To those who have wondered, what would be the top priority of this Republican-controlled Congress? What would they do on day one? Well, now we know. It is deception, what some could even rightly call tax fraud, since this amounts to…

This bill puts a big bow on a holiday gift for the Wall Street contributors who get special treatment in the provisions of this bill. Once again, here in the holiday season, it is all about stuffing the silk stockings. These people want to…

I am for--and I know the gentleman is for--a pro-growth, pro-job creation set of government policies that focus on workforce development, on having the research in medicine and technology not only to find cures but to produce another round…

I thank the gentleman. Mr. Speaker, House Republicans are shutting down this House early today, and they are shutting it down with the same happy talk and tax cut hocus pocus that they began this Congress with 21 months ago, last January…

I thank the gentleman, and I respect all of my colleagues on the tough decisions that we are asked to make today. I believe that America must use our military might any time that our families face an imminent threat. Though ISIS, like a…

Now, I do find it difficult to understand, with its hostility to Christians and brutal disdain for our American values, how Saudi Arabia can be a place for training anyone--certainly no Syrian women learning to drive there. Ultimately, I…

Each year, we do less and less for those who struggle while the gap continues to widen between those who have little or nothing and those who are incredibly wealthy. I believe that poverty should be viewed as a major national problem that…

I thank the gentleman. Mr. Speaker, the Needs not Weeds Act is a pretty catchy title. I think it could fit on a bumper sticker. In fact, perhaps it already has. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, this proposal has only a little to do with weeds…

Now, with our military leaders conceding that ISIS is a regional threat, it would kill as many Americans as it could--if it could--just as is true of some of the terrorist groups today in Africa; but, with it being a regional threat, not a…

Thank you. Mr. Speaker, the Middle Eastern tragedy in which this resolution will further entangle America is directly related to the wholly unnecessary Bush-Cheney invasion of Iraq. Having learned so little from the sacrifices of that…

I think it is a cost-effective program that we need to extend.

I am a little concerned, though, about the practicalities.

It has been suggested that the benefit of social impact bonds--that they will help us grow the pie overall in terms of State or Federal funding for these programs.

The question we have today is the impact of social impact bonds as a new phenomenon and whether this is the best way to encourage stronger and more responsive communities.

In a time when there are so many valuable initiatives that are limited by budget squeezes and even by sequestration, it is important to be as creative as possible.

I believe we need to look for innovative ways like this.

Most of us are familiar with the old saw that a conservative is someone who says, 'You go first.'

I salute Mr. Young, Mr. Larson and their co-sponsors for recognizing the need to invest more in programs that will help low- and middle-income Americans get an education, attain long-time employment, and be successful in other areas.

In this very committee, we face a situation where we will see major cuts, barring some new budget agreement, in education and social services next year in Federal funding through the sequestration agreement.

I do have some doubts as to whether now is the time to implement a funding structure that will help put taxpayer dollars with some third-party investors instead of directly into the future of these children.

I wish we had more Bloomberg Foundations across the country to participate.

Who are these young people across America that these Republicans would deny a dream, whose lives they are so eager to disrupt tonight? Maria Rocha is one of them. She came here as a 3-year-old. I have rallied with this young, articulate…

A sign: ``Not our kids, not our problems,'' held angrily by a mob, shaken with ``go home,'' to a group of little children who have made a perilous journey to this country. That really epitomizes what the Republican approach to this problem…

I would ask him to yield to the unanimous consent request so we can deal with this immigration problem in a comprehensive manner. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Does the gentleman from Oklahoma yield?

You may call this amnesty. I call it a hope for our country. You can call it conservative. I call it wasteful. It wastes talent that this Nation needs. We need to reject this mean-spirited legislation that would deny rights to these young…