this pathetic excuse for a Medicare bill is made necessary by a Republican refusal to tackle waste, fraud and abuse. To fulfill an ideological dream, taxpayers are compelled to continue wasting billions of dollars to fund abusive private…

Two-thirds of the benefit of this tax cut will go to families who earn $100,000 a year or more. Now, I support giving them the tax break, but I don't support borrowing $50 billion to do it. Our Republican colleagues say today that, well…

Responsible, pay-as-you-go government is a significant part of the new direction to which this Congress committed our country last January. Now is hardly the time to abandon that important commitment. For 7 years, spend-and-borrow…

most folks think of ``CAFE'' as a place to eat. Well, our cars and our trucks have been eating too much energy and emitting too much pollution for far too long, while our planet and our pocketbooks take a beating. Fuel efficiency standards…

But there is an ``alien'' issue in this bill and only one alien issue--those who have been so alien to the freedoms we hold dear as Americans. This is an Administration that has desecrated our Constitution, debased our values and…

some refer to this as a bridge fund connecting monies from one year to the next to finance this Iraq war. A bridge is built to overcome an obstacle, and the obstacle here is George Bush. Granting this President 50 billion more dollars…

We are hearing the same old tired Republican borrow-and-spend rhetoric. They're all for our middle class tax relief and extension of important tax incentives; they just don't want to pay for it. They would rather borrow from our…

today we take an important step forward in developing a comprehensive 21st century trade policy, recognizing that the benefits of trade cannot be measured solely in the volume of commerce that crosses international borders. A modern trade…

support for our troops does not begin on the battlefield and it must not end there. With approval of this legislation, Texas veterans will be eligible for below-market home loans of up to $325,000. Under the previous law, this benefit was…

on this unfortunate day 5 years ago, a majority of this House enabled President Bush to proceed with his tragic ``go it alone'' war. He was dead certain then, and he was dead wrong then. He is dead certain today, and once again dead wrong…

The Republicans charge that we want to help so many children with no insurance and that we want to allow them so much time to reconsider their indifference. We plead guilty as charged. This President? It's like the book title, Dead Certain…

this resolution has rightly earned a place on this uncontested Suspension Calendar. So long as it is not misinterpreted as suggesting that Congress supports a long-term troop presence in Iraq, it merely generates another report that does…

the troop surge in Iraq has clearly failed. It has failed to achieve its purpose. The troop surge has failed not because of our troops, but because of the failures of politicians here in Washington and in Iraq. This President's surge has…

we know, first of all, what is not in this motion to recommit. What is not in this motion to recommit is anything about the exciting new opportunity with plug-in hybrids. This has been deleted from the bill with this motion to recommit. We…

Surely if Lance Armstrong can overcome mountains in France, we can overcome the mountains of obstructionism and of excuses to provide our children and our seniors the health coverage that they need. By including significant portions of two…

of course, that letter is one of many endorsements of groups coming together because they know that today they are improving health care for our oldest Americans and our youngest Americans. Unfortunately, my home State of Texas has the…

it is noteworthy that throughout this debate not one company anywhere in America has come forward and said ``if you pass this bill, you raise my taxes,'' because the vast majority of foreign companies and no American companies are impacted…

Farm and ranch families deserve a safety net, and fiscal responsibility demands that we pay for it. We pay for this farm bill, every penny of it, and some of it is done by stopping one group of multinational corporations from dodging their…

New York Times, June 18, 2002. ``There would be no effect on legitimate multinational corporations like DaimlerChrysler that have not used a haven to avoid American taxes.'' Yesterday, 2:41 p.m., letter from Unilever Global Affairs vice…

With heavy hearts, the thousands of Texans who participated in memorials to Lady Bird Johnson, especially those who filled the streets of Austin, Dripping Springs and Johnson City, attest to our affection and respect for her compassion…

we were reassured that ``progress'' was being made in Iraq 500 deaths ago, 1,000 deaths ago, 2,000 deaths ago, and 3,000 deaths ago. Like the boy who cried wolf, this President cries ``progress.'' What progress? With all this talk about…

Lady Bird Johnson cared for all that is beautiful and vulnerable in the world. I think every child in a Head Start program, every wild flower gracing our highways is testament to her service. In Austin we think of her years as well as…

for over five years I have attempted to close a gaping loophole in the Lobby Disclosure Act that has permitted various lobbyists to form over 800 stealth or hidden coalitions to avoid the requirements of the act. That effort had been met…

year five of blunders, that is a true slow- bleed policy in Iraq. Defeatism? Well, that is an Administration that lacks the courage to admit its failures and which pays for those failures with the blood of the brave, the blood of someone…

I thank the gentlelady. When parts of Texas endure an extreme drought, the burden is felt most heavily by our farm families. A devastating lack of water left many of our counties parched. Sam Berry, a rancher from Lavaca County wrote me to…