I thank the gentleman from Maryland for yielding and also for his very bold and effective leadership. I rise in strong opposition to this unbalanced debt ceiling bill. This is an unbalanced approach. We all know that. We've heard that…

The House passed unprecedented legislation tonight. We passed a bill that put unprecedented limits on our President to act to protect our nation, to invest in our futures and to safeguard our poor and our vulnerable. I opposed this bill…

That certainly appears to be the case. It is a reminder to us of the fact that no matter how much we might be tempted at times to demagogue this issue, no matter how tempting it might be for certain Members of this body to cast blame…

I have a friend by the name of Ron McMillan, who lives in my hometown of Alpine, UT. He is the author of a number of books dealing with business negotiations, dealing with trying to figure out how compromise can be reached. The PRESIDING…

In that series of books, the crucial conversation line of the books, one of the things he encourages people to do is to find whatever common ground they can reach. I think there is common ground among the American people generally that we…

a number of us, myself included, have been arguing since January--ever since we arrived here and were sworn in this very room--that the national debt is a permanent problem. The almost $15 trillion that we now owe as a nation is permanent…

I feel compelled to come to the floor this evening to refute some of the arguments that have been made by some of my colleagues, points that are important for the American people to understand, points that, if not clarified, could lead to…

Thank you very much for yielding. I rise in opposition to this rule and in opposition to the bill that we will vote on later today. And, yes, the Bush economic policies have really now come home to haunt us. It's shameful that the…

I was unable to cast my vote on House Resolution 375, the Rule providing for consideration of S. 627. Had I been able to cast my vote I would have voted ``no.'' ____________________

I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 2584, the Interior appropriations bill. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I want to thank Ranking Member Moran and our full committee ranking member, Congressman Dicks, for leading the fight…

Let me thank Congresswoman Christensen for leading this Special Order tonight. I also thank you for your leadership on behalf of, really, my constituents and on behalf of the entire country because it is so important that you as first vice…

Absolutely. Absolutely. Look, the American people understand that power is most dangerous in government when it is consolidated into the hands of a few people. It becomes even more dangerous when that power is wielded under cover of…

since I was sworn into office this January, about 6 months ago, the House and the Senate have both been understandably and properly concerned with one issue that has perhaps eclipsed every other issue that has come before us in this…

It is the law, and notwithstanding the fact that we don't have a court order enjoining us to do that, we still have taken an oath to uphold the Constitution. I think that means especially on an issue so fundamental, so important, so…

On countless occasions throughout the State of Utah, I have articulated the fact that I believe we have no business raising the debt limit without first adopting permanent structural change in the form of a constitutional balanced budget…

I would hardly call it weak. Quite to the contrary. Calls for legislation such as this date back a couple of hundred years. Thomas Jefferson was arguably the first one to suggest this kind of proposal. He called for it again and again, and…

Yes, it would. The whole purpose of the balanced budget amendment is to restrict our power and give that power back to the people where it belongs. The power has been abused here. It has been abused over a prolonged period of time, and it…

There is nothing wrong with it, and quite to the contrary. This is exactly the kind of activity that our Constitution contemplates, authorizes, and with good reason. I should note here it is significant that in this body each State is…

I think the American people would be profoundly disappointed by that statement. More importantly, they would be profoundly disgusted by the fact that it wasn't enough for the Senate majority leader simply to say: I disagree with it or to…

He gets to decide it only if we allow him to decide it. We outnumber him, and if we vote contrary to his will, we can overrule him. If enough Members of this body are willing to stand up for truth and justice and the American way, debate…

I want to thank the gentleman for yielding and also for his leadership. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this rule and in opposition to the underlying bill. As a member of the Appropriations Committee and former vice chair of the Leg…

The right to vote is a fundamental right which is at the heart of this Nation. This right is under attack. I came to this floor, after the stolen Presidential elections in Florida and Ohio, to protest the results of these two elections…

First, let me thank the gentleman for yielding and for his outstanding leadership. I rise in strong opposition to what has been appropriately labeled as the ``duck, dodge, and dismantle'' budget bill. The Republicans duck making the hard…

I was unable to cast my votes today. Had I been present to cast my votes, I would have voted ``yes'' on H.R. 33 and ``yes'' on approving the Journal. ____________________

We have now been operating for more than 800 days without a budget having been passed. We are operating at the direction of the party in control of this body on autopilot. It is easy to operate on autopilot. In many ways it is far easier…