I thank my colleague for the time. Mr. Speaker, the Republican majority has spent over 6 months of the American people's time making it abundantly clear what their priorities are not. The Republican majority does not have time to address…

And, Representative Courtney, when you talk about all of those costs, they were never put in the budget. They were off-budget. So that meant that those two wars, the pharmaceutical deal for Medicare part D, and the tax breaks for…

At least nine of every 10 comments we get either through the mail or on the phone are: Save Medicare. Don't let them mess with it. We're fighting the good fight here. America needs to know there is a risk of losing Medicare. There are…

I thank the gentleman. I've listened to this debate for a while now. The American people want us to compromise. The American people are in the middle. That's where most of the American people are. And they don't want extremes from either…

Thirty-three seniors paying $6,000 more per year. So we're making happy one millionaire and we're economically distressing 33 seniors who are going to pay at least $6,000 more to have the health care coverage if they, in fact, can get it.

It's very obvious from the polls being taken by many, many organizations out there that the American public said it's about jobs. We need jobs in the economy in order to make things work. It will reduce the deficit. It will put people to…

I believe it's $157 billion, right. It's a benefit that ought to be shared on behalf of our Nation's seniors. To the points made earlier in this discussion as to the efforts for prevention, for screenings, that do not require co-payments…

Representative Garamendi, earlier you had talked about the impact on the 55-year-old or 54-year-old. If you look at a 54-year-old today, that individual is advised to save some $182,000 to $190,000 so as to have that available cash to…

I think it's important for us to share with the American public what's happening on this floor in the House of Representatives. So many suggest that the history that drove Medicare to be developed, the dynamics that were so impacting on…

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is our pleasure during the next 40-or-so minutes to express concerns about a Medicare program that has served this Nation's seniors so very well for 45 years and is at risk of being ended. Tonight, we witnessed…

Representative Courtney, I think what we're talking about here is legitimate reform in a way that bends that cost curve and takes a sound economic program like Medicare for our Nation's seniors and allows for that benefit and pulls the…

I thank the ranking member of the committee for yielding. Madam Speaker, there is not a single person in this Chamber who doesn't want to balance the budget, but the legislation before us today is not about that. It is about enshrining a…

Now to perhaps a less happy subject, the so-called Cut, Cap, and Balance Plan. Let me say we are going to be debating this in the House and in the Senate over the next week. Theater trumps serious solutions as the House Republicans plan a…

Madam President, first I want to thank my colleague from the great State of Washington for her remarks and her never-ending strong and successful defense of our veterans who have done so much for us. I want to salute my colleague from…

The real problem is that tax revenues have declined from 20\1/2\ percent of GDP in 2000 to 14\1/2\ percent of GDP because we no longer tax the millionaires, the billionaires and the large corporations the way we used to. Let's start doing…

Many of our colleagues on both sides of the aisle would not be here today if President Jefferson had not borrowed to finance the Louisiana Purchase. Mr. Speaker, this bill promises all the fun of a constitutional amendment without actually…

I thank the gentleman. I rise today to speak against this rule and this bill. This will not solve our Nation's problems but, instead, will devastate our economy and the most vulnerable in our society. Our Nation has run into fiscal…

And my colleagues, as we go home to our districts, I am certain that no constituents have said they wake up in the morning wondering about what we're going to do with the debt ceiling. In my district, most wonder how they're going to get a…