Steve Buyer

Madam Speaker, today I rise and urge my colleagues to pass H.R. 6314, a bill that would extend several existing Department of Veterans Affairs benefits provisions. This bill will extend these provisions of health care services to veterans…

I have worked with the administration and the Senate and with my good friend Lindsey Graham. When you start this legislative process... we took some of the best out of the UCMJ, and we took some of the best out of the world court to create…

The annual cost-of-living adjustment, S. 2562, as amended, is one of the more important bills the Congress considers each year since it was first provided in 1976. Briefly, S. 2562, as amended, would authorize a cost-of-living…

As a JAG officer in the first Gulf War, I wrote the practice and procedures for article V tribunals. I participated in the tribunals to determine status, a person's status. The President of the United States does not participate in that…

the determination of one's status is done by a tribunal under article V of the Geneva Conventions.

I want to make sure the debate has clarity. To the gentleman, when you say this bill applies to everyone or all American citizens, that is completely false. I want the gentleman to know that. I would like you to know that when you refer to…

Chairman Hunter, I want to thank you for entering into this colloquy with me and for your work on this provision and the legislation as a whole. I would also like to thank the President. He said he would work with the House and the Senate…

Likewise, you do such good because you are a genuine human being, and I want to thank you for your leadership. And it was a treat and joy to work with you and Chairman Brown on this, along with your staff. I appreciate you also recognizing…

I thank the delegate for his work on this bill. I yield 1\1/4\ minutes to Mr. Stearns of Florida

H.R. 5815 is a well-thought-out bill. It is the product of thorough bipartisan collaboration. I urge my colleagues to act favorably now and move this legislation to the Senate so that we can give our veterans the assurances of new and…

I yield to Mr. Feeney of Florida 2 minutes. (Mr. FEENEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

The rebates go to the government, they do not go to the military retiree. Therefore, the price is not affected by the military.

I thank Mr. Edwards for yielding to me and having this conversation. This is important. Members are going to be walking in here, Mr. Edwards, and they are not going to know completely what happened with this debate. It would not be right…

I am just now reading this. Mr. Edwards, this is a very bad idea. If you support increasing the cost of medications to veterans, then support this motion to instruct. If you support increasing the cost to veterans to obtain access to their…

I follow the logic of your argument until you say it is going to help the military retirees because the military retirees don't get a specific benefit. I concur with you when you say, Steve, let DOD gain access to FSS pricing, let them get…

That is a valued argument from your position, given how you have drafted the motion to instruct. That is a valued argument. I would just ask of the gentleman that when we extend price controls to a greater population, as we contend…

I only wanted to respond to Mr. Edwards' comments that he understands there is a lawsuit because the drug companies do not want to give discounts on their drugs to the retail pharmacies, paraphrasing what I believe you said. That is not…

I would also like the Members to note that last year when we came to the floor, we thought that the COLA was going to be about 2.7 percent. Once they did the adjustment on the CPI, it ended up being about 4.1 percent. I don't know what it…

I thank the two gentlemen and look forward to working with you as we go to conference. Amendment Offered by Mr. Flake

as the telecommunications industry takes leaps and bounds in pushing the innovation envelope, it is almost impossible for the Federal Government to keep pace. In fact, it is often times a detriment for the Government to preemptively…

I commend Chairman Barton and Chairman Upton for their leadership, along with my colleague, Mr. Rush, from Chicago, and others. This came out of the subcommittee 27-4, a majority of the minority Democrats of the full committee supported…

I offer this statement in support of S. 1235, as amended, the Veterans' Housing Opportunity and Benefits Improvement Act of 2006. Working together with the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, we have reached a compromise that will…

and my colleagues, I want to thank the gentleman from Texas. It is a pleasure to have worked with you. We are colleagues on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, and I appreciate your service over the years. But you and I haven't had a chance…

when I rose in March to tell this body of the outrageous acts committed against one grieving family in Indiana, I said that the great virtue of the American character is our compassion. It is our compassion and human decency that…

Jack C. Montgomery, a Cherokee from Oklahoma, was one of five Native Americans who were awarded the highest military honor in the 20th century, the Medal of Honor, and a first lieutenant with the 45th Infantry Division, the Thunderbirds…