Skip to content
News and updates

Month: March 2009

Senator Cantwell Issues Statement on Nomination of Gary Locke

Posted on

Cantwell Welcomes Governor Gary Locke’s Appointment as Secretary of Commerce

As a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, Chair of the Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard, and a Washingtonian, I am excited that former Governor Gary Locke has been nominated for Secretary of Commerce. As the country begins to tackle the tough challenges ahead of us, Governor Locke will bring years of experience and commitment to get our economy back on track and increase U.S. competitiveness. As Secretary of Commerce, Governor Locke will be responsible for promoting economic growth, technological competitiveness, and sustainable development.  Governor Locke’s familiarity with Washington and the nation’s dependence on international trade makes him a perfect pick for Secretary of Commerce. In addition, his experience with fish and ocean issues will provide him with a basis for the many difficult issues that will face him in this arena.  For these reasons I am confident Governor Locke will be a great help assisting President Obama to get the economy back on its feet.

Education Stimulus Funds Scrutinized

Posted on

A leading Congressional Republican is asking Education Secretary Arne Duncan for significantly more information about how the department plans to spend $100 billion in new funds from the economic stimulus package and to monitor how the money is used. Rep. Howard P. (Buck) McKeon wrote to Duncan last week to ask how the department will oversee the flow of funds to states and the effectiveness with which states spend the money.

Letter to Education Secretary from Congressman McKeon

FY09 Budget in the Senate

Posted on

The Senate will begin voting today on amendments to the FY’09 omnibus spending bill.  One amendment, offered by Senator John McCain (R-Arizona), would simply extend the current continuing resolution (CR) for the remainder of the year.  The current CR, which funds most all domestic agencies and the State Department at 2008 levels, expires midnight Friday, March 6th.  Congress would likely need to enact a short-term extension if it can’t clear the bill by Friday.  Senate leadership has not yet decided on how many amendments to allow but they have indicated that they want to conclude work on the omnibus by Thursday.

CBO Says Stimulus Will Create Jobs

Posted on

The economic recovery law enacted last month could create up to 3.6 million jobs by the end of 2010, equaling the Obama administration’s claim the measure will create 3.5 million jobs in that time, according to a final cost estimate of the legislation released Monday by CBO. For job creation, CBO estimates the bill could create from 0.9 million to 2.3 million jobs by the end of 2009 and from 1.2 million to 3.6 million jobs by the end of 2010, with more jobs created than declining. On economic growth, CBO estimates a boost in GDP of 1.4 percent to 3.8 percent by the end of 2009, 1.1 percent to 3.4 percent by the end of 2010, and 0.4 percent to 1.2 percent by the end of 2011 — with a small possible decline beginning in 2015.

CBO Report

UW FY10 Federal Agenda Project Sheets Available

Posted on

Below, please find individual projects information sheets for the initiatives selected for the UW Fiscal Year 2010 Federal Agenda. The projects identified below combined with a forthcoming set of federal agency/program funding recommendations constitute the University’s primary federal advocacy plan for the coming year.