It makes far more sense to focus on promoting the development of clean renewable technologies we all know we are going to need down the road.

Jobs are obviously critical to economic growth, but we must remember that environmental and public health are also critical to a strong workforce and resilient economy.

Doubling down on limited fossil fuels is a dead-end policy that pollutes our planet and only delays the inevitable.

I continue to have serious concerns about this legislation and the potentially devastating impacts of the Keystone pipeline on public health and the environment.

When we are facing estimated job losses of 750,000 due to sequestration, creating a few thousand temporary jobs, though helpful, does not constitute the comprehensive jobs legislation our Nation needs right now.

I am hopeful that both sides will use this opportunity today to highlight the vast consumer protections that help affordable healthcare coverage become a reality for millions of Americans.

The Affordable Care Act ends these abuses by implementing landmark new protections for women and banning discrimination by insurance companies on the basis of gender or preexisting conditions.

Delivering high-value patient- or person-centered health care seems to be moving away from the traditional physician-based model to one involving a health care team including both physicians and non-physician providers.

I have consistently voted to get rid of the SGR, and we even did so in the House version of health care reform.

But let us be clear. These alternatives don't work for everyone and they don't work in every situation.

I must add that agriculture is a growing force of my congressional district, strawberries are the number one crop.