There are reasons why we have Dodd-Frank; and there are reasons why we have responded.

At this time, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price), the ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security and a distinguished member of the MilCon-VA Subcommittee.

At this time, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar), a distinguished member of the Appropriations Committee.

I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Farr), the ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and a valuable member of the Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs.

The gentleman from Oregon raises a really important issue that the subcommittee will look into and will work to address in some way as we move through this process.

I'd like to join my distinguished chair in opposition to this amendment. I certainly appreciate and understand the gentleman from Georgia's commitment to reducing the deficit. The deficit is something that is undermining the economic…

Again, I certainly understand and commend the gentleman for his commitment and his passionate support for reduction of the debt and the deficit, and I think that we on this side of the aisle join him in that quest. However, again, I submit…

The gentleman from Oregon, again, raises a very important issue that the subcommittee will look into, and we will do our best to address in some way as we move forward through this process.

The gentleman's amendment would require that no less than $35 million goes towards traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress disorder research from the Medical and Prosthetic Research account. I want to bring to the attention of this…

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word. The Acting CHAIR (Mr. Poe of Texas). The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.

I rise in support of the gentleman's amendment. Mr. Chairman, after returning home from the war, veterans are now fighting for jobs back home. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, last year's unemployment rate for veterans was 12.1…

Mr. Chairman, I think this is a subject on which we need to tread very, very, very carefully. As we all know, the VA announced that it's mandating the use of overtime for claims processors at the 56 regional offices as part of a ``surge''…

I would agree with the gentleman from Florida. The Army does have sufficient funds in bid savings and in unobligated balances from prior military construction appropriations to undertake a $3.6 million project. I would be happy to work…

Mr. Chairman, I believe that this amendment reflects the apparent obstruction of the Department of Defense on the electronic health record issue; and let me explain to you how we got here. The 2008 National Defense Authorization Act…

I stand today also concerned about the policy on Guantanamo Bay detention facility. And as I listened to my colleague and as I consider the speech from the President last week, it is very, very clear that there needs to be additional…

I could not agree more with the gentleman from Georgia that the claims backlog is absolutely unacceptable. I think the chairman of the full Appropriations Committee, the ranking member of the full Appropriations Committee, the chairman of…

Mr. Chairman, we are all outraged in regards to the claims backlog and the incidences of poor quality health services and safety. The current claims backlog is, as we have said over and over today, unacceptable. There is no question that…

I rise in opposition to the amendment. I respect my good friend, but I am totally baffled by the comparison of Davis-Bacon to Jim Crow laws. I think it's totally inapplicable. Davis-Bacon is a pretty simple concept, and it's a fair one…