Alcee Hastings

I agree our amendment, after his, does, I believe, what is necessary, and that is to answer the question that a lot of us have with reference to the efficiency and effectiveness of the National Director of Intelligence. If I could just…

I know the chairman knows of my immense respect for his perspective, and I appreciate very much what you have said with regard to how you would carry forth the intent of mine and Mr. Rogers' amendment, as well as Mr. Thompson's, in capping…

I am reminded of the comedian Flip Wilson who said that when Christopher Columbus discovered America, the Native Americans must have been running down to the shoreline saying, ``Discover me.'' Enough already. We have abused these people…

Mr. Speaker, as someone who represents a district which has been victim to countless natural disasters, I have known about the Small Business Administration's disaster loan program for quite some time. Businesses in the district I am…

Disasters in this country are not limited to hurricanes or the Southeast. As I was saying yesterday in the Rules Committee, the chairwoman had storms in her district earlier this week, and there is massive drought going on in parts of this…

I listened with great intensity to my friend from Florida regarding the resources that the American public provides to the United States Government for its distribution. He seems to decry the fact that this year we are going to spend $7…

I might add, that period of time, particularly in the last 2 months, we have seen that when the minority has presented the motion to recommit, that what winds up happening is even Members of the minority don't know what is in the motion to…

Mr. Speaker, I have appended to this podium the faces of 90 people who never should have lost their lives in this war. Mr. Speaker, when I voted against using troops in Iraq more than 4 years ago, I believed then, and still believe today…

Mr. Speaker I rise today as a proud original cosponsor of House Resolution 107, calling for the immediate and unconditional release of the Israeli soldiers held captive by Hamas and Hezbollah since last summer. The critical bipartisan…

The only thing that I am pointing out is the significance of land grant institutions. I think the gentleman makes a valid point, but this doesn't obviate the point that you are making.

I am amused by your bemusement. At the very same time, I certainly understand the dynamic you have put forward. If you choose to make such an amendment and if 434 other Members and the Delegates choose to do so, I would assume that is…

I am very proud to be bringing this bill to the House floor today. This minor change in House rules represents a major step forward for the nearly 5 million Americans whose voice is not currently represented on the floor of this House…

In that 15 seconds, I would ask my friends, the Delegates, if they would just stand and have America know something, that I am getting ready to cast a vote for them. They cannot cast a vote for themselves. How long does it take for 5…

But I say to those who argue that there is symbolism involved here that indeed there is. But death is more than symbolism. Death is real, and the persons who die that come from the 5 million persons that these Delegates and the Resident…

I would merely urge the gentleman to recognize that Puerto Rico has 4 million citizens, and I don't know what planet he is living on, but everybody in the District of Columbia pays taxes. And I don't understand this continuing argument. I…

before yielding, I would just like for my distinguished colleague to reference two cases, Michaels v. Anderson, and the action of the United States District Court. And since you are so worried about the constitutionality, I would just urge…

I heard someone say the vote counts, and it doesn't count. But every time I see the scroll indicating that another American soldier has died, that is a count that adds up, and that count is firm. The people of, the residents of Puerto Rico…

Let me tell you, I heard my other colleague, Mr. Sessions, talk about all this wonderful bipartisanship that took place for 12 years. Well, I have been here 14, and all I know is rancor and disagreement and very little in the way of…

Madam Speaker, the final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, better known as the 9/11 Commission, made several recommendations on steps that the government could take in order to prevent and…

before yielding again, I would just remind my colleagues my good friend from New Mexico says that we shouldn't merge this committee. My good friend from San Dimas, California, says that we should merge this committee, which kind of…

I need time to respond to Mr. LaHood as well. He commented on the nomenclature of the intelligence committee, and his comment was that I know better. And he knows that I know that the nomenclature is difficult because he and I were on that…

Title IV of our rules package is one of the ones of which I am most proud. Over the past 12 years, our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, while allegedly praying to the gods of fiscal responsibility, have nearly sunk our ship of…

Pay-as-you-go was the law of the land from 1990 until 2002, paving the way for a balanced budget in the late 1990s, 4 years of budget surpluses, and bringing down the national debt by $453 billion. The Bush administration has turned a…

I just wish to share with Mr. Dreier in the spirit of bipartisanship that mincing words with reference to whether or not you knew that this portion of the draft of the 109th rules are those of the 110th actually don't even get to the level…

Frankly, Mr. Speaker, many of the changes to House rules that our Republican colleagues did make in 1995 and subsequently, in my opinion, were good ones and some of them we have kept. Proxy voting in committees was eliminated. That was an…