Fulfilling a campaign promise at the expense of American national security interests is, at best, strategic neglect and, at worst, downright irresponsible.

It requires 'the willing suspension of disbelief' to believe that withdrawing our forces from Iraq... advances our strategic interests.

Sir, we are 2 months into the program. I am optimistic about its chances for success.

Saying that Iraq is 'secure, stable, and self-reliant,' as Deputy National Security Advisor Denis McDonough recently did, does not make it so.

Unfortunately, these negotiations failed due to in my opinion mismanagement by this White House.

I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, our national debt has reached a staggering $15 trillion. We're currently borrowing 43 cents on every dollar that's spent here in Washington. Think of it, 43 cents on a dollar. A trillion…

And even EPA and the majority of Congress have voiced their opposition to the permits.

States do not need the added expense.

I have been with one of the co-chairs of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus for about 10 years.

I thank the chairman for yielding. Madam Chairman, the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution states: ``The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.'' In this modern age when it is very common for…

This amendment would effectively gut the bill, though the intent is actually somewhat unclear. As written, the amendment allows a visitor to carry a handgun under the provisions of the bill only in States that require applications to be…

There is a solution to this nonsense, enact House H.R. 872.

I demand a recorded vote. The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Florida will be postponed. Amendment No. 4 Offered by Ms. Jackson Lee of Texas The Acting…

Do the general permits improve the environment? Not at all.

Agriculture does not need the added burden.

There is some speculation that, God forbid, they are going to suggest that we raise taxes and, therefore, burden the American people even more.

I want to thank my friend the chairman from Illinois for arranging this hearing.

We have got almost a $15 trillion national debt hanging over our heads, $1.3 trillion this year alone.

We are broke. The United States is broke. We spend more money than we take in.

The money has got to come from somewhere unless we are going to add to the deficit.

We are borrowing money from China to give back to China to improve industrial energy efficiency, which will then drive down production costs to Chinese firms.

It just seems to me you are going to have a hard sell explaining to the American people why we ought to be using U.S. tax dollars to fund something like this.

We are spending far more money than we take in, which means that any additional expenditures that are made--and this is an additional expenditure that is being proposed here, correct?

If they can't, we know that sequestration of funds was built into the bill, which means automatic cuts, $600 billion in cuts from defense.

We don't know what the so-called Super Committee is going to do, what they are going to recommend.