Mr. Speaker, the history of the 20th century aptly teaches us that when tyrants threaten genocide and mass murder, their words must be taken seriously because they have a tendency to do exactly what they said they would do. When President Ahmadinejad of Iran threatened to destroy Israel, says Israel must be wiped off the map, he joined the fellow he defeated in the election, the former President ... Read more »

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I oppose this bill because it will not reduce frivolous lawsuits, but will instead increase the cost of litigation at the State and Federal level, set back the fairness of civil rights litigation, and favor foreign corporate defendants at the expense of their domestic competitors. As a result of this misguided legislation, sat... Read more »

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this legislation. I support increasing oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It is a worthwhile goal, one that the recent scandals at these institutions and on Wall Street illustrate is sorely needed. And I support the creation of a budget-neutral Affordable Housing Fund. Indeed, that this kind of program should be created, given the proclivity of this Rep... Read more »

Madam Speaker, it is time for someone in the Bush administration to be held accountable for the leaking of the identity of a covert CIA operative. Washington Republicans are already attempting to minimize in advance the special prosecutor's findings. Anyone who does not believe leaking a CIA operative's identity is a serious breach of national security should listen to the words of our President's... Read more »

Mr. Chairman, this is a good bill. Particularly, I am a strong supporter of the section renewing the Violence Against Women Act, and a new program I've worked on, the Jessica Gonzales Victim Assistance Program, to better enforce protective orders. Today, together, we are making a big leap forward in protecting women who are victims. For many years domestic violence has been viewed as a woman's pr... Read more »

Mr. Speaker, it seems that many Members of this House must really be dissatisfied with their jobs. Instead of being legislators, they seem to want to be Federal judges. Every Member, like every citizen, is entitled to express an opinion on any ruling by any court. That is what our system of government is about. What concerns me is that too many people here seem to think it is the job of Congress ... Read more »

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to the amendment offered by the gentleman from Louisiana. This amendment betrays our core values by permitting, for the first time in the history of the Head Start program, religious discrimination in hiring. It allows taxpayer funds to be used in Head Start programs that discriminate against teachers and parent volunteers solely because of their religiou... Read more »

Mr. NADLER. Mr. Chairman, we are faced with an historic opportunity this year to pass legislation to combat violent hate crimes that continue to plague our country. Despite the brutal killing of Matthew Shepard 7 years ago, Congress has failed to pass the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act. We have a rare opportunity today to finally pass this bill as an amendment to a crime bill, a... Read more »

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an extraordinary woman, Dr. Amanda Baden, who is an outstanding example of someone who has made a critical difference in the lives of children through work on adoption issues. Dr. Baden, a Licensed Psychologist and Assistant Professor at Montclair State College, is my congressional district's Angel in Adoption. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the g... Read more »

AMENDMENT NO. 2 OFFERED BY MR. NADLER Mr. NADLER. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment. The Acting CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Amendment No. 2 offered by Mr. Nadler: Page 4, before line 1, at the end of the table of contents, add the following: TITLE VI--MISCELLANEOUS PROVISION Sec..601..Ban on firearm for person convicted of a misdemean... Read more »