi government to take responsibility for their own future and step up so U.S. forces can stand down and return home."

On immigration:

“Our nation is made stronger both economically and culturally by those Americans who have immigrated to our country legally, but it is imperative that we secure our nation’s borders in the interests of our national security.

“In 1986, President Reagan and the U.S. Congress passed comprehensive immigration reform legislation which promised border security. But both the Administration and Congress failed to follow through, and in that time the number of illegal immigrants in our country has grown from 3 million to 12 million. The lesson: Congress must live up to its commitments.

“I have voted in favor of legislation that would build more border fences, increase patrol agents, and toughen penalties on those who break the law. I voted for toughening requirements on businesses to make sure their employees can legally work in the United States and increasing penalties against companies that hire illegal workers. In addition, I voted to end the practice of ‘catch and release’ by increasing funding for detention capacity.”