Today I cast a vote to help the small business owners with shops on 19th Street in Allentown and Northampton Street in Easton.

I voted for a bill that I believe will help the people in the 15th District who need to buy a car on Lehigh Street or who are trying to buy a home on Broad Street in Bethlehem.

I voted for a bill that offers greater protections to people in our community who keep their money in banks on Tilghman Street.

I rejected the first version of this legislation because I decided that I wasn’t going to allow the dealmakers on Wall Street and the powerbrokers in Washington to throw a bill for $700 billion in front of the taxpayers of the 15th District and tell me to approve it without asking questions or without negotiating for the people I represent.

Because I, and like-minded Representatives from both parties, refused to abdicate our responsibilities, the bill I voted for today is a better bill than the one that was originally presented to the House on Monday.

BREAKING: Democrats Attempt to Literally Silence House Republican Energy Message

An extraordinary event is going on right now on the House floor. A group of Republicans have taken to the floor to demand the Congress stay and work after the Democrat-led House voted to adjourn for five weeks without taking action to deal with our nation’s energy crisis.

Though the American people are certainly eager to hear lawmakers talking about meaningful energy solutions, Democrats had other plans – trying to literally silence the minority by shutting down the cameras, turning out the lights, and shutting off the microphones.

·         The Politico reports that “Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the Democrats adjourned the House and turned off the light and killed the microphones, but Republicans are still on the floor talking gas prices.”

·         According to CQ, “Around 12:30 p.m., the bright TV lights in the chamber were turned off, as Chief Deputy Minority Whip Eric Cantor, R-Va., was speaking. Cantor didn’t miss a beat, declaring, ‘Turn off the lights, turn off the mikes, kick out the press because they [the Democrats] don’t want to deal with this important issue.’”

·         Members participating in the spontaneous uprising included Rep. Michael Burgess, Rep. John Campbell, Rep. Eric Cantor, Rep. Shelly Moore Capito, Rep. John Carter, Rep. Mike Conaway, Rep. John Culberson, Rep. Charlie Dent, Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, Rep. Virginia Foxx, Rep. Louie Gohmert, Rep. Pete Hoekstra, Rep. Duncan Hunter, Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, Rep. Mike Pence, Rep. Tom Price, Rep. Ted Poe, Rep. Bill Sali, Rep. John Shadegg, Rep. John Shimkus, Rep. Tim Walberg, and Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, Rep. Roy Blunt, Rep. John Boehner, and Rep. Adam Putnam.

KEEPING THE HEAT ON DEMOCRAT LEADERS: Republican Leaders Demand Emergency Session to Vote on Lowering Gas Prices

In a letter to Speaker Pelosi today, House GOP Leaders urged her to call an emergency session of the House to debate and vote on legislation to help bring down gas prices. Here are excerpts of the letter:

“With American families and small businesses facing record high gasoline prices, Congress has adjourned to leave Washington for a five-week break.  The message this sends to the American people is bad enough; its ramifications, however, are far worse.  You have the power to call Congress back into session at any moment to deal with issues of urgent national importance.”

“We should not wait until September to do so, and frankly, we should not wait another day to do so.  Congress should not take the next five weeks off while the American people suffer at the pump.  We respectfully request that you schedule a vote on the comprehensive American Energy Act during an emergency legislative session this month.”

Bennet Challenges Dent to Debate – Then Fails to Show

at Candidates’ Forum!

For immediate release

Contact: Shawn Millan

610.758.9080 

In another misstep typical of her campaign, Congressional candidate and Executive Director of Properties of Merit, Siobhan Bennett, failed to attend a debate/candidate’s forum during the very same week she issued a debate challenge to Representative Charlie Dent.

"It was amazing," said Representative Dent. "She issues a challenge to debate during the week of August 11th, a non-partisan group (the Parkland School District Alumni Association) holds a forum that attracts fifty people from the community and Siobhan Bennett is nowhere to be seen." 

This calls into question the sincerity of Bennett’s debate challenge. “This is what she said she wanted; a chance to debate her energy plan with me. I rearranged my schedule so that I could attend, but Bennett was a no-show. Maybe she’s more interested in issuing challenges and sending letters than in actually doing the debates,” said Dent

Representative Dent questioned if perhaps Bennett is having second thoughts about focusing a debate solely on energy because of the unrealistic nature of her “Drill Nothing” extremist approach to the energy issue. “I think to a certain degree she must see that even Sen. Obama, her party’s presidential candidate, has had to do a 180 degree turn on allowing for greater American energy production.  Sam is stuck way out there in an extreme, irrational position that the majority of the people in this district don’t support. A position, in fact, the majority of the American people don’t agree with. That has to be awkward for her and her campaign to deal with.” 

Congressman Dent’s campaign manager, Shawn Millan, commented on how ridiculous the incident makes Bennett look.  “Standard operating procedure for the Bennett campaign is to make outrageous statements and then to get called on her facts.  She went on a radio program recently and called Charlie a ‘chicken’ for not debating her, then the very week she says she wants to schedule a debate on an important issue – she fails to show up at a debate.  It looks like the Bennett campaign laid another egg.” 

Millan added that Congressman Dent has already accepted three other invitations from three groups interested in sponsoring debates during the fall. 

#30

Join Congressman Charlie Dent and Former Philadelphia Flyer Brian Propp
for an evening of fun, food, autographs & pictures for the entire family

Benefiting Charlie’s Congressional Re-election Campaign

Monday August 25, 2008, 5:30pm until 7:30pm

Stooges Bar and Grill

2101 W. Liberty Street
Allentown, PA 18104

Click Here To Download Invitation!