Military Officers Association of America Honors Sen. Burr

MOAA awards Senator Burr for work to relieve burden of relocations

Washington DC -- Last night, U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) received the 2010 Colonel Arthur T. Marix Congressional Leadership Award for his work in support of America’s men and women in uniform, their military families, and for his work in championing the Military Spouse Residency Relief Act. The award was sponsored by the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), an organization of active duty, National Guard, Reserve, former and retired military officers and surviving spouses with over 370,000 members nationwide.

"The strength of our nation’s military force depends on the strength of military families,” Senator Burr said. “Military families provide the support our men and women in uniform need to do their job, and it is incumbent on us to make their lives easier as they undergo frequent relocations and deployments. Allowing military spouses to have equal residency rights and to help them advance their careers and find employment opportunities despite frequent relocations are just small ways that we can make their lives just a little bit easier. I’m deeply appreciative of this award and humbled to be a part of creating policy that benefits families who sacrifice every day for our nation’s well-being."

“The top award that MOAA presented to Senator Burr recognizes the highest caliber of leadership, dedication, and love of country,” said Retired U.S. Marine Corps Gen. Richard I. Neal, Chairman of MOAA’s Board of Directors. “It also recognizes the desire for a strong national defense, and—most importantly—steadfast support for the uniformed men and women who make that strong defense a reality.”

Last year, Senator Burr introduced the Military Spouse Residency Relief Act, which was signed into law on Veterans Day in 2009. This bill allows military spouses to maintain or change residency when their family relocates due to military orders. Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE), Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) and Representative John Carter (R-TX) were honored alongside Senator Burr as co-recipients for their work on behalf of the veteran community.

U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs • 412 Russell Senate Bldg. • Washington D.C. 20510 Republican Staff: (202) 224-2074 • (202) 224-9126

Bailouts of Omission Democrats’ Plans Ignore Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac

Washington, Apr 21 - Republican Study Committee Chairman Tom Price (R-GA) issued the following statement regarding the complete lack of reforms to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in both Senator Chris Dodd’s (D-CT) financial regulatory reform legislation and similar legislation by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) that House Democrats passed last December.

“Officially, the Congressional Budget Office expects the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to cost taxpayers $380 billion,” said Chairman Price. “Unofficially, Democrats promised the companies an infinite bailout, forcing taxpayers to choke down all $1.6 trillion of their combined debt if necessary. At this point, that $1.6 trillion debt may as well be issued in U.S. Treasury bonds.

“The largest taxpayer bailout did not go to Bear Stearns, AIG, or Goldman Sachs; it went to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But those are the two government-created entities President Obama will likely not mention in his speech on Wall Street tomorrow because the Democrats’ notion of financial reform ignores them completely.

“The Democrats’ plans are bad enough by perpetuating and codifying Washington’s bailout mentality. They are made even worse because Democrats just do not care to acknowledge the huge role Fannie and Freddie’s reckless decisions played in the financial meltdown. This intentional omission is a sure way to guarantee more bailouts in the future.

“House Republicans introduced a better solution last year that protects consumers and ends the bailouts for everyone, including Fannie and Freddie. The too-big-to-fail guarantee that allowed their irresponsible decisions to tank our economy must come to an end.” ###

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 4.21.2010