U.S. Representatives Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL) sent a bipartisan letter to Secretary Condoleezza Rice today expressing their opposition to the State Department's decision to renew Blackwater's contract and to urge her to reconsider the contract. The letter asked the State Department to avoid extending or entering into any new agreements with Blackwater. Representatives Schakowsky and Brown-Waite also requested a meeting with Secretary Rice to find out why the State Department continues to employ Blackwater.