Mr. President, today we vote on two very important issues in the great, long, and often difficult march that America has made toward equality. That is one of the greatnesses of this country, that we inexorably move to equality. Sometimes…

Mr. President, I rise in support of the two very important votes we are having today on the DREAM Act and the repeal of don't ask, don't tell. The DREAM Act is a moral imperative. These are young people who have come to this country…

Mr. President, I rise today in support of the DREAM Act. This legislation is critically important. Not only is this a humanitarian issue, but also an economic and security issue. In order to compete in a 21st century world, we must provide…

As the 111th Congress comes to an end, it is with deep sadness that I come to the floor to wish a fond farewell to several members of the Congressional Black Caucus who will not be moving to the 112th Congress. These members, Congresswoman…

Mr. President, I commend my colleague from Massachusetts and so many, including our President, for making this the high priority that it is. We know how vital this is for somebody like myself who is so concerned about Iran going nuclear…

I thank the gentleman for yielding. This bill is a bad deal for the middle class. If you work hard and play by the rules, you should be rewarded; however, today's bill ignores this. It lines the pockets of the mega-rich at the expense of…

I thank the gentlelady for yielding me the time. Mr. Speaker, I'm going to oppose this bill, however the rule comes out, for several reasons. Number one, if this bill passes, we will extend the upper income tax cuts at a cost of increase…

Tonight is going to be a rather historic vote. In the old days, the House would initiate tax bills, and then we would send it to the Senate, and then the Senate and the House would come together and have what was known as a conference. But…

For the first time approaching this rule, it is my understanding that if I want to stop $23 billion from increasing the deficit by knocking out a Senate provision and substituting a Pomeroy, in order to do that I would have to accept the…

I demand a recorded vote. A recorded vote was ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. This will be a 5-minute vote. The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 407, noes 0, not voting 26, as follows: [Roll No. 637] AYES--407…

On that I demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. This will be a 5-minute vote. The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 399, nays 0, not voting 34, as follows: [Roll No. 634]…

It is time to repeal the ``Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Pursue'' policy in the U.S. military once and for all. The study recently released by the Pentagon confirms what so many of us have known all along: there is no compelling state…

I thank my friend from Virginia for yielding to me. I want to thank my friend from Florida (Mr. Stearns) for his kind words, and also the kind words of the gentleman from Virginia. I rise today in strong support of my legislation, the…

I thank the chairman for yielding to me. And I, like my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, rise in support of this resolution. My colleagues have said it very, very well, and I reiterate it--the only way that peace can be achieved in…

The success of the United States military depends on the hard work, dedication, and sacrifices of our brave men and women in uniform. And yet, under Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the talents and contributions of our openly gay and lesbian…

I appreciate the gentleman's statement. As he knows, this is an issue that many of us in a bipartisan way have worked on for many years. As you know, my original bill did create an independent Office of the Census, which by definition…

I thank the gentleman for his concern and his thoughtful statements. If the gentleman is so determined for a markup, there's one bill that the Republican leadership has told us they must have, and that's the tax bill. Yet there's been no…

I appreciate the gentleman's concerns. We should pass this bill. Then, in the new Congress, you can add your amendments or your ideas to the underlying bill. This is a strong bill with no cost to the American taxpayers, no increased cost…