I thank my colleague from New Jersey, Chairman Frelinghuysen, for yielding but also for putting together a very thoughtful amendment. A lot of thought has gone into this amendment. It is compassionate, yes, but it is thoughtful compassion…

I thank my friend from the District, and I commend the work of my colleagues on this bill. It has some good features and should help smooth the way for recovery from Hurricane Sandy. The delay in getting this bill and, more importantly…

Well, you've heard it. Our constituents' lives were devastated by the Sandy disaster. It has now been about 9 weeks since Hurricane Sandy brought the winds and the tidal surges. In central New Jersey and Connecticut, in New York, people…

As the Congress lurches from self-imposed crisis to self-imposed crisis, it is easy to understand why members of the public shake their heads in disgust at the inability of the government to do the important work of America to help…

E pluribus unum: one out of many. We help each other. We always have. My district and many around were badly affected by one of the largest storms, by one of the most expensive storms, by one of the worst storms in history. There are…

I thank the gentleman. As we've heard the gentleman from Maryland say many times, ``Representative'' is not just a title. It's our job description. We need to hear from our constituents. And our constituents have told us over and over…

I thank my colleague, the ranking member on the committee. This Republican-led House has already cast 302--soon to be more-- anti-environmental votes in this Congress. In our last week in session before the election in November, our eighth…

I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts. Mr. Chairman, this legislation is drafted so broadly that it's likely to cause real damage. It would prevent the Interior Department from issuing nearly any new regulation under the Surface Mining…

I demand a recorded vote. A recorded vote was ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. This is a 5-minute vote. The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 225, noes 189, not voting 15, as follows: [Roll No. 568] AYES--225 Adams…

I demand a recorded vote. The CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from New Jersey will be postponed. Amendment No. 3 Offered by Mr. Ellison The CHAIR. It is now in order…

Today we have before us a bill that tells the American taxpayers to take a hike--not to take a walk in the woods, but to give up their place in any decisionmaking, to get lost, a hike from democracy and engagement in our…

The chairman must think that it is so inconvenient to deal with a pesky public. Whether this is congressionally mandated or comes about in any way, something of this scale, that of involving the public's land, should involve the public in…