Kirk Watson

I want to add my voice again to those who are lamenting the life well-lived, and the life just going into transition. It was Maynard Jackson, as my colleagues just heard, who had a vision of inclusion. 2000 Maynard was able to unite…

Certainly one would be tempted to fill in the gap. Because of our shortfall in funds and because of the oncoming tax cut, we will have fewer revenues and we will find programs like health competing against educational programs, and I do…

I rise today to address my concerns about H.R. 2210, the School Readiness Act. The major changes and new requirements under title II and title I will damage the integrity and efficacy of the program. This overhaul reverses the precedence…

The research clearly shows if you invest in the early years, there will be more of a guarantee of success in the later years.

Head Start is needed now more so than ever. With the new TANF requirements, you as a welfare recipient have to go back to work when the child is 6 months old. That means you are not in the home from zero to 5 to help nurture that child and…

I want Members to know she has a 2-year-old child. She is a specialist. She will make less than $18,000 this year. She will be denied the child tax credit under the bill that just passed. These young people who were willing not only to…

It is shameful enough that the Republican leadership in Congress has chosen to gamble our children's future on a risky and unsustainable tax scheme such as the one signed into law just last week. But what is even more shameful is that the…

I am very proud of that, Mr. Speaker. I thank the chairman, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton), for his courage. I will just restate the problem that we see in the pricing of U.S. pharmaceuticals, which has such an enormous…

Amazingly, the USDA has sided with Glaxo and seems to think the crossborder sales should be stopped. They also cite safety concerns. I want Members to know, they can only point to a single case, Mr. Speaker, in Oregon where there may have…

At the end of this month, millions of unemployed Americans will begin to lose their benefits under the Temporary Extended Unemployment Compensation program. In my State, the State of California, 150,000 people will run out of benefits and…

On June 2, the FCC is scheduled to meet to discuss a proposal by Chairman Powell to relax regulations on media ownership. The proposal will allow large media companies to acquire a bigger share of the national market and more television…

I rise to commemorate the 49th anniversary of the historic Brown v. Board of Education decision. On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court unanimously declared that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal and as such violate the…

There are approximately 30,000 suicide deaths every year in the U.S. Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death nationwide, and is the 3rd leading cause of death among people ages 10-24, following unintentional injuries and homicide…

I am appalled by the unsubstantiated allegations made by the United States Attorney General, John Ashcroft, with respect to Haiti. He claimed that the Pakistanis, the Palestinians, and others are using Haiti as a staging point for trying…

A crucial opportunity was missed this spring to bring peace to Cyprus. Almost 3 decades of illegal occupation have kept the Cypriot nation divided and its people, both Greek and Turkish Cypriots, in a dangerous limbo. Cyprus has a rich…

The budget shortchanges the security of cities and towns across America. The next terrorist we catch might be caught by the FBI, but it is more likely that they will be found by local law enforcement, like the routine traffic stop in April…

I support the McGovern amendment because Los Angeles is a very likely target for a terrorist attack. Our city is known worldwide for its famous landmarks and notable economic assets. Local transportation hubs, such as the port of Los…

Mr. Speaker, our Armed Forces have now been at war for almost 2 weeks. Over 40 members of the coalition have paid the ultimate sacrifice. Scores of others have been injured. Sadly, there is no doubt in our minds that U.S. casualties of war…

Our Armed Forces are now at war. They are performing the duties which they have been preparing for their whole careers. They are the best-trained and the best-equipped military in the world. We have no doubt that they will prevail, but we…

Abdul Henderson was called up as a Marine Reserve to go to Iraq. I am hoping and praying that he was not aboard that helicopter. As soon as I leave these Chambers, I will make a call out to Los Angeles. He is the son of one of my…

The bill that is on the floor today comes without any committee consideration by either the Committee on Education and the Workforce or the Committee on Ways and Means. Yesterday, I testified before the Committee on Rules on two amendments…

The American economy has been mired in recession since March of 2001. This past December saw the unemployment rate rise to 6 percent, meaning that one in every 17 American workers was out of work. One of the most troubling aspects of this…

Words are not sufficient to describe how I felt on Saturday morning when the Chairman of the Democratic Caucus announced that the space shuttle Columbia had gone down. My heart goes out to the families and friends of the seven courageous…

President Bush has campaigned across the 50 States, has campaigned by issuing promises to strengthen our Nation. He has pledged to improve our schools, to create jobs, to protect our homeland, but soon after these promises were made, we…

I want to request from the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) if we can do a side-by-side chart on the cost of waging war in Iraq. I understand we have several thousand troops already over in the Middle East, and possibly the dispute…