David Obey

What this simply is is a very strange and goofy way to provide an opportunity for Members of Congress to get out of town for the next 2 weeks, put Government people back on the payroll, but limit what they can do. It solves the problems of…

this resolution might as well be entitled the congressional R&R resolution of 1996. That is what it really is. The sad thing about this process is that an immense amount of energy on both sides of the aisle, on both sides of the Capitol…

I am simply stuck here, forced to repeat much of what I said yesterday on two previous veto overrides. Nothing real is happening here today. There is no real legislation which is being pursued here today. Everybody knew the President was…

how do I make certain that the words which are going to be read back are the words to which I was objecting? Because the words to which I was objecting were the words that indicated that the gentleman from Illinois had uttered mistruths…

What I was simply attempting to say is that I think that certainly the dignity of the House and the integrity of the House are brought into question when a situation is allowed to continue which, in effect, has taxpayers' money provided…

And that even if this passes, the District will not have received any Federal payment since, I believe, December 15?

I would simply like to point out that despite all of the rhetoric that we have heard on this floor today, there are three appropriations bills which have still not even made it to the President, the first being the District of Columbia…

Continuing my reservation of objection, let me simply say, Mr. Speaker, that I am troubled by this, because while I think we want the District government to remain open, that there would be no need for this specific resolution, as narrowly…

I significantly disagree with the gentleman who just spoke. I do not think people should be confused by the debate that is going on with respect to basic farm programs and this appropriation bill. This appropriation bill has very little to…

This issue is here for one very simple reason: because Tyson's chicken company and a number of others like them want to sell what is in essence frozen products and label them fresh, and earn extra money because they can charge the fresh…

Mr. Speaker, first let me say that, when I left, or when the bill left the House originally, I opposed it because I thought that the reductions that were provided for rural sewer and water and rural housing were very much too deep to…

this is a case where a very good Member is bringing us a very bad bill, and I am sorry about it. but I just cannot bring myself to support it. Mr. Speaker, if we take a look at what this bill does to the Tongass; if we take I look at what…

I would also urge that they support the motion to recommit for the simple reason that it prevents a $31 million ripoff of the taxpayers to the United States, a ripoff which will enrich a few corporate directors while the workers of that…

In my view, our responsibilities are to provide a budget which has a balanced set of budget reductions so that the pain is shared evenly and so that major portions of the appropriations are not exempted from the squeeze that is being…

But I have to say that I think this bill ought to go down in its present form. I do not enjoy saying that. But the fact is this bill is $7 billion above the President's budget request. The main problem is that this bill cannot possibly…

Mr. Speaker, I think I just heard the gentleman say we were not supposed to attach legislative language to appropriations bills. Labor-HEW is tied up because we have a bundle of legislative language attached to that bill from their side of…

this bill deserves to be stopped dead in its tracks. It is an absolutely lousy bill. The best way to stop it is to defeat the rule that will allow its consideration. There are a lot of things wrong with it, but the worst thing in the…

I would again urge defeat of this rule so that this bill could be sent back to conference and we can get serious about deficit reduction. As every Member of this House knows, we are being asked in virtually every domestic arena to make…

Mr. Speaker, Let me simply say that I think this bill is very simple. It simply guarantees that the functions of Government will continue and that innocent Federal workers will not, through no fault of their own, be furloughed because the…

Mr. Speaker, what is before us is the question of going to conference on the Treasury-Postal appropriation bill. The motion that I have just made is a motion which would accept the Senate amendment numbered 130, which in essence indicates…

None of the funds provided in this Act may be obligated for payment on new contracts on which allowable costs charged to the government include payments for individual compensation at a rate in excess of $250,000 per year. This recommittal…

I simply say I agree with that, and I would again point to the chart that I used on two other occasions today. The red bars on this chart show what has happened to the Russian military budget since 1989. The blue lines show what has…

we are told this amendment to cut $1 billion is going to cost money. The fact is the amendment saves $1 billion. The fact is that the GAO, the General Accounting Office, says we ought to delay the purchase of these planes for 7 years. All…

I am going to lose big for a number of reasons, I believe. No. 1, the F-22, which I am trying to delay, is largely built in the home State of the Speaker. Second, there are contracts for this program in 48 States. Under those…

I find this whole debate absolutely mind boggling. For the last month, the Congress has passed appropriation bill after appropriation bill and we have cut education, we have cut student loans, we have cut low-income heating assistance…