The sacrifices made by veterans and their willingness to fight in defense of our nation merit our deep respect and praise – and to the best in benefits and medical care.

The concerns in the Witt Report that have gone unaddressed and the inefficient response to Hurricane Katrina have given local officials practical reasons not to certify these plans. FEMA needs to acknowledge these flaws and work more closely with our local communities to put adequate emergency preparedness plans in place.

In our 21st Century economy, no American should be losing the option of earning interest on their own money simply because they own a small business.

Small businesses provide 75 percent of new U.S. jobs and are the backbone of our economy, and no outdated ban should be keeping small business owners from collecting the same interest their money could earn if it were held by an individual.

This has been a very important joint federal-state effort to initiate this new ferry service and we must continue working to create as many commuting options as possible.

The United States must remain ever-vigilant in finding and freezing terrorist money around the world, and we need to demand similar vigilance from all countries around the globe,

Protecting children at our local schools must always be a priority at all levels of government, ... This is a very positive example of federal and local officials working together to make sure that Goshen schools have the security equipment necessary to keep students safe and stop any crime on school grounds.

The soundness of the emergency preparedness plans for the area surrounding the plant has always been a top-level concern in my district, ... And I'm sorry to say that confidence in the plans is not nearly as strong as it should be and with good reason.

Farming in our rural communities is not just an economic industry, but a way of life.

Under the act, utilities were to be confined to a single region. Now you'll find there will be a lot of very large combinations of electric utilities covering all parts of the country. We're all about local control and local responsiveness, and we find that problematic.