Charles W. Stenholm

The bureaucratic indifference to the problems of these communities is becoming a very, very real problem, so I would hope that all of the committees, the authorizing committees of jurisdiction, would work with us as we attempt to work with…

I would like to bring a very serious matter to the attention of my colleagues, which is the devastating effect the drought is having on Texas and its residents. We are well aware of the economic impact it has had on agriculture production…

I want to speak about a very, very real and growing problem in my district back home dealing with water. In almost any part of Texas, drive into a rural area and look for a large pond; and when one finds one, it is likely to have been…

the issue is pretty simple today. It is whether we are going to have sunshine in the political process or whether we are not. We all know we do not need another study. We do not have to wait on another study. All we need to know is whether…

there is agreement from both sides of the aisle today that there are very real problems with the estate tax that we need to address. Some small businesses and family farms cannot be passed from generation to generation because the estate…

let me first say what I am for and what I will vote for tomorrow, and that is eliminating the death tax on every estate of $4 million and less. I could be persuaded in the kind of debate that I would hope we would have to repeal the entire…

I rise to support the House in concurring with the Senate amendment and passing S. 777, otherwise known as, the Freedom to E-File bill. I have long been a proponent of initiatives at USDA to provide better service to farmers and ranchers…

Mr. Speaker, just let me say in closing, again, I commend the gentleman from Illinois (Chairman Ewing) and the ranking members on this side for the tremendous hard work that has gone into this package. There is no question that our…

I want to take this 5 minutes to respond to one of the arguments that I have heard against permanent normal trade relations with China. The argument is that China, its 1.3 billion citizens, and only 7 percent of the world's arable land…

I must say this debate is absolutely phenomenal. All of the arguments that are being made about the automatic spending are precisely why I oppose the bill. Not because I do not support the conservation, all of the wildlife, all of the good…

I, like the previous speaker, rise in strong opposition to the rule on the Conservation and Reinvestment Act of 1999 because it allows the continuation of the pattern of fiscally irresponsible legislation that will squander our opportunity…

Unfortunately this budget is not about the past. It is about the future. Any way we want to explain it, the centerpiece of this budget resolution today is a massive tax cut at the expense of debt reduction, Social Security, agriculture and…

Mr. Speaker, can the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte) please reassure me that cooperative lenders, such as CoBank and the National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corporation, are still eligible to participate in the loan…

I am also concerned about this legislation and similar bills that are targeted to specific geographic locations. I am certain they are all worthy pieces of legislation, and I support the gentleman and the others in the Chesapeake Bay's…

I rise today to express some concerns about H.R. 3039. My first concern is the role of the Department of Agriculture in this effort. A great deal of the focus and efforts involved in getting to a cleaner and healthier Chesapeake Bay are on…

I hope that we, under the Speaker's leadership, will find ways to encourage all Americans to return their census forms. As we have already heard, current figures indicate that 61 percent of all citizens have returned their forms. This is…

I first want to commend the CATs. I guess that is permissible for a dog to do because their budget enforcement mechanisms are something that I totally support. I think they are right on target and I think their criticisms of the base bill…

Mr. Chairman, the caps are right. The budget we will consider next recognizes the gimmicks in the budget that we are considering at the base bill. The reason my colleagues can claim all of the things that they claim regarding debt is they…

Mr. Chairman, for 4 years, the Blue Dogs have offered an honest, fiscally responsible budget. We were the first to talk about balanced budgets without counting Social Security surpluses. We are the folks who consistently have hounded our…

The Blue Dog budget that will be hopefully eligible or allowed to be considered tomorrow is one in which we emphasize paying down the debt. We are going to hear a lot of rhetoric perhaps later tonight, and I know we will tomorrow, about…

I, Charles W. Stenholm, as Congressman for the 17th District of Texas, do officially recognize and extend my best wishes to the 111th Engineer Battalion.

I believe it deals fairly with the minimum wage question. But I continue to not understand why the majority party continues to refuse to allow a substitute tax bill when there are sufficient Members on both sides of the aisle who I believe…

I voted against that rule because I believe that we ought to live by the very rules that we pass in this House. It is important that we consider the costs when we are imposing on local governments, as well as small business men and women…

I know all of my colleagues would join me in wishing these men and women our best wishes and hopes for a successful mission and a safe return home to their families.

I strongly support repeal of the Social Security earnings limit and do not intend to unduly delay action on this bill. However, I rise in reservation to this unanimous consent request to express my disappointment that we are considering…