as a veteran, as you have heard, of the United States Army, myself, I strongly support our troops, our veterans and their families. Let me state at the outset that our troops have done everything that has been asked of them to do. They…

I support this bill to cut interest rates in half for our students. As the first member of my family to graduate from college, I know firsthand that affordable access to higher education is the key to the American dream for working…

I rise to call on this House to pass legislation to end America's dependency on foreign oil. Earlier this week, I attended the opening of Piedmont Biofuels in Pittsboro, North Carolina. This plant is already producing thousands of gallons…

I rise tonight to join my Democratic colleagues to call for a new direction in our Federal budget priorities. I want to thank my friend Artur Davis from the Budget Committee and the Democratic committee staff for arranging this series of…

I rise to speak on H.R. 6061, the Secure Fence Act. Although I voted to pass this bill to demonstrate my support of strong border enforcement, it is yet another example of the House Republican leadership's piecemeal approach to immigration…

right now in my district in rural North Carolina, folks are very concerned about the high cost of fuel. I rise tonight to call on this Congress to take action now to help the people who are suffering from this very serious crisis, not only…

as gas prices hit another record high, I call on this Congress to pass visionary legislation for America's energy independence. This summer, middle-class families are being squeezed like never before by the high price of gasoline and…

I rise in support of H.R. 5684, the Oman Free Trade Agreement, because I think it is the right thing to do. I am going to vote for this agreement because I believe that free trade can be a way to promote our national security through…

Michael Childress, Randelman, North Carolina; Roger Armstrong, Atlanta, Illinois; Steven Rosenfeld, Salem, Virginia; Donald Eugene Ward, Columbus, Ohio; Richard Allen Fast, Alum Bridge, West Virginia. Mr. Chairman, these are just five of…

as the Memorial Day Weekend approaches, with the unofficial kickoff of the summer driving season, I rise this evening to say a few words about the energy crisis in this country. Specifically, I urge this Congress to take immediate action…

this evening I rise on the floor to speak for a few minutes in support of H.R. 5351, the National Emergency Management Reform and Enhancement Act, and to address the need for reform of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This…

this evening I come to the floor to remind my colleagues, just today we passed a tax bill that cuts taxes. In the next several weeks we will be back on this floor talking about the money for education. Unfortunately, we will be reducing…

I am going to vote for H.R. 5253 because I think it is a good bill and a timely bill. What took so long? Last September, Representative Bart Stupak, Representative Stephanie Herseth, and I drafted H.R. 3936, the Free Act, which would…

Absolutely. The gentleman is right on target. I saw that this weekend firsthand and I am sure others have as they have been there. This is important that we share this with our colleagues and folks tonight so they will understand that…

We had some resilience. We had balance. We did not have to say we are going to look for offsets to help the people of New York get back on their feet. They are still recovering, but we did the right thing. I was down in Louisiana last…

I rise to comment on the fiscal year 2006 Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill. I supported this bill when it passed the House in May, and I will vote in favor of the conference report, but I want to state for the record the…

Hurricane Katrina has caused unprecedented destruction to our neighbors to the south. We in North Carolina understand the destructive power of hurricanes and floods, and our thoughts and prayers are with all the victims who suffered…

I have supported trade agreements that have come through this body since I have been here, but this one falls short. I stand in opposition to the legislation. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in reluctant opposition to the implementation…

earlier today I joined local community leaders from my district on behalf of Fort Bragg, Pope Air Force Base, going to the BRAC hearing in Charlotte and thereby missed a number of rollcall votes. Had I been present, I would have voted…

I know the hour is late and folks want to go home. Mr. Speaker, let me thank the chairman and the ranking member for their hard work on this bill. But like anything we do in this body, we can do better. This coming Friday will begin…

I join my friend the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Price) and my other colleagues tonight because I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the University of North Carolina's men's basketball team on their latest national…

I rise in support of H.R. 366 as it reauthorizes the Perkins Act, which provides critical funding for occupational preparation and vocational and technical education at secondary and post-secondary education levels. It is the largest…

I rise in support of the final version of this bill to renew the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). As the only former State schools chief serving in Congress, I know firsthand the tremendous challenges facing our schools…

Let me ask this question as if I am sitting at my kitchen table and I get my credit card. In effect, I am paying only the interest on that credit card month after month. That is what we are doing. We are not paying any on the principal. I…

Here is my question. If I keep building this big enough, pretty soon the bankers are going say to me, ``Mr. Etheridge, if you can't pay some of the principal, we're going to have to sit down and work out a plan for you.'' Normally, people…