Press Releases
WASHINGTON—U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02) today released the following statement after voting against a bill that would cap student loan interest rates at 8.25%, higher than the current unsustainable cap of 6.8%, and almost five points higher than the 3.4% cap that was in place before July 1st.
WASHINGTON— U.S. Representatives Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Charlie Rangel (D-NY) today introduced legislation, along with 100 bipartisan cosponsors, to ensure that gay and lesbian veterans who were discharged from the military because of their sexual orientation receive the honor and recognition they deserve. The "Restore Honor to Service Members Act" would instill the repeal of "Don't Ask Don't Tell" into law and support the Department of Defense's efforts to correct the unfairly tarnished military records of our brave service members.
WASHINGTON—U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02) today issued the following statement after voting to restrict the National Security Agency’s (NSA) ability to use the Patriot Act to conduct blanket surveillance on Americans not under investigation. The bipartisan measure was introduced as an amendment to the defense funding bill under consideration by the House this week.
WASHINGTON—U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02) today introduced an amendment to the Department of Defense funding bill to make key investments in clean energy technologies that are critical to current and future military missions. Pocan’s efforts would support research and development to improve the safety of advanced batteries, and specifically lithium ion batteries, required for many of the Navy’s new capabilities. Lithium ion batteries, which contain no toxic chemicals, have up to three times the performance capabilities of other battery products.
Washington– Just two months after the House’s last vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the chamber will once again waste time that could be spent on creating jobs and supporting middle class families by voting today for the 38th time to roll back health care security for millions of Americans.
WASHINGTON –U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (WI–02) today announced his “Snapshots of the Second” photo contest, inviting all of his constituents in Wisconsin’s Second District to submit their photographs of the district. The winning image, selected with the most “likes” on Facebook, will be featured as the cover photo on Pocan’s official Facebook page.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02) today applauded the bipartisan 15-7 vote of a fully inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) in the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP) today. ENDA has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and is a priority for Pocan and the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus.
WASHINGTON—In another transparent attempt to weaken the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and deny 80 million private sector workers, both union and non-union, the protection they are guaranteed under law, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is refusing to allow votes on President Obama’s nominees to the Board. Without a fully-functioning NLRB, hardworking Americans will have no recourse when their rights are violated, creating uncertainty for both workers and businesses. In response, U.S. Rep.
WASHINGTON—One week after student loan rates doubled from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent for nearly 160,000 Wisconsin students, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02) once again urged GOP leadership to stop balancing the budget on the backs of students and bring up a vote to freeze student loan rates. Last month, Pocan joined his colleagues in signing a discharge petition to bring up for a vote the Student Loan Relief Act of 2013, which would freeze the interest rates on subsidized Stafford loans for the next two years.
WASHINGTON—U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02) today released the following statement after the U.S. Senate passed legislation to enact comprehensive immigration reform in a bipartisan 68-32 vote.