Maine: Chellie Pingree

U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, addressed the House Committee on the Budget Wednesday and named health care and clean energy as her priorities.

Pingree's comments came on the same day President Barack Obama called on his supporters to canvass neighborhoods this weekend to talk to people about his budget.

If any of you are planning to take part, drop me a line at scover@centralmaine.com.

Here are some highlights from Pingree's remarks:

•Many hard working Mainers have full time jobs but are still uninsured or underinsured. And far too many of them are just one illness or one accident away from bankruptcy.

President Barack Obama created The White House Council on Women and Girls, whose stated goals are:
* Improving women's economic security by ensuring that each of the agencies is working to directly improve the economic status of women.

* Working with each agency to ensure that the administration evaluates and develops policies that establish a balance between work and family.

* Working hand-in-hand with the Vice President, the Justice Department's Office of Violence Against Women and other government officials to find new ways to prevent violence against women, at home and abroad.

* Finally, the critical work of the Council will be to help build healthy families and improve women's health care.

WASHINGTON — Senators grilled federal auditors Thursday on ways to prevent waste and fraud as the government doles out the first portions of a $787 billion economic stimulus package.

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is charged with the task of overseeing the billions of stimulus dollars aimed at saving and creating jobs and boosting consumer spending. Committee members asked federal inspectors how they would monitor the money, at least $58 billion of which already has been allocated to specific programs, according to the Office of Management and Budget.

Lawmakers said it could be difficult balancing efficiency with the need to spend the stimulus funds quickly, which most economists say is necessary if the money is to effectively boost the economy.

You'll recall that I wrote about this story by Eric Lipton that appeared in the NYTimes, about Mike Cantrell and his kickback scheme that involved our nation's missile defense system. From it:
Mr. Cantrell worked in a division that was a small part of the national missile defense program. Determined to save his job, he often bypassed his bosses and broke department rules to make his case on Capitol Hill. He enlisted contractors to pitch projects that would keep the dollars flowing and paid lobbyists to ease them through. He cultivated lawmakers, who were eager to send money back home or to favored contractors and did not ask many questions.