Press Releases

U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (WA-09) today issued the following statement on H.R. 3, a bill to expand federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. The bill passed the House of Representatives today by a vote of 253 to 174.

"More than 70 percent of Americans support stem cell research. House Democrats promised to expand funding for this potentially life-saving and life-changing science. I'm pleased to report that in the first 100 hours of the 110th Congress, we made good on our promise.

U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (WA-09) today announced he will chair the Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee on the Armed Services Committee. Smith also secured a seat on the Air and Land Forces Subcommittee when committee members chose their assignments today. Smith's seniority allowed him early picks from among the available positions.

U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (WA-09) yesterday voted in favor of H.R. 1, legislation to implement many of the remaining 9/11 Commission recommendations. Smith was pleased that House Democrats acted so quickly during their new majority in Congress to make Americans safer. The bill passed by a vote of 299 to 128.

U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (WA-09) today stated his opposition to a troop surge in Iraq. Smith met with President Bush and senior administration officials yesterday to learn more about the President's proposal.

"After the meeting I considered the President's argument and reviewed the available information, including the Iraq Study Group Report. In the end, even though I gave the President's argument due consideration, I don't find it persuasive. A troop surge is not the answer in Iraq," Smith said.

U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (WA-09) today issued the following statement after voting to increase the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour over two years. The bill, H.R. 2, passed overwhelmingly in the House of Representatives.

Today U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (WA-09) and his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass H.R. 6406, which will extend trade preferences for developing nations and to establish permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with Vietnam. The bill passed by a vote of 212 to 184.

The measure extended the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA) preference program for six months, the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) for two years, and a critical provision of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) for five years, in addition to establishing PNTR with Vietnam.

U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (WA-09) issued the following statement in response to the passage of S. 4046, a bill to extend the authority of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR):

U.S. Rep. Adam Smith (WA-09) today issued the following statement after joining his colleagues to pass H.R. 6111, a bill that extended certain tax deductions and included a temporary fix to physician payments under Medicare. The bill passed by a vote of 367-45:

I voted for this bill because of many of the good things it included. However, I was very disappointed several key provisions were left out of the final package.