The Public Record
it is no secret that missile defense is perhaps one of the most significant national security issues facing the House this year. How our country decides to pursue reducing that specific threat affects how much we will be able to spend on…
I rise today to commend the crew of the U.S. Navy EP-3 aircraft for their outstanding performance of duty following the collision with the Chinese F-8 fighter on April 1 and during their subsequent detention by Chinese authorities on the…
events are once again turning the world's eyes to the Pacific. Indonesia continues to be unsettled. North Korea is abandoning its move towards conciliation. And every American is aware of the provocative actions recently undertaken by…
I also wish to add that were I here tomorrow, I would be speaking and voting against the tax cut proposal. It is important that we in this House protect our farmers, strengthen our armed forces, preserve Social Security and Medicare, and…
tomorrow I will attend and participate in a funeral for a long-time friend from my home area, former sheriff Gene Darnell, one of Missouri's truly outstanding law enforcement officers. It is with sadness that I report his loss, which is a…
Mr. Speaker, first I want to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon) for working so well and putting this bill before us. It is a fitting tribute to those young Americans that died 10 years ago in Desert Storm. I hope it is some…
Washington sometimes speaks with its own language. We talk in this town of taking risks, laying it on the line, or getting out on the edge, when the only cost of failure is to our pride or perceived prestige. Out there beyond the Beltway…
for the most part, Congress looks at national defense with a bipartisan eye. I am proud to say that I have served with five chairmen of the Committee on Armed Services of both parties and of various viewpoints. The number of substantive…
As we begin the 107th Congress and our debate turns to our national security, I want to remind our colleagues that we must remain vigilant in protecting the greatest asset in our defense arsenal, our military personnel. Without our…
I find myself somewhere between shock and disbelief this afternoon. And yet as I sat in this Chamber listening to our colleagues reflect upon our friend Julian Dixon, I sat in amazement that even out of the grief and sadness of this…
Mr. Speaker, it was the Roman orator Cicero who once said that gratitude is the greatest of all virtues. This morning in a ceremony next to the U.S.S. Eisenhower at Norfolk, Virginia, commemorating the lives of those 17 sailors, feelings…
Today, though, I rise to give honor to a crew of brave Americans, the crew of the U.S.S. Cole, and to give warning. I want to honor those who gave their lives or were wounded while serving their country in a distant port, far away from…
earlier today the U.S.S. Cole, an Aegis destroyer, while being refueled in the enemy port of Aden was attacked by suicide terrorists. There were five sailors who lost their lives. One is missing. Approximately 30 have been injured. This is…
I keep going back to my old Missouri comment: Two wrongs do not make a right. I am very concerned that should this bill become law it would be permissive, and it would enlarge a practice that really should not have begun to begin with. So…
Lincoln University, in Jefferson City, Missouri, is an historic black college that has served Missouri and our nation well since the latter part of the 1800s. Today, it serves as a beacon of education for our state of Missouri. I am so…
Mr. Speaker, this is a sad moment for me. I know it is a sad moment for Virginians, and it is a sad moment for Americans who serve in the Armed Forces of our country. Herb Bateman was a friend. He was a colleague. We served on the…
each year, the legislative process consistently yields a particularly important authorization bill, and each and every year that authorization bill is signed into law by the President. I am speaking of the annual Defense authorization…
I thank the Members who have stayed to this late hour to express the birthday wishes to the United States Army, and a special thanks to our chairman, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spence), for introducing this resolution. There…
I am pleased that H.R. 3639 has come before the House. This bill, which I introduced along with my fellow Missourian (Mr. Blunt), would name the State Department Headquarters Building in honor of our 33rd President, Harry S. Truman. I…
Mr. Chairman, I speak in favor of a strong national security. This amendment is for just that. My amendment is the only way we can get back the range at Vieques permanently. My amendment would strike language that is in the bill that guts…
I appreciate the effort of all the Members involved in this issue and thank them for bringing it to the attention of the House. We need to do the right thing for these people who through the course of providing for the defense of our…
I hope the chairman of the Committee on Rules understands my concern for the military retirees, that it is a major problem. They were told when they joined if you stay with us 20 years, we will take care of your health care for life. And I…
we see nothing wrong with the gentleman's amendment. As far as we are concerned, we accept it.
I wish I could say I am wholeheartedly in support of this rule. I suppose the politic thing to do would be to say I will vote for this rule and await the second rule. But I feel constrained to express my reservation, because there is no…
I add but a word: In my years in Congress here, I have had the opportunity to serve with many outstanding Representatives. One of the finest during my era and during all time is that of G.V. ``Sonny'' Montgomery, not only an outstanding…
Politicians like Charles Skelton
