It's counterproductive to be discussing reforming the healthcare system while allowing industry to maintain its hold on physicians' decisions.

As lawmakers, I believe it is our job to remove barriers that create unnecessary costs and unethical influence in the healthcare system.

I'm proud that my State of Minnesota was the first State to enact legislation, in 1993, requiring public reporting of drug-company marketing payments to doctors.

Thank you, gentlemen.

So, when the healthcare reform debate takes place, and there are some Senators, like myself, who think that the money to pay for this is actually there in the system, that if we do this right, we can save enough money to cover everybody…

the synergy, Senator Franken, is huge.

How long are they allowed to be on probation before they have to stop doing what they're doing?

It drives me crazy to hear all this talk about, 'We can't pay for healthcare reform.' We can pay for healthcare reform, but we've got to get on top of the overuse of expensive therapies in place of therapies that actually may work better…

While transparency is a necessary first step, it is not sufficient.

But, the conclusion of all of you is that this practice, of industry-funded and specific industry-funded CME drives up the cost of medicine in this country?

Medicine is a lot better now than it was when we were kids. That doesn't mean that industry should fund CME.

Even under Minnesota's progressive State law, the influence of industry on healthcare is rampant.

Thank you, Ranking Member Sessions.

I hope, if confirmed for this job, to be able to work with the new players.

I fully support Chairman Leahy's recent provision that will make the EB-5 Regional Center Program permanent.

I would like to thank both you and the Ranking Member, Senator Sessions, for encouraging making this program permanent.

I just want to thank you all and I will follow up with Professor Yale-Loehr on the Minnesota contact.

Our country is experiencing the highest national unemployment rates in three decades.