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…

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…

``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…

Due to an illness, I was unable to be in Washington, DC for votes today. Had I been present for the votes, I would have voted as follows: Rollcall vote 658: I would have voted in favor of H.R. 6540, the Defense Level Playing Field Act…

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…

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…