Kevin Brady

this tax increase, however called, ripped from the headlines, ``Cayman Islands, tax cheats, tax dodgers, Caribbean.'' The only thing they didn't work in was Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan. The fact of the matter is I had planned to vote…

traveling to Iraq this past weekend to see firsthand how the surge is working, I really expected the worst. Instead, I am very encouraged. Communities all across Iraq are turning against al Qaeda and working with Iraqi and coalition forces…

the Carol White Physical Education Program was named after a longstanding and dedicated public servant here on Capitol Hill. Carol White, a long-time Chief of Staff for Senator Ted Stevens, who aptly named this program because they have…

my message today is to our State Department in Houston. We have a problem, a serious passport problem that reached a crisis stage. We have families who applied in February for their passports that have not received them yet. We have wives…

I feel strongly that this body ought to try to help equally communities devastated by the exact same hurricane. Our policy ought to be no second-class citizens in recovery and hurricane relief. Treat them equally for the same hurricane.

If the question is did I vote for a housing fund that would turn its back on my communities, well, no, I did not vote for that housing fund.

It is a negligible change for our friends in Louisiana and Mississippi. It is a huge help for the people in southeast and east Texas who have no homes.

we have had a lot of debate tonight about the need for the affordable housing fund. This amendment relates to what I hope will be the fairness of the affordable housing fund. Right now in the first year the allocation for the affordable…

I don't think any citizen in America who has seen their home destroyed ought to have to compete against someone else in another State to get Federal help. I mean, aren't we supposed to be treating our citizens equally? And when you have a…

I don't know anyone who would support a housing fund that turns its back on your citizens who were devastated by the fourth largest hurricane in gulf coast history. I also don't understand a Congress that has citizens compete against each…

our prayers are with the Virginia Tech families as well. Paying tax is bad enough, but the time it takes to figure them out, I think, is almost worse. You should not need an accountant to do your taxes or live in fear of making an honest…

Well, thank you. And I appreciate joining the two gentlemen from Georgia who continue to look out every day for the family's pocket books, rather than Washington's pocket books, which I fear is too deep. And the point I always try to make…

I look at our families in Texas, everything seems more expensive these days, whether it is getting your kids through school or paying medical bills or insurance or paying light bills; and it is tough enough for family budgets to stretch as…

The truth of the matter is he claimed that the Democrats balanced the budget in 1994, but there was a $200 billion deficit in 1994. In fact, it was the Republican Congress that balanced the Federal budget for the first time after 40 years…

Watching television late last night I was reminded of the vivid contrast between Congress and the war on terror. On the one channel I watched Members of the House theatrically debating this nonbinding, that means pretend, resolution, while…

I agree completely with our Democrat friends: we need to invest more in renewable energy. It is the right thing to do, and it is long overdue. But doing it by taxing American energy companies more for exploring and creating jobs here at…

I am a member of the Ways and Means Committee, proud to have helped create the Medicare prescription plan; it is really helping a lot of our seniors in Texas, especially those who are very poor and have some of the most expensive…

I think we are missing a historic opportunity to change the paradigm to really help workers get into a living wage for the long term. The fact is, an increase to $7.25 an hour will still leave a single mom with a child at or near poverty…

This rules change does not mean that the public will have any less access to what happens in the Rules Committee, Madam Speaker. We plan to include record votes in the Rules Committee reports and, even better, we intend to post committee…

First let me thank you, Chairman Thomas, for your years of hard work to provide real tax relief for families. Mr. Speaker, I know in Texas, in our region, our community, your leadership on restoring the State and local sales tax deduction…

I wanted to take a minute to thank Chairman Shaw for his leadership, not only in opening markets around the world to American products and services, but his leadership over the years on key issues like Social Security and others. I think…

I appreciate Congressman Marchant for his leadership on this issue. On Easter Sunday, 2004, Apache helicopter pilot, Army Chief Warrant Officer Wesley Lee Charles Fortenberry and his gunner answered a desperate call for help from a convoy…

I appreciate, first, the leadership of Ms. Ros-Lehtinen and Mr. Lantos on this important issue of leadership, not just this critical time, but throughout the years. Yes, I strongly support the resolution, but listening tonight I think…

on behalf of the families of East Texas, especially those with loved ones serving overseas, I strongly support this resolution. Despite what the national media portray, the inconvenient truth is this: Terrorists have been attacking America…

this act ought to probably be entitled the Get Foster Children Out of the System Into a Safe Home As Soon As Possible Act, as it has real consequences for our foster children. There have been so often foster children, even in the best…