In my district, the budget scales back and eliminates several long-term shore protection projects important to the safety and economic security of Long Island.

There are always, of course, job losses of a cyclical nature in a recession.

As a personal beneficiary of the service that Amtrak provides and as someone who represents a congressional district that counts on safe, reliable rail service, I am a strong supporter of providing this vital industry the funding necessary to continue operations.

Our nation and those of the developed world must offer our own resistance to despot leaders who seek to commit murder on the basis of religion or race.

In this time of budget cuts, we cannot forget that basic science is a building block for scientific innovation and economic growth in the information age.

A healthy Amtrak is an integral part of New York and the Nation's economy and transportation systems.

Meanwhile, hard-working Americans are increasingly faced with workplace conditions in which critically important safeguards are watered down, emerging problems are ignored, and enforcement is scaled back.