David Minge

I rise to support the bill that is under consideration and the Thune amendment. The area of Minnesota which I represent is one of the hardest hit by this spring's flooding. The work, the spirit of the local officials, the residents, the…

I wish to address the House with respect to a matter of great concern and interest to me. The Minnesota River, the Red River of the North and several other streams and rivers in the upper Midwest are experiencing flooding problems on a…

we are dealing with a very difficult question here this afternoon, and that is, how does this institution reconcile the serious political differences that exist in the country with respect to the budget of the United States of America? The…

I would like to make it clear that this is not legislation which is in any way concerning President Bush's distinguished service to this country. The controversy, instead, is over whether or not we create yet another special fellowship…

as a cochair of the Congressional Porkbusters Coalition and a Member interested in improving the integrity of Congress, I am strongly opposed to the method by which earmarked water projects were included in the Safe Drinking Water Act…

manipulation of the conference committee process and deadlines to take moneys from general funds from all States to finance specifically named projects for a select few for their political advantage is wrong. It is reprehensible. The Pork…

I have a prepared statement, but I would like to depart from that prepared statement to join in the debate that we have had this evening here on the floor about this very important amendment, and there are three points that I would like to…

going back to my question, the effect of deleting these lines in the bill would mean that these projects identified in the report language would at that point compete with projects from other districts, other States throughout the country…

So the fact that these eight projects are listed in the report language does not, as to the gentleman's understanding of the situation, after the amendment is adopted, provide these eight projects with some type of special status?

I would like to join in the chorus of others who are praising the work of the committees in reporting out a bill that actually addresses problems that many communities around this country have had in maintaining a safe drinking water…

I appreciate that greatly, and I would like to again compliment the distinguished chairman of the committee and the ranking member for the work that they have done in bringing to the floor of his House a substantive measure which truly…

despite the heated rhetoric surrounding the budget debate, the Republican budget passed last week. It will tragically increase the deficit from $130 billion to $153 billion. Just when most of us who are deeply committed to deficit…

first I notice there was a discrepancy. The gentleman said it was 95 percent and now he says it was 99 percent.

I would like to support the amendment that has been offered. What we have here is a commonsense proposal. There is concern that common sense if applied to the defense budget might result in some untoward conclusion. Certainly we ought to…

I rise in support of the Furse amendment, and I am deeply interested in the comments of the previous speaker. The gentleman certainly raises issues that are of concern to all of us. Our troops in Bosnia are important to each American…

Mr. Chairman, I rise this afternoon in opposition to H.R. 3322 and in strong support of the Brown substitute. We have been lulled into complacency by the last few years of ample energy supplies. It should not take a dramatic rise in the…

we are in the strange position of all agreeing that we wish to balance the budget in 7 years, but then quibbling over some of the details, and also over the design. I think it is important to put in bold relief the difference between the…

But something that would happen with respect to transit funds would not be a highway project, unless it was a specific highway project. Therefore, it would not trigger the reaction that the gentleman is attributing to the amendment.

I certainly respect what the chairman of this committee has attempted to do in regulating and limiting inappropriate earmarks and demonstration projects. I also wish to pay tribute to the Committee on Appropriations, and the work of the…

And it would be correct to say that in the 104th Congress some of the rules changed, and we no longer had demonstration projects, so that we were not subject to this type of request from our constituents and, as a consequence, the process…

I would like to also point out, complimenting the gentleman on his remarks, that we have remarkably capable committee leadership in the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and many other committees in this Congress. I submit…

We would like to deal with transit as well, but as we understand the process within the Department of Transportation, the transit trust fund is handled in quite a different fashion.

there were two amendments printed in the Record. One of them was broader. I would like to make sure we are talking about the same amendment. There is nothing in this one that deals with transit funds.

we have a bill here today that is very awkward to explain to farmers because we have promised far more in rhetoric than we are delivering in legislation. At the same time, we have a tragic situation that farmers in the southern part of the…

the flow-control legislation we are considering this afternoon, from the perspective of many of us, ought to be written differently, but one thing that I have noticed in my short legislative career, congressional career, is that it is…