Multimedia Archive

• The Constitutional Crisis

  House Floor, Washington D.C. December 3, 2014

• Remarks in Opposition to Authorizing the Arming and Training of FSA (Free Syrian Army)

   All of us recognize the threat posed to our nation by the Islamic State.  The question before us is whether to arm and train supposedly vetted elements of the Free Syrian Army as a proxy ground force.  Text.

• Confronting the Islamic State

  Contrary to the President’s assertions last week, the Islamic State IS Islamic and it IS a state - or at least has all the attributes of a state.  It is precisely this combination that makes it so dangerous...Text

• The Border Crisis

  "If we are not willing to enforce our current laws, there is no reason to believe that any future laws will be enforced. And until we enforce them, we really can’t accurately assess what changes may be needed." House Floor, July 24, 2014.  Text.

• Ending Energy Subsidies

  Requiring energy companies of all kinds to fund their own research and development, rather than continuing to require taxpayers to subsidize their activity to the tune of $3.1 billion. Related amendment to freeze spending for unauthorized programs

• Forbidding "Green Energy" Defense Spending

  Rep. McClintock's amendment to the Defense Appropriations bill adopted on June 19, 2014. Text Link

• Putting Fish Before People

  70,000 acre feet of water released from dams on the American and Stanislaus rivers.  That is enough water to meet the annual needs of a city of half a million people.  Text.

   

• 2015 Budget

   "In August of 2010, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs warned that the greatest threat to our national security was our national debt.  That was $4 trillion of debt ago."  Text.

• Policies that Work

  "As we begin the annual budget process, we need to stop thinking in terms of Democratic and Republican policies and start thinking in terms of what policies have worked and what policies have not."  Text.

• California Water: It's the Storage

  Two weeks ago, President Obama visited the drought-stricken Central Valley of California. He announced his administration's response: he wants to spend another billion dollars to study climate change.  Text.

• California Water Bill - H.R. 3964

  February 5, 2014.  Text.  Congressman McClintock is a co-author of the California Water Bill H.R. 3964 (Valadao).  The legislation was passed by the House of Representatives on February 5, 2014.  The Congressman spoke in support of the measure on the House floor:

• Rim Fire Emergency Salvage Act Approved by House

  February 6, 2014.  Text.

• The Wrong Direction

  Omnibus appropriations bill moves us in the wrong direction.  House floor remarks, January 15, 2014. Text link.

• The New Year of Obamacare

  "A great tragedy is now unfolding across America..." December 11, 2013.  Text link.

• The Great Question

  House Floor Remarks, December 4, 2013.

• The Toll of Obamacare

  November 19, 2013.  Text.

• Obamacare and the Rule of Law

  November 15, 2013.   Text.

• Time is Running Out for the Sierra

  House Floor Remarks, November 13, 2013.  Text Link.

• When the Fever Dream Breaks

  October 29, 2013.
  Text link.

• When Propaganda Trumps Reality

  This nation has gone through 18 government shutdowns in the last 37 years. Fifteen of those 18 shutdowns occurred when Democrats controlled the House.  Text.  

   

• The Debt Crisis

  The debt limit exists for a simple reason: to assure that public debt isn’t recklessly piled up without Congress periodically acknowledging it and addressing the spending patterns that are causing it.  Text.

   
  

• The Offer Still Stands

  On September 30th, after two previous attempts to keep the government fully funded, House Republicans adopted a measure that fully funded the government, fully funded Obamacare, but simply delayed the individual mandate for a year.  Text.

• Three Crises

  This October crisis is punctuated by three developments that are becoming increasingly obvious and disturbing.   The first is the refusal of the Senate and the President to resolve their differences with the House through negotiation and compromise on the one bill that would fund this government and end this shutdown.   Text.

• Let Us Reason Together

  This shutdown should not have happened.   Text.

• Resolving the Healthcare and Fiscal Dilemma -- A Common Course for Common Goals

  September 28, 2013. Text.

• Obamacare Debate

  Congressman Tom McClintock and Congressman Ami Bera, KXTV 10 Sacramento.   September 24, 2013.  Debate Part 2.

• Renewing the Clinton-Gingrich Partnership

  I was deeply saddened to see the President begin the sixth year of our nation’s economic malaise by renewing his partisan name-calling and finger pointing on Monday. Fortunately, we have a model for bi-partisan economic cooperation.  Text

• Healthy Forests and a Healthy Economy

  This act takes on poignant and crucial importance to my district in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, where the Yosemite Rim fire continues to burn through more than 400 square miles of forest land.  Text link.

• War, Peace and the Constitution

  September 11, 2013. Remarks on Syria.  Text link.

• Obama's Case for War: Clear and Clearly Wrong

  September 10, 2013.   Text link.

• Syria Interview

  Congressman McClintock discussed reports of impending military action against the government of Syria in an interview with Fox Business on August 29th.  He also issued a statement about congressional authorization.

• The Truth About Yosemite

   August 1, 2013.  Text.

• Essential Air Service

  Amendment to eliminte funding, July 30, 2013.  Text.

• Defending Freedom with the Purse Strings

  House Floor, July 23, 2013. Text.

• The Real Endangered Species: The Sierra Nevada Hard Working Family

  House Floor Remarks, July 18, 2013.  Text.

• In Defense of Legal Immigration

   House Floor Remarks, July 10, 2013. Text.

• Public Impact of Closing Amenities at Yosemite National Park

  Oversight Hearing, Opening Statement, Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation.  July 9, 2013.  Text.

• Freedom in the Balance

  The IRS scandal, the seizing of reporter telephone records and the sweeping up of telephone and internet records of millions of Americans.  June 27, 2013.  Text.

   
• Our Nation's Wake Up Call

  Government seizing phone and internet records, House floor remarks, June 18, 2013.  Text.

• Some Live and Some Die

  House floor remarks about the dangers of bureaucratically controlled healthcare, June 12, 2013.

• Stopping Unauthorized Appropriations

  House Floor, June 5, 2013.  Text.

• Give Us Their Names

  IRS Scandal, House Floor Remarks, May 21, 2013.  Text.

• Freedom Under Siege

  IRS Scandal.  House Floor Remarks, May 16, 2013.   Text.

• Full Faith and Credit Act Approved by House

  H.R. 807 by Congressman McClintock passed the House on May 9, 2013. Text.

• Protecting America's Full Faith and Credit

  Amidst all the controversies gripping Congress, certainly we should all be able to agree that the full faith and credit of the United States should not hang in the balance every time there’s a fiscal debate in Washington.  May 7, 2013.  Text.

• Keep Yosemite Tourist-Friendly

  April 24, 2013.  Text.

• Constitutional Security First

  Remarks in oppositon to passage of the so-called CISPA bill (Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act), April 17, 2013.  Text link.

• House Budget Committee

  Treasury Secretary Lew testifying at the House Budget Committee, April 16, 2013.  Congressman McClintock questioned the Secretary about prioritization of debt payments and increases in federal spending.

• Protecting America's Full Faith and Credit

  Ways and Means Committee, April 10, 2013.  Text.

• Budget Floor Speech

  Remarks in support of the House Budget Resolution (H. Con. Res 25).  March 19, 2013.  Text.

• The Great Struggle

  Opening Statement, House Budget Committee:  "This budget reflects a great struggle between American families and their government over whether they, or the government, can best spend the money that they have earned."  Text link.

• Sequester: The Last Tool We Have

  House Floor Remarks, February 27, 2013.  Text link.

• HR 444 Require a Plan Act

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.

  February 6, 2013.  Text Link.

• Debt Limit HR 325: Carte Blanche Credit

  House Floor Remarks, Washington, D.C.  January 23, 2013.  Text.

• Debt Limit

  Debt limit discussion with Neil Cavuto on the Fox Business Channel,  January 21, 2013. 
   

• Rule on Hurricane Sandy

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  January 15, 2013.  Text.

• Interview with Neil Cavuto about Sandy Amendments

  Fox News, January 10, 2013.

• Fiscal Cliff Deal

  January 2, 2013.  Text Link.

• Saving Who We Can

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  December 20, 2012.  Text.
   

• The Fiscal Cliff

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  December 12, 2012.  Text.

• Fiscal Cliff Interview

  December 5, 2012

• Lance Corporal Victor Dew Post Office Naming

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  November 28, 2012.  Text.

• Fox News Interview on Libya and the Continuing Resolution (CR)

  Washington, D.C.  September 13, 2012.

• 50 More Solyndras

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  September 13, 2012.  Text.
  

• Secret Courts and Warrantless Surveillance

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  September 12, 2012.  Text link.

• Lake Tahoe Summit

  Congressman McClintock discusses the 2012 Lake Tahoe Summit, Fox Business Channel, September 9, 2012.  Congressman McClintock's Lake Tahoe Summit remarks.

• An Appeal to a Higher Court

  The Supreme Court decision has much more dire implications for our nation and its cherished freedoms than merely affirming the government takeover of our health care.  Text.
  

• The Subway to Nowhere

  This amendment forbids further federal expenditures for the Central Subway project in San Francisco.  The project is a 1.7 mile subway that is estimated to cost $1.6 billion –– and those cost estimates continue to rise.  Text.

• DRAINING A SLUSH FUND: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS

  This amendment saves $3.4 billion by eliminating funding for the Community Development Block Grant program.   Text link.

• Essential Air Service

  June 26, 2012.  Text link.

• In Opposition to HR 2938

  The facts are clear.  In the 1950’s, the federal government condemned and seized land and water rights owned by Tohono O’odham Indian Nation.  Text.

• Amendment 5 to HR 5325 -- Fossil Fuels

  This is the final amendment I will offer on this subject – taken along with the others it removes government from subsidizing energy companies – this one pertaining to fossil fuel industries.  Text.

  Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Amendment

  Nuclear Energy Amendment

• Amendment 3 to HR 5325 -- Nuclear Energy Subsidies

  On Friday, I offered an amendment to eliminate taxpayer subsidies to the so-called renewable sector and this amendment eliminates them to the nuclear sector, saving another half-billion dollars.  Text. 

  Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Amendment

  Fossil Fuels Amendment

• Subsidizing Failure

  This amendment saves nearly one and a half billion dollars by ending the failed Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Program.  Text.

  Nuclear Energy Amendment

  Fossil Fuels Amendment

• Amendment to Cut Unauthorized Appropriations to the International Trade Administration

  This amendment cuts more than a quarter billion dollars of unauthorized appropriations from the International Trade Administration.  Text  May 8, 2012

• A Truly Orwellian Measure

  Under the Fourth Amendment, if the Government wants to snoop through a person’s email, it must first convince a judge that there is probable cause to believe that person has committed a crime and it must specify the documents it believes are relevant to that charge. Yesterday the House passed a measure... Text.  April 27, 2012

• The Tax Cut Illusion

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  April 19, 2012.   Text.

   

   

• IRS Harassment of Tea Party Groups

  A defining aspect of the American tradition is that groups of citizens band together for a wide variety of civic purposes.  They recruit volunteers, raise funds and spend those funds to promote whatever project or cause brings them together.  Text.  April 17, 2012.

• Fiscal Year 2013 Budget

  Mr. Chairman, a year ago, the House passed a budget that would have put our nation back on the path to fiscal solvency and ultimately paid off the entire national debt.  It would have saved Medicare and Medicaid from collapse...text link.  March 28, 2012.

• Eve of the Budget Debate

  Remarks in support of the FY 2013 Budget Resolution.  "The House is about to consider a budget in a dangerous hour in the life of our country.  Last year, we barreled past several urgent warning signals..." text link.  March 27, 2012.

• HR 2842

  Debate remarks in support of H.R. 2842.  The legislation allows small hydroelectric generators to be placed in pipelines and canals that have already passed environmental review.  March 6, 2012.

• HR 1837

  Debate remarks in support of HR 1837, legislation to bring the full force of federal law to protect senior and area of origin water rights holders, and to address policies responsible for fallowing once-productive California farmland.  February 29th, 2012.  Click here to watch opening remarks.

• Line Item Veto (HR 3521)

  This bill presents us with a simple question: “It is possible – just possible – that from time to time Congress has passed a spending bill or two that ought to have had greater scrutiny?”   Text.

• HR 3581 (Garrett) Budget and Accounting Transparency Act of 2011

  A family that excludes from its budget the mortgage payments it knows it must make is deluding itself and sabotaging its own finances...Text.

• USMC Private First Class Victor Dew

  Today I have introduced a bill to name the United States Post Office in Granite Bay, California in honor of United States Marine Corps Private First Class Victor Dew.  This young man was only 20 years old when he left his family and friends in late September of 2010 for Helmand Province, Afghanistan.  Text.

• Freedom and the Internet, Victorious

  Long ago, Jefferson warned, “The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield, and government to gain ground.”  The exceptions to that rule have been few and far between recently, and ought to be celebrated when they occur.  Text.

• The Problem with Both Payroll Bills

  In all this debate, I fear both parties have missed a critical point.  Both versions of this bill impose a permanent new tax on every mortgage backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  Text.

   

• Fixing the Payroll Tax

  The House added $167 billion more to this year’s already crushing deficit, mostly to pay for the payroll tax cut, purporting to repay one year’s tax relief over the next ten years...  text.

  Floor Speech Video Archive

• Cracking Freedom's Foundation

  I rise in opposition to Section 1021 of the underlying Conference Report (H.R. 1540, the National Defense Authorization Act)...  Text.

• Squaring Social Security and the Payroll Tax Cut

  Topping the list of unfinished business this year is the impending collision of two closely related crises: the expiration of the payroll tax cut and the acceleration of Social Security’s bankruptcy.  Text.
   

• The Plunder of Colfax

  In the Sierra Foothills in northeastern California lies the little town of Colfax, population 1,800, with a median household income of about $35,000.  Over the past several years, this little town has been utterly plundered by regulatory and litigatory excesses that have pushed the town to the edge of bankruptcy Text

• The Self-Evident Truth of Self-Defense

  Today the House will consider HR 822, a long-overdue measure to assure that states recognize the concealed weapons permits issued by other states.  Text.
   

   

• Back to Basics with the Balanced Budget Amendment

  "The International Monetary Fund estimated that as of Halloween night, the debt of this nation surpassed its entire economy for the first time since World War II."  House Chamber remarks, November 2, 2011.  Text of remarks.

• Putting Freedom Back to Work

  "Mr. Speaker, Freedom works.  It is time that we put it back to work."   House floor remarks, October 26, 2011.  Text of remarks here.

• Army Specialist Garrett Fant

  Remarks in memory of Army Specialist Garrett Fant.  House Chamber, Washington, D.C., October 13, 2011.  Text of Remarks.

• Klamath Claptrap

  House floor remarks in opposition to Klamath dam removal.  September 22, 2011.   Read Remarks.

• Budget Control Act of 2011

  The bill "opens up a $2.5 trillion line of credit for the most spendthrift administration in the history of the country to continue to spend at unsustainable rates...click to watch interview

• Tribute to Staff Sergeant Russell Jeremiah Proctor

  On June 26th, a roadside bomb in Jalula, Iraq claimed the life of a young man from Oroville, California.  He was Army Staff Sergeant Russell Jeremiah Proctor, age 25  Full Remarks
   

• In Support of "Cut, Cap and Balance"

  This vote stands as a defining moment in this crisis.  Every rating agency has warned that an increase in the debt limit without a credible plan to balance the budget will damage our nation’s credit.  Full Remarks

   

• Getting Government Out of the Energy Subsidy Business

  This amendment would save roughly ten percent from this appropriations bill, or $3 ¼ billion, by getting the federal government out of the energy subsidy business.   Full Remarks

• Cutting Off Funding For Military Action In Libya

  Mr. Chairman:  For more than three months, our nation has been amidst a quiet constitutional crisis Full Remarks.

  July 7, 2011

• In Opposition to HR 2278 (Libya)

  This bill purports to cut off funding for combat in Libya.  Full Remarks.

  June 24, 2011

• Kucinich Resolution on Libya

  "If the President felt there was moral justification to attack Libya, he was constitutionally required to make his case to Congress and get its authorization.  He did not."  Full Remarks.

  June 3, 2011

   

• Debt Limit

  Congressman McClintock discusses the debt limit on Freedom Watch.

  May 16, 2011

• Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling - HR 1231 Floor Remarks

  The House voted this week on bills to increase energy production, create jobs and lower prices. 

  May 11, 2011 

   

• Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling

  Floor debate remarks in support of H.R. 1229, Putting the Gulf Back to Work Act.

  May 10, 2011

• California Budget Crisis

  FreedomWatch with Judge Napolitano

  Fox Business Network, April 28, 2011

• Debate on the 2012 Budget Bill

  House Chamber, Washington, DC.

  April 14, 2011

• 2012 Budget Discussion on "Lou Dobbs Tonight"

  April 13, 2011

• Markup of the 2012 Budget

  House Budget Committee, opening statement by Congressman McClintock. 

  April 6, 2011
   

• House Floor Remarks Regarding Libya

  When the President ordered the attack on Libya without Congressional authorization, he crossed a very bright Constitutional line read full remarks

  March 31, 2011

• Budget Interview

  Congressman McClintock, budget interview on Fox Business Network.

  March 10, 2011.
   

• Budget Interview

  Congressman McClintock discusses the continuing resolution and the budget with Neil Cavuto on the Fox Business Network. 

  March 1, 2011

• On Extending the PATRIOT Act

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C. 

  February 15, 2011.  Text.

• House Budget Committee Hearing

  Congressman McClintock questions Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke about debt service payments.  House Budget Committee hearing on the state of the U.S. economy, February 9, 2011.

• "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren"

  Congressman McClintock questions Medicare’s Chief Actuary about budgetary claims made by supporters of the new health care law.  January 26, 2011.
   

   

• Water, Water Everywhere...Except for California's Farms

  I cannot imagine a more disturbing example of this ideology at work than the announcement yesterday by the Department of Interior.  Even faced with a super-abundance of water, they are determined to create and then to ration water shortages.  Full Text.

• Repealing Obamacare

  The central promises of Obamacare were that it would bend health costs down and wouldn’t threaten existing plans.

  We now know that both these claims were false.  Text

   

• Uniting to Honor the Fallen

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.     January 12, 2011.  Text.

  
   

• The Royal Forests

  Much of my district comprises forests managed by the U.S. Forest Service.  Over the last two years, I have received a growing volume of complaints protesting the increasingly exclusionary and elitist policies of this agency.   Full Text.

• The Prosperity Congress

  The Prosperity Congress
  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  January 6, 2011.  Full Text. 

• The Rump Congress

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  December 22, 2010.  Full Text.
   

• Party's Over

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  December 21, 2010.  Full Text.
   

• HR 4853 - Tax Relief Compromise

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  December 16, 2010.  Full Text. 

• In Memory of Pvt. Sean Silva

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  December 14, 2010.  Full Text.

• Panel Discussion on Tax Cuts, Fox Business Channel

  December 10, 2010. 

  Part 2, Part 3

• HR 4783 - Claims Resolution Act of 2010

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C., November 30, 2010.  Full Text.

• Reducing the Federal Work Force

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C., September 23, 2010.  Full Text.
  

• Continuing on the Road to Ruin

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.
  September 14, 2010.  Full Text.

• H.R. 1586: Defying the Law of Holes

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.
  August 10, 2010.  Full Text.
   

• Neil Cavuto Show

  Representative McClintock on the Neil Cavuto Program, August 9, 2010.

• H.R. 3534 (Clear Act)

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C. July 22, 2010.  Full Text.

• Creating Unemployment

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C. July 22, 2010.  Full Text.. 

• Repeating the Lesson

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C. July 20, 2010.  Full Text.

• HR 5297 (Tarp III)

  House Floor, June 15, 2010.  Full Text.

• Response to President Calderon

  House Floor, May 20, 2010. Text of Remarks.

• Learning from Experience (NOT) - Cash for Caulkers Program

  House Floor, May 6, 2010.  Text.

• Designation of National Monuments

  Natural Resources Committee, May 5, 2010.  Text.

• Subverting Democracy in Puerto Rico

  House Chamber, Washington D.C., April 29, 2010.  Text.
   

• They Did and We Are

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.
  April 27, 2010.  Text.
   

• McClintock on Cavuto

  From Cannon Rotunda, Washington, D.C. March 24, 2010

• On the Eve of the Healthcare Takeover Vote

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C., March 20, 2010.   M. Speaker:  In the introduction to his epic “Ten Commandments,” Cecil B. Demille asked the question: “Are men the property of the state, or are they free souls under God?”  Full Text.

• Path to Conflict

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  March 17, 2010  M. Speaker:  I rise to express my great concern over recent statements by Administration officials regarding Israeli housing construction in that nation’s capital city.  Full Text.

• Abuse of Power

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C. March 16, 2010 M. Speaker: I held two town hall meetings in my district on Saturday, and at both events my constituents raised this issue: how can Congress impose the most sweeping intrusion into personal health care decisions in the history of our country without a direct vote on the bill? Full Text

• Hawaiian Separatist Bill: HR 2314

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.
  February 23, 2010

  Mr. Speaker:

   It pains me to rise in opposition to the valedictory measure of the gentleman from Hawaii, but I believe this bill strikes at the very foundation of a nation dedicated to equality under law.  Read Full Speech.

• Car Payments Without the Car

  House Chamber, Washington D.C.
  February 23, 2010

  M. Speaker: Two weeks ago, Congress and the President added $1.9 trillion to the national debt limit.  That translates to more than $6,000 of additional debt for every man, woman and child in the country – more than $24,000 for an average family of four.  Read Full Speech.

• The Agony of the Central Valley

  House Chamber, Washington D.C.
  January 26, 2010

  Madam Speaker:

  For many months, the Republicans on the Water and Power Sub-Committee of the House Natural Resources Committee have implored the majority Read Full Speech.

• The Legitimacy of our Government Depends on the Legitimacy of the Vote
  House Chamber, Washington, D.C. January 20, 2010
   
  Mr. Speaker: I never thought I would see the day when a commentator entrusted by a major broadcast network... 
  Full Remarks
• Deficits Made in California Should Stay in California

  Deficits Made in California Should Stay in California January 13, 2010

  Mr. Speaker: Yesterday I addressed the demand of Gov. Schwarzenegger for federal aid by noting the devastating impact that his tax increases have had on California’s economy.

• Schwarzenegger's Folly

  Schwarzenegger’s Folly House Chamber, Washington, D.C. January 12, 2010 Mr. Speaker: California’s governor is seeking billions of dollars of additional federal aid to fill his ever-widening budget deficits. Full Remarks

• Western Resolve

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C., December 15, 2009, M. Speaker:  I rise to applaud the passage today of HR 2194, the Iranian Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act of 2009.  Full Remarks.

• "Stimulating Government"

  November 19, 2009 11:10 AM
  House Chamber Remarks, Washington D.C.  M. Speaker:  The unfolding scandal of phony or inflated job claims from the so-called stimulus bill. Full Text

• 3,400 Shalls

  House Chamber, Washington D.C. November 7, 2009. M. Speaker:  The question before us comes to this: will Congress force American families to surrender control of their health care to the federal bureaucracy? There’s nothing optional about this law – the word “shall” appears 3,400 times in it – each time backed by the full force of the government.  Full Text.

• A Grim Accounting

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C., November 6, 2009,  M. Speaker:  This week the House passed HR 3548 that extends unemployment benefits in states with unemployment rates over 8 ½ percent for an additional 13 weeks.  The measure also continues the popular $8,000 tax credit for first time homebuyers and adds a new $6,500 tax credit for homebuyers who are currently homeowners.

• What's At Stake

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C., November 3, 2009.  M. Speaker:  What do Americans lose if Nancy Pelosi succeeds in taking over health care?

• In Defense of Dissent

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  October 29, 2009  M. Speaker:  I rise today in defense of dissent.  It is a sad milestone when it becomes necessary to do so.  But the ferocity with which this administration is pursuing its critics in business and journalism is becoming alarming.

• Repeating Our Mistakes

  House Chamber, Washington D.C.  October 27, 2009.  M. Speaker:  The last time our unemployment rate hit 9.8 percent was in 1983.   Ronald Reagan responded by cutting taxes and reducing regulatory burdens on the economy, producing the biggest peacetime economic expansion in the nation’s history.

• HR 3585 Solar Technology Roadmap Act of 2009

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C. October 22, 2009.  M. Speaker:  I rise in opposition to the rule and in opposition to the underlying bill.  And to explain why, I’d like to walk through a little history and a little math.  Let’s begin with history and two important years: 1978 and 1839. 

• HR 3319 Jeremiah P. McCleery Post Office

   House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  October 20, 2009.  Mr. Speaker:  This bill names the Post Office in Portola, California in honor of Army Specialist Jeremiah Paul McCleery, who grew up in that town, and who returned to it as a fallen hero at the age of 24.
   

• Water Recycling HR 2442 (Miller)

  House Chamber, October 15, 2009.  Congressional Debate on Water Recycling:  "A generation ago, the principal objective of our water policy was to create abundance. It was an era when vast reservoirs produced a cornucopia of clean and plentiful water on a scale so vast that many communities didnt even bother to meter it.  That clean, cheap and abundant water also made America the bread basket of the world and the Central Valley the bread basket of California.

• Tribute to Sgt. Joshua M. Hardt, USA

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  October 15, 2009.  I rise today to pay tribute to U.S. Army Sergeant Joshua M. Hardt of Applegate, California. He is one of the fallen heroes of the Battle of Kamdesh -- the remote outpost that was besieged and surrounded and hopelessly outnumbered by more than 300 Taliban insurgents on October 3rd. No soldiers in the history of our nation have fought more valiantly or bravely than the defenders of Combat Outpost Keating that day. In the end, they held their ground, they defended their flag and the honor of their country.

• Meet the Members: Rep. Tom McClintock

  Part of a special series introducing the Republican Members of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor.

• Rep. McClintock questions Secretary Salazar about the California Regulatory Drought / Delta Smelt

  House Natural Resources Committee, September 16, 2009.

• Debate on H.R. 3221 - Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  September 16, 2009.   Debate on H.R. 3221 - Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act.

• Natural Resources Committee / Water and Power Legislation

  House Natural Resources Committee, September 10, 2009.  A discussion of the philosophy that now dominates public policy: that the government’s principal focus is not to produce abundant water and power, but rather to ration shortages that government has caused by abandoning abundance as its primary objective.

• Thomas Marovich Eulogy

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C. July 31, 2009.  Mr. Speaker:  I rise to pay tribute to a young man who gave his life last week while fighting the Backbone Fire in the Trinity Alps Wilderness.  Thomas Marovich, Jr. was just 20 years old.  He was in his second year with the U.S. Forest Service assigned to the Modoc National Forest.  He was training with the Chester Helitack Crew assigned to the Backbone Fire when a training accident claimed his life.

• Fundamental Absurdities

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  July 28, 2009.  Mr. Speaker:  In order to support the Democrats’ healthcare plan, we are asked to accept three arguments that are fundamentally absurd:  First, that the same government that pioneered $400 hammers and $600 toilet seats is somehow going to control healthcare costs;  Second, that the same government that runs FEMA is going to make our health care system more efficient and responsive;  Third, that the same government that runs the IRS is going to make our healthcare more compassionate and understanding.

   

• Agony of Quincy

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  July 21, 2009.  Special order discussion about Quincy, California and forest management practices.   Part II of discussion.

• Floor Debate on Healthcare and the Economy

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  July 21, 2009.  Cogressional debate remarks on healthcare and the economy.

• Healthcare Debate in the Education and Labor Committee

  July 16, 2009.  Representative McClintock debates healthcare legislation issues in the Education and Labor Committee.

• Cap and Trade Radio Interview

  July 7, 2009.  Cap and Trade radio interview, WBAL Baltimore, Ron Smith Show.

• Special Order Speech on Cap and Trade

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C. June 26, 2009.  I had a strange sense of Deja Vu as I watched the self-congratulatory rhetoric on the house floor tonight, and I feel compelled to offer this warning from the Left Coast.  Three years ago, I stood on the floor of the California Senate and watched a similar celebration over a similar bill, AB 32.  And I have spend the last three years watching as that law has dangerously deepened California’s recession.   

• Our Generation's Smoot-Hawley (Cap and Trade Legislation)

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  June 26, 2009.  Madam Speaker:  When we discuss Herbert Hoover’s mishandling of the recession of 1929, the first thing that economists point to is the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act that imposed new taxes on over 20,000 imported products.  The Waxman-Markey Bill is our generation’s Smoot-Hawley.  It imposes new taxes on an infinitely larger number of domestic products on a scale that utterly dwarfs Smoot-Hawley. 
   

• Armstrong and Getty Radio Show, KSTE 650, Sacramento

  July 2, 2009.  Congressman McClintock discusses 4th of July and the Cap and Trade / Energy Tax Legislation. 

• MSNBC California Budget Interview Part 2 of 3

  July 8, 2009.  California Budget discussion, MSNBC, Dylan Ratigan Show.  Part 2 of 3.

• MSNBC California Budget Interview Part 3 of 3

  July 8, 2009.  California Budget discussion, MSNBC, Dylan Ratigan Show.  Part 3 of 3.

• MSNBC California Budget Interview

  July 8, 2009.  California budget discussion, MSNBC, Dylan Ratigan Show.  The multimedia page features part 2 and part 3 of this discussion.

• HR 1256 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  June 12, 2009.  M. Speaker:  Many years ago, author and commentator Bruce Herschensohn made this point.   He said, for every pleasure in life, there is a corresponding risk.  I think that’s a universal truth: For every pleasure in life, there is a corresponding risk.  And he pointed out that it’s true that with enough taxes, laws, restrictions, regulations, penalties and lectures, government can produce a virtually risk-free society.  But it will also be one of the most colorless, pleasureless, tedious and miserable societies ever conceived by the mind of man.

   

• Speech on Federal Loan Guarantee for California

  Tough Love for California.  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  June 11, 2009  M. Speaker:  Gov. Schwarzenegger of my home state of California has called for the federal government to underwrite as much as $15 billion of Revenue Anticipation Notes that the state has to issue to avoid insolvency.  I think that would be a colossal mistake, and that such an act would not only dig the nation deeper into the hole it is in, but would actually make California’s fiscal condition worse.

• In Support of Deputy Shawn Webb

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C. June 10, 2009.  M Speaker:  I rise today to honor Deputy Shawn Webb of the Plumas County Sheriff’s Department.  The entire Sheriff’s Department, joined by the people of Plumas County, are rallying behind this remarkable young man and his family as he battles a difficult illness.  You don’t see this kind of outpouring very often these days.  It’s a testament to the impact that Deputy Shawn Webb has had on his Department and his community.

   

• Congressional Floor Remarks - Healthcare and RAISE Act

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C. June 9, 2009. 

• Jeremiah P. McCleery Memorial Remarks by Rep. McClintock

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C. May 19, 2009.  Mr. Speaker:  I rise today with the sad duty of recognizing the death in combat of Army Specialist Jeremiah P. McCleery, age 24, of Portola, California.  Mr. Speaker, if you read the observations of his friends you very quickly realize that this was not only an irreplaceable loss to his family and a monumental loss to his community – but also a terrible loss to our country.

• Tom Sullivan Radio Show

  California Budget Issues.  May 20, 2009

• Representative McClintock on Fox Business Channel with Stuart Varney

  Washington, D.C.  May 19, 2009

• H.R. 1913 (Hate Crimes)

  April 29, 2009.  Mr. Speaker:  It comes down to this: Free societies punish acts.  Authoritarian regimes punish opinions and thoughts.  The supporters of this bill speak of punishing violent acts – but we already punish those violent acts, as well we should.  This measure calls for additional punishment not for the violent act itself but for the opinion behind the act.

• H.Con.Res 101 Acceptance of Ronald Reagan Statue

  April 22, 2009.  M. Speaker:  The statue of Ronald Reagan could not possibly arrive at the United States Capitol at a more appropriate time in the history of our nation.  In these difficult days, we need to remind ourselves as a nation what it was like when it truly was “morning again in America.”

• Accepting Our Money Back

  House Chamber, Washington D.C.  April 21, 2009.  Mr. Speaker:  Many Americans have been shocked in recent days to learn that banks seeking to repay TARP money have been told the treasury will not allow them to do so.  Taxpayers were promised that this money was only to be used to buy up toxic assets and that it would be repaid to the treasury as soon as humanly possible.

• Tea Party Rally, State Capitol, Sacramento

  April 15, 2009.  Tea Party Rally held at the State Capitol in Sacramento, California.

• HR 1256 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  April 2, 2009  M. Speaker:  Today this house passed HR 1256, which takes tobacco regulation to a whole new level and at the same time imposes onerous new fees that will be passed on to consumers as higher prices.  The entire debate on that bill was over what method government should use to do so.  Before we close today’s proceedings, I would like to offer a different perspective.

• On Amendment to the Budget H.Con.Res. 85

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  April 2, 2009  Mme. Chairman:   I feel one of those rare bi-partisan moments coming on.  Throughout these budget debates, my friends on the Left keep saying that our problems are rooted in the fiscal mismanagement of the Bush Administration.  The Gentleman from Virginia just presented a chart titled, “Record Deterioration of the Budget Under the Republican Administration.” 

• Speech in Opposition to the Budget H.Con.Res. 85

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  April 1, 2009  Mr. Speaker:  The American people are awakening to a danger of a budget that spends too much and borrows too much and taxes too much, because they know what that means.

   They know that you can’t spend your way rich.

   They know that you can’t borrow your way out of debt.

   And they know that you can’t tax your way to prosperity.

• Federal Land Assistance, Management and Enhancement Act (HR 1404)

  House Chamber, Washington D.C.  March 25, 2009.  M. Chairman:  I certainly support HR 1404, which would allow some flexibility in managing firefighting costs on our federal lands.  But I want to call attention to the fact that our firefighting costs would be much lower – and our revenues would be much higher – if we would restore the sound forest management practices that this Congress long ago abandoned.

   

• Omnibus Public Lands Bill (HR 146)

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  March 25, 2009.  M. Speaker,  Abraham Lincoln once told of a farmer who said, “I ain’t greedy for land – all I want is what’s next to mine.”  Our federal government is starting to resemble that farmer.  HR 146 is a massive land grab that would literally put more land into wilderness designation than we have actually developed.  That pretty much means no human activities other than walking through it – as long as you don’t touch anything.

• Honk If You are Paying My Mortgage

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C., March 17, 2009.  M. Speaker:   I have been asked to present more than 6,000 postcards generated by the Armstrong and Getty radio show to protest policies that can best be described by the new bumper sticker, “Honk if you’re paying my mortgage,” or today’s reprise, “Honk if you’re paying AIG’s bonuses.”
   

• Tax Time

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C., March 12, 2009.  Mr. Speaker:  Many people were quite relieved when President Obama promised to reduce taxes on 95 percent of Americans.  Last week, the President introduced his new budget that depends on a staggering tax increase of $1.4 trillion over the next ten years. 

• Remarks in Support of HR 131 (Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission)

  House Chamber, Washington DC, March 9, 2009.  Perhaps only one generation in a century is fortunate enough to actually know a truly great leader – and ours was that generation.  But our children and their children will know him too, through the power of his words and the force of his ideas – his undying faith in freedom and his eternal belief in America.   And they will know him – and know him well – because our generation will make sure of it.

   

• Eulogy for Dr. Gregory Freydman

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C., March 9, 2009.  M. Speaker:  I rise to honor the memory of Dr. Gregory Freydman of California.  Dr. Freydman spent most of his life seeking freedom for his family, and finally fulfilled that dream at the age of 72 when he legally immigrated to the United States from the Soviet Union. 

• Tribute to Wadahawa Singh Gill

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C.  March 6, 2009.  M. Speaker:  I rise today in tribute to Rev. Wadahawa Singh Gill, who passed away last week at the age of 87. 

  For many years, Rev. Gill was the spiritual leader of the Sikh community in Northern California.  He was an amazing man who not only ministered to the more than 100,000 Sikh faithful in the Sacramento region, he made himself a bridge between the Sikh community and the general public.

• A Tale of Two Presidents

  House Chamber, March 5, 2009.  The discussion going on right here in these hallowed halls of Congress is exactly the same discussion going on around dinner tables, over back yard fences, over coffee at Starbucks.  Everybody understands that our nation is in great trouble and getting in deeper, and every citizen realizes that each of us has a responsibility to play in being part of that discussion.

• Life on the Downside of the Laffer Curve

  House Chamber, Washington, D.C., March 3, 2009.  The Laffer Curve is a simple but elegant method of demonstrating how increasing taxes reduces economic productivity until a point of equilibrium is reached when further tax hikes actually reduce revenue.
   

• The Law of Unintended Consequences

  House Chamber, Washington D.C, March 3, 2009.  I’d like to offer a word of caution about the law of unintended consequences.

   Last week, this house passed the Administration’s proposal to allow homeowners to force banks to reduce the size of their mortgages and interest rates.
   

• Sierra Pacific Closes Sawmill in Quincy, CA

  House Chamber, Washington D.C, March 3, 2009.  Sierra Pacific has just announced the closure of its sawmill in the town of Quincy, California, in my district, throwing another 150 families out of work.

• Speech in Opposition to Ending Washington, DC Vouchers

  House Chamber, Washington D.C., February 25, 2009.  When it was announced that Randolph Churchill had been hospitalized to remove a benign tumor, a parliamentary wag commented, “What a pity it is to remove the only part of Randolph that isn’t malignant.”  As I look at this bill, I can only remark what a pity it is to remove the only part of the nation’s education system that actually works.

• Debate on Referral to Conference Committee of HR 1 Stimulus Bill

  Debate Speech:  Debate on Referral to Conference Committee of HR 1 Stimulus Bill.  "The President himself told us yesterday that this $800 billion of new spending is going to produce four million new jobs. That's great, until you pull out a pocket calculator and realize that comes to $200,000 per job." February 10, 2009

   

• Do No Harm

  Economic Stimulus Debate, February 12, 2009

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