our current tax system has spiraled out of control. Today's tax code is unfair, discourages savings and investment, and is impossibly complex. There is no part of the tax code that demonstrates this more than the Alternative Minimum Tax…

I rise today to oppose the majority's plan to combine two unrelated appropriations bills, the Department of Labor, Health and Human Services and Department of Education and the funding for Veterans and Military Construction. I oppose this…

the deplorable situation in Darfur has united the world in outrage over the atrocities being committed there. Through the efforts of motivated individuals and advocacy groups, the situation in Darfur has been brought to the forefront of…

But, Mr. Speaker, it is a sad day when a majority of those, in fact, I think almost everybody, who come down here to speak on this issue are going to say, I also supported a permanent ban on access taxes to the Internet, and that is why it…

The resolution, also known as 25x'25, recognizes the importance of agriculture in meeting our energy needs and sets a noble goal for American agriculture: to produce 25 percent of the total energy consumed in the United States from the…

I join him in the support of this bill for the efforts to help preserve and protect the Chesapeake Bay, but also to correct the assertion that I object to the pay-fors. I objected all along to a tax increase all through the process. And I…

Reclaiming my time, this motion to recommit is very straightforward. It takes out the tax increases in this bill, sends it back to the Agriculture Committee. And we would be delighted to work with the leadership that did not work with us…

the committee bill makes significant reforms to the Crop Insurance Program. The bill reduced the statutory loss ratio to an actuarially sound 1.0. By doing this, we were able to include a provision by Mr. Neugebauer that makes additional…

I join him in opposition to this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I understand the gentleman from Illinois' concerns, but with regard to the conservation programs, we have a finite amount of money. The commodity programs work under a baseline that…

my amendment streamlines and adopts one set of terms and conditions for easements for the Wetlands Reserve Program, the Grasslands Reserve Program, the Farmland and Ranchland Protection Program, and the Healthy Forest Reserve Program. This…

Just to reiterate the point made by the gentleman from Pennsylvania, the Farm Credit System is a very important thing for rural America. It provides credit to America's farmers and ranchers and is a necessary and serious challenge to get…

Madam Chairman, I thank Mr. Goodlatte for all of his time and hard work on this legislation, as well as the members of the committee who traveled to Washington State for a farm bill listening session last year. I rise today to highlight…

As a Nation dedicated to freedom and the rights of the individual, the United States has a responsibility to speak out when those rights are violated. While in Darfur, we saw directly the atrocities in this besieged nation. We toured the…

Well, I thank the whip for joining us in this special tribute to Reverend Jerry Falwell. I must tell you that the mountain you refer to, which is Chandler Mountain in Lynchburg, was acquired by Liberty University. You can see the…

At the age of 22, having just graduated from college in June of 1956, Jerry Falwell returned to his hometown of Lynchburg, Virginia, and started Thomas Road Baptist Church with just 35 members. The offering that first Sunday totaled $135…

I rise today regarding H.R. 1294, the Thomasina E. Jordan Indian Tribes of Virginia Federal Recognition Act of 2007. While I support granting these six Virginia tribes Federal recognition, I remain concerned about opening the door to…

I wonder if the gentleman, having posed the question about the constitutional amendment, would respond to the question, if this is ruled unconstitutional, as many of us think it is, would the gentleman bring to the floor legislation that…

I would ask the gentleman further, if when the court, and I hope the court does, determines that this is unconstitutional, if in getting to that process, recognizing there are going to be lots of uncertainties if this bill were passed and…

The tranquil campus of Virginia Tech and the town of Blacksburg has been shattered by the actions of a lone gunman. The horror that the Virginia Tech community has experienced this week is something that every parent, every American hopes…

I am opposed to H. Con. Res. 99, which has been called the single biggest tax increase in American history. However, I rise today to express my extreme disappointment that the majority decided to oppose debate on an amendment I offered to…

I rise in support of S. 4093. This bill will modify the expiration date of a provision of the farm bill dealing with farm credit so that it expires concurrent with the rest of the farm bill. Currently, a provision of the farm bill dealing…

Mr. McHENRY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the Agriculture Committee for yielding me time to speak about an important industry in my district. And I want to thank my fellow Member of Congress from North Carolina, Virginia Foxx, for…

I rise in support of H.R. 4846, the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library Authorization Act, which will authorize grants from the National Archives for the establishment of a Presidential library to provide educational and interpretive…

Urban sprawl continues to threaten the Nation's farmland. Social and economic changes over the past three decades have influenced the rate at which land is converted to nonagricultural uses. Population growth, demographic changes…

I yield myself 3 minutes. We have discussed many problems that the Sweeney-Whitfield bill will create with not a single solution in sight. While it is not possible to address all of those problems, we must address the fate of the horses…