Since 9/11, the federal government has communicated with the public about homeland security in confusing and often inconsistent ways, from requests to purchase duct tape to color-coded threat levels. A new administration will offer the opportunity for a change in direction. Rep. Jane Harman, chair of the Intelligence and Terrorism Risk Subcommittee of the House Homeland Security Committee; Frances Fragos Townsend, former Homeland Security Advisor to President George W. Bush; and Jerome Hauer, former Director of the Office of Emergency Management in New York City, will address the critical question of how the public can better be incorporated into the homeland security mission. The Homeland Security Presidential Transition Initiative is a joint project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund and Third Way.

Representative Chet Edwards, as Chairman of the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, has led the fight to provide a historic increase in funding to veterans' programs, providing larger increases in the two years of his chairmanship than the previous majority had in the last 12. He will discuss efforts to reach out to and prioritize veterans over the last several years, an effort that was accelerated by Nancy Pelosi when she became Minority Whip. Her promotion to Speaker of the House translated into huge increases in veterans healthcare and benefits funding.

***This event has been postponed due to circumstances beyond our control. We apologize for any inconvenience.***

The American health care system is in crisis. The costs of health care are skyrocketing. And too often, quality of care is inconsistent. Forty-six million Americans lack health insurance, and millions more have coverage that is inadequate and unaffordable. The current system is a strain on patients, doctors, nurses, hospitals, business owners, and the broader economy. The economic crisis on Wall Street and Main Street makes reform even more urgent, and demands that health care reform be at the top of the agenda.

A national leader and expert on health care, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) will discuss what is at stake this election year, the stark difference in the progressive and conservative approaches to health care reform, and the critical importance of ensuring that every American has health care coverage as we make the system more efficient and affordable.

Enron and $4 a gallon gas. Record recalls of tainted food and deadly toys. And now, a credit crisis that threatens the global economy and the financial future of every American family. What do these debacles all have in common? They are the results of the reckless economic policies of the Bush Administration and the radical theory that unchecked markets can solve every problem.

As the nation's leaders work to contain the gravest threat to America's economy since the Great Depression, Senator Dick Durbin looks at how the credit crisis evolved and how to restore stability and accountability to the marketplace. He will also outline a new proposal to protect consumers - not just CEOs and big investors - from excessive financial risk in the markets.

This panel will explore the economic divide between black women, some of their barriers to economic mobility, and related policy recommendations for the next administration and the next Congress. Receiving particular focus will be issues related to poverty reduction, pay inequity, workplace discrimination, and higher education and job training opportunities.