May 15: Kaptur Voices Opposition to Implementation of U.S. - Colombia FTA

U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur (OH-9) voiced strong disagreement as the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) takes effect today. 
 
“The implementation of the free trade agreement with Colombia is further proof that the promised labor right protections in NAFTA style deals are meaningless,” Rep. Kaptur stated. “For decades, we have been told that these types of deals improve working conditions in partner countries.  This simply is not true.”

According to the AFL-CIO, more than 2,850 trade unionists have been murdered in Colombia over the last 25 years.  

Kaptur Criticizes Republican Budget Proposal

By Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) - 05/11/12 03:57 PM ET

In an interview on National Public Radio, Congresswoman Kaptur said the the budget debate this week on Capitol Hill is "nothing more than the latest political  talking points for the Republican Party."

May 2: Kaptur Christens New Tug in Cleveland

By Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) - 05/2/12 03:00 PM ET

U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur (OH-9) joined company officials and community leaders to christen a newly-built tugboat, "Handy Three," at the Great Lakes Shipyards.

March 26: Kaptur Op-Ed Published in 'The Hill' Newspaper

Ryan budget hits vulnerable Americans hardest

By Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) - 03/26/12 04:35 PM ET

It has been said time and time again that a budget is a moral document: a statement of our values and priorities as a nation. Last week the House Budget Committee passed a FY 2013 budget resolution that shamelessly cut taxes for oil companies and the wealthiest Americans, will destroy several million American jobs, and ends the Medicare guarantee for many current and all future beneficiaries. I will refrain from making judgments on the morality of those favoring this Ryan Republican Budget plan and instead say that this budget is a highly irresponsible, unjust fiscal plan for our nation. It benefits the few at the expense of the many.

March 21: Kaptur: Veterans Job Corps Amendment is Overdue

Republicans Vote Down Initiative to Create Jobs for Returning Veterans

Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur offered an amendment today in the House Budget Committee's mark up of the Fiscal Year 2013 Budget Resolution.

Kaptur's amendment would establish a Veterans Job Corps that would employ at least 20,000 veterans over 5 years in projects to preserve and restore America's national parks, state parks, and other public lands.

While the Veterans Job Corps amendment drew unanimous support from House Democrats, it was voted down 17-20 in the Republican controlled House Budget Committee this afternoon.

"I can only hope that the lack of sensitivity for the plight of unemployed returning veterans will change. These men and women answered the call to service for their country and now they are getting nothing but a dial tone from House Republicans," Kaptur said.

"President Franklin Delano Roosevelt set up the original CCC in very short order. In three months, there were 1,463 working camps and 317,000 employees," added Kaptur.

The Veterans Job Corps amendment was based on the bill Kaptur introduced last year, the 21st Century Civilian Conservation Corps Act (H.R. 494), as a means of providing gainful employment to unemployed and underemployed citizens through public works projects.

Veterans, particularly those recently returned from deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan have been disproportionately affected by the depressed economy. A year ago, more than 1 million veterans were unemployed. In February, that number had declined to 770,000. About 150,000 of these are veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The President recently embraced the idea of a...

February 23 - Kaptur Praises Administration’s Focus on Asian Carp

Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur welcomed the release today by the Obama Administration of the 2012 Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework. The report outlines specific plans to protect the Great Lakes from invasive Asian carp, including new technologies to improve Asian carp capture rates, prioritizing eDNA sampling for Asian carp, and improving and replacing barriers in the Chicago Area Waterway System.

"I am glad President Obama has made a priority of protecting our Great Lakes from an Asian carp invasion, which would devastate our $7 billion fishing industry," said Kaptur, a cosponsor of the Stop Asian Carp Act.

Congresswoman Kaptur recently held a well-attended public forum on Asian Carp. Community stakeholders heard from White House Asian Carp Director John Goss, and representatives from the EPA, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Army Corps of Engineers, and U.S. Geological Survey.

Kaptur noted the importance of the meeting, explaining, "Federal agencies need to hear from the people who would be affected by an invasion of Asian carp. That meeting allowed input from our region to be included in the new plan released today."

The Ninth District represented by Congresswoman Kaptur covers a large portion of Lake Erie, which is the Great Lakes' largest fishery, and would suffer the worst effects if Asian carp were to pass through the Chicago canals and into Lake Erie.

"We must protect our lake. That is why I have worked diligently with my colleagues on the Appropriations Committee to provide funding for critical programs like the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, and to accelerate the...

February 15: Kaptur Urges President Obama to Settle Compensation Issues Resulting from Terrorist Attacks Supported by Qaddafi Regime with Victims Families

Today Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur urged President Barack Obama to conduct negotiations with the new Libyan government and the Israeli government to provide compensation to the victims of the Munich massacre at the Olympic Games in 1972.

Ohioan David Berger was one of the 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team that were killed by the terrorist group, the Black September Organization. The National Park Service's David Berger National Memorial is located in Beachwood, Ohio, and honors David Berger and all of the victims of the tragedy in Munich.

Click here to see a copy of the letter.

NYT Op-Ed: "Time to Revive Home Ec"

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NYT: "Tea Party’s War on America"

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Toledo Blade: "Mayores Senior Center: Get Vertical"

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NYT: "The Good Banker"

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NYT: "The Anatomy of a Top-Down Disaster" ("The Unwisdom of Elites")

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