Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have my letter to Mr. McConnell, dated April 28, 2010, concerning BBG nominations printed in the Record. There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows…

I think that is probably the reason there was not one.

Any of these earmarks that they talk about, if you kill an earmark on the floor of the Senate, it does not save one cent.

This year I again was ranked by National Journal as the most conservative Senator.

The only last thing I wanted to say in terms of the earmark argument is the importance of authorization.

Regularly enacted WRDA bills provide the best opportunities to address our Nation's water resources infrastructure needs.

I made some pretty strong statements concerning this fraud called earmarks.

We have needs that are out there. We have, in my State of Oklahoma, things that need to be done.

This is the way it is supposed to happen.

My point is this. We can all agree that Government has functions to perform.

I couldn't disagree more.

I support the Chair's intent to move a Water Resources Development Act, or WRDA, this year.

This WRDA bill is to make sure that we do not put out things that are not deserving of public funding.

Because the very individuals who complain about earmarks are the ones who vote for the very largest, multi-hundred billion dollar bills.

I am a very strong believer that our system will work if people will get serious about it.

Let me first of all say to Commissioner Ostendorff, I was with your son actually at Fort Sill, I think it was last Friday, and I just want everyone to know that you come from a military family.

I appreciate Senators Carper's and Vitter's focus today on the NRC's Principles of Good Regulation.

It is our job to make certain that safety is the No. 1 priority for the nuclear industry and the NRC.