Mr. Speaker, job creation under the Bush administration remains disappointing, despite 3 years of economic recovery. Last month the economy created only 78,000 jobs. There are fewer private sector jobs in the United States today than there were in January 2001 when President Bush took office. In fact, the economy must still create an additional 24,000 jobs just to get back to where we… Read more »

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 2(a)(1) of rule IX, I hereby notify the House of my intention to offer a resolution as a question of the privileges of the House. The form of my resolution is as follows: Resolution disapproving the manner in which Representative Sensenbrenner has responded to the minority party's request under rule XI of the House of Representatives for an… Read more »

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 282, which calls on the President to take steps to stem the ugly tide of anti-Semitism at the United Nations and in the Middle East. The hijacking of the United Nations by some member states is an attack against international peace and the founding principles of the U.N. The use of blood libels by representatives of member states, in reports,… Read more »

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Elizabeth J. Coleman, who has dedicated her life to the fight for civil rights, and has broken down numerous barriers along the way. Ms. Coleman's legal career has focused on ensuring access for all Americans to a fair and unbiased justice system, one through which they can realize the entirety of their constitutional rights. This principle has… Read more »

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the New York County Lawyers Association (NYCLA), and the 75th anniversary of its building, located at 14 Vesey Street in New York City. This location, in the heart of both my District and Lower Manhattan, has been the home of NYCLA and its many charitable and educational programs, all of which further its primary purpose of serving the public interest.… Read more »

Mr. Chairman, I will rise to support this amendment which would reverse the shameful policy forbidding women in our Armed Forces from using even their own funds to pay for an abortion at a safe U.S. medical facility abroad. It is truly sad and disgraceful that our current policy requires women who are serving their country to sacrifice their constitutional right to an abortion if they so… Read more »

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, the debate on stem cell research challenges all of us to think carefully about the value we place on human life. Many of us turn to our faith traditions for guidance and wisdom. None of us has the right to legislate our religious beliefs and impose them on others. But as Members look to the teachings of… Read more »

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 57th Anniversary of Israel's Independence Day. Having long been the victims of discrimination and persecution, and fresh from the unimaginable horror of the Holocaust, the Jewish people of the world were successful in establishing an independent state in May of 1948. Thanks to their heroic efforts, Israel was born as a pluralistic… Read more »

Madam Chairman, I rise in strong support of the amendment to increase funding for the NEA and the NEH. Without this amendment, the continued flat funding the President requested this year will really amount to another cut. I wish we could return to the days of the first President Bush when the arts were funded at $175 million. The amount we are asking for today amounts to little more… Read more »

Mr. Speaker, 36 years ago, Republican Senator Howard Baker took to the Senate floor during a Republican-led filibuster of Abe Fortas, President Johnson's nominee to be Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Senator Baker justified the Republican filibuster by stating, ``On any issue the majority, at any given moment, is not always right.'' Some people might be surprised that… Read more »