William M. ``Mac'' Thornberry

I rise in support of normal trading relations with China. Trying to determine what course will be the best for the United States and for the people of China in the long run is not easy. No one has a crystal ball. However, I believe that is…

I think the first thing that one ought to say when looking at this issue is that the government did make a promise, and it is important to keep that promise, not just for the retirees, but also for the young folks who are in the military…

Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest) talked about the maintenance backlog, which, of course, is there and is a serious problem, but my substitute addresses it far better, because under the…

Mr. Speaker, seniors in my district are very concerned about the costs of prescription drugs, and they are glad that we will be addressing that issue this year. But seniors in my district are also very concerned about being able to pass…

Mr. Chairman, anytime we have to try to put together a Federal budget, we have a number of priorities and demands, and we have to try to find the appropriate balance among those different demands and priorities. I think that the budget…

I do have a problem with any part of the bill that tries to blame others for the problems we have inflicted on ourselves. I would remind my colleagues that it was not OPEC who raised taxes on fuel so that now Americans pay 18 cents for…

I think there are three points really that need to be made at the conclusion of this debate. Number one is that there is no narrow motion to recommit on a conference report. We cannot send it back with an amendment. All we can do is send…

I share the respect that all Members of this House have for the dean of the House, and I always appreciate his willingness to stand up for what he believes in, as we recently saw when he led efforts to oppose gun control despite the…

there are a number of important issues in this bill that will not be discussed adequately. One of them is how we can transform our military to deal with the challenges of the future. In last year's bill, we required a science board study…

I commend the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Ryun) for the serious work he has done in this effort. It is certainly rare that I would have a different opinion from my committee chairman, but I believe that the Cox-Dicks approach is better. I…

it would be difficult, and probably inappropriate, for me to publicly express the despair I feel over our policy in the Balkans. With noble motives, we have waded into complex, ancient hatreds, and we have only aggravated the situation. In…

thanks to the work of the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon), the chairman of the committee, the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter), others and the Rumsfeld Commission, no one seriously questions whether we are threatened today…

in a bill this huge, there are obviously a number of good provisions and a number of provisions that are not so good. Each of us is called to weigh the good and the bad and to render our best judgment on the whole. While this bill does…

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3687 by myself authorizes prepayment of amounts due under a water reclamation project contract for the Canadian River Project in Texas and is cosponsored by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm) and the gentleman from…

television can take us many places, but it can't make us experience the pain and hardship people feel when they're going through difficult times. Night after night for the past several weeks, the network news shows have been filled with…

I also believe that it is morally wrong, not to mention detrimental to our country's security, not to treat military retirees at least as well as we treat civilian Federal retirees. This amendment starts to fix that, and regardless of the…

I believe that U.S. troops should come home from Bosnia as soon as possible, but I must vote against this resolution. I have been a skeptic about our role in Bosnia from the beginning. Like many of my colleagues, I have been to Bosnia and…

despite some of the shortcomings that some people may see in this bill, overall it makes us stronger and it deserves to be supported. In the key area of our own nuclear arsenal, it makes sure that our nuclear weapons are safe and reliable…

I think it is helpful for someone who has been involved in this project from the beginning to give a brief review of some of the difficulties that has made this legislation necessary. As a matter of fact, there have been 88 changes to the…

I rise in support of H.R. 2007. This bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to allow the use of the Bureau of Reclamation facilities in Texas for the transport of water from the proposed Canadian River conjunctive use ground-water…

I voted for the Rohrabacher amendment to the foreign affairs authorization bill a week or so ago. I think it is appropriate to use foreign aid as a carrot to try to get Russia to do what we want them to do. But the most important thing…

I want to focus my time on a part of the budget that is not all that big in terms of its relative size, but it is very big in terms of what we believe in and what we stand for and what we want to encourage in this country. The budget…

Today I am glad to join others of my colleagues in honoring J.L. Cullen for her outstanding service to our country and her commitment, really, to the best ideals of this country. J.L. came to Washington from her home State of Mississippi…

there are lots of Americans who work hard every day to make ends meet and spend their weekends with their kids or work in the yard who are searching for a little bit of common sense to come into government programs. I do not know if there…

I want to highlight one part of this bill that deals with nuclear weapons. As far as the eye can see, our country will continue to rely on nuclear weapons for our security, and yet we face some very daunting challenges. Our weapons and…