Ric Keller

“While our budget shortfall is temporary, ruining pristine national lands is permanent.”

“I believe the American people are entitled to some straight talk when it comes to higher education funding.”

“Finally, we need more Border Patrol agents. Although Congress has already tripled the number of Border Patrol agents since the late 1980s, more are still needed.”

“However one feels about the war in Iraq, realize that our troops deserve our support 100 percent.”

“The economic impact of illegal immigration on taxpayers is catastrophic.”

“You can lead a bureaucrat to water, but you can't make him think.”

“The death tax causes one-third of all family-owned small businesses to liquidate after the death of the owner. It is also an unfair tax because the assets have already been taxed once at their income level.”

“I represent Orlando, Florida, the world's number one vacation destination.”

“On my recent trip to the Mexico border, Border Patrol agents in California told me they have arrested the same coyotes 20 times, but they are not prosecuted.”

“Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or HBCUs, have played an important role in enriching the lives of not just African Americans, but our entire country.”

“Illegal immigration presents a huge problem. That is why I decided to spend a week along the southern border to see firsthand how bad the problem is and, more importantly, what Congress can do to fix it.”

“I am here to give the American people some straight talk about higher education. Some have said we might have cut financial aid for college students. The truth is we have expanded access to college for our neediest students through the record growth of the Pell grant program.”

“Well, our economy is very strong and growing. We have created 5.4 million new jobs in the last 3 years. Our unemployment rate is better than the average unemployment rate of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.”

“Illegal immigration costs taxpayers $45 billion a year in health care, education, and incarceration expenses.”

“Millions of Americans each year use our national forests to go hiking, fishing, hunting, camping, swimming, horseback riding, and canoeing.”

“If we don't act, drilling will be allowed only 3 miles off Florida's east coast beaches.”

“I rise today in strong support of the Children's Safety and Violent Crime Reduction Act, because it is a commonsense way to protect our schoolchildren from pedophiles.”

“After granting amnesty to illegals 20 years ago, we have gone from 3 million illegals to 11 million illegals. Our government has been fooled once by this amnesty argument, let us not be fooled again.”

“Pell grants are the foundation of Federal student aid. As someone who attended college with the help of Pell grants and as chairman of the Pell Grant Caucus, I know how important they are for our Nation's low-income students.”

“Common sense and history tell you that rewarding illegal behavior will only encourage more of it.”