Making College Affordable; Working to End HIV/AIDS; Honoring our Veterans

Making College Affordable
Giving Americans a strong education is a critical investment in the strength and future of our workforce and the growth of our economy. This week, under pressure from Democrats and President Obama, House Republicans finally put forth a bill to prevent student loan interest rates from doubling for more than 7 million students nationwide. Unfortunately, their plan eliminates the Prevention and Public Health Fund; undermining the well-being of women and children. By choosing this path, Republicans are destroying investments in:

• Childhood immunizations;
• Screening for breast and cervical cancer;
• Initiatives to reduce birth defects.

This is why I voted against the Republican bill. I will not vote for a bill that claims to support a middle class initiative, but then asks those very same middle class families to go without critical preventative health care. House Republicans must join Democrats to develop a real solution that prevents a disastrous increase in the student loan rate.

Congresswoman Pelosi plants trees during a Community Volunteer Workday at the National AIDS Memorial Grove.

Working to End HIV/AIDS
For 20 years, the National AIDS Memorial Grove has stood as a monument to all that we have lost, but also all that we have held onto – our hope, our optimism, our steadfastness and determination in the fight against HIV/AIDS and our compassion for those who are living with this disease. That is why I was so proud to author legislation to make this sacred place a National Memorial in 1996. When we first introduced the legislation, many people said that it would never pass. But San Francisco persevered, because it all started here, for better or worse – the discovery, the sadness, the more than one funeral a day, the loss of our friends, and then an idea to remember in the spirit of renewal. The Grove has educated generations about AIDS, the environment, and service. On Saturday, I joined volunteers to plant trees and remember. Together, we will work with determination, hope, and compassion until the day that the HIV/AIDS pandemic is a terrible memory.

Honoring our Veterans
“Go for Broke” was the motto of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team as it defended our country against tyranny abroad and fought to end discrimination at home. Despite the injustice of internment, Japanese Americans who served in the 442nd, the 100th Infantry Battalion and the Military Intelligence Service (MIS) rose above the injustice to save American lives. On Sunday, I was pleased to honor the heroes who were unable to travel to Washington, DC to receive the Congressional Gold Medal at a ceremony in the U.S. Capitol last year.

As the site of the first headquarters of the MIS, San Francisco is proud of the heroism demonstrated by the honorees, many of whom call the city home. I commend the National Japanese American Historical Society for their efforts to create a museum in the Presidio to honor those who served in the MIS. Working with my colleagues, I was able to secure $3 million in federal funding to rehabilitate the site of the original MIS school. Once completed, the facility will showcase a permanent and rotating exhibition area; ensuring that the efforts of our heroic soldiers are never forgotten.

Please feel free to forward this information to your family and friends. To learn more about these efforts, to express your views, or to sign up for email updates, please visit my website. I am also on Twitter at https://twitter.com/NancyPelosi.