Americans are focused on the President right now, but it is important that they focus as well on the agenda that he will be outlining here this evening. As we finally resolve the budget deficit, it is time to direct our attention and our…

how strange that so many Republicans disagree with my friend from Arizona. They are convening a press conference right now to propose their campaign finance reforms. And is it not strange that they decided to propose them as this Congress…

We feel it is this very bill that demeans public education, just as his vote to cut $137 million from Head Start demeans public education, just as his vote to eliminate the school lunch program demeans public education. You are going to…

I respectfully say to the gentleman that he is passionate all right, but I believe he is passionately wrong, and when he comes to the floor and votes to cut the school lunch program, votes to cut Head Start by $137 million, and then comes…

well, as we know in Texas, you do not help our public schools by siphoning off the money and giving it to private elite academies, and that is what this so-called Private School Expense Act that we are about to debate is all about. It is…

the current issue of the Stars and Stripes, the oldest national veterans newspaper in this land, tells the whole story. The lead headline is ``Veterans Await Congressional Move on Frozen Iraqi Assets.'' It is referring to the need for a…

I do not understand why Medicare subvention has not been set out here. I do not understand why a mechanism for our gulf war veterans to make claims against Saddam Hussein has not been put on the calendar. I do not understand why this…

The gentleman who claims to represent so many veterans, while at the same time opposing an amendment in their vital interest, should have his facts correct. There is no reason why veterans should not be able to access this money and the…

I would like to have spelled out the entire mechanism for veterans recovery, but I believe that if we instruct our conferees in this fashion, the conference committee will be authorized to continue its negotiations, as it is negotiating…

Members, with this motion, we probe once more the influence of the powerful tobacco lobby on this Congress: The same tobacco companies that begin the addiction of 3,000 children in America every day to nicotine; the same tobacco companies…

if it is illegal, prosecute it, but do not hide behind it as the Republicans have been doing throughout this session. Indeed, our Republican colleagues came into this Congress in 1995 promising revolutionary change, and they have given us…

America should never forget the contribution of the men and women of our Armed Forces in the gulf war. Unfortunately many of the families of our veterans of that gulf war can never forget it because the lingering consequences of illness…

my thanks to all of my colleagues who have joined on what I believe is an important amendment. This will be the first time that this Congress, particularly in view of all of the discussion of the tobacco settlement, recognizes and goes on…

it is really now or never. Either this Congress acts now to remedy at least some of the shortcomings of the 1996 campaigns and the way that they are financed, or we can kiss good-bye to any hope of reform in time to affect the 1998…

with daily speeches, repeated requests for recorded votes, motions to adjourn, and objections, we are attempting to convince the Republican leadership that it is less trouble to schedule a vote on campaign finance reform than to not…

a meaningful reform of the way Federal campaigns are conducted has been obstructed by one Republican roadblock after another. Yesterday, half of the route was cleared. It did take a letter from the President saying he would convene a…

I find that memory problem not limited to the White House. Indeed, I find it extending across America. If you ask the people of America when is the last time that this Congress did anything to reform the problems of campaign finance, most…

yesterday, like every day in America, 3,000 more young Americans began the path on their addiction to nicotine. And three other significant things happened concerning the plague of nicotine addiction, the most significant cause of…

I rise this afternoon in solidarity with several thousand students at the University of Texas who yesterday were on the main mall there in front of the tower at the University of Texas to express their concerns about the need for diversity…

it is correct that this particular provision was tucked in under a title of the balanced budget amendment, the balanced budget agreement, somewhere around page 300 or 400, under the misleading title of Technical Amendments to Assist the…

each day that this Congress has been in action, and not very complete action since we began in September, there have been Members of this House who have come to the floor and have raised the issue of campaign finance, because we realize…

Yesterday one body in this Congress voted to repeal the $50 billion tax break bestowed on the tobacco industry by this Gingrich-led House. Now this House must do the same and do it immediately. Some may view it as a mere coincidence that…

if there is even a single violation of the existing laws, be it Democrat or Republican, prosecute it fully, but do not hide behind the latest tabloid news to thwart campaign finance reform. To any American who wonders why we need that…

I have some additional reading material for the gentleman from Georgia and for all of his colleagues. This is it. You can read this page and you can get the full story of what the Republican Party has done in order to accomplish reform of…

this month provides us the last hope to accomplish any meaningful change in the way that the 1998 congressional elections are conducted. Now Speaker Gingrich has made clear that he opposes any meaningful change in the way Federal elections…