Mr. Speaker, American agriculture plays a key role in the U.S. trade economy. The contributions of agricultural exports to the U.S. economy are impressive such as near record farm exports of just over $57 billion in 1997 and a positive…

I come here today with some concerns. We all, over the weekend, had maybe time to watch the reporting of political events in America, and I come here, I guess, to speak to the people of this great country and to the people in my district…

I stand here today with a great deal of pride in what we have done as far as passing the tax package. But last night in this very Chamber when we considered something equally as important, the fast track authority, there were not the votes…

Mr. Speaker, the vote we are about to cast on granting fast track authority is one of the most important this Congress will take before we adjourn. With current international economic turmoil, it is absolutely essential that the United…

the last speaker talked about the census. There is one overriding requirement for the census, that it follow the constitutional mandate for an actual count. Now, all the great things that have been said about doing it the other way really…

I think it sets a pattern for all of us and for American agriculture. The resolution is really very straightforward. It expresses the sense of Congress that liberalization of trade and agriculture should be a top priority in any…

the truth is now known to the whole world. One party in this body is serious about education reform, and the other is not. On July 21 of this year, President Clinton vetoed Education Savings Account legislation that would have allowed…

I rise today to honor Officer John Gibson and Officer Jacob Chestnut. Last Friday, these two men willingly gave their lives to defend our Nation's Capitol and its citizens. Their courage and conviction to duty should be a lesson to all of…

it is much easier to be a liberal than to be a conservative. Just consider for a moment what has been said by our colleagues on the other side during the debate on managed care over the past 2 weeks. The pattern here, you can see on almost…

with 40 percent of American agricultural commodities and products being exported, the American farmer is more reliant on international markets than any other sector of the U.S. economy. That is why it is so important that the U.S. lay out…

we have heard some pretty stiff language in this House this morning concerning managed care, teenage smoking, taxes. Let us look at the real facts. Managed care can be improved and the Republican Party has a plan to do that. But it is not…

But the problem is for American agriculture that we have to compete worldwide. U.S. agriculture exported exports in excess of $55 billion in 1998, resulting in a trade surplus of $25 billion which generated over $100 billion in related…

opponents of this program claim that no changes were made in the 1996 farm bill, but that of course is not true. The fact is Congress has made major reforms to the sugar program in the 1996 farm bill, and this would be evident by looking…

Mr. Chairman, this is an argument that we seem to go through every year, unfortunately, and I think it is too bad that we constantly attack farmers regardless of what their crop may be. This is indeed an attack on peanut farmers and the…

I am wondering if it is the understanding of the gentleman that under this bill there is no general prohibition of exports to a country which is deemed to contain responsible entities who are committing religious persecutions, as defined…

So, then, if I understand the gentleman, if a farmer exports grain to a country that the director of the Office of Religious Persecution Monitoring deems to contain responsible entities engaged in religious persecution, and exports that…

So there is no provision in this act that would punish the farmer or exporter if the product exported eventually reached a responsible entity?

I have a very special place in my heart for all Vietnam veterans. Sam Johnson only makes that a greater and bigger place in my heart. We came into this body a few days apart. He was just ahead of me, so he always gets the office I want and…

this congressional session conclusion reminds me of the wonderful changing seasons on the Illinois prairie. Each year we are amazed by the God-given change in seasons, which works so well and even survives the most intense of storms to…

I come here tonight saddened with the responsibility of informing this House of the loss of a great American, a man who served his country for many years, a man who reached the rank of Major General in the Air Force, a citizen of the 15th…

September 25, 1996, 1 year ago, Jennifer Davis was in Peru. She was arrested on drug charges. She has admitted her guilt and has cooperated with authorities. For this, she has been put in an inhumane prison, has never received her rights…

I have requested this special order time to alert my colleagues and the country to the plight of a 20-year-old young lady from my district who has been incarcerated in inhumane conditions in Peru for one year this Thursday. One year after…

education is the priority for all of us. There is a lot more to education though than just putting more money in it. Sometimes this body appears to confuse that. Let us say, for instance, school structure. I could not be prouder than I am…

On September 10, 1997, the Senate voted 91 to 8 to pass an amendment by Senator Coverdell of Georgia to the Senate Labor Health and Human Services appropriations bill. This amendment included several proposals designed to help respond to…

I would just rise in strong support of the concurrent resolution, which talks about Mexico's recent decision to impose anti-dumping duties. Prior to our adoption of the NAFTA treaty, duties on high fructose corn syrup were 15 percent. This…