“Today we stand here before you very proud of the New Direction Congress. Especially proud of what we have accomplished in the last couple of weeks and what we will do going into the Memorial Day weekend. We have solutions to the challenges facing the American people. “

“While I hope the President will return with concrete assurances that OPEC will take swift action to bring down prices, in the past the Administration’s calls have been ineffective, making it all the more necessary for Congress to step in to help American consumers.”

“This is a critical first step for America’s families, businesses and our economy and, as the President said in 2006 when talking about the impact of suspending deliveries to the SPR, ‘every little bit helps.'”

“The thoughts of the world are with the people of Burma as they struggle to recover from the catastrophic cyclone. The numbers are simply staggering. It is estimated that the death toll will be more than 100,000, with another 2 million displaced or severely affected by the cyclone.”

“On behalf of all of my colleagues in the House of Representatives, I offer my deepest condolences to the Chinese people and all those who lost loved ones in the powerful earthquake that struck China’s Sichuan Province.”

“She’s the highest-ranking woman official in U.S. history — the first female speaker of the House of Representatives and second in line to the presidency. But Nancy Pelosi says none of that tops being a mother and grandmother.”

“The House yesterday approved an ambitious plan to rescue hundreds of thousands of homeowners at risk of foreclosure by helping them trade exotic loans with rapidly rising monthly payments for more affordable mortgages backed by the federal government.”

“News reports that troops determined by the Department of Defense to be medically unfit for combat have been deployed to Iraq are additional reminders of the unacceptable strain the war in Iraq is continuing to have on the readiness of our military and our national security.”

“The bipartisan Farm Bill will ease the strain of rising food prices for American families, begin much-needed reforms to farm payments, and make a substantial commitment to land conservation and to fruits and vegetables.”

“The New Direction Congress acted today to protect the American Dream of homeownership with a comprehensive package of housing policy reforms that will help protect families facing foreclosure and stem the continuing drop in home values around the country.”