I am committed to taking the necessary steps to restore basic accountability to our government. To this end, I have proposed reinstituting a World War II-era 'Truman Committee' to investigate waste, fraud and abuse in the Iraq reconstruction effort. I'm proud to say that with an amendment passed in the National Defense Authorization Act that I sponsored along with Senator McCaskill and my freshman colleagues, we accomplished that goal. This bill is a win for the American taxpayers who deserve real value for their investment and proper stewardship of their tax dollars.

We also fought to ensure that active-duty troops and units have at least as much time at home as the length of their previous tour in Iraq or Afghanistan. I regret that my amendment to protect the well-being of our troops through fair rotation cycles, which received a clear majority of 56 votes in the Senate, did not reach the number of votes to break a Republican filibuster. I will continue the fight to ensure that the leadership we provide our men and women in uniform is equal to the standards that we constantly set for them.

As the Congress moves forward to address these and other issues, I invite you to continue to be in touch with me and my staff. I also encourage you to forward this newsletter to friends and family and invite them to do the same. Your input is important to us. We are also continually updating our website, webb.senate.gov. So, check back regularly to see what's new.

Jim Webb

WEBB-MCCASKILL AMENDMENT WINS APPROVAL FOR LANDMARK WARTIME CONTRACTING ACCOUNTABILITY

On Thursday night, we won unanimous Senate approval for a provision in the Defense Authorization Act to establish an independent, bipartisan Commission to investigate U.S. wartime contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan. This was an historic moment for this Congress and my fellow freshman colleagues who campaigned on restoring basic accountability to our government.

While campaigning last year, we talked about the need for the federal government to work in an honest and efficient manner-and that American taxpayers get real value for their investment. Today, we're one step closer to that goal.

Senator McCaskill and I have been working for several months on this legislation to form a Commission on Wartime Contracting modeled after the "Truman Committee" which investigated government waste and fraud during World War II. This initiative received the support of 26 co-sponsors and a number of taxpayer watchdog groups including Project on Government Oversight and Taxpayers for Common Sense.

To read the entire press release, visit: http://webb.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=283942&

To watch Senator Webb deliver his opening remarks at a Democratic Policy Committee
hearing on Iraq War Contracting, visit: http://webb.senate.gov/pdf/warcontracting.ram

SENATE PASSES GANG BILL TO CRACK DOWN ON VIOLENT CRIME

Last week, the Senate passed the Gang Abatement and Prevention Act of 2007 to give local communities the law enforcement resources necessary to combat gang violence. I was proud to be an original co-sponsor of the comprehensive legislation that provides more than $1 billion over five years to deter and prosecute violent crime and help protect Virginia's communities from the growing threat of gangs.

I believe that this anti-gang bill will benefit communities in Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads, Southside and the Richmond, Roanoke, and Charlottesville areas that have a high density of gang membership and gang-related violence. It is so important that we give our local communities the tools to combat gang violence and help protect Virginia's kids from these destructive activities.

To read the press release, visit: http://webb.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=284632&

MAKING EDUCATION AFFORDABLE: STUDENT LOAN BILL BECOMES LAW

Last week, I was happy to see the President sign into law the College Cost Reduction and Access Act to make a college education more accessible and affordable for more Virginians. This historic legislation increases the amount of Pell Grant aid for low-income students, cuts student loan rates in half for students with subsidized loans, and encourages public service through providing loan forgiveness for public service employees.

With more than half of Virginia's students graduating with debt, it's about time that government starts serving the students instead of the student loan corporations. This bill is a big step towards that goal. I'm proud that we have passed legislation to make student loans more affordable and to fund the largest increase in college aid since the G.I. bill half a century ago.

SENATE SENDS CHILDREN'S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAM TO PRESIDENT

On Thursday, we passed the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) that provides health care to more than 100,000 of Virginia's children from low income families. The CHIP program has made tremendous progress in improving children's health care, and I'm pleased that Congress signaled its strong financial support for it last week.

I am also pleased that Virginia stands to receive an additional $46.7 million in funding for the Commonwealth's Family Access to Medical Insurance Security Plan (FAMIS), the name of the CHIP program in Virginia. On behalf of the hundreds of thousands of Virginia's children that will receive health care as a result of this bipartisan effort, I urge the President to sign this crucial piece of legislation into law.

To read the press release, visit: http://webb.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=284461&

WEBB INTRODUCES GOVERNOR KAINE BEFORE CHESAPEAKE BAY TESTIMONY

On Wednesday, I had the honor of introducing Governor Tim Kaine prior to his testimony before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works on the effects of climate change on the Chesapeake Bay. Under Governor Kaine’s leadership and the efforts by his predecessor, Governor Mark Warner, the Commonwealth has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in improving the water quality of the Chesapeake Bay. These are significant levels of investments, not only by the state, but by the local governments and communities in the Bay watershed.

In addition to Governor Kaine, Senator Warner and I understand how critical Virginia’s natural resources are to maintain and grow Virginia’s economy and protect our natural environment. In recent weeks, we secured numerous water resource and environmental projects for Virginia in the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 (WRDA). We have also introduced the CHESSEA Bill which seeks increased funding to promote conservation and reduce pollution in the Bay and surrounding waterways.

To read my introduction of Governor Kaine, visit: http://webb.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=284511&

To view pictures from the hearing, visit: epw.senate.gov

FUNDING SECURED FOR VIRGINIA’S ROADWAYS, MILITARY CONTRUCTION AND VETERANS AFFAIRS

We have passed a number of other funding bills that benefit the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Senate passed the Transportation-HUD Appropriations Act which I believe is an important step in addressing the critical transportation problems affecting Virginians’ quality of life. The Commonwealth received more than $61 million in appropriations for community development grants, Amtrak, and transportation projects in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.

There is no question that traffic is a quality of life issue and a potential obstacle to economic growth. I understand the transportation challenges that our growing state faces and I am committed to fight for increased transportation funding to ease Virginia’s congestion problems.

Another funding bill that was passed recently is the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act which provides $109.2 billion in appropriations for military construction projects, BRAC and veterans health care-- $4 billion more than the President’s budget request.

Senator Warner and I worked together to secure millions for critical construction projects for Virginia’s military installations--including defense agencies, the Virginia Army National Guard, and the U.S. Joint Forces Command Headquarters in Norfolk. The bill also provides funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to begin to reduce their 600,000-claim backlog and provide for the long-term needs of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Washington PostTalk -Last week, I sat down with Washington Post congressional reporters, Jonathan Weisman and Shalaigh Murray, and answered questions about the Iraq War, my dwell time amendment, and how we should move forward in Iraq.

To view this interview, visit: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2007/09/26/VI2007092601586.html

NPR Series on GI Bill, Past and Present -NPR's John McChesney did a series last week on the history of the GI Bill from past to present. His report chronicled the benefits and contributions made by World War II veterans as a result of the GI Bill and the current need expressed by returning GIs for similar educational benefits. I spoke with John about my GI bill, S.22, and why our servicemembers have earned it.

To hear my interview and more about S.22, visit: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14761446

In addition to NPR's piece on the need for a new GI Bill, Marcia Mercer of the Richmond Times Dispatch wrote an editorial in support of my GI Bill and called for our grateful nation to show gratitude to our troops with big ideas like the benefits that gave prosperity to generations after World War II.

To read Marcia's piece, visit: http://webb.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=284571&

Capital Sunday with Leon Harris on WDBJ ABC 7 -On Sunday, I appeared on Capital Sunday with Leon Harris where we discussed the Senate passage of the Webb-McCaskill amendment to establish a Commission on Wartime Contracting, the Senate passage of hate crime legislation, and resolutions on Iran.

To watch my interview with Leon, visit: http://capitalsunday.com/

Please feel free to forward this newsletter to friends and family and invite them to do the same!

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