Published: 08-01-08
AUDIO: http://src.senate.gov/public/_files/radio/cornynnewsconfintro7_31_082.mp3
WASHINGTON—U.S. Sen. John Cornyn Vice Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference discussed several topics on his weekly press conference call Thursday including:
• Gas Prices / Energy Security. With the Senate scheduled to adjourn this week for a month-long recess Sen. Cornyn urged Congress to find a solution that deals with the number one issue facing Americans today – skyrocketing gas prices.
Senate Democrats this week have scheduled a series of votes on unrelated issues designed to move the Senate off the energy debate but Sen. Cornyn and his Republican colleagues have successfully defeated these off-subject measures already and vowed to oppose further distraction attempts in order to keep the Senate focused on energy and gas prices until concrete action is taken.
• Medicare Fraud. Sen. Cornyn co-chaired a forum with Sen. Mel Martinez to examine efforts Congress should take to target and eliminate Medicare fraud. Sen. Cornyn said the forum was an opportunity to shed light on the true costs of Medicare fraud and the root causes that must be addressed. According to experts inaction is allowing rampant waste fraud and abuse. Sens. Cornyn and Martinez have introduced legislation the Seniors and Taxpayers Obligation Protection Act or STOP Act which represents a first important step in fighting Medicare fraud.
• Tobacco Bill. Sen. Cornyn praised House passage of companion legislation he introduced in the Senate the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act which would give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority to prevent tobacco manufacturers from targeting young people to smoke and reduce overall tobacco use. He called it an important step in the right direction to cracking down on youth smoking preventing cancer and heart disease and addressing rising health care costs. The Senate version which Sen. Cornyn introduced along with Sen. Ted Kennedy awaits full consideration by the Senate.
• Border Patrol Agents Ramos and Compean. Sen. Cornyn expressed his strong disappointment with Monday’s ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit which upheld virtually all of the convictions against imprisoned Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean and called upon President Bush to step forward and commute their sentences. Sen. Cornyn first requested a commutation of their sentences in a letter sent to President Bush on July 18 2007 and sent a follow-up letter to the President reiterating this request on April 21 2008.
A studio-quality radio actuality of Sen. Cornyn’s comments is available for download in MP3 format:
http://src.senate.gov/public/_files/radio/cornynnewsconfintro7_31_082.mp3
Or http://src.senate.gov/radio/ (Click on Cornyn)
