John Yarmuth

There is some other history we haven't talked about tonight yet, and that is the background of this controversy. Because what we fail to remember as we debate this issue, and obviously I think we want to deal with this prospectively, we…

I want to yield again to my colleague from Wisconsin, but one of the things that intrigued me earlier was the notion that somehow we were not interested in security, that we were not interested in fighting the most effective fight that we…

We have to do this. And I agree with my colleague that what we're talking about here is the oath we took. We took an oath to uphold the Constitution. And the Constitution says that we have to obey the laws of the land and we have to…

I think it's not only reasonable; I think it's our duty to require that because it would be a frivolous act if we just said, well, whatever you did, whether it was legal or not, then we're going to grant you immunity or amnesty for doing…

Well, I think the answer to anyone who thinks about it is obvious. No, of course we are listening. And what's more, we're listening pursuant to authority that exists in the law. And when the current law expired recently, the authority to…

But can you imagine, I want every American to imagine how their lives would change and how their conversations would change if they thought that every phone call they made was being monitored? Just imagine the chilling effect that that…

Well, I think that's exactly the case. And I don't blame the telephone companies. I think they were in a very difficult spot. When your government asks you to do something and says that the security of this country is at stake, then I…

President Bush is out of new ideas. Instead, all he has left is blatant fear-mongering, a strategy that his administration has elevated to an art form. This time, it's the expiration of his Protect America Act that has the President…

the politics of fear are alive and well in the Republican Party. Despite the fact that the House and Senate are actively working to craft a strong new FISA bill, Republicans and the White House refuse to attend the negotiations. Instead…

I was fortunate enough to be elected as one of the 43 new Democrats in that class. And many people have said, in examining that election, oh, we were elected because of the war in Iraq. But that's not what I heard. What I heard when I was…

last week this House came together in a bipartisan fashion to address the economic uncertainty that many of our citizens are facing. President Bush worked with both Democratic and Republican leaders of the House to develop an economic…

I appreciate him mentioning the field of education because you can have, as I mentioned earlier, two forms of expenditure in government. You can have expenditures that are nonproductive, and one of those, I think, is the war in Iraq…

I want to thank my freshman colleagues for the very insightful and compelling arguments they raised concerning our budget, the budget proposal by the President for the 2009 fiscal year. Mr. Speaker, I will say that what we are dealing with…

We have a fundamental decision to make in this country, and it is a basic choice, and that is what the role of government is, what the role of the Federal Government is. And on the one side, I think we have those that believe the role of…

I think that was just an incredibly vivid picture of where we are in this world and where this economy stands and how out of whack the priorities of this administration have become. That's why I am so thankful that we are, at least, in…

I thank my colleague and want to yield again to Mr. Hall from New York. But before I do, I just wanted to add that, again, sitting and listening to the State of the Union address and talking about the honesty that we need to have when we…

I thank all my colleagues. And I'd like to end where we began, and that is that when these majority makers, our freshman class, was elected in 2006, we were elected because the country thought that the government of the United States had…

Today we will pass a bipartisan economic stimulus package that will help American families and jump-start our growing economy. Throughout our great country, hardworking citizens are making major sacrifices to make ends meet, cutting back…

I will say, no, the situation in Kentucky is not much different than it is anywhere else in the country, and throughout the campaign 2 years ago and before that, as I talked to people in my district and around the State of Kentucky, what I…

Everybody hates government until they need government. That is from the richest to the poorest. We know there's a lot of subsidy to the wealthiest people, the wealthiest corporations. They say they don't like government, but they are…

Thank you. One of the things that I want to follow up on what you were talking about was we were sent here to solve problems. And I think one of the reasons that we have gotten into the predicament we're in is because a lot of people in…

last night this House acted in bipartisan fashion to reject some of the President's harmful budget cuts to important education programs. Had this Congress simply rubber-stamped President Bush's budget, education funding would have been…

we have spent much of this year uncovering and correcting shortfalls in this country's treatment of our uniformed heroes. Reversing negligence is one thing, but today we address the reprehensible and willful act of docking a soldier's pay…

how many times is President Bush going to hold the same press conference, hammering away at Congress just because we're meeting our responsibilities under article I and restoring Americans' faith in the future? Doesn't he understand that…

Mr. Speaker, we must acknowledge that America's continued success will not be ensured unless we equip the leaders of tomorrow with the tools they need today. This means cultivating not just the most privileged and brightest students but…