I personally am disappointed and saddened with the turn of this debate on a tax cut proposal. In the rush to pass the Republican tax program, we are leaving behind the vast majority of Americans. It shortchanges working families, some of…

this is a high water mark for me in the last 2 years I have been able to be in Congress, being able to be a part of this discussion on our relationship with China. It is bipartisan, it makes a difference, it is Congress at its best and its…

We are talking about American economic competitiveness. We know that the Japanese are spending trillions of dollars, and we are debating here on the floor whether or not we are going to add $12 billion in order to meet our current…

I do agree with my colleague the gentleman from Oregon, that we ought to learn from the past. But I am afraid that debate here today is largely beside the point. First and foremost, the bill today addresses something that simply is not a…

I strongly urge a no vote on this rule. Every day 1 million children go home in this country to households with loaded guns. Fifty-five percent of the guns in this country are loaded, kept in homes. It results in the death of approximately…

for many the Postal Service indeed represents the Federal Government. Post offices are the heart and soul of many small towns across America, and they are part of the heritage of every community. Yet, in many instances, people feel…

I am here today to argue on behalf of two of these bills that will do that in terms of having a more balanced transportation system. One, House Resolution 37, would give congressional employees here in the District of Columbia and in our…

I strongly object to the characterization of this bill as an effort to derail term limits. My goodness, nobody could derail term limits more than the so-called proponents have done today. Item after item after item has bit the dust. This…

during my service as a local official in Portland, OR, we worked hard with employers, including government employers, to provide transit passes for our employees as an alternative to single occupant vehicles. We found that transit pass…

The Packers are not an ordinary football team, their fans are not ordinary fans, and their community is not an ordinary community, in large part because 1,950 residents of Green Bay own their football team. The Packers are a vital part of…

for me, the Gingrich episode represents much of what is wrong about the American political system today. It is unfortunately a failing which occurs on many levels. At its core is the behavior of the man twice removed from the Presidency…

We need ISTEA and the money that it brings. But more important, to deal with the problems of our increasingly mobile populations, is the flexibility that that legislation entails. More important than money is the local planning framework…

I oppose the challenge to the President's veto of H.R. 1833. Whatever one's belief on abortion, the late-term procedure most be viewed separately, for this is a procedure to be used only as a last resort to save a woman's life or to avoid…

Before us today is a measure that means a great deal to us in Oregon, naming the new courthouse after Senator Hatfield. I know it is not going to be the last memorial as tribute to Oregon's senior Senator but in many ways it will be the…

last week Washington, DC, was host to an annual conference, Rail Volution, where over 700 people from 8 countries, 41 States, and 118 cities gathered. As impressive as those numbers were, what was more impressive was the purpose of that…

providing for their families is a daily struggle for the working poor. Basics like food, shelter and healthcare are out of reach for too many full-time employees and their children. Congress, so far, has not chosen to improve upon this sad…

I strongly support providing our troops the basic equipment they rely on in the field. Adequate military housing and medical facilities are also wise uses of our scarce resources. In providing for the defense of our Nation, there is no…

there is perhaps no more urgent issue in America today than ending welfare dependency. In place of a welfare program built around welfare checks, we need a program built around helping people get paychecks. We need to move people toward…

I rise in favor of passage of the substitute measure. The gentleman from California has proposed a bill that takes an important step in the direction of limiting the amount of money in Federal election campaigns. In so doing, this…

I find myself in significant agreement with the distinguished gentleman from Michigan. This is a confused and misleading concept, MFN. It certainly implies no approval; otherwise, we would not have extended it to 184 nations, including…

I am saddened that my first appearance before this body is on the occasion of such a hateful event. I think we all had hoped that this was behind us. But I am heartened by the attitude and tone of love and reconciliation that one hears…