This next week we are going to have a very interesting conversation here in Washington, D.C., where the zeal that some of our friends have for both an ideological agenda and an effort at trying to cut government spending wherever they can…

I take that to say that you acknowledge that it is actually worse if we don't do something.

Today I will vote against H.R. 519. This bill would direct the United Nations to return $180 million of previously allocated credits to the United States. U.S. citizens who work at the U.N. pay taxes on their salaries-- unlike other…

I wonder if you had a chance to look at the Republican roadmap that my good friend and colleague Paul Ryan has advanced.

I strongly oppose H.R. 359. This bill terminates the Presidential Election Campaign Fund, which provides grants and matching funds during a presidential campaign for primary candidates, general election nominees, and party conventions…

Earlier this year, I was pleased to cast a vote that would reduce the legislative appropriation as a symbol that no part of the budget should be off limits as we attempt to deal with the issues of government efficiency and deficit…

As one who is firmly in the camp of not just supporting the benefits but the necessity of government regulation, I nonetheless welcomed the President's recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal and his executive order to review the…

You may miss it in the rhetoric, but both parties agree the current path of Medicare threatens to bankrupt the country. Some parts of America are spending twice as much per Medicare patient as we spend in Portland, Oregon, for example, but…

It is a scandal, and it is approaching a crisis point.

I think you have taken the right direction and, I will say, the right tone.

People deserve a serious debate on a serious subject. Unfortunately, while serious in tone, what we are hearing from my colleagues is not serious in content. I have listened to people come to the floor repeatedly, talking about a…

We are having debates about health care because Americans are nervous about changing something so important to their families, and that, of course, makes politicians nervous about reform. This skepticism is understandable. Attempting to…

I appreciate the opportunity to come together to express our sorrow and support for our friend and colleague, Gabby Giffords, and the 19 other victims of this senseless rampage. I cherish the time I spent with Gabby in Tucson to promote…

Thank you. I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy for permitting me to speak just as I appreciate my colleagues coming to the floor to spotlight something that each and every American needs to be deeply concerned about. I listened, for…

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several State legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by oath or affirmation to…

Today I voted for H. Res. 22, to cut the House operating budget by 5%. It is important for the government to lead by example, especially during these tough economic times. I would hope that having demonstrated that even the legislature…

Today I voted against H.R. 6523 as amended, the ke Skelton Defense Authorization Act for FY 2011, because we must redefine, refocus and reign in military spending. We have the largest defense budget in the world. We cannot continue to…

A vote on this agreement may or may not be good politics, but it is wrong. It continues the Washington tradition of ducking tough issues, making suboptimal choices, and trying to make every interest group happy. I'll be the first to admit…

I strongly support efforts to overhaul our broken immigration system. This is no easy task and it remains a contentious issue for many people. We should not allow the failures of the past to prevent us from finding a path forward…

It is unfortunate that the major decision we face on taxation this Congress boils down to this vote. This situation represents a failure of imagination, a failure of political will, and, sadly, a failure to invest in our future. It…

I appreciate the gentleman's courtesy as I appreciate his important leadership on the child nutrition program legislation. In Oregon, we are the third hungriest State in the country, so there is much in this legislation that means a…

Madam Speaker, I find that really a sad reflection on the current state of affairs. National public broadcasting is one of the few areas where the American public can actually get balanced information. It's not the bloviators on the right…

When you mix NPR and FOX News and you go back and deconstruct that, they have rules of journalism that they follow, that people are supposed to follow, and Mr. Williams had trouble following those rules before. But notwithstanding that…

We in Congress can telecommute. It makes me available to be able to work 7 days a week whether I'm in Washington, D.C., or I'm in Portland. Our staff does it routinely, but they would deny the ability of Federal employees. This is, as my…

I met with a wide variety of people from health care, who were talking about how we move forward in this partnership that has been focused and in terms of how we improve Medicare for our seniors. The notion that somehow this is a takeover…