I would just remind him, and I don't want to start my speech this way, but the first budget you proposed led to a government shutdown. It was President Clinton that led the way to a balanced budget and a surplus. Now I want to thank you…

today this Congress, the 110th Congress, faces an historic vote, a vote to truly change the direction of the Iraqi conflict. Let us review the cost America has borne in 4 years: 3,200 lives have been lost, 25,000 of our citizens have been…

in a memo sent to the White House, the Justice Department laid out a plan to replace seven U.S. Attorneys who were cracking down on public corruption. This "smoking memo" seems to confirm that this administration targeted U.S. Attorneys…

3,188 servicemen and -women have died serving in Iraq, and 371 have given their lives fighting in Afghanistan. We owe these brave individuals and their families a debt of gratitude that can never fully be repaid. It is our responsibility…

today's Washington Post details more allegations of political influence in the recent firing of eight U.S. attorneys. Yesterday, in a press conference, a New Mexico U.S. Attorney, David Iglesias, asserted that he was fired for purely…

we gather today to consider a question that is profoundly simple: Do we support the President's plan to further escalate America's involvement in Iraq, or not? After 4 long, painful years in which we have seen so many young lives lost, are…

Yesterday the President submitted his budget to the United States Congress and to the country. And in that budget, the President made clear a number of priorities that I think are in direct opposition to the wishes and aspirations of the…

You only passed two appropriations bills, you got no budget resolution passed to get your work done, and then you are sitting here complaining after we are trying to clean up the mess you left behind. We have a phrase for that in Chicago…

let's review the score. Big Oil, one; taxpayers, zero. But today we are about to even the score. When he took office, President Bush said this country was in need of a comprehensive energy policy. He was right, and unfortunately we are…

Six years, $3 trillion in new debt. The largest accumulation of debt in the shortest period of time in American history. That is the legacy. And the one thing you can say about George Bush and this economy is we will be forever in your…

in March of 2003, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz said: We are dealing with a country, Iraq, that can really finance its own reconstruction, and relatively soon. Well, I guess 3 years doesn't count as relatively soon. According…

the Iraq war has gone from shock and awe to shocked at how awful it is. On the heels of the public disclosure of the NIE estimates, today's Washington Post reports that the Baghdad Police College was so poorly constructed it might need to…

yesterday the President told the world that building a more hopeful future in the Middle East is ``the greatest challenge of our time'' and ``the calling of a generation.'' There is no question the President's policies in Iraq have created…

9 months ago the Speaker said, ``Now is the time for action'' on real lobbying and ethics reform. At the same time, the current majority leader said we must act ``because of a growing perception that the United States Congress is for…

over the weekend we have heard from two generals who have a role to play in our war in Iraq. Brigadier General Mark Shide stated that during the runup to the Iraq war, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld threatened to fire anyone who…

yesterday Exxon reported its second-highest quarterly profit ever. Net income, $10 billion, up 36 percent. But they are not the only ones raking in the cash. Shell reported a 40-percent increase in profit. BP, a 30-percent increase…

while the Republican Members of Congress have been blocking the first minimum-wage increase in 9 years, there is new evidence that income stagnation is not just hurting lower middle- class families but middle-class families across the…

when this House passed the Medicare prescription drug benefit, many of us said it was a boon for the drug companies. The results are in. Drug companies are making billions in extra profits, $130 billion in additional profits, all…

just 6 weeks ago, Zarqawi was killed in Iraq. Five weeks ago, the House held a debate on Iraq in which Republicans belittled Democrats for questioning the President's strategy. Said my colleague from North Carolina: ``There are those who…

here are some of today's headlines: ``Toll Climbs in Mideast As Fighting Rages On.'' ``Scores Killed in Bomb Attack Near Shiite Shrine.'' ``Three U.S. Soldiers Killed on Monday.'' ``Taliban Capture Two Afghan Towns.'' ``Oil Futures At $75…

with very much fanfare yesterday, the President held a press conference to claim vindication for his economic stewardship and his fiscal policies. He announced, and I just now calmed down, that the United States Government would only have…

in July of 2001, a few months after President Bush took office, gas was $1.33 a gallon. Five years later, July 2006, it has more than doubled to $3.00, and in places like Chicago, it is as high as $3.40 a gallon. But this is not the only…

I would like to read a few excerpts from yesterday's Washington Times editorial entitled ``New Job Numbers.'' Now the Washington Times, everybody knows, is not exactly a progressive or liberal paper, very conservative. And I quote: ``For…

we are getting mixed signals from the administration on the future of the Iraq war. Last weekend, General Myers laid out a plan for withdrawal. Then, yesterday, General Peter Schoomaker, the Army Chief of Staff, said, ``It's my belief that…

we recently marked a sad milestone in the war in Iraq, as the number of Americans fallen surpassed 2,500. We owe it to each of these families to do everything we can to honor the debt of gratitude we owe them, a debt that can never be…