Donald M. Payne

I strongly oppose the dismantling of the Head Start program, a program that has proven to be a winner since its inception 38 years ago. These changes will result in lowering the quality and effectiveness and quite possibly end one of the…

Mr. Speaker, 2 million people have died as a result of the practices of the government of Sudan; 4 million have been displaced. We have had the EGAT nations attempt to come to a conclusion, a solution to this problem. We continually push…

I rise to ask my colleagues here in the House of Representatives to join me in honoring a true American hero, Sergeant First Class Gladimir Phillipe, who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country when he lost his life in Iraq two weeks…

We think that Liberia has a special place in this country with African Americans who feel very close to this situation. Our young men have fought in every war, from Crispus Attucks, the first person that died in the Revolutionary War, up…

Democracy is moving through Africa. Mr. Speaker, 1990 saw the spread of democracy in many African countries once dominated by military dictators. As the chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus indicated, many of us recently went on May…

we are members of the Congressional Black Caucus here tonight, and we stand here tonight to speak on the state of Africa as the first day of President Bush's trip concludes. The President's trip shows a level of commitment that surprised…

I, too, rise today to commemorate the 49th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, which struck down the separate but equal doctrine of Plessy v. Ferguson of 1896. A young girl by the name of Linda Brown attended the fifth grade at…

I rise in my opposition to H.R. the Workforce Investment Act. Our Nation is facing the worst unemployment since the Great Depression. The 6 percent unemployment rate that was announced the beginning of the month equals to nearly nine…

let me express my strong support for this legislation and begin by commending the Bush administration for this initiative of 15 billion new dollars. I would like to also commend the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), the chairman of the…

Mr. Speaker, let me say that we stand here at a crossroads right now. Millions of people all over the world are in the wake of a humanitarian disaster to pale all others. It makes the black plague of the Middle Ages look like small things…

Mr. Speaker, as we commemorate Black History Month this year, there is a sober and anxious mood in our Nation. Our communities are worried about the uncertain state of the economy, the loss of jobs, the growing budget deficit, the budget…

give the United Nations inspectors a chance. That is what the Lee amendment asks. What does it do? It sets out the potential threat posed by Iraq. She says that there are dangers and that we must eliminate these weapons of mass…

Mr. Speaker, I join with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in this historic debate with some trepidation and troubled feelings. I have been marshaling views, like many of my esteemed colleagues, not only to contribute to this…

We live in a dangerous world. We always have. But every day, the greatest democracy on earth wakes. All of us from Minnesota, we get up every day. We take our children to school. We go to work. We enjoy the hope, opportunity and freedom of…

I share the same revulsion that many others have toward Saddam Hussein. We all know that he is brutal and that his regime has terrorized the Iraqi people and the peoples of nearby countries. But there was a time not so long ago when…

First of all, let me say from the outset that I oppose a unilateral first-strike attack by the United States without a clearly demonstrated and imminent threat of attack on our soil. The President's resolution does not prove that the…

One of the most solemn duties given by us to the Constitution is before the House because the resolution before us is most certainly a declaration of war. It lacks the specificity of the last declared war, World War II, but it closely…

The true question before us today is: Why should we go to war with Iraq? This is the last chance we will have before it starts. The rule has been that the people of this country do not wage war and lay down lives when there might be a…

I would like to make a short statement that I am not so sure that the attempt to avoid war, the attempt to avoid death and destruction, the attempt to use as a last resort the horrific weapons of destruction and death that we have in our…

I join with my colleagues in expressing profound sorrow over the loss this weekend of our esteemed colleague, Congresswoman Patsy Mink of Hawaii. While her passing saddens me immensely, I find myself reflecting this evening not so much on…

Today is World Refugee Day. For many years, numerous countries all around the world have set aside a day for remembering the plight of refugees. One of the most widespread is African Refugee Day celebrated June 20 in several African…

I rise today, as a member of the Human Rights Subcommittee, to join in commemorating the 181st Anniversary of the revolution that freed the Greek people from the Ottoman empire. I congratulate Greece on celebrating its 181st anniversary…

I too want to simply add to what has already been said about a person that I have just respected for as long as I have been here in the House. I think that first connection, as I am from the 10th Congressional District too, of New Jersey…

Mr. Speaker, Zimbabwe is one of the most important countries in Africa. Many of us remember the people of Zimbabwe's courageous struggle for independence that took many years of fighting with Mr. Nkomo and Mr. Mugabe and others. As I…

according to UNAIDS, each day 17,000 people die from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria worldwide. While the world's attention is appropriately focused on September 11 and our new war on international terrorism, we cannot ignore this…