Our constituents are not interested in breathing dirty air or drinking dirty water.

Culture change can't happen if it doesn't start at the top, all the way at the top.

you impose this draconian hiring freeze when you have thousands and thousands of positions that are open, and that's going to aggravate a situation in which the agency can't deliver at the level that it should be able it to deliver.

I think that might give us some additional context and perspective on the potential impact that this freeze is going to have going forward.

the hiring freeze and the impact that it's going to have on the ability of the agency to function at a high level and to meet the needs of the populations that it serves is obviously at stake here.

obviously, a hiring freeze and other kind of resource restrictions on the VA that are imprudent can have an impact

I authored, in the last Congress on a bipartisan basis, a bill that would encourage and provide resources to the Department of Energy...

I would rather see an outcome that would be achieved with more innovation at that level, working with our private-sector friends.

But generally speaking this idea of trying to reduce the exposure that our seniors have to the prescription drug costs which the ACA addressed through this effort to close the donut hole, is that something you think we ought to hold onto?

What are some of the pieces of the Affordable Care Act that you think we ought to keep in place?

I think the effectiveness has been significant in terms of enhancing care and there is actually savings as well.

I think there is a recognition by the experts that there is many, many pieces of the Affordable Care Act that it would be regrettable to leave behind.

it is unfortunate that our Republican colleagues seem to want to take parts of the Medicaid program that really do represent innovation and flexibility

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose this legislation, but I also want to speak to the millions of Americans of all political stripes who want Washington to change, who want to reclaim their voice in…

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. I rise in opposition to H.R. 2357, the Accelerating Access to Capital Act. Mr. Chair, 7 weeks ago, the Republican majority recessed the House for the summer district work period--7 weeks. Seven weeks…

I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I want to commend Mr. Kildee for this amendment, which promotes more accountability and transparency and disclosure at a time when that is what people are asking for. They want to know…

A moment ago, the House Chaplain expressed the hope--I would imagine it is a fervent hope--that we would return to this place with ``a spirit of common purpose.'' Those are the words that he used. Nothing would reflect the common purpose…

This is the final amendment to the bill, which will not kill the bill or send it back to committee. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage, as amended. Mr. Speaker, we have had a debate here today on this larger…

I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, fundamentally, this is about which direction we want to move in as a country, as a Congress, as a responsible institution, as a government, in terms of whether we are going to respect the…

I am opposed to it in its current form. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion to recommit. The Clerk read as follows: Mr. Sarbanes moves to recommit the bill H.R. 5053 to the Committee on Ways and Means with…

I just wanted to respond to this idea that the public wouldn't benefit from this. Yes, there are opportunities to develop more disclosure of this information to the public, and certainly the Democrats would like to see that. But the public…

Let me say again that Democrats strongly support the intention behind this bill, but we cannot support it as it is currently drafted. We believe that we can do better. I urge Members to vote ``no'' on H.R. 4889. I yield back the balance of…

I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, the Obama administration issued two critical executive orders directing Federal agencies to take responsibility for anticipating and responding to the effects of climate change. This…

I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I first want to thank Ranking Members Pallone and Green, as well as Chairmen Upton and Pitts, for working diligently with me to bring this bill to the floor today. This bipartisan bill, the…

I thank the ranking member for yielding, and I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this important topic of filling the Supreme Court vacancy. Madam Speaker, many of our colleagues in this Chamber carry a pocket Constitution--I have got…