Congressman Lynch Votes to Hold Iraqi Government Accountable, Bring U.S. Troops Home Sooner Congressman Lynch voted in favor of the Troop Readiness, Veteran’s Health and Iraq Accountability Act (H.R. 1591), which revokes the blank check given to President Bush by the Republican-led Congress.  Specifically, this legislation promotes greater accountability by the Iraqi government and the Bush Administration by conditioning the presence of American troops to the Iraqi government attaining various benchmarks.  The bill encourages the Iraqi government to focus on national reconciliation through the equitable distribution of oil revenues, create greater political opportunities for the Sunni minority, amend the Iraqi Constitution to discourage greater fragmentation, and stop shielding the Shiite militias that have been engaged in sectarian conflict.  Regrettably, President Bush vetoed this measure on May 1, 2007.  One day later, Congressman Lynch joined 221 of his House colleagues in voting in favor of legislation to override the President’s veto. However, with 197 Republicans voting against the veto override, the measure, unfortunately, did not pass the House.

Congressman Lynch Leads CODEL to Iraq and Afghanistan In April, Congressman Lynch led a bipartisan Congressional Delegation (CODEL) to Iraq and Afghanistan to conduct congressional oversight of the Iraq Reconstruction process and assess the situation along Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan.  After the CODEL, Congressman Lynch met with President Bush and members of his Administration to discuss the group’s findings.  You can read here what Congressman Lynch had to say after that meeting.

Members of Congressman Lynch's CODEL meet with American soldiers in Iraq.

Congressman Lynch meets with Gen. David Petraeus, Commander of Multinational Force Iraq.

Congressman Lynch speaks with Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan.

Congressman Lynch Testifies on His Iraq Legislation On March 20, Congressman Lynch testified at the House Committee on Foreign Affairs’ hearing, “U.S. Policy in Iraq” on his legislation, The Iraq Transition Act (H.R. 533).  You can read his full testimony here .

Congressman Lynch Seeks to Improve Seniors’ Financial Literacy For senior citizens who grew up in an age before Internet banking, ATMs, and highly sophisticated fraud schemes, financial literacy may be difficult to achieve.  However, it is vital to true financial security.  To that end, Congressman Lynch has introduced The Retirement Security Education Act (H.R. 531) and recently appeared on an hour-long special on Retirement Living TV to discuss his legislation.

Congressman Lynch discusses the Retirement Security Education Act with Retirement Living TV host John Palmer.

House Approves Lynch Rail Security Amendment The U.S. House of Representatives approved Congressman Lynch’s amendment to The Rail & Public Transportation Security Act (H.R. 1401) that would require the Secretary of Homeland Security to issue a report within one year on the progress of emergency training for rail workers.  You can read more on the amendment here .

House Financial Services Committee Passes Lynch Housing Amendment Recently, the U.S. House Financial Services Committee passed Congressman Lynch’s amendment to The Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2007 (H.R. 1427). Lynch’s amendment directs the Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) or Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to require that 1- to 4-family rental housing units be included in affordable housing goals. The amendment will especially benefit residents in states like Massachusetts where housing costs are skyrocketing and the waiting lists for affordable housing continue to grow.  To read more about this amendment click here .

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