Good afternoon, Mr. Speaker. This is not a fraternity house. This is the House of Representatives. Yet what have we wrought? I heard someone, two people say on this floor, quoting the President of the United States--they should apologize…

You know, I love Christmas, too, but when the gentleman on the other side of the aisle suggests that somehow they are going to stay around here after today, I don't believe that for 1 minute. I guarantee you that at the end of the day, the…

I want to follow up on what my colleague from Illinois said, because it really is true. We are talking about hurt for America's families here. I know that, in the next week, as this time expires on the unemployment compensation, on the…

It is outrageous that the House Republicans will not allow the Senate bill to come up today that would extend the payroll tax cut, that would provide unemployment benefits for so many million Americans that are out of work, and also allow…

I thank the distinguished chairwoman for yielding and join her first in mourning the passing of Vaclav Havel, the great President and human rights crusader, one of the founders of Charter 77, a magnificent human rights manifesto, that took…

Yesterday the majority unwisely gambled with the economic security of the middle class. They voted on legislation that was designed to fail, fully knowing that it will be dead on arrival in the Senate and vetoed by the President. By tieing…

Mr. President, I seek recognition in morning business. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is recognized. ____________________

Over 8 years since the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, we are still not properly addressing traumatic brain injury, also known as the signature injury of both wars. {time} 1300 I want to thank Chairman McKeon, Ranking Member…

Mr. President, we are at a time in the calendar that usually is a time of excellent anticipation. Christmas is coming. The holidays are coming. People are trying to get their families in order, do the shopping, and all the things we have…

Thank you, Mr. Berman. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in support of H. Res. 306, urging the Republic of Turkey to safeguard its Christian heritage and to return confiscated church properties. As an original cosponsor of this resolution, I…

I want to commend Mr. Camp and Mr. Levin for working hard on these issues. I think they do try to put the country before the party. But this bill is terrible. It is terrible. The holidays must have come early for the majority. What we have…

Thank you, Mr. Waxman. The gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman) had said before that essentially the Republicans putting up this bill are not serious. They know that this bill is not going to pass the Senate. They know that the President…

Thank you, Mr. Berman. I want to take issue with my colleague from Ohio. I don't think there is a comparison between the situation in Iraq and Iran because it has become abundantly clear that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons; and a nuclear…

Mr. President, Mari Carmen Aponte is an excellently qualified Latina who is being politically discriminated against despite a record of accomplishment for the United States in El Salvador, which is universally recognized as extraordinary…

Thank you very much. Let me first thank Chairman Johnson for his leadership in this regard and in so many other major issues before the Banking Committee. He has really exercised a lot of our oversight obligations in making sure we…

Mr. President, I understand I have 5 minutes. The PRESIDING OFFICER. There is no order. The Senator may use 5 minutes.

I ask to speak as if in morning business. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

Mr. President, we are here now deciding what kind of a country America might be in the future--whether it will be a place we can look back at and remember when everybody had a chance at success. It is hard to believe that when we look at…