Who has the right to close? The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from Virginia has the right to close.

I thank the gentleman for yielding. The measure we are debating today is much better, through the hard work of Senators Corker and Cardin, and I appreciate their efforts to deescalate the conversation. I fear it is the wrong message at the…

May I inquire as to the amount of time remaining? The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from Oregon has 3 minutes remaining. The gentleman from Virginia has 1 minute remaining.

As we are dealing with the defense authorization legislation, we should step back and look at the big picture. Are we taking tough stands dealing with escalating personnel costs, procurement issues, excess facilities? Are we honoring the…

I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Strike section 1407 and insert the following: SEC. 1407. REPEAL OF NATIONAL SEA-BASED DETERRENCE FUND. (a)…

This is by no stretch of the imagination a vote on whether or not one believes in nuclear deterrence. The United States has in its possession now and will continue to have far more nuclear firepower than is necessary to deter anybody in…

This amendment is simple. It would move the funding authority for the Navy's next submarine--the Ohio class replacement--out of the so-called national sea-based deterrence fund and put it back where it belongs, in the Navy's shipbuilding…

As the clock ticks down, May 31--18 calendar days and 6 legislative days away--is the expiration of the latest of now 24 short-term extensions that are testimony to Congress' inability to face up to America's transportation challenges. As…

On May 31, a looming deadline, the highway trust fund extension expires. I actually could have dusted off the speech I gave last summer, arguing against this ill-advised measure to slide it into this spring. As I pointed out then, we will…

First, it isn't just PTSD that medical marijuana is used for. There is a whole host of other conditions that were available. Second, the marijuana medical train has left the station. A million Americans have a legal right to use medical…

I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chair, 36 States and the District of Columbia have passed laws that provide legal access to medical marijuana in some form, and over 1 million patients now use medical marijuana to treat…

May I inquire as to how much time is remaining? The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) has 2\1/ 2\ minutes remaining, and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Dent) has 3\1/2\ minutes remaining.

I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will report the amendment. The Clerk read as follows: At the end of the bill (before the short title), insert the following: Sec. __. None of the funds made available by this Act…

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 Oregon will be postponed. Amendment No. 1 Offered by Mr. Babin

please help us stop this madness. The same way President Reagan demanded Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall, you have an opportunity to stop serial malpractice on the part of Congress refusing to meet its obligation to fully fund our…

I think the transparency, I think having these objectives spelled out--they may not be everything that everybody wants.

I want to express my appreciation for my colleague and my constituent, Ron Wyden, who has worked really hard.

I do agree wholeheartedly with my friend Mr. McDermott, who had a litany of horrors about NAFTA.

I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy in permitting me to speak on this. Madam Speaker, it is ironic. This week, we have had hundreds and hundreds of businesspeople, folks from organized labor, contractors coming to town, pleading with…

Today is April 15. This is the day that our income taxes are due, a day that is difficult enough under the best of circumstances, but made even more difficult, purposefully, for millions of Americans. My Republican friends have decided to…

This week on Capitol Hill, there are hundreds and hundreds of people from around the country who are delivering a message: that America is falling apart and is falling behind, and it is time for us to address the critical funding shortfall…

I want to thank the committee for your tireless efforts on behalf of the foreign nationals who worked with us in the theater of Iraq and Afghanistan.

I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy, as I appreciate his leadership on this. Mr. Speaker, I have sat on the floor for the entire debate--of both the Commerce and Ways and Means Committees--and it is really exciting. I was one of those…

This week marks the latest chapter in the drama of Republican control of Congress. This is their first opportunity with complete control of both Chambers to bring into focus what they would do governing, and the results aren't pretty. We…

Gretchen Miller Kafoury passed away 2 weeks ago in Portland. She left us at age 72, far too soon, only recently retired from her amazing career. It was my honor to have served with Gretchen in the Oregon Legislature in the seventies, on…