Sylvester Turner

I am very confident that, if we can bring both sides of this House together and get them down to the table, that we could come up with a plan that would look very much like the plan that the Blue Dog Democrats proposed months ago, which…

I would be interested in the gentleman's observations about the impact of our budget situation on Medicare, Medicaid, particularly in light of the fact that so many of us have begun to hear from the health care providers, the hospitals in…

the time has come to take the for-sale sign off the door of the United States Congress. The public's trust and confidence in government has been seriously eroded by a system that allows big money to have too much influence on the political…

we hear a lot today about the new economy, but there are some of us still trying to get by on the old economy, and the old economy is not doing too well. In my district and across this Nation, tens of thousands of steel and oil and gas…

the Republican tax message is one that we cannot trust Congress to act responsibly with the surplus. They say, get the money out of town before it even arrives here yet. Is it not a little bit ironic to think their theme is one cannot…

I am told by sources that know a lot more about how the economy works than I do that the current surplus estimate of $2.9 trillion over the next 10 years, $1.9 of which is in Social Security, which I think we have all agreed on both sides…

Well, it would seem to me very likely that that would be the result. And I, too, share the gentleman's concern with the double set of books that the Republican majority has begun to keep over the last couple of weeks just to try to show…

I come from east Texas. The area that I represent is still operating off the old economy. The new economy had not made it there yet. And the old economy is not doing so well in rural America and inner city America. That is why I feel so…

the House will decide today not whether or not we will pursue the war, because the war is over and the settlement has been signed and the United States and NATO have prevailed. The question before the House today is whether, after winning…

I am very disappointed today to note that when this bill comes back to the floor, it once again includes that objectionable language. Here we are at a critical point in time in the peacekeeping operations, the peacekeeping negotiations…

this resolution has a noble purpose in that it attempts to assert the role of the Congress in any decision to commit American forces to a ground war in Kosovo. It does so, however, in the wrong way and at the wrong time. It prohibits…

the debate we are entered upon today has the gravest of consequences for our Nation and for our future. Having recently returned from Bosnia, I had the opportunity there to learn a little bit about the attitudes present in that region. One…

it is a pleasure to offer this amendment which I think embodies the intent of many Members of this body. This amendment very clearly states that if a just and fair interim agreement is not reached we will not deploy troops. The President…

I would merely close by again commending the gentleman from California (Chairman Horn) on his leadership in this effort to improve the debt collection practices of the Federal Government. I think the taxpayers are the winners for the…

In closing, I would simply say again that the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Portman) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) have done outstanding work in bringing this bill to the floor. I think every American that depends upon Federal…

Mr. Clinton's personal conduct was wrong, but no amount of outrage or indignation can obscure the fact that the rule of law begins with the reading of the Constitution and a review of the history of the Constitutional Convention debates of…

as a Texan, it is an honor for me to come pay tribute to my friend, Joe Kennedy. I must tell you, Joe, that when I first came to this House 2 years ago, just the thought of meeting you, and knowing the rich heritage that your family has…

I had a lady come up to me in Orange, Texas, as I was talking about this legislation at one of my local pharmacies, a lovely lady named Frances Staley. She happened to be blind. She was very a proud lady, and she was telling me about how…

it is not every day that we see the Texas delegation on the floor of this House divided. Normally, we are a group who hangs together. It is true, however, that six of our members, out of 31, have opposed this compact, I think primarily…

Friday, July 24, 1998, will be remembered as a tragic chapter in the history of our Capitol. A lone gunman, Russell Weston, rushed into an east entrance of this building we call the ``People's House'' and in a few brief moments of…

Democrats initiated the effort in this Congress to protect patients and their doctors from interference by insurance company bureaucrats. The Dingell-Ganske bill provides these protections and eliminates the complete exemption from…

I cannot help but think about what it would have been like if my father had been enrolled in a managed care plan, rather than being covered under Medicare. When we found out that he perhaps had an early sign of stroke, we would have been…

last Sunday morning James Byrd, a constituent of mine from Jasper, Texas, was brutally murdered when he was beaten, chained and dragged from the back of a truck. This senseless act of violence was committed against a black man by three…

James Byrd, Junior, was a constituent of mine. His brutal death has shocked the conscience and saddened the hearts of all of us. The people of Jasper, Texas, black and white, have joined in denouncing this tragic hate crime. Local law…

I thank my fellow freshmen, Democrats and Republicans, who are fighting for campaign finance reform. I also thank my fellow blue dog Democrats who worked to bring this issue to the floor by pushing the discharge petition calling for a fair…