[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 9203-9204]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    AMERICAN PEOPLE CALL FOR CHANGE

  (Mr. ALTMIRE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ALTMIRE. Mr. Speaker, Democrats in Congress have heard the call 
for change delivered by the American people last November. In just 3 
months, we restored the necessary oversight of the administration and 
reformed the

[[Page 9204]]

ethics rules of the House to lessen the influence of lobbyists and add 
transparency to the legislative process.
  We answered the call for change in direction in Iraq and kept our 
promise to our Nation's veterans by voting to increase VA health care 
funding by $11 billion.
  We passed meaningful legislation that will help middle class 
families, lowering the cost of student loans and prescription drugs.
  And although we won't be able to dig ourselves out overnight from the 
mountains of debt Congress and the administration built up over the 
past 6 years, the new Democratic Congress passed a budget that achieves 
balance in 5 years without raising a penny of taxes.
  In short, Mr. Speaker, we have listened to the American people and 
changed the way Congress does business.

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