I appreciate the opportunity to be here this evening following my good friends and their interesting discussion. I wanted to spend a couple of moments this evening talking about reform. Reform has been a major focus of my public service…

There is plenty of blame for the near collapse of the economy over the last 5 years--greedy, even criminal business behavior, lax or nonexistent oversight with regulators asleep at the switch. Clearly, there were some reckless consumers…

I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy as I appreciate his leadership on this issue. He comes from an area that has seen its own devastations in terms of flood. We're talking about a river system where we have engineered the area, and we…

Imagine the headline, ``Outbreak of Serious Illness Strikes; 12 People Killed, 58 Hospitalized,'' just like similar outbreaks, but the Federal Government prohibits the Centers for Disease Control from investigating. Or another headline…

There is a battle under way about the very existence of public broadcasting. We thought we were past this when, 15 months ago, the House Republican leadership targeted NPR and tried to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting…

It is rare that I disagree with my good friend from Ohio, but I do. I think that it is appropriate to move forward in this direction. As my good friend from the State of Washington indicated, we are probably going to do this, I think he…

I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy, as I appreciate him bringing this amendment to the floor. I think it's telling that our friends in European NATO countries, since 2008, have reduced their defense spending 12 percent. They're having…

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 Colorado will be postponed.

We take great pride in the American military, trained fighting force. We work hard to make sure they are properly equipped, but decades of military training has left dangerous explosives and harmful chemicals on millions of acres of United…

I think there is no question, but what as a result of hearings we have had, and conversations we all have, that the tax system is broken.

It is manufacturing in the United States that gets hammered.

I deeply appreciate the difficult job that Chairman Young and Ranking Member Dicks have. This is important legislation, difficult balancing. It is a time of strain in terms of the budget, and it is a time of strain for the military. But I…

I appreciate your understanding of the importance and your concern about prioritization. If we don't prolong it in debate and recorded vote and all of this sort of thing, would it be possible to work with you and the ranking member as we…

There is a sad, unnecessary battle shaping up again over the future of public broadcasting. It's not an exaggeration to say that this battle is about the very future, the very existence of public broadcasting. You might have thought that…

I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 9, line 6, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced by $88,952,000)''. Page 16, line 24, after the…

Priscilla Dewey Houghton, beloved wife of our dear colleague of 18 years, Amo Houghton, passed away last Friday. She was a playwright, a linguist, a poet who, together with Amo, formed a special type of power couple. Priscilla was…

In this time of extreme weather events, our hearts go out to victims of the storms, wildfires, power outages, torrential downpours, the winds, trees crashing into homes. It makes our hearts ache, thinking of the suffering of hundreds of…

This week, the House Agriculture Committee will consider not just the farm bill, but also one of the most important pieces of health legislation, environmental legislation, and vital economic development for rural America. It should be on…

I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy in permitting me to speak on this bill, and I appreciate him framing the difference that the legislation makes. That's why, in a sense, I welcome the 31st running of this soap opera here on the floor…

What's different is that, under this system, no one can force the rest of us to buy their broccoli. Unfortunately, the American health care system now is forcing many of us to pay for the uninsured--60 percent of whom go to an emergency…

Thank you, Mr. Doggett.

Actually, the Congress has already imposed a gas guzzler tax.

I have worked for 5 years with a broad coalition of stakeholders that's not partisan, that are committed to working together on a vision for how we're going to rebuild and renew the country, how we're going to revitalize the economy, and…

I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy in permitting me to speak on this bill. Mr. Speaker, there's no small amount of irony that we are having this discussion today. It's on the anniversary of President Eisenhower signing into law the…

There's a transportation agreement rumored to be in the works that would be shortsighted in the extreme if these rumors prove to be accurate. Our problem was created because for years Congress and the last two administrations have been…