Madam Chair, we have few responsibilities as solemn and as important as ensuring that our veterans receive the care that we have promised them as a Nation. To that end, my amendment directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to allocate…

I rise in support of H.R. 5481, which Mrs. Capps has brought before us, that would grant subpoena powers to the Presidential Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Our Nation is in the midst of a great environmental disaster of…

The events that transpired in the Mediterranean off the coast of Israel on May 31st were profoundly unfortunate and the loss of life is deeply regrettable. We await a full and credible account of what happened aboard the Mavi Marmara, yet…

I want that established in law. The liability limit should be raised to many billions of dollars, if there is a limit at all.

I thank my good friend from Virginia. I, too, want to pay tribute to the work that our colleague from Oregon has done under the umbrella of liveability, having to do with transportation, housing, I mean, even such things as the location of…

There is a more than $1.5 billion today in the trust fund, but the Coast Guard and the other government agencies cannot access that because of existing limits on the per incident expenses and because of the cap on using this for natural…

The 2008 economic meltdown had some roots in consumer finance. Financial lenders steered families into mortgages they could not afford to repay, steered them into subprime loans, then packaged those loans and sold them to investors in the…

As I listen to the arguments of those who wish to continue the policy of driving gay or lesbian soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines out of military service, I am reminded that the people of the United States are a pragmatic people…

I thank the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, Mr. Skelton, for joining me in this. And I also want to recognize the cosponsors, Mr. Bishop and Mr. Himes, for their support of this amendment, which seeks to address a serious gap in…

I rise in support of H. Res. 1363, which gives the Committee on Education and Labor, on which I sit, the ability to investigate the Upper Big Branch mine disaster. This resolution allows us to do our work, and I would like to speak about…

I rise in strong support of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act. Our investments in scientific research and education underwrite our national prosperity and success. Yet for decades, we have underinvested in our Nation's tools for…

We learned last week that April was the fourth consecutive month of job growth in the United States. The tax cuts and investments made by the Recovery Act are turning the economy around. Funding for scientific research and infrastructure…