Lloyd Doggett

One of the obstacles that we found in this country to people moving freely from one job to another or moving from a job to setting up a small business is the lack of access to health insurance.

Thank you for your insightful testimony. As I understand it, this universal credit is a new approach that you are just beginning to pilot or implement?

The Magnitsky case is not about one of the many courageous human rights protesters in Russia; it is directly linked to trade.

Even the Washington Post editorial board... says that a bill that grants Russia trade preferences and removes human rights conditions hardly seems the right response to Mr. Putin's recent behavior.

We know that the Russians' main interest in trade of late appears to have been forwarding weapons to the Assad government in Syria.

We know that the Russians have harassed and libeled our very excellent ambassador, Ambassador McFaul, to Russia.

I believe for a number of years that we needed to move forward with Russia entering the WTO and with the repeal of Jackson-Vanik.

If the gentleman is ready to close, I will use the balance of my time. I believe I have the right to close on the amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Does the gentleman from New York anticipate that he will have any further speakers this afternoon?

Yes, we do. I would like to inquire if the gentleman from New York has anyone to defend opposition to this measure.

Then, Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 15 seconds. Apparently, there is no other Member who is willing to come out and defend these abusive tax shelters. That says a whole lot about the merits of this motion and how essential it is to adopt it…

I want to even the time, and perhaps there is someone else in the House that actually opposes this motion. I want to allow them time to speak. So I would continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Under rule XXII, clause 7(c), I hereby announce my intention to offer a motion to instruct on H.R. 4348, the transportation conference report. The form of the motion is as follows: Mr. Doggett moves that the managers on the part of the…

Each time they pass one of these tax cuts without paying for it, that adds to the debt.

And your testimony this morning is if we continue to pursue that course of only cutting spending with no additional revenues, we will have to substantially reduce Medicare and Social Security, will we not?

I believe under the agreement that was reached last year, if fully implemented, spending would be reduced by about $2 trillion, is that right?

Unless we have a balanced approach to trying to get our budget in balance, we ensure that Medicare and Social Security as generations of Americans have known them will not be there for them.

My concern is that those who can continue to preach what may be a good rhetoric at a political convention that Washington does not have a tax problem and only has a spending problem ignores the fact that we really have a little of both.

Instead of focusing on discriminating against some in our community, we should be focused on ensuring that all victims of violence everywhere receive the care and services they need. Let's move forward in that struggle, not take another…

All of the Texas miracle stuff that we have heard so much about has done very little to those who are caught in poverty.

Unfortunately, both ends of that partnership seem to be fraying and, along with it, the protection that millions of poor families rely upon.

As one who supported the 1996 welfare reform legislation, I welcome this opportunity to examine how well the States have been fulfilling their obligations under that legislation.

We would contrast that example with those Republican Presidential candidates who said they wouldn't support $1 of additional revenue for $10 of spending cuts to get our budget in balance. This is a ``wreckonciliation'' bill that asks…

Such as the minimum wage, such as not going back to child labor and working excessive hours without being paid overtime.

Fortunately, in February a number of our Republican colleagues, after a great deal of foot dragging and creating an unnecessary crisis for too many of our families, joined with us as Democrats in maintaining emergency unemployment benefits…