Ernest Istook

I support this amendment. Congress should not dictate that American ballots must be printed in multiple languages. Over 30 States, including Oklahoma, are now required by Congress to print bilingual or multilingual ballots in at least some…

although I cannot be present for the final vote, I support and have co-sponsored H.R. 4437, to improve America's border security dramatically. I am absent so that I can be at my daughter's wedding. It was scheduled long ago, when nobody…

as is evident a great many people responded to this situation. Over 12,000 emergency workers, rescue workers and volunteer workers, were at the site within a matter of only a couple of days. They came from all over America, for which we…

As he knows, we are very aware of this issue, and we are concerned about the level of tax evasion and fraud that is underway. We want to arm the IRS with the best technology and an overall program not only to combat the fraud but to locate…

I very much appreciate the frustration of the gentleman from Wisconsin, and certainly I have a high level of frustration, and many people do, because of the things that on parliamentary procedures were stricken on points of order, because…

I reemphasize that this bill is the vehicle for the transportation funding. A vote against this bill is a vote against the transportation funding that is important to every Member.

Mr. Chairman, maybe people do not realize what we are actually debating. We are not debating pension plans. We are not debating conversion of pension plans from one type to another. We have before us the amendment by the gentleman from…

Mr. Chairman, when we want fair competition, we try to make an equal playing field. If they have a horse race, they try to make sure that each horse is carrying the same burden. They weigh the jockey, they weigh the saddle, they wear the…

I will be brief on this because I do not think this amendment does any damage, and I will not oppose its adoption to our bill. However, I think it is a mistake to pretend that it accomplishes anything. I know of no serious effort to change…

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate Mrs. Capito's amendment and the seriousness of this issue. When we talk about private collection of debts, we should understand that the Federal Government is already using private debt collectors in other areas…

I fail to understand how anybody is threatened by opportunity. When people say I want to keep the type of health plan I already have, they still have that option. They are not hurt by saying they have the options they have already and they…

The fact that there may be corporate expatriates in these countries does not mean you should disqualify everybody that is in those countries. If you want to get at corporate expatriates, go after them, but do not say that because, maybe…

Mr. Chairman, of course the effect of the point of order raised is to take the money that was in the bill, $900 million, the amount requested by the administration for Amtrak, and to remove it. I regret that the people who are staunch…

Just because people that may do a corporate inversion, may choose to go to these countries does not mean that everybody that is in there is. If you live in a country or in a city where there is a lot of crime, it does not mean that you are…

the gentleman is certainly correct. Reclaiming my time, this Committee on Appropriations is doing its work, whether the rest of Congress is able to for whatever reason fulfill their work or not. I regret that this is going to be a messy…

I do want to speak against the amendment offered by the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Jefferson). This particular language has been carried in this bill, I understand, for several years. The airport is actually in the district of the…

like millions of Americans, I want to pay tribute to President Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States. I have shed many tears this week, because I loved Ronald Reagan, and I know how much he loved this country and the…

H.R. 4193 that we are considering today, while making some simple changes to the tax code, would provide considerable positive impact to our low-income and distressed areas for years to come. I strongly support this measure, which would…

Mr. Speaker, we had some interesting discussion about, well, why have we not gone to this system of saying let us reward people based upon their performance. Let us target, let us target funds, as the President wants to do. And the…

Mr. Speaker, were we to adopt this policy of across-the-board raises, we would prevent the ability to prioritize for those people who actually put their lives at risk and put themselves in harm's way. I have worked in local government, I…

I rise in support in particular of the section on transportation, treasury, and independent agencies, which is included as division F of this bill. This is the first time that this body packaged together this particular grouping of…

Mr. Chairman, we just went through much of this same debate. Whether you are saying you are totally restricting it or partially restricting it, we are really talking about the same thing on the competitive sourcing process, the A-76…

I support the shifting of funds, and I appreciate the cooperation of Members toward this effort, knowing that it is all part of that interrelated Bay Area system as well.

I am very much aware of the need to fund the Richmond Federal courthouse. I am concerned, of course, about the funding needs for all of the Nation's courthouses. As the gentleman is aware, due to budget limitations, we have not provided…