Greg Walden

My district is very rural, very dry. We do dryland wheat. We do cattle. My guys, ranchers, are very concerned about the particulate dust rule that is being considered.

And I think that's one of the big arguments here that I get from the people out in my district is: Why did the government take over this, put all of these other provisions in, ram a bill through the House that creates this new trillion…

I believe the Hermiston Recycled Water Facility is a worthwhile Federal investment.

I wish to publicly thank Congressman Greg Walden for introducing this important piece of legislation

I too share concerns about the Bureau's opposition to this legislation because in this case, as in many in the West where we are starved for water, being able to reuse it can bring great benefits for agriculture, for fish and to meet new…

It seems like, from what we have read, you were willing to send out that peanut base that went into these ingredients.

A simple change in the law to allow budget authority of $250 million to NTIA would allow them to flow these coupons out. The stimulus bill spends $600 million more on the coupon conversion program, and yet that money isn't going to be out…

I don't believe the gentleman was a Member of the Congress when most of those hearings were held. So you wouldn't have had benefit of those hearings. But my question is: If they did all those hearings, why didn't they have a markup to fix…

I thank the gentleman. Wendell Wyatt guided bills through Congress that left lasting imprints all over our great State of Oregon, including bills that established the Tualatin Reclamation Project in Washington County, the Columbia River…

I think, though, it's important for us, too, to talk about the safeguards for American citizens on American soil because I hear that when I go home: Are they listening in when I call my aunt or somebody across the street? This warrantless…

You raised an interesting point about this sort of smoke-and-mirrors argument of how quickly the FISA Court can act on a surveillance order. The Speaker of the House, Ms. Pelosi, was quoted as saying in a statement on FISA negotiations on…

You're kidding. Is that actually the case? So they can shoot them, but they can't listen to their cell phone?

As the gentleman knows, the clock is running. Time is running out, not just on our Special Order tonight but on the school kids and the counties and the services that our citizens rely upon in these forested areas, because that funding…

The only thing that has happened in between is nothing has happened in between, including that provision is stuck in an appropriations bill that has never gone to the President. So there is no protection today; but in terms of the issue…

Reclaiming my time, more than 300 of our colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, said no to the funding of the reinstitution of the fairness doctrine.

Sounds to me like we were most interested in trying to protect the security of Amtrak passengers.

But wait. Haven't those passed in a big bipartisan majority? So when one of these ideas comes to the floor, what you're saying is, the Republicans and Democrats actually do what Americans elected us to do, which was come together on…

So even the chairman of the committee said bring forth whatever amendments to the floor you want on the bill I have, and his chairman of the Rules Committee makes the decision what amendments come forward said uh-uh.

It's pretty hard to get bipartisanship there if it's always a 9-4 vote, isn't it?

I am a little troubled by that because I thought that the Speaker of the House, when she took over, announced that the House would be run differently and that there wouldn't be closed rules.

I think there may be some newer Members here who don't understand the significance of what a closed rule means. What that means is no Member of the House has an opportunity to have an amendment heard on that issue, right?

I rise today on the McHenry amendment, which would cut $100,000 from the USDA, the Department of Agriculture. $100,000, that is the equivalent to what the out-of-pocket costs will be if you have a 10 percent cut in Medicare Advantage for…

I thank the chairman, and I've commended him before for his work in our behalf in this very difficult problem we face in the rural areas. And you've been terrific to work with. You've been most generous, not only with your time, but with…

Certainly anything that would be required here, because it does require the Corps to inventory, develop and maintain all lands, properties, et cetera, for the potential of producing hydropower. Obviously, though, we waive no environmental…

I would encourage all of our colleagues who are listening tonight, help us pass H.R. 17. Help us keep the promise to these rural people who are surrounded in their areas by Federal lands, which are gorgeous and we love them, but we need…