Minor Update

Due to financial disclosures as the campaigns proceed, I have been able to update the personal financial statistics for some of the candidates that I didn't have complete information on before. You can check the Edwards, Giuliani, and Richardson posts if you want to see the new information.

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Presidential Candidates Address Faith and Poverty

On Monday, June 4, the leading Democratic presidential contenders – Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards – will join Jim Wallis for a conversation on faith, values, and poverty broadcast live on CNN.

Every year Sojourners organizes a conference of church and political leaders to address issues of poverty. This year is hugely significant because the three leading Democratic candidates are going to attend and speak about their emphasis on these issues (Jim Wallis has promised a similar presentation for the Republican candidates in Iowa in the fall).

Since I'm on the mailing list, Sojourners invited me to host a watch party. For some reason that's just not me (organized political events feel really strange to those of us who came from apathetic college atmospheres). But this is exactly, exactly what I've been hoping for in this campaign. The major candidates are going to directly address poverty and bring it to the forefront of the campaign, at least for a day. So please watch it and see what they have to say. We need to make sure they know how much we care about this.


One quick aside - due to public demand, I have added links in the top right corner to all of the presidential candidate posts, so you don't have to go looking for them anymore.

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Help Fight Hunger

Church World Service is having their annual CROP Walks to fight hunger across the world. Communities across the United States have walks to raise funds - 25% of the money goes to local hunger-fighting efforts (including food pantries such as ours) and 75% of the money goes to international hunger relief efforts. Our LAX community (Inglewood, Lennox, Hawthorne, Westchester, and El Segundo) is having their hunger walk at 8AM on May 19. The walk is a 10K through the Inglewood, Hawthorne, and Lennox neighborhoods, but there's also a 2K for those of you who don't want to go quite so far. ;)

If you would like to walk with us, go here to sign up:

WALK WITH US

If you would just like to help the hunger efforts financially, you can pledge here:

RAISE FUNDS WITH US

Thank you so much ahead of time for those of you who join us in support of the hungry.

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A Powerhouse for the Poor

A short introduction to Bob Greenstein from the Washington Post:

For the past 25 years -- starting with the Reagan budget cuts of the 1980s, through the Republican takeover of Congress in the 1990s and continuing through the Bush tax cuts and entitlement reforms -- Greenstein & Co. have been there for every hearing, every amendment and every budget reconciliation, ensuring that the interests of the poor and working class are considered.

Their weapons in these battles are reliable data, sound analysis and an ability to deliver it when needed. They know when and how to cut and deal. And thanks largely to the center's work, programs like food stamps, nutrition for mothers and children, and the earned income tax credit have grown despite decades of cuts in domestic programs.

Read the rest of the article here.
Learn about the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities here.

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Bill Richardson

Richardson has had an interesting career in the public eye. He has moved from representing a single district to occupying federal posts, returned to state politics, and now is seeking a federal position again (the biggest one). In some respects this made him harder to research than other candidates - there doesn't appear to be a great resource for recording what the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. or the U.S. Secretary of Energy does in their posts. So I did the best I could with the information available, and if anyone else has more than I'd be happy to have you share it.

Since I already gave my personal opinions on the major candidates, I'll break from structure and give my full opinion on Richardson at the end of the post. But please read the facts first so you can develop a picture of him yourself.

What does Bill Richardson think about helping the poor?

Political History

Bill Richardson was a U.S. Representative from 1983-1997, the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. from 1997-1998, the U.S. Secretary of Energy from 1998-2001, and the Governor of New Mexico from 2003 to present.

U.S. Representative 1983-1997

• Sponsored bills to bring humanitarian aid to El Salvador¹, protect some American Indians from forced relocation², increase health care programs in the Peace Corps³, promote economic development among American Indians^{4 5 6 7 8}, extend the National Health Service Corps⁹, improve health programs for Hispanics and other minorities^{10 11}, allow social service block grants to be made directly to tribes¹², establish a program to fight fetal alcohol syndrome^{13 14}, consolidate community health centers¹⁵, and provide federal funding for foster care and adoption for American Indian children¹⁶.
• Served on the Helsinki Commission on Human Rights.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. 1997-1998

• Helped negotiate peaceful transition of power in Congo.¹⁷
• Made general calls for the need to protect human rights across the world.

U.S. Secretary of Energy 1998-2001

• Wikipedia states that Richardson pushed through a number of initiatives to benefit Native Americans - the statement was unsourced and I have been unable to find other corroboration on this point.¹⁸

Governor of New Mexico 2003-present

• In 2005, initiated home heating relief for low-income families¹⁹.
• In 2006, signed legislation to create savings accounts for low-income families²⁰.
• In 2006, signed an increase in the minimum wage to $7.50.
• In 2006, signed a large tax cut for low-income families²¹.
• In 2006, Offered tax breaks to companies that paid higher than the prevailing wage²².
• In 2006, led effort to call for full federal funding of the CSFP (a food program)²³.
• In 2006, signed bills and proposed legislation to expand health care coverage to more workers²⁴.
• In 2007, was part of effort to urge federal government to fully fund SCHIP (a children's health insurance program)²⁵.

Statements About the Poor

"America needs to lead the global fight against poverty – which is the basis of so much violence. We must promote equitable trade agreements, to create more jobs in all countries. And through our example and our diplomacy we must encourage all rich countries honor their UN Millennium goal commitments. A Commission on Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals, composed of world leaders and prominent experts, should be created to recommend ways of meeting Millennium commitments.
America needs to lead donors on debt relief, shifting aid from loans to grants, and toward greater focus on primary health care and affordable vaccines. We should pressure pharmaceutical companies to allow expanded use of generic drugs, and we should stimulate public-private partnerships to reduce costs and enhance access to anti-malarial drugs and bed nets."²⁶


"For all the talk we hear about the perils of globalization, a simple fact is often ignored - open economies are poverty's enemy. In fact, a recent World Bank report indicated that East Asia's rapid economic growth over the past generation reduced by half the number of people living below the poverty line. Far-sighted economic policies implemented 20 years ago mean that today 350 million people do not live in poverty. These extraordinary advances are occurring around the globe. And frequently, the catalyst is free trade and open economies. Yet, with all the benefits that come from free trade and American engagement in the international arena, there are those on both sides of the political aisle who are not getting the message."²⁷


"In the past few years human rights abuses from Bosnia to Rwanda captured the world's attention and showed us once again that the struggle for the recognition and acceptance of universal human rights is a constant process. So long as women are denied educational and economic opportunity, so long as discrimination based on religion, ethnicity or skin color continues, and so long as war criminals can elude justice, we must remain vigilant."²⁸


"Think for a moment about the quality of life for an undocumented worker. No protection from unscrupulous employers. No job benefits. No health care, no pension, no Social Security, no workers compensation, no Medicare or disability insurance.
Yet – despite what some people would have you think -- almost all of these workers pay taxes, including Social Security and Medicare taxes. Because in order to find work they must either use someone else’s Social Security number or make one up. Since they will never collect benefits, these illegal workers are subsidizing our Social Security and Medicare trust funds with their payroll taxes. And those who are not paying into Social Security and Medicare are working under the table, and are at even greater risk of being exploited. No minimum wage, no safety standards, no over-time, no protection against sexual harassment or even sexual abuse."²⁹


"And let’s not forget what kind of lives the vast majority of illegal immigrants were living in their home countries – what propels them to come here in the first place. Economic opportunity and upward mobility in Mexico and Central American countries are limited, and half of all Mexicans live in poverty and a fifth live in extreme poverty. When there are hundreds of thousands of relatively good paying new jobs available every year a few hundred miles to the north the result is completely predictable."³⁰


The President should talk about that tragedy [Sudan] every day and try to get not just nations to join and pressure Sudan and the rebels to get together but the international community, the United Nations. The United Nations should be more vigorous. And this is where I would try to become a moral leader as a nation again. Participating [in the effort to end] the tragedy in Darfur, find ways to be a leader in the effort to fight global climate change, find ways that we try to eradicate poverty in the world with progressive aid programs, do something about AIDS and refugees and those issues that nobody wants to talk about, genocide. That's how I believe we can restore America's role in the world.³¹


A robust economy with successful companies translates into higher levels of healthcare and coverage for all. However, in the short term, we can make some fundamental changes to how we approach healthcare in New Mexico and improve the results. We need to find a way to make healthcare more affordable and ensure that all New Mexicans have the access to the care that they need.
My approach requires innovation, proven solutions, and use of best practices to shift New Mexico from fragmented care delivery to purchasing organized and accountable systems of care. It combines good ideas from other states, with increased efficiency and preventative healthcare.³²

Private Life

• Richardson is worth around $5-7 million dollars, which he holds in investments and rental properties. His income is evenly divided between the governor's pay, investments, and income from the rental properties. I was not able to find any information about his charitible donations.
• Richardson has been routinely criticized by political opponents for what they consider to be lavish excesses in his governor's lifestyle. He pushed the New Mexico legislature to fund a $5.5 million private jet for his use.³³
• Has been the Chair of Freedom House and participates with Big Brother/Big Sister of Santa Fe and the Santa Fe Jaycees.
• Has made trips to Sudan to negotiate with leaders there and push for peace, and has frequently called out U.S. and international political leaders on the need for peace and human rights in Sudan.³⁴

I was not impressed while researching Richardson's record. Like McCain, he has shown some concern for Native Americans and human rights overseas (actually, not even as much as McCain), but otherwise he rarely focuses on the poor. His record is fairly similar to the Democratic platform, which on this issue is better than the Republican platform. But unlike the other three Democratic candidates in this race, he hasn't shown any special concern for those in need or any desire to focus on the issues that pertain to them. I don't know that his tenure as president would be bad for the poor. But I don't have the confidence that their needs would be a priority to the degree that it would for Edwards, Clinton, and Obama.

But what do you think? Has he done more than I've seen? Or does he have competence that overshadows the efforts of the other candidates and would do more practically to help the poor? On a personal level, does Bill Richardson hear the cry of the poor?


^[1]A bill to authorize assistance to help alleviate the human suffering...
^[2]A bill to place a moratorium on the forceable eviction...
^[3]A bill to provide for a 2-year pilot program in the Peace Corps...
^[4]A bill to provide for and promote the economic development of Indian tribes...
^[5]Indian Development Finance Corporation Act
^[6]Indian Finance Corporation Act
^[7]Indian Employment and Investment Act of 1993
^[8]Native American Financial Services Organization Act of 1994
^[9]National Health Service Corps Revitalization Act of 1990
^[10]Hispanic Health Parity Act of 1990
^[11]Minority Health Improvement Act of 1997
^[12]To grant authority to provide social services block grants directly to Indian tribes.
^[13]Comprehensive Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Prevention Act
^[14]Comprehensive Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Prevention Act
^[15]Health Centers Consolidation Act of 1996
^[16]To amend part E of title IV of the Social Security Act to provide for Federal funding...
^[17]White House Press Release, June 18, 1998.
^[18]Bill Richardson, Wikipedia entry.
^[19]Press release, September 20, 2005.
^[20]Press release, March 8, 2006.
^[21]Press release, March 17, 2007.
^[22]"Bill Richardson content to start slow in White House race", Los Angeles Times, April 10, 2007.
^[23]Press release, April 12, 2006.
^[24]Press release, July 20, 2006.
^[25]Press release, Feb. 28, 2007.
^[26]"The New Realism and the Rebirth of American Leadership ", Speech to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Feb. 8, 2007.
^[27]USUN Press Release, pertaining to remarks made at City of Denver's 18th Annual Free Trade Day Dinner, May 19, 1998.
^[28]Speech made at the UN General Assembly's third committee, Nov. 14, 1997.
^[29]Speech on comprehensive immigration reform, Dec. 7, 2006.
^[30]Speech on comprehensive immigration reform, Dec. 7, 2006.
^[31]"MyDD Interview with Bill Richardson", www.MyDD.com, Mar. 26, 2007.
^[32]"Priorities", www.RichardsonForGovernor.com, Oct. 24, 2002.
^[33]Profile of Gov. Bill Richardson, About:Liberal Politics:U.S.
^[34]Press Release, Jan. 7, 2007.

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The Democrats

I know, I have seen, the desperation and disorder of the powerless: how it twists the lives of children on the streets of Jakarta or Nairobi in much the same way as it does the lives of children on Chicago's South Side, how narrow the path is for them between humiliation and untrammeled fury, how easily they slip into violence and despair. I know that the response of the powerful to this disorder--alternating as it does between a dull complacency and, when the disorder spills out of its proscribed confines, a steady, unthinking application of force, of longer prison sentences and more sophisticated military hardware--is inadequate to the task. I know that the hardening of lines, the embrace of fundamentalism and tribe, dooms us all.

Suffice it to say that the perspective of the Democratic candidates in this race contrasts against the Republicans a bit.

Republicans and Democrats are going to adopt different solutions to solving poverty. And they're going to emphasize their fight against poverty in different ways. But this election seems to be shaping up as a special contrast between parties in terms of how often and how forcefully the poverty issue will be publicly addressed. While a couple of the Republicans are running away from even their own efforts in support of the poor, the Democrats are approaching it head on. And because of the publicity that's surrounded the candidates' proposals, we hear more about what they are saying about the issue than what they have actually done. So who has had the most to say, and who has done the most to back it up?

And now for the Democrats:

John Edwards
John Edwards has picked up an image as the "candidate for the lower-class". He ran in 2004 on the theme of "two Americas", a powerful and a powerless. And Edwards has spent much of his time the last two years campaigning for rights of the poor, running a poverty studies center at UNC, and undertaking a demonstration of his college aid proposal. His 2008 campaign has taken on much of the same themes as the 2004 campaign, with even greater vigor.

What worries me about Edwards is the disconnect between his recent public life and everything else he's lived for in the 53 years he's been around. As others pointed out already, if there are two Americas, he's a member of the rich and powerful one. So what was he doing for the poor in his law career? At what point are the poor going to take priority over his enormous house and bank account? And if he is so single-minded for this issue, why did he have such a paltry record in the Senate on it? Unlike some of the candidates I mentioned yesterday, John Edwards doesn't need to say more on behalf of the poor. He needs to explain how everything he says aligns with what he's done, and show specifically why his presidential service would look different than his Senate service and the rest of his life.

As a side note, I also worry whether he is concerned with the foreign poor. In his populist tack, I see inklings of a protectionist ideology that "protects" the American worker while ignoring the plight of those overseas. This may help win votes among the working poor, but I would not consider it a good indicator of someone whose heart is truly in line with the needy.

Hillary Clinton
Before doing this research I had assumed Clinton was basically an average Democrat in regards to concern for the poor. It was nice that I could be surprised by the record of someone who has had so much public exposure. Clinton's concern for children, women, and health care has been strong throughout her life, from volunteer work during her college years, through her professional life, her terms as First Lady, and her Senate career. And it hasn't stopped with those concerns - her effort on other poverty issues has been strong as well. She has both talked the talk and walked the walk in these manners, and I believe her feelings on this issue are legitimate.

A question I have about Clinton is whether she will be effective in addressing her concerns. During the 6+ years she has spent in the Senate, only one of the poverty-relevant bills she sponsored became law, and that one was buoyed by 9/11 sentiments. She attacked Republicans on their lack of concern...but in such a way that I felt would have been more appropriate from their constituents, not from a lawmaker they have to work with. A second concern that I have about her effectiveness is whether she understands these issues at the root. All of her work for the poor has come from "helping" them from above - working as a lawyer in courts and dictating policy from public office. As wordcat mentioned earlier, she's a little bit of a wonk. Does that mean she won't make good policy? No, but I worry that there might be something missing from it.

What I really want to hear from Clinton is this - how have your own personal experiences informed what you are going to do for the poor from the presidential office? Are there things that you have learned from all your time in public service? What good things have you done that you will replicate, and what mistakes have you made that you will learn from? And with a country whose parties are so incredibly divided right now, how will you work with the rest of government to make sure that the things you want to happen actually come to pass?

Barack Obama
Because of his more recent appearance on the national scene, Obama was the candidate whose public record I had probably known the least about when I started blogging. I was amazed to find him to have a longer and more personal record on these issues than any major candidate in my lifetime. The first part comes from spending part of his childhood in a third-world country, spending part of his adult life as a community organizer in the inner city, and choosing to work as a civil-rights attorney when he entered the legal world. But the important part is that he matched this personal experience with ten years of public service that show a consistent concern for the poor across all demographics - domestic and foreign, working and unemployed/homeless, majority and minority. I haven't imagined that we would get a candidate with such a broad set of experiences working on behalf of the poor, and that such a candidate would be intelligent, elegant, and bipartisan-minded enough to make me believe that he could get [i]significant[/i] things accomplished on their behalf as well.

The greatest questions that need to be raised about Obama's candidacy have to do with his unfamiliarity with the national stage. The presidential office would be substantially different from the positions he's held so far - what is he going to do on behalf of the poor when he gets there, and how will he get it done? What policies will he follow that will look different than what the other Democrats plan to do? And how has his personal experience informed the policy that he will make? He needs to answer these questions very specifically in order to quell the concerns of some that he is too much of a political neophyte to thrive on the biggest stage in the world.


As I mentioned at the beginning, the Democrats have shown far more of a response to the cry of the poor than the Republicans have shown so far. But this does not mean that they don't each have their own weaknesses that they need to address. Before my research I shared the mistaken impression of many that Edwards was the candidate who cared the most about the plight of the poor - can he show that he actually does care despite his light public record on the issue, and can the other candidates show how they will continue their own strong records while in the presidency? And can all three candidates show that their policies will be successful in an ideologically split nation where Congressional control could flip once Bush leaves office and stops dragging down Republican sentiment?

Most of all, can we as the voters keep these issues on the forefront of the campaign? Can we make enough noise that Obama and Clinton will speak as often about poverty as Edwards does? Can we even, in the brightest of hopes, make enough noise that this becomes a deciding issue in the general election where the Republican candidate will be forced to address our concerns and respond to his opponent's proposals?

Only if we hear the cry ourselves.

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The Republicans

My previous posts were attempts to objectively analyze the record on poverty of each presidential candidate (and don't worry, I will get around to Richardson at some point). Now I want to tell you how I really feel about these people. This can function as the crib notes for readers who don't favor 3,000 word blog entries.

When I started profiling politicians, I was open to many of the potential nominees. As an independent who disagrees with both parties, I had also seen things to like about candidates on both the right and the left. In fact, I had considered voting for five of the six current frontrunners at some point in the last two years.

Detailing their positions on the poor drastically changed my opinions of several of the candidates. I found that there is a difference between the public perception that develops around a candidate and the actual record they have behind them. The one I thought was the worst moved up into the middle, and the one I thought was the best moved backwards. I found that media rhetoric, both that of supporters and detractors, often failed to reflect a candidate's history.

So how do I feel that each candidate's record stacks up? And what do I think we need to be pressing each candidate to do to make poverty a front-and-center issue in this campaign?

Let's start with the Republicans:

Mitt Romney
I was fond of Romney coming into this analysis - with his experience as a conservative, religious governor in a liberal state (and his role in instituting universal health care), I thought that he might be the compassionate conservative that some hoped Bush to be in 2000.

Initially, Romney's record encouraged me further. His press releases while governor showed compassion towards the homeless and acknowledgement of the need for affordable housing. He also had a healthy concern for others in his private life. But detractors showed that much work for the poor during his tenure came over his veto, not because of his support. And I was most worried about his drop-off in vocal support for the poor during the last two years. Recently, I have heard that he is distancing himself from the universal health care bill he signed as well.

It is apparent to me that Mitt Romney views the Republican base as not caring about poverty issues, and does not believe he should focus on them to win the nomination. (He also strikes me as someone who bends everything he says around what he thinks he needs to say to win the nomination.) That's a sad situation, and something that voters need to do something about. Those of us who participate in political discussion need to make poverty an issue in the Republican primaries. Do Republicans care about the poor? Do religious conservatives believe there is a mandate to help the most vulnerable in our society? Or will ignoring poverty, homelessness, low-income housing, health care, disaster relief, and foreign aid be the best way to pick up the Republican nomination this year? This is a conversation we need to drive. Otherwise, candidates like Romney will continue to mold their message away from the issues that matter to the poor.


John McCain
McCain's record had a surprise for me. Despite his position in national politics for several decades, I had no idea that he cared so much about the state of American Indians (a map of reservations in the US helped me to see how this might matter to an Arizonian). McCain has chosen time and time again to sponsor bills and push legislation that assisted those living in reservations, especially the most vulnerable of them. He also showed a positive record in terms of foreign aid to populations hurt by oppressive regimes. Unfortunately, it was hard to find a consistent pattern of concern for the poor outside of these two groups, and McCain was the candidate for whom I had the hardest time digging up quotes relating to the state of the poor.

Can McCain's concern for American Indians and the foreign oppressed carry over to the rest of America's poor? Is he willing to put forth the initial political and financial capital necessary to make real change, or would something like universal health care be too great a financial investment to garner his support? Most of all, can we drive the public discourse so that he's forced to talk about these issues in his campaign? I really want to know what McCain thinks about poverty and what he's willing to do to fight it. I don't want the primaries to come and go without the public getting an upfront answer about it.


Rudy Giuliani
Giuliani was the one candidate whose presidential aspirations I had never remotely considered supporting. The spin I had heard from the media was that he didn't care about the poor, hated the homeless, and oppressed minorities in order to reduce crime. But time spent with his record showed a more nuanced picture. Yes, he cut welfare rolls by more than half - but part of his strategy was to increase accessibility to work, even using government money to directly fund jobs. Yes, he instituted a crackdown on the homeless - but he often did it by getting people into shelters, rehab programs, and job training that would help them to turn their lives around. Yes, he was aggressive in his fight against crime - but doesn't a dramatic reduction in crime have the potential to help the poor more than any other group?

The hardest thing to judge about Giuliani's record is his true motivation in all of this. Does he really care about the poor like he claims to in his public statements, or does he consider them a nuisance that needs to be swept away? Are his policies meant to help those on welfare, in the streets, and in high-crime neighborhoods, or is he just trying to contain the problem so we won't have to spend money or worry about them affecting the quality of middle-class life? Giuliani's detractors and supporters have very different views of his true aims in these issues. His private history doesn't seem to reflect a strong response in his heart to the cry of the poor. And I feel that understanding where his heart lies will go a long ways to figuring out whether his policies will address the problems or just make them a little less visible. Giuliani needs to be forced to directly answer these questions: Does he care about the end state of the homeless? Does it matter to him what happens to families after they leave welfare? And can he show a concern about these results in his policies?




While I started this blog really liking Romney and considering both Romney and McCain among my favorite choices for the presidency, my analysis of their records and current statements discouraged me. I don't have a favorite among the three Republicans anymore. My biggest question between now and the primaries is going to be this...Who is going to make poverty a real issue in the presidential race? Which one of these three is going to start addressing it in their campaign? Who is going to put forth policies that will legitimately help the poor?

And will we be able to raise our voices high enough to make them do it?

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Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton was an interesting subject because of the pseudo-offices she has held as first lady of Arkansas and of the nation. While they are not elected positions, as I did my research I realized that there was much she did within those roles that bore mentioning. So while she doesn't get any credit for anything her husband did in his capacity, I did choose to highlight the things she was able to do from her position.

I also had to analyze her senate record. In my quest to show you exactly what the senators supported while they were in office, I only had to deal with a few hundred bills each time. This was because John Edwards did not sponsor many bills, John McCain did not sponsor many for the poor, and Barack Obama has only had a little over two years to work at his breakneck pace. So how was profiling Hillary, who's had over six years in the senate sponsoring bills at Obama's pace and cosponsoring 600-700 more on top of that every Congress? Looking at 2,600 bills this week has not been fun.

That aside, Clinton's prominence over the last 15 years made her the easiest candidate to get a complete picture of. So here's what I found:

What does Hillary Clinton think about helping the poor?

Political History

Hillary Clinton was First Lady of Arkansas from 1979-1981 and 1983-1993, First Lady of the United States from 1993-2000, and the Senator representing New York from 2001 until now.

First Lady of Arkansas: 1979-1981, 1983-1993.

• Clinton chaired the Arkansas Educational Standards Committee, co-founded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, and served on the boards of the Arkansas Children's Hospital, Legal Services, the Children's Defense Fund, and Wal-Mart.¹
• In 1985, Clinton directed the establishment of the Home Instruction Program for Pre-School Youngsters (HIPPY), a program directed at boosting low-income children².

First Lady of the United States: 1993-2000.

• In 1993, headed the president's Task Force on Health Care reform. She put together a proposal on universal health care that was seen as too complicated by some and/or "socialist" by others and eventually abandoned by democratic leadership in the House and Senate.
• In 1997, initiated the Children's Health Insurance Program, which facilitated states to provide health insurance for low-income children.
• Initiated the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, stating that it provided her with the "greatest satisfaction" of her time as First Lady.^{3 4} Also supported and pushed the Foster Care Independence Bill, an effort to help foster children transition to adulthood.⁵
• Helped create Vital Voices, was an active supporter of the US Agency for International Development, and helped create the Office on Violence Against Women, strongly pushing for international women's rights in all three efforts.⁶
• Supported the 1996 welfare reform bill signed by Bill Clinton⁷, although some sources cite initial misgivings over certain parts⁸.

107^th Congress: 2001-2002

• Sponsored bills to expand the number of low middle income children eligible for health care assistance⁹, provide resources for children who lose parents in the event of a disaster¹⁰, extend unemployment benefits for those affected by 9/11¹¹, providing assistance for people who become disabled in foreign countries¹², improve services for youths in foster care programs¹³, extend and expand unemployment benefits¹⁴, and increase benefits for blind veterans¹⁵. The bill extending unemployment benefits for 9/11 victims became law.
• Also sponsored an amendment to require a study on the effect of dilapidated school buildings on children¹⁶ and providing funding to assist children suffering in disasters/crises¹⁷. The amendments passed the senate.
• Cosponsored resolutions to call for a fight against drugs and crime in public housing¹⁸, state that all workers deserve fair and safe working conditions¹⁹, call on the US to combat the global AIDS pandemic²⁰ and to reaffirm a stand against genocide²¹. None of the resolutions passed.
• Also cosponsored bills to increase the minimum wage^{22 23 24}, increase the availability and affordability of early learning²⁵, improve preventive health care for women²⁶, give incentives to employers to expand health care²⁷, extend health care to the families of covered children^{28 29}, increase funding for low-income energy assistance^{30 31}, promote economic recovery in Zimbabwe³², facilitate the funding of social services³³, give American Indian children equal access to adoption and foster care³⁴, allow states to extend health insurance to certain immigrants³⁵, improve nutrition assistance for families and the elderly^{36 37}, create programs and campaigns to promote fatherhood and strong families³⁸, support broad community youth programs^{39 40}, create an international food assistance program for schools⁴¹, provide assistance for communities hurt by trade⁴², fight AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis in developing countries^{43 44}, extend the development of affordable housing⁴⁵, provide economic assistance to victims of domestic and sexual violence⁴⁶, provide education and health care assistance to Afghan women⁴⁷, forgive loans for the spouses of 9/11 victims⁴⁸, increase accessibility of enrollment in MediCare and MediCal^{49 50}, promote charitable giving⁵¹, increase the number of areas designated "renewal communities"^{52 53}, provide additional housing assistance⁵⁴, improve health care for pregnant women⁵⁵, reauthorize TANF⁵⁶, reauthorize specific homeless assistance⁵⁷, prioritize health care provision for low-income veterans⁵⁸, increase unemployment compensation^{59 60} and increase microenterprise assistance in developing countries⁶¹. The bills providing assistance to Zimbabwe and Afghanistan became law.
• Also cosponsored amendments to increase low-income energy assistance⁶², create a prescription drug benefit⁶³, extend TANF funding⁶⁴ and increase mental health benefits in health care plans⁶⁵. The amendments increasing low-income energy assistance, extending TANF, and increasing mental health benefits passed the Senate.

108^th Congress: 2003-2004

• Sponsored a resolution to express a need to expand support for children whose parents have died⁶⁶. The resolution did not pass the Senate.
• Also sponsored bills to authorize microcredit and housing assistance in Kosovo⁶⁷, fund job training and language acquisition programs⁶⁸, provide a national information service for social services⁶⁹, improve mental health services for older adults⁷⁰, fund economic development in low-income communities^{71 72}, provide aid to related foster-care providers⁷³ and provide education aid in developing countries⁷⁴. None of them became law.
• Also sponsored amendments to improve women's health⁷⁵ and provide funds to address disparities in minority health⁷⁶. The amendment addressing minority health disparities was agreed to in the Senate.
• Cosponsored resolutions directing Congress to create comprehensive health care legislation⁷⁷, declaring genocide in Darfur⁷⁸, speaking out against genocide⁷⁹ and condemning human trafficking and slavery⁸⁰. None of the resolutions passed.
• Also cosponsored bills to expand and improve health care coverage^{81 82 83 84 85 86 87}, expand an array of early child development programs^{88 89}, increase the minimum wage^{90 91}, extend unemployment aid^{92 93 94 95}, increase support for veteran's health care⁹⁶, extend child care for welfare recipients⁹⁷, promote justice for seniors⁹⁸, provide housing assistance for intergenerational families⁹⁹, expand renewal communities¹⁰⁰, address health care disparities^{101 102}, improve food assistance to seniors¹⁰³, increase mental health coverage¹⁰⁴, provide assistance to disabled individuals in foreign countries¹⁰⁵, provide grants for transitional job programs^{106 107}, promote the adoption of special-needs children¹⁰⁸, protect families affected by worldwide conflict¹⁰⁹, prioritize health care for low-income veterans¹¹⁰, provide disadvantaged children with dental services¹¹¹, expand volunteer opportunities for youths¹¹², increase development of affordable housing¹¹³, provide mentoring for children in foster care¹¹⁴, protect overtime compensation¹¹⁵, improve access to services for disabled homeless and foster children¹¹⁶, improve working conditions for migrant laborers¹¹⁷, extend adoption incentives¹¹⁸, provide support to families with severely emotionally disturbed children¹¹⁹, reduce complications and mortality resulting from premature birth¹²⁰, extend government programs to help the poor¹²¹, expand trade benefits to African countries^{122 123}, extend SSI benefits for refugees and asylum-seekers¹²⁴ and improve microenterprise programs¹²⁵. One of the bills extending unemployment compensation and different forms of one of the African trade benefits bills and the microenterprise bill became law.
• Also cosponsored amendments to increase low-income energy assistance^{126 127}, extend unemployment assistance^{128 129 130 131 132 133}, increase global AIDS funding^{134 135 136 137}, provide a prescription drug benefit¹³⁸, provide a tax credit for long-term care¹³⁹, state that nutrition aid should not be reduced¹⁴⁰, increase medical aid for veterans of current wars¹⁴¹, guarantee MediCare to all who qualify every year¹⁴², increase education aid for the disadvantaged¹⁴³, protect overtime compensation¹⁴⁴, increase funds for Head Start¹⁴⁵, express the need for all low-income housing vouchers to be utilized¹⁴⁶, expand Pell Grants¹⁴⁷, provide additional funding for childcare¹⁴⁸ and provide assistance to help those in Darfur and Chad¹⁴⁹. The amendments providing low-income energy assistance, increasing AIDS funding, stating that nutrition aid should not be reduced, protecting overtime compensation, providing additional childcare funding, and one amendment extending unemployment compensation were passed in the Senate.

109^th Congress: 2005-2006

• Sponsored a resolution to express the need to prevent child abuse and provide stable foster care¹⁵⁰. The resolution did not pass.
• Also sponsored bills to create a national infoline for social services¹⁵¹, provide more assistance for relatives caring for foster kids¹⁵², provide mental health services for seniors¹⁵³, give incentives for housing assistance¹⁵⁴, establish a congressional commission to investigate the response to Katrina¹⁵⁵, extend the child tax credit to Puerto Ricans¹⁵⁶, improve MediCare and MediCaid¹⁵⁷, help seniors get long-term care¹⁵⁸, increase the minimum wage¹⁵⁹ and assist education in developing countries¹⁶⁰ None of the bills became law.
• Also sponsored amendments to establish a commission to investigate the response to Katrina¹⁶¹ and create a national infoline for social services¹⁶². Neither amendment passed the Senate.
• Cosponsored resolutions to assess the possibility of a no-fly zone in Sudan¹⁶³, call for universal health insurance¹⁶⁴, express the importance of MediCaid^{165 166}, promote adoption¹⁶⁷, urge a commitment to earthquake victims in South Asia¹⁶⁸, call for immediate steps to help Darfur¹⁶⁹, support peace in Uganda¹⁷⁰ and urge the Sudanese government to accept peacekeeping terms¹⁷¹. The resolutions promoting adoption, calling for immediate steps in Darfur and urging the Sudanese to accept peacekeeping terms, and supporting peace in Uganda passed the Senate.
• Also cosponsored bills to improve health care for veterans^{172 173 174}, increase the minimum wage and protect wage laws^{175 176 177}, improve Medicare^{178 179 180}, extend Medicaid to the families of disabled children and low-income AIDS patients^{181 182}, improve work conditions for migrant laborers¹⁸³, support families of severely emotionally disabled children¹⁸⁴, extend SSI to refugees and asylum-seekers¹⁸⁵, improve long-term care for Medicaid patients^{186 187}, improve education for at-risk students¹⁸⁸, provide additional assistance to premature births¹⁸⁹, provide support services for the homeless^{190 191}, provide paid sick leave for all families¹⁹², reduce hunger in America¹⁹³, assist banks in developing countries¹⁹⁴, improve mental health provision under Medicaid¹⁹⁵, extend services for homeless veterans¹⁹⁶, provide mentoring for children in foster care¹⁹⁷, promote peace in Sudan^{198 198a}, improve health care for minorities¹⁹⁹, provide relief to Katrina victims^{200 201}, establish an office in charge of Katrina relief²⁰², improve health care for Katrina victims²⁰³, reconstruct the Gulf Coast^{204 205}, protecting communities (especially disadvantaged ones) affected by environmental health issues^{206 207}, setting foreign policy goals and providing aid to Congo²⁰⁸, increase coal mine safety²⁰⁹, provide for low-income energy assistance²¹⁰, make drugs affordable to Medicare recipients²¹¹, provide international aid for tuberculosis treatment²¹², improve nutrition for low-income children²¹³, improve newborn care²¹⁴, provide development assistance in the Appalachians²¹⁵, provide assistance to combat AIDS in youth²¹⁶ and extend kindergarten for low-income families²¹⁷. The bills providing additional assistance for premature births, providing aid to Congo, promoting peace in Sudan, and providing low-income energy assistance became law.
• Also cosponsored amendments to increase the minimum wage^{218 219 220}, increase funding for veteran's medical care²²¹, impose sanctions against those perpetuating crimes in Darfur²²², provide legal services for those affected by Katrina²²³, provide emergency funds, health care, and educational assistance for those affected by Katrina^{224 225 226}, provide low-income energy assistance^{227 228 229}, improve Pell Grants and other student aid^{230 231}, prevent high school dropouts²³², increase funding for Head Start²³³, provide funds to improve Hispanic education²³⁴, add additional Title 1 funding²³⁵, provide Medicaid assistance for low-income HIV patients²³⁶, contribute additional money to the Global Fund²³⁷, increase disaster assistance²³⁸. The amendments sanctioning and promoting peace in Sudan, providing legal services for Katrina victims, preventing dropouts, improving Hispanic education, contributing extra to the Global Fund, and one amendment increasing low-income energy funds passed the Senate.

110^th Congress: 2007-present

The 110th Congress only started a few months ago. So far, Hillary Clinton has:
• Sponsored bills to establish a national infoline for social services²³⁹ and provide benefits for relatives who care for foster children²⁴⁰.
• Also cosponsored bills to increase the minimum wage²⁴¹, increase student aid²⁴², improve the work situation of migrant laborers²⁴³, extend development in the Appalachians²⁴⁴, improve coverage for mental health benefits²⁴⁵ and improve the care of newborns²⁴⁶.

Statements About the Poor

"It is time for us to say here in Beijing, and the world to hear, that it is no longer acceptable to discuss women's rights as separate from human rights. It is a violation of human rights when babies are denied food, or drowned, or suffocated, or their spines broken, simply because they are born girls, or when women and girls are sold into slavery or prostitution for human greed. It is a violation of human rights when women are doused with gasoline, set on fire and burned to death because their marriage dowries are deemed too small, or when thousands of women are raped in their own communities and when thousands of women are subjected to rape as a tactic or prize of war."²⁴⁷

"People can talk all they want about how they want to be part of ending poverty, but if they don't see with their own eyes and hear with their own ears the stories of millions of Americans and their children who are not able to be lifted out of poverty, because the minimum wage doesn't pay enough. Don't let people get away with nice words."²⁴⁸

"This entire legislative season has been about the misplaced priorities of the White House and the Republican Majority in Congress who are unable or unwilling to recognize the realities facing America’s families. Washington Republicans seem oblivious to the fact that 1.1 million more Americans fell into poverty last year, for a total of 37 million of our fellow citizens, including 13 million children. In New York City, one in five residents lives below the poverty line. They have turned a blind eye to the fact that 45 million Americans are without health insurance, including almost three million New Yorkers. They have ignored the devastating effects of the job losses that workers at GM, Ford, and Delphi face. And our huge and growing national debt, now $8.1 trillion, threatens the future of our children.
The Republican budget lays bare the priorities of Washington Republicans: loopholes for oil companies instead of student loans for middle-class families. Irresponsible tax breaks instead of affordable health care for the working poor. Now, these are choices that would even give Ebenezer Scrooge pause, choices that not only ignore the challenges facing American families but make those challenges more difficult to overcome."²⁴⁹

"You know, I’ve spent many years working on behalf of children in foster care. They are probably the most vulnerable of all of our children. The poorest of the poor, abused, neglected—children who get taken away from their families because their families are unable or unwilling to care for them. And when they're taken away by the police or by a court or social worker, maybe they're turned in by a neighbor or relative, they become our children. They become the responsibility of every single one of us. And we have to work very hard to try to get them reunited with families, to try to find a relative who will love and care for them. And absent that, try to make sure they're safe and secure in foster care while hopefully we try to find a permanent, loving family for them. It's going to be a lot harder because the Republicans are choosing corporate tax breaks instead of foster care. They're going to slash $600 million from foster care support.
You know, I grew up loving the Christmas season. You know, telling the story over and over again about how Mary and Joseph found themselves with no place to stay and how Jesus was born in the manger. And you know, many people say, look, ‘They were really shut out, left behind.’ Well, we're shutting out and leaving behind a lot of our children with these budget decisions. It's wrong."²⁵⁰

"Extending unemployment insurance would put money into the hands of the very people who will turn right around and put it back into our economy. In 1999, the Department of Labor found that when unemployment insurance is extended, every dollar in benefits generates $2.15 in gross domestic product. Giving more purchasing power to the more than 8 million Americans who are currently unemployed would be a powerful stimulus for our economy." ²⁵¹

"You know, we find it in our scriptures when we ask, what are we to do? You know the answer, do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God. We find it in our Constitution, we find it in our laws. Two months before he died, Dr. Martin Luther King gave a speech at Ebenezer Baptist church in Atlanta. And he talked about how when the roll was called up yonder he wanted to answer and say, I was a drum major for justice. He may no longer be with us, and others who led the march toward justice may be gone, but we have all of you. We have a great band. We have legions who will be drum majors for justice. And so when that role is called, ACORN can answer, we were drum majors for justice, we looked out for the vulnerable, we worked to give people fair pay for the work they did, we took in the stranger, we tried to fulfill the responsibilities as Americans we were called to meet."²⁵²

"Let me be absolutely clear. Breaking up families that are homeless is wrong. Criminalizing the homeless with mass arrests for those whose only offense is that they have no home is wrong. Locking people up for a day will not take a single homeless person off the streets."²⁵³

"Although it is called microcredit, this is a big idea with vast potential whether we are talking about a rural area in South Asia or the inner city. It's an invaluable tool in alleviating poverty, promoting self-sufficiency and stimulating the economy. Microcredit projects can create a ripple effect- not only in lifting individuals out of poverty and moving mothers from welfare to work, but in creating jobs, promoting businesses and building capital in depressed areas."²⁵⁴

"In East Timor in 1999, when a U.N. peacekeeping force would have taken months to assemble, the Security Council authorized an Australian-led multi-lateral force to go to East Timor. 96 hours later they were in Dili, and the massacre of innocent Timorese stopped immediately, never to resume. These are real success stories, to be balanced against the tragic failures in Rwanda, early Bosnia, and up to now, the inadequate response in Darfur.
What can we learn from this decade of successes and failures? For me, the first lesson is the U.N. Security Council must meet its obligations. It did not do so, for example, in Rwanda."²⁵⁵

Private Life

• Has net worth of between $10 million and $50 million. Most came in last decade from Bill Clinton’s speeches and from their books. Between 2001 and 2005, the Clintons put $5.16 million to a private foundation that Hillary runs. The foundation has so far given away $1.25 million of that money, mostly to colleges they attended, landmarks in their home state, their church, and tsunami relief in Asia.
• During her second year in law school, Hillary Clinton volunteered at Yale's Child Study Center, learning about new research on early childhood brain development, as well as New Haven Hospital, where she took on cases of child abuse, and the city Legal Services, where she provided free legal service to the poor.²⁵⁶
• After graduating from college, served as an attorney at the Children’s Defense Fund. Continued pro bono work in child advocacy when she moved on to Rose Law Firm.
• Co-wrote Witness to Genocide: The Children of Rwanda: Drawings by Child Survivors of the Rwandan Genocide of 1994.
• Clinton’s husband, Bill, founded the William J. Clinton foundation to address world health, economic improvement, leadership development, and racial reconciliation. He also took on a position as president for a few years back in the '90s.

Anyone get through that? I'll admit that trying to read and record thousands of bills took a lot of time, and a result there are probably more omissions and summarizations in her bill record than anyone else's. But trust me, I'm sure I got over 90% of them, and all the important ones are there. Of course, as always if you know of anything I left out that's important, please post it. Or if you've picked up any sort of ideological bias in any of this, offer a counter. I want the full picture to be out there of each candidate, so we can form the best opinions possible. Does Hillary Clinton hear the cry of the poor?


^[1]Biography of Hillary Clinton, www.whitehouse.gov
^[2]Hillary Rodham Clinton Biography, www.notablebiographies.com
^[3]Adoption and Safe Families Act
^[4]First Lady Biography: Hillary Clinton, www.firstladies.org
^[5]Foster Care Independence Act
^[6]First Lady Biography: Hillary Clinton, www.firstladies.org
^[7]"Is Sharpton Protecting Hillary?", The Village Voice, May 24, 2000.
^[8]First Lady Biography: Hillary Clinton, www.firstladies.org
^[9]SCHIP Enhancement Act of 2001
^[10]To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act...
^[11]To extend the period of availability of unemployment assistance...
^[12]International Disability and Victims of Landmines, Civil Strife and Warfare Assistance Act of 2001
^[13]Opportunity Passport Act of 2002
^[14]To extend and expand the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002
^[15]To amend title XVI of the Social Security Act to provide that annuities paid by States...
^[16]Senate Amendment 516
^[17]Senate Amendment 2066
^[18]Expressing the sense of Congress that reducing crime in public housing should be a priority...
^[19]Expressing the sense of the Congress that all workers deserve fair treatment and safe working conditions...
^[20]Whereas the international AIDS pandemic is of grave proportions and is growing;
^[21]Whereas the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide confirms...
^[22]Enhancing Economic Security for America's Working Families Act
^[23]Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2001
^[24]Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2002
^[25]Right Start Act of 2001
^[26]WISEWOMAN Expansion Act of 2001
^[27]Bipartisan Patient Protection Act of 2001--Part II
^[28]Dylan Lee James Act
^[29]FamilyCare Act of 2001
^[30]Energy Emergency Response Act of 2001
^[31]Low-Income Energy Assistance Reinvestment Act
^[32]Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001
^[33]Social Services Block Grant Restoration Act of 2001
^[34]Indian and Alaska Native Foster Care and Adoption Services Amendments of 2001
^[35]Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act of 2001
^[36]Nutrition Assistance for Working Families and Seniors Act of 2001
^[37]Senior Nutrition Act of 2002
^[38]Strengthening Working Families Act of 2001
^[39]Younger Americans Act
^[40]School Service Act of 2002
^[41]George McGovern-Robert Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Act of 2001
^[42]Trade Adjustment Assistance for Workers, Farmers, Communities, and Firms Act of 2001
^[43]GLIDER Act
^[44]International AIDS Treatment and Prevention Act of 2002
^[45]National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2001
^[46]Victims' Economic Security and Safety Act
^[47]Afghan Women and Children Relief Act of 2001
^[48]September 11 Surviving Spouse Student Loan Relief Act
^[49]Medicare+Choice Consumer Protection Act of 2001
^[50]To temporarily increase the Federal medical assistance percentage for the medicaid program.
^[51]CARE Act of 2002
^[52]To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for additional designations of renewal communities.
^[53]To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow for the expansion of areas...
^[54]Welfare Reform and Housing Act
^[55]SMART Mom Act
^[56]Work and Family Act of 2002
^[57]Community Partnership to End Homelessness Act of 2002
^[58]To amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs...
^[59]Economic Security Act of 2002
^[60]Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act of 2002
^[61]To amend the Microenterprise for Self-Reliance Act of 2000 and the Foreign Assistance Act...
^[62]Senate Amendment 28
^[63]Senate Amendment 172
^[64]Senate Amendment 317
^[65]Senate Amendment 2020
^[66]Expressing the Sense of the Senate that Congress should expand the supports...
^[67]Kosovar-American Enterprise Fund Act of 2003
^[68]Access to Employment and English Acquisition Act of 2003
^[69]Calling for 2-1-1 Act of 2003
^[70]Positive Aging Act of 2004
^[71]To establish a grant program to support cluster-based economic development efforts.
^[72]To establish a grant program to support broadband-based economic development efforts.
^[73]Kinship Caregiver Support Act
^[74]Education for All Act of 2004
^[75]Senate Amendment 652
^[76]Senate Amendment 2780
^[77]Whereas the United States has the most expensive health care system in the world...
^[78]Whereas Article 1 of the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention...
^[79]Whereas in 1948, in the shadow of the Holocaust, the international community...
^[80]Whereas it has been nearly 2 centuries since the abolition of the transatlantic...
^[81]Health Care Coverage Expansion and Quality Improvement Act of 2003
^[82]To temporarily increase the Federal medical assistance percentage for the medicaid program.
^[83]Dylan Lee James Act
^[84]Medicare Safety Net Access Act of 2003
^[85]Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act of 2003
^[86]Early Treatment for HIV Act of 2003
^[87]Start Healthy, Stay Healthy Act of 2003
^[88]Right Start Act of 2003
^[89]Head Start Coordination and School Readiness Act
^[90]Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2003
^[91]Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2004
^[92]A bill to provide for a 5-month extension of the Temporary Extended Unemployment...
^[93]Emergency Unemployment Compensation Act of 2003
^[94]Economic Security Act of 2003
^[95]Unemployment Compensation Extension Act
^[96]Veterans Health Care Funding Guarantee Act of 2003
^[97]Children First Act of 2003
^[98]Elder Justice Act
^[99]LEGACY Act of 2003
^[100]To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow for the expansion...
^[101]Patient Navigator, Outreach, and Chronic Disease Prevention Act of 2003
^[102]Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act
^[103]Senior Nutrition Act of 2003
^[104]Senator Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2003
^[105]International Disability and Victims of Warfare and Civil Strife Assistance Act of 2003
^[106]Business Links Act of 2003
^[107]Trade Adjustment Assistance Equity for Service Workers Act of 2004
^[108]Adoption Equality Act of 2003
^[109]Women and Children in Conflict Protection Act of 2003
^[110]To amend title 38, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs...
^[111]Children's Dental Health Improvement Act of 2003
^[112]School Service Act of 2003
^[113]National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2003
^[114]Foster Care Mentoring Act of 2003
^[115]Overtime Compensation Protection Act of 2003
^[116]Improving Education for Homeless and Foster Children with Disabilities Act of 2003
^[117]Agricultural Job Opportunity, Benefits, and Security Act of 2003
^[118]Adoption Promotion Act of 2003
^[119]Keeping Families Together Act
^[120]PREEMIE Act
^[121]Poverty Reduction and Prevention Act
^[122]United States-Africa Partnership Act of 2003
^[123]AGOA Acceleration Act of 2004
^[124]SSI Extension for Elderly and Disabled Refugees Act
^[125]Microenterprise Results and Accountability Act of 2004
^[126]Senate Amendment 27
^[127]Senate Amendment 1595
^[128]Senate Amendment 40
^[129]Senate Amendment 315
^[130]Senate Amendment 544
^[131]Senate Amendment 832
^[132]Senate Amendment 1170
^[133]Senate Amendment 2617
^[134]Senate Amendment 127
^[135]Senate Amendment 1174
^[136]Senate Amendment 1283
^[137]Senate Amendment 1966
^[138]Senate Amendment 294
^[139]Senate Amendment 349
^[140]Senate Amendment 407
^[141]Senate Amendment 459
^[142]Senate Amendment 931
^[143]Senate Amendment 1543
^[144]Senate Amendment 1580
^[145]Senate Amendment 1597
^[146]Senate Amendment 2183
^[147]Senate Amendment 2725
^[148]Senate Amendment 2937
^[149]Senate Amendment 3493
^[150]Senate Resolution 566
^[151]Calling for 2-1-1 Act of 2005
^[152]Kinship Caregiver Support Act
^[153]Positive Aging Act of 2005
^[154]Housing America's Workforce Act
^[155]To establish a congressional commission to examine the Federal...
^[156]To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make residents of Puerto Rico...
^[157]Patients Before Profits Act of 2006
^[158]Community-Based Choices for Older Americans Act of 2006
^[159]Standing with Minimum Wage Earners Act of 2006
^[160]Education for All Act of 2006
^[161]Senate Amendment 1660
^[162]Senate Amendment 4072
^[163]Calling on the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to assess the potential effectiveness...
^[164]To express the sense of Congress concerning the provision of health insurance coverage to all Americans.
^[165]Expressing the sense of the Congress with respect to the importance of Medicaid...
^[166]To express the sense of the Senate regarding the impact of medicaid...
^[167]To express support for the goals of National Adoption Month...
^[168]Commending relief efforts in response to the earthquake in South Asia...
^[169]Calling on the President to take immediate steps to help improve the security situation in Darfur...
^[170]Calling on the United States Government and the international community...
^[171]Whereas Congress declared on July 22, 2004 that the atrocities in Darfur...
^[172]Fulfilling Our Duty to America's Veterans Act of 2005
^[173]To appropriate $1,975,183,000 for medical care for veterans.
^[174]Veterans Long-Term Care Security Act of 2006
^[175]Fair Wage, Competition, and Investment Act of 2005
^[176]Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2005
^[177]Tax Relief and Minimum Wage Act of 2006
^[178]Meeting Our Responsibility to Medicare Beneficiaries Act of 2005
^[179]Ending the Medicare Disability Waiting Period Act of 2005
^[180]Medicare Beneficiary Assistance Improvement Act
^[181]Dylan Lee James Act
^[182]Early Treatment for HIV Act of 2005
^[183]Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits, and Security Act of 2005
^[184]Keeping Families Together Act
^[185]SSI Extension for Elderly and Disabled Refugees Act
^[186]Money Follows the Person Act of 2005
^[187]