Charles Rangel

Talking about the poor is never very comfortable. I know that.

I don't think anyone challenges the fact that we have to stop overspending. You just can't simplify it and say, ``Stop spending.'' The problem that we have now is that the debt ceiling has nothing to do with the full faith and credit of…

Thank you. And welcome back, Mr. Chairman.

It is social Darwinism; it is survival of the fittest put into public policy in this Committee.

If this was such a good idea, why haven't we done it before?

Why would any good-thinking, patriotic American who loves the country as well as we all do want to use the debt ceiling as a vehicle to reduce spending rather than the other legislative opportunities we would have?

It seems to me, if you owed anybody any money, no matter whether it was the country or your company, and you were not giving the executive director the authority to pay what has already been borrowed, that shouldn't make our lenders feel…

Thank you so much, Mrs. Lowey. I want to thank Chairman Rogers for the manner in which he has handled this crisis and certainly congratulate Mrs. Lowey for the leadership that she has provided this House over the years, but especially at a…

I was just asking my friend, Joe Crowley, is there a legislative possibility that we could bring this to the floor. I think everybody has enough compassion for the Speaker after what he's been through with his own party trying to get some…

This is no profile in courage for me to be voting for this bill. It reminds me of the joke we use to have on Lennox Avenue, where someone stopped hitting you on the head with a hammer and you're supposed to say, ``Thank you so much for the…

I know there are many people watching us late this night that truly don't believe that the House of Representatives can turn their back on any Americans and any part of this great Nation. But, Mr. Speaker, maybe you could help us by…

Let me thank the Speaker for the service that he's given to the Congress. Some day someone may review our conduct here in the House, and one of the speakers on the other side, I guess he's gone, but he said shame on the Congress. I just…

I don't rise to talk about and to give accolades to Congressman Cleaver because he has served the Congressional Black Caucus so well. And the reason I don't is because I can't imagine that he won't continue to serve us as he has this…

Well, I thank you for this opportunity. It's always difficult when Members' political careers are interrupted. We're going to miss Betty Sutton on our side, and of course we're going to miss Mr. Kucinich for all the great work he's done. I…

What is this man talking about? Mr. Speaker, what the heck are you talking about?

I rise on the floor because there have been so many people in my constituency that are wondering about why did I vote in support of China going into the WTO, and at the same time we all are complaining about our failure to abide by the…

I thank you for allowing me this opportunity to participate in the Republican Presidential campaign, because that's exactly what this is. I saw a commercial with a white guy with leather gloves on working and sweating, and, oh, God. It…

To believe that people who are used to working hard, having dignity, having pride in their kids, just because the candidate for President made another mistake, that we're going to have to now legislate something to show that we think he…

Someone once said that the goal of the Republican Party is to get rid of Obama and to make him a first-term President. I understood that. I started saying these things about Nixon and Bush--all of those things--but I never dreamed that it…

First, let me thank Ranking Member Levin for giving me this opportunity, and let me thank the chairman for bringing up the idea that this Congress is concerned about taxes. I say that because some of us will go home, and our friends and…

Thank you so much. It was such a pleasure hearing the word knocked around here, ``bipartisanship,'' and well there should be. I hope we can explain what it means to some of the newer Members. As I was talking with Jim McDermott, whose…

I've never been so fortunate in this House to have the Republicans state the argument as clearly as they have this afternoon, and I think Wally Herger said it. It is possible that we're not talking about a tax cut. People working every day…

But if you have no base back here?

How does it help the United States of America? It helps your stockholders. Is that it?

This Sunday, the International AIDS Conference is going to be held in our Nation's Capital. It was some 30 years ago that this serious disease became known in our great country and spread from other parts of the world. Since that time…