A Blog Called Hope

Friday, Senator Jack Reed announced the acquisition of $2.5 million in federal aid to build new middle schools in Woonsocket

“U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) today announced that the city of Woonsocket will receive a $2.5 million boost in its efforts to build two new middle schools and recreational facilities off Hamlet Avenue.

The new schools will replace the existing middle school at Park Place.  In April, Reed helped secure $600,000 in federal funding to clean up and restore this former industrial site.

“I am pleased we were able to provide the City of Woonsocket with a flexible source of financing to help build these new schools,” said Reed, a senior member of the Banking Committee, which oversees federal housing policy, and member of the Appropriations Committee, which provides all federal spending on HUD programs.  “This redevelopment project will help relieve overcrowded classrooms and improve the city’s public school system.”

For more information visit, Jack Reed’s website.

Rhode Island family accompanies Senator Reed (D-RI) for the signing of a bill which calls for $150 million in funding for youth cancer research

“The Haights, who are from Warwick, were at The White House Tuesday as President Bush signed a bill, honoring their son. Vince and Nancy Haight asked Senator Jack Reed to help secure funding for childhood cancer research, after their son, Ben, died from the disease.” -WPRI

To read the article, visit WPRI online.

Sen. Reed outlines the Democratic vision for safely redeploying American troops from Iraq and focusing on the global war against terror.

Here is the audio from Senator Reed’s address:

Soon after returning from his political journey abroad, Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) stopped by ‘Face the Nation’ to report on his foreign policy trip with Senator Obama.

Check out the video from the appearance below:

Senator Obama and Senator Reed land in Jordan for a summit with Jordanian leaders

Today, Senator Obama will partake in a private meeting with King Abdullah. Later in the evening Senator Obama and the King will be joined by Senators Reed (D-RI) and Hagel (R-NE), and top Jordanian officials, for dinner.

The group will discuss the role of the United States and Jordan in combating terrorism.

During meetings between Senators Obama, Reed, and Hagel, Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki expresses support of Obama’s plan for Iraq

Presidential candidate Barack Obama, accompanied by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE), continued their whirlwind tour of the Middle East and Europe yesterday by meeting with Iraqi PM al-Maliki. The four men, along with United States Generals, discussed the United States’ role in Iraq and within the region.

During the conversation, the parties addressed Senator Obama’s plans for a withdrawal in 2010. Despite John McCain’s vehement opposition to a withdrawal, it certainly appears that Iraq itself wants such a timetable. The traveling party quoted al-Maliki as supportive of Obama’s plans and that Iraq wishes for “our continued help in training Iraqi security forces, helping conduct counter-terrorism operations, developing Iraq’s economy and advancing political compromise,” as opposed to continued United States military operations in the country.

Senators Obama, Reed, and Hagel will be in Jordan today to meet with the Jordanian royal family.

For more on this story visit, USA Today.

Yesterday, Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) announced that he has secured

$1.3 million in federal funding for RIPTA

On Monday, Senator Jack Reed formally announced that he has secured more than $1.3 million in federal funding for the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority.

With this money, the RIPTA plans to upgrade its fleet of over 200 buses that provide convenient and affordable transportation to tens of thousands of Rhode Islanders.

This is yet another example of the diligent work Senator Reed has been doing for both our country and the people of Rhode Island. On top of this acquisition for the RIPTA, Senator Reed has also been tirelessly working on behalf of Rhode Island’s struggling homeowners.

As the election year heats up, and Senator Reed prepares to ratchet up his campaign, it has never been more clear that Senator Reed is the right choice for our state.

For more on this story, visit the Boston Globe.

This past Sunday, Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) faced off with

Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) on ‘ABC This Week’

The two Senators from neighboring states traded barbs over the war in Iraq and which Presidential candidate would best serve the interests of the people of the United States.

Trying to bridge the overwhelming popularity gap between the two Presidential candidates, Senator Lieberman tried to paint McCain as strikingly similar to Obama on the war in Iraq. However, Senatory Reed quickly pointed out that, “Sen. Obama is outlining a strategy to redeploy our forces out of Iraq. Sen. McCain has a strategy of staying there indefinitely. That is the key, significant strategic difference.”

Here is a snippet from the interview.

For more, visit ABC News or the ABC’s News Blog.

Senator Jack Reed continues to be a catalyst for rescuing struggling homeowners

As mentioned last week, Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) has been working extremely hard to salvage homeowners from the current mortgage crisis.

In yesterday’s Providence Journal, John Mulligan detailed the work that Senator Reed has been doing on Capitol Hill. As a member of the Senate Banking and Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, Reed has worked to craft a revenue producing fee on leading lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The money from these fees would help create a federal housing fund that would go to finance federally backed mortgage insurance to alleviate the financial burden on indebted homeowners.
Senator Dodd (D-CT), Chairman of the Banking Committee, believes this new bill would raise roughly $500 million that would help stave off foreclosure for as many as 500,000 families.

The bill itself is built to adapt to the changing economic culture. The “rescue” function of the bill will eventually phase out and the new housing fund will remain to provide a source of subsidies for low-cost housing for the poor.

“Good housing is essential to families, not just for shelter but for whether they have a chance to live decently, whether they can hold a job, how they can hold a job with a permanent address, whether the kids can do well in school. It’s hard if you go to two or three different schools moving house to house.” -Senator Jack Reed (D-RI)

In an insightful piece in today’s New York Times, David M. Herszenhorn details Senator Jack Reed’s (D-RI) steadfast efforts to assist homeowners ravaged by the current mortgage crisis.

Here are a few snippets from the Times article:

“In the West End, with its 19th-century Victorians and clapboard triple-deckers, dozens of homes are up for auction and dozens more have been seized by banks. And Rhode Island, which has the fourth-highest unemployment rate in the country behind Michigan, California and Alaska, is among the top 10 states for subprime foreclosures.

Rhode Island’s housing woes receive little notice compared with the more serious plight of states like Florida and Nevada. Similarly overlooked is Mr. Reed’s central role in clinching an agreement on a foreclosure rescue bill last month — the latest sign of his rising stature as a quiet dealmaker respected by colleagues in both parties. Mr. Reed’s name even appears on some lists as a potential running mate for Senator Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee.

It was Mr. Reed who accompanied Senator Christopher J. Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut and chairman of the banking committee, to meet with Senator Richard C. Shelby of Alabama, the committee’s top Republican, when they brokered the final terms of the foreclosure rescue plan, which will widen access to federally insured mortgages without tapping taxpayer money.” (New York Times, June 17, 2008)

“He is to be commended for his tenacity, for his never-give-up,” said Mr. Shelby, who, like Mr. Reed, prefers to flex his legislative muscle behind the scenes.

Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York and a fellow member of the banking committee, said Mr. Reed pressed for years to create the affordable-housing fund, and finally found the perfect moment.

“Once again,” Mr. Schumer said, “Jack does it in his quiet, steadfast way, and it is extremely effective.”

“There is sometimes a tendency to assume that everyone in this great country has adequate housing. But when you go to certain places, certain neighborhoods, both urban and rural, you find out that’s not the case, and I think we have to do much more… Average Americans, you know, they don’t have any traction economically. That was always in the back of their mind and sort of part of their financial plan, which is, If I really got into a problem, at least I have the equity in my home, I can use that. Now, they don’t know if they do, and in many cases they don’t.” -Senator Jack Reed, (New York Times, June 17, 2008).