Kendrick Meek

I want to thank Ms. Tubbs Jones and also you, Mr. Ryan, and Mr. Tanner and Mr. Taylor, who was here at the beginning finishing off his 5-minute speech for joining us tonight. As Mrs. Tubbs Jones mentioned, as Democrats, we want to take…

I was just looking for this, and I am so glad that I found it because I think it is important to be able to share the facts where they are. Third-party validators, Mr. Speaker, once again, there is just a line of them as it relates to the…

A lot in the Ways and Means Committee. They will have about tax law, about accountability or what have you, trying to find the ways and the means of bills that come through that committee, and the Democratic Members are not even called. A…

the last time the minimum wage was raised, it was a zero impact on businesses. Zero impact. So when folks are saying if we raise the minimum wage, people are going to go out of business, please. Okay? And when folks start talking about…

Let me just say this. You can go ahead and give the website out, sir, and I will close out.

I am glad you are here to share that information, and you are 110 percent right. The U.K., $223.2 billion. The Caribbean, $115.3 billion. Taiwan and counting, $71.3 billion of our debt. Again, this is not the American taxpayer, this is…

If you would yield a moment, Mr. Tanner, I can tell you right now that there are a lot of things we should be doing, or the Republican majority should be doing but they are not doing, and we don't have the opportunity to do it because we…

Mr. Ryan, there is a chart which shows the priorities of the majority, and I wish you would share that chart.

I am glad to be with Mr. Tanner and also his colleague from Ohio, Mrs. Stephanie Tubbs Jones. Mr. Tanner of Tennessee has really been the leader in the House as it relates to accountability, as it relates to working with Mr. Spratt on…

I know this is along the line of accountability, and I think this chart is a testimonial to the lack of accountability and the spending that has been going on in this House by the Republican majority. I think it is important when you say a…

Thank you, Mr. Tanner. We definitely appreciate your contributions. And I like this whole generational mugging piece. You are going to hear that again. That is a great one. And it is so good, Mr. Ryan, to have Members of the Ways and Means…

Mr. Ryan, I think, and also Mrs. Tubbs Jones, I think it is important that we look at this issue of the irresponsibility of the Republican majority. They are being very irresponsible. And to say that that is fine, we will give you what you…

Mr. Tanner, I am pulling this information from the Heritage Foundation, which is one of the most conservative foundations in Washington, D.C., if not the leading. In fiscal year 2003, $25 billion of taxpayer money went unaccounted for…

I want to start by commenting about a previous 5-minute speech given by Mr. Taylor of Mississippi, and I want him to know how much I appreciate his representation of his district and sharing with the House some very vital and important…

Ms. Wasserman Schultz wore the colors. I am not wearing the beads that I was wearing. We were down 0-2. I put the beads on and the Heat just went four games all the way.

Mr. Spratt, I am so glad that you are here because here I hold a letter that former Secretary Snow wrote you about the emergency situation we are in of raising the debt ceiling. Again, Mr. Speaker, third-party validators. U.S. Secretary…

Ms. Wasserman Schultz, we spend so much time talking about the budget, and those are great numbers that you have shared here. And I see Ranking Member Spratt here on the floor, John Spratt, who has done such an outstanding job on the…

Let me just say this, I am saying that this whole thing is about sportsmanship and be able to enjoy and have a good time. It is a great lesson for young people about mental mistakes that people can make. Life is like basketball, things…

Well, I am pleased because the Miami Heat has taken care of business in four games straight. There is going to be a great parade in Miami celebrating the Miami Heat's achievement of achieving the NBA championship, and that team consists of…

Let me say, Mr. Ryan, you were talking about leadership and Ms. Wasserman Schultz was talking about leadership. I think it is important when we look at leadership, that is not just in the White House. That is here in the U.S. House of…

That letter was in February. And then there is another one, Mr. Speaker, on March 6 that he wrote, again saying that we have to raise the debt ceiling. So we have the Bush administration appointees. I use these rubber stamps here, Mr…

I am glad you pointed out the fact that a lot of rubber-stamping is going on. The reason I voted against the Iraq resolution today, Mr. Speaker, is I will not dishonor the memory of those individuals that have died and those individuals…

I want to thank Ms. Wasserman Schultz for coming down to the floor today, as you always do, and we continue to work on these issues that are facing Americans. Mr. Speaker, I think it is important that since we are all kind of draped up in…

Thank you so very much, Ms. Wasserman Schultz. I am glad that you brought a visual aid down because I think it is important, Mr. Speaker, that we break this down for the Members because we want to make sure that Members don't go back home…

just as a point of information, as we start working in a bipartisan way towards the spirit of the Miami Heat, and it is bipartisan, we have Mr. Mario Diaz-Balart, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, also Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, also Jeff Miller from the…