H.R. 4545 is a well-meaning but ineffective attempt to address a serious problem, the problem of multiple blends of fuels required under our Clean Air Act. I believe the map that was shown earlier illustrated that we do have too many…

I rise today to thank the men and women of the 147th Fighter Wing of the Texas Air National Guard, the Ace-in-the-Hole Texans, for inviting me to speak at their annual Dining Out recently in Houston. The 147th Fighter Wing is based at…

Americans and people across the world respect and admire Ronald Reagan. My greatest admiration is for his steadfast opposition to communist threats to our national security and the security of our allies. Many credit Ronald Reagan for…

I look back to the year 2000 and I see a different country from the one we live in today. In 2000, we entered a new century having enjoyed a decade of unprecedented economic growth. During the 1990s we got our priorities together, erased…

this week marks National Cover the Uninsured Week where we focus our attention on the many health care problems confronting Americans without health insurance. This evening I returned to Washington from Houston after participating in a…

I will also support H.R. 4219 today, but I am extremely frustrated with this process. Here Americans are again, more than two months later, still waiting to see how many crumbs this Administration is willing to throw to our Nation's…

I rise today with concerns about the Department of Defense budget proposal. Last fall before my colleagues and I voted on the Iraq Supplemental, we were told that there was money included in the bill to provide all our troops with…

I rise first and foremost to thank the men and women of the Armed Forces serving bravely in Iraq, Afghanistan and literally all over the world. I supported the resolution to authorize the war, and in the supplemental request I continue to…

I rise in support of the Broadcast Decency and Enforcement Act of 2004, which is a bipartisan product of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet. Both the ranking member, the…

I am afraid that the so-called supporters of the GPO repeal are going to turn their back on the hundreds of thousands of public servants who are affected by the Government Pension Offset. As we have heard, the Government Pension Offset…

even though I hate to disagree with another Texan, particularly the majority leader, but let me tell the Members the real story. It is not the unions that are the problem. Congress made in 1983 Social Security participation by some local…

again I thank our ranking member on our Subcommittee on Social Security and also the chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security. I know we have a difference of opinion on this issue; and I guess it is frustrating, because with what is…

I apologize for not being able to ask a question to the chairman of our Subcommittee on Social Security, but all of Texas educators, teachers, administrators, custodial, cafeteria workers, everyone is affected by this bill. It moves it to…

I am a strong supporter of both faith-based organizations and Community Services Block Grants. In the district I represent, we have many faith-based groups providing help with food, housing, counseling, and so many other areas. We could…

I know we are getting down to the last few minutes, but, like my colleague from Michigan, I ate a lot of Spam. I am holding up my gift of Spam from my cosponsor. Like him, the only way I could ever survive Spam was with A-1 steak sauce. I…

Mr. Speaker, martial law rules, it is interesting to note, always come up in the later part of the session because we always want to get finished. We did a martial law on Medicare so we could pass a 600-page document without having to…

Under current law, oil and natural gas exploration and production activities do not have to do the extensive stormwater permitting that is required for large residential or commercial developments. The provision in question in the energy…

I rise today to voice my growing frustration with the ongoing negotiations to create a Medicare prescription drug benefit. This could be the largest expansion of this program since the inception almost 40 years ago. Changes to this program…

I rise this evening to remind my colleagues of our most pressing domestic problem, the plight of our unemployed workers. I really should not have to offer this reminder to my colleagues. The recent newspaper headlines and the…

I rise on behalf of unemployed Americans. The administration and our Republican leadership tell us that the economy is rebounding and that we are in an economic recovery, but to the hardworking Americans who are still looking for those…

I rise today in total support of our troops, yet I cannot deny my lingering concerns about the supplemental spending measure and the administration's priorities. Last spring, this Congress provided $79 billion in supplemental funding for…

over the past week there has been a lot of talk in the chambers of Congress about what it means to be patriotic. The Republican leadership would have us believe that patriotism is asking no questions and voicing no concerns. According to…

A critical part of the legislative process is to be able to amend legislation so that we can improve it. The rule on Medicare prescription drugs does not allow us to do that. The continued efforts by the leadership of the House to stifle…

But this is the most important issue that we will consider this year not only for our seniors but for everyone. I know a lot of my colleagues feel that we should support any legislation because it is a step in the right direction or maybe…

we have so much to be proud of in our country: our young people serving in the military, protecting our Nation, our law enforcement working long hours to make us safe. We can even celebrate last night the Houston Astros winning a no-hitter…