BUDGET: The federal Budget for the upcoming fiscal year will be debated on the floor of the Senate this week. As a member of the Senate Budget Committee, I participated in last week's mark-up that started the formal process. I was proud that the committee unanimously approved my provision to include funds for improved access to pediatric dental care for children from low-income families. This is a critical time for me to help shape a budget that best reflects the priorities of Marylanders and all Americans. As I have said many times, for seven years we have received budget proposals from the President that have been wrong for our country. Congress has done better during this time to step up support for working families and those who need help the most. See video of my remarks from last week's Budget Committee hearing here.

In addition to better healthcare for all, I intend to continue to promote funding for preventive care and long-term care through Medicare and other programs. It is essential that our budget also includes solutions to the problems facing our housing market and credit crunch. I want more reliable funding for MARC, Amtrak, and Washington's Metro System. I will strive to ensure treasures like the Chesapeake Bay are given adequate resources for clean-up and sustainability. And I will work to ensure that the Federal Government fulfills its responsibility to support communities welcoming thousands of new residents and jobs to our State thanks to the Base Realignment (BRAC) process.

CIVIL RIGHTS: This week, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a confirmation hearing for Grace Chung Becker, President Bush's nominee for Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice (DOJ). The Civil Rights Division is responsible for enforcing federal statutes prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, religion, and national origin. The Division has been under recent scrutiny due to the extensive influence of politics at the Department of Justice and for its lack of enforcement in filing cases.

I am not impressed with the performance of the Division in enforcing anti-discrimination statutes enacted by Congress, including laws relating to voting rights, civil rights, housing, and employment. I am concerned that the DOJ under the Bush Administration has filed a decreasing number of either high impact or precedent-setting cases challenging racial discrimination. Ms. Becker specifically has approvingly stated that the DOJ was shifting its focus and priority away from race discrimination cases to other priorities. But its racial discrimination work is far from being completed. And often only the DOJ has the resources to file these types of complex cases. Just last year, America saw a rash of noose hangings, hate crimes, and other discriminatory acts across our nation. This is not a time to put civil rights on the back burner. I look forward to questioning Ms. Becker on many civil rights issues.

HOUSING/BANKRUPTCY: Also in the Judiciary Committee this week, we will be considering S. 2136, Helping Families Save Their Homes in Bankruptcy Act. Maryland has experienced a 39% increase in foreclosures in the last quarter. Nationwide, risky lending practices in the subprime mortgage market have put approximately 2.2 million families in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure. These families are trapped in "exploding" subprime loans they can no longer afford. The bill we are considering could help more than 600,000 of these financially-troubled families keep their homes, by allowing them to modify their mortgages in bankruptcy. I find it questionable that a current homeowner facing financial difficulty can get relief on the terms of the mortgage for their vacation property but not their primary residence. This bill eliminates a provision of the bankruptcy law that families who meet strict income and expense criteria can get the help they need. I will continue to work with my colleagues to promote this bill and other meaningful legislation to help Americans caught in the housing crisis.

FIGHTING AIDS GLOBALLY: As a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, I will participate this week in a markup session for legislation to provide assistance to foreign countries for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria over the next five years. This $50 billion authorization, once again, provides more funding than the President's request. It continues practices that make delivery of funds easier and balances both prevention and treatment. I expect to offer an amendment that focuses on the human resources for sustainability aspect of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. My amendment focuses on pre-service training for health professionals. Under my approach, U.S. policy will support strengthening capacity of institutions to develop and implement policies; equip teachers with skills to treat and cope with HIV/AIDS; support policy development and reform; and promote and share best practices.