Paul Tonko

I have no other speakers here on our side. Again, I want to thank the gentleman from Ohio; I want to thank Chairman Upton of the Energy and Commerce Committee and Ranking Member Waxman of the same committee for expediting this very…

I demand a recorded vote. The CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from New York will be postponed. Amendment No. 2 Offered by Ms. Castor of Florida The CHAIR. It is now…

The bill that we are addressing before the House simply does not address the problems with pipeline approvals because the committee has not identified any problems with them. The natural gas pipeline approval process works well. The…

I have an amendment at the desk. The CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: In the quoted subsection (i)(1), insert ``For purposes of the deadline established in this paragraph, an…

This week, it was reported that House Republicans are looking for a legislative plan to close out the year and to move forward into 2014 and, as such, passed out a blank sheet of paper as their agenda--a blank sheet. Each month, polls put…

In the past week, we have seen yet another devastating storm claim the lives and communities of thousands of people in the Philippines as well as a string of tornadoes that cut through 12 States, from New York to Tennessee. These powerful…

Thank you, Representative Polis. Earlier tonight when we started this hour, I made mention of how proud I am of my grandfather, who was an immigrant from Poland. He added, along with his military colleagues, to the muscle of the military…

You are absolutely right. These are very legitimate, justified issues to talk about, but when it comes to immigration reform, people are saying: Look, let's get this done. We have many people who are developing great intellectual skills…

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you, Representative Polis, for bringing us together for what I believe is very thoughtful discussion about immigration reform, for we are by definition a Nation of immigrants. I believe that the passion…

The gentleman from Colorado speaks of the tremendous support of the American public to do immigration reform. I think it is very easy to understand. It is explained by the deep-routed sense of heritage in this Nation for everyone. Many of…

We have had many, many requests to move with immigration reform. It is one of the greatest bits of requests that we get.

I think it is very important for us to recognize, too, that here this evening you and several of our colleagues and I have shared thoughts about painful consequences in our given regions, or we have talked about not only flooding but…

I think by and large people want this law to work.

I'm frustrated, and I think it's fair to say that the American people are frustrated as well.

Similarly, many States made the illogical choice of rejecting Medicaid expansion contained in the ACA.

Thank you, Representative Holt. I will close by just focusing in on this graphic, which showed the enormity, the immense breadth and depth of this Superstorm Sandy. Many didn't relate that storm to a huge tide coming in. For any of us who…

In every measurement that we make, there is a huge impact that climate change calculates to the negative. You talked about the impact worldwide. It is the sightings of a perfect storm, with less available land as it erodes with these…

Thank you very much, Representative Peters. The gentleman makes mention of awareness and of the many visuals out there that strike awareness even a coast away. Representative Holt, I just noticed recently in the news the reopening of the…

The Representative talks about the growing acknowledgment by agencies and various elements of government, and I can tell you also a personal experience of watching the constituents in our area understand more starkly and painfully the…

Thank you, Representative Heck. We have also been joined by yet another freshman of the House, from the State of Pennsylvania, another strong friend of the environment and a person who has spent much of his career defending the…

Thank you, Representative Peters. We are also joined by Representative Denny Heck from Washington State, who is a freshman but has brought a very strong voice of advocacy for the environment to this Chamber. We are proud to have him join…

Thank you very much, Representative Holt. Certainly your State, my home State suffered economic consequences to the nth degree. It is a stark reminder that the cost of inaction here is painfully borne by taxpayers into the future also. So…

On this evening of October 29, we commemorate the 1-year anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, which devastated the east coast. Many are still recovering from that tragic storm, and it certainly was a major force to be reckoned with. That force…

Oceans cover 70 percent of our Earth's surface. They are home to a vast number of organisms that form an intricate food web--one that the world has relied on for high-quality protein and steady employment for generations. If we continue on…

I would implore my Republican colleagues to reject the politics of division and join with us in finding constructive solutions.