Ben Cardin

The only new money in this bill that passed this body, the only new money is some small dollars in regards to marriage promotion and $1 billion guaranteed for child care. That will not even keep up with the current purchasing power, let…

I think the point that many of us are trying to raise is that there may be a problem in what is happening in Texas, but why are we not reforming the Government Pension Offset? ... It is an issue that cries out for reform because we are not…

I agree completely with what he has said, and it has been the position of some of us to do the extension of individual States that had it prior to the expiration of the bill. There has been a consensus, as I have indicated before, to give…

I can assure you, although we have not been able to work out a bipartisan bill, there is bipartisan agreement to maintain the flexibility of the States under the waiver authority. I know that there are efforts to extend it and expand it…

I started this day looking forward to the committee markup on H.R. 1776. That is a bill that I have worked on with the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Portman) for many months. We have worked with the chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means…

I do not think that it is ever extraneous to try to offset the cost of the bill, and that is the reason this provision was put in, so we do not add to the deficit.

Mr. Speaker, I must admit I am somewhat baffled by the comments of my distinguished chairman. If it is in the interest of this body to enact legislation quickly, then we should just take the Senate bill and ratify the Senate bill and send…

I am somewhat confused. I have listened to the debate from the other side and I think they are supporting my substitute, but then at the end they say they are not. They all say they are for child care support, and yet we know in California…

The time is right for this body to act on corporate accountability. The other body got it right when it passed the Sarbanes bill by a unanimous vote. Corporate greed is affecting every one of our constituents, whether it is in their 401(k)…

I strongly support H.R. 4823, the Holocaust Restitution Tax Fairness Act of 2002. It is important that we clarify it now, and I strongly support this legislation. As a member of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe…

I just wanted to correct the gentleman in that the caseload has actually gone up significantly. More people are now receiving noncash assistance than cash assistance, and that is good; and therefore the amount of money being spent is being…

Mr. Speaker, I point out to the gentleman from Michigan that the popular 10-10-10 program in Michigan would not satisfy the requirements of this bill. It would be an unfunded mandate of $377 million to a State. I know why, because they…

First let me thank my chairman for at least giving me the specifics. The Congressional Budget Office agrees with me and disagrees with him. The Congressional Budget Office points out very clearly that very little of this money is going to…

Americans across the Nation have taken joy in the many successes of Cal's remarkable career, from his 2,632 consecutive major league games, to his 3,000 career hits and 400 home runs and his 19 All-Star appearances. He redefined our notion…

Today was the day that we were supposed to debate at long last campaign finance reform. The public understands that if we are to pass campaign finance reform, it will be embodied in the principles of McCain-Feingold or Shays-Meehan. But…

My recollection is the gentleman is referring to the provisions concerning the estate tax relief. The other provisions were all phased in within the 5-year window, and the dollar amounts in the estate tax in the last few years was a minor…

If the gentleman looks at the Democratic substitute, the gentleman will find that 95 percent of the provisions take effect within the 5-year window. I think that is pretty good. If the gentleman would agree to live up to that 95 percent…

I happen to agree with the position of the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) and will support the motion. However, regardless of what happens on the motion, I urge my colleagues to support the final passage of this legislation. This is…

On this date, in 1777, 223 years ago, the Continental Congress approved the first flag of our Nation. June 14 is now known as Flag Day. It also represents today the 21st anniversary of the annual national pause for the pledge of allegiance…

Mr. Speaker, I would like to include in the Record a document that has been received from the Joint Committee on Taxation that shows that striking the medical savings account provision will save $4.1 billion, the self-employed health…

I appreciate that. Just to respond, on a military construction rule, I did not think it was necessary for me to go to the Committee on Rules to talk about budget allocations. I would have thought that the Committee on Rules would be…

Reclaiming my time, just the reverse. Almost every bill that we passed through this Chamber we put a severability clause intentionally in because we know that we can never anticipate what a court will do. We are the legislative body…

Reclaiming my time, we need to make progress wherever we can make progress, and if we can get through this Chamber and the other Chamber, signed by the President and through the courts, we need to take whatever progress we can, and…

I have found some decisions made by our Court that leaves an awful lot to be desired, and it could very well deal with a minor provision here affecting it that would throw out the entire bill the way this amendment is drafted.

That is the answer I thought I would receive. The gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Hayworth) was talking about what he was able to bring forward. I thought you could at least give us some assurances that we will be able to take up bills that…