Wes Watkins

I had the distinct privilege, although one does not realize it as much when one is growing up, of growing up among the Choctaw Indians in southeast Oklahoma. I heard many of my elders talk about the days of using code talkers in World War…

I was raised in a broken home, and there were lots of nights I went to bed thinking about, hoping and praying that God would let me be a father one of these days and maybe I could be a father to my children and also my grandchildren…

Mr. Speaker, before us today is H.R. 2880, a bill that would correct several wrongs and have a significant impact on the members of the Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw, and Seminole Nations, these tribes historically referred to as the…

I am going home this year, after 20 years of service in this body; 14 years I served on the Democrat side and 6 years now on the Republican side. And let me say that during those 20 years I probably sponsored or cosponsored the elimination…

this may sound very unusual, but as a dean of the Oklahoma delegation but the newest member of the Republican Party, it gives me great privilege on behalf of our entire Oklahoma delegation, including our two Senators who have come over and…

I know the night has been long for all of us. But to my colleagues, let me say this night is not near as long as many years ago when our Native Americans were forced by our government to travel from the east coast over 1,200 miles to the…

I am delighted to say that, even in my own family, that I have a child that is part Cherokee. I also have grandchildren that are part Cherokee and part Creek, two of them are part Creek, so in our family we have a lot of discussions from…

I rise today to commend the students of Richmond Elementary and Will Rogers Elementary School in my hometown of Stillwater, Oklahoma, for their efforts and contributions to help the children of Afghanistan. This past Monday, I met with my…

I rise today to commend First Lady Laura Bush and our Nation's teachers who are helping our children develop their reading skills. Reading is a path to successful life. I have personal knowledge of the role of special teachers and am very…

I came to this Congress as an entrepreneur. I came here as a Democrat. I was a conservative Democrat. I sat on the Democrat side for 14 years, concerned about balancing the budget and building jobs. I represent an area that has the highest…

I salute the gentleman from Texas (Chairman Combest) and the ranking member, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm), for the job they have done in putting together this tough piece of legislation. Mr. Chairman, I have a strong commitment…

today I rise to fully support this joint resolution today condemning the horrible acts of terrorism committed against the United States on September 11, 2001. I am both saddened and angered by yesterday's events. Like most Americans, I…

I stand in support of H.J. Resolution 51. Let no one be fooled. What this basically does is normalize the trade relationship with Vietnam. We are trying to have a bilateral trade relationship with this country. I am very proud of the fact…

Farm families are tired and frustrated with the level of attention that has been paid to their livelihood by our government.

Many people, including a large portion of the Congress, believe agriculture should be the number one priority for our negotiating team.

American agriculture is at a crossroads and if we continue to ignore it, farm life as we know it will become extinct.

Our legislation will create a permanent office at USTR to negotiate on behalf of America's farmers, ranchers and other agricultural interests.

Today I am proudly introducing legislation to establish a permanent position of Chief Agricultural Negotiator within the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).

I urge all of my colleagues to lend their support to this legislation by cosponsoring this important and timely legislation.

The best way for America to sustain our agricultural backbone is by opening and accessing a new global marketplace.