they're anxious to bring jobs and manufacturing plans and revenue back to this country, but they have a 35-percent corporate tax rate that does not make them competitive

the regulations that they see that are passed by our government really make it difficult whether you want to start your own business, whether you want to expand, whether you're involved in a particular trade.

I hope that we take that to heart here, and a lot of times cutting through the red tape to make it easier for us to--the private sector to thrive.

this week, I heard from a number of large companies who argue on the tax code that we're not competitive

I think there's a huge opportunity to streamline our regulations, to look at the cost of adhering to the regulations and the intended benefit of the regulation.

If there were such a thing as a dirt index—and I believe there should be.

I hope that, to the extent we can, we do move to a universal screening process for those that are in the same category.

Is there a better way to do it? Can we do it in a more efficient way?

Mr. President, today I am introducing the Veterans Health Equity Act of 2011. This bill would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to ensure that every State has either a full-service veterans hospital or, in the alternative, that…

Security at our nation's ports is critically important to our safety and to our economy.

We certainly don't want a security program in place that gives the appearance of making us more secure, but in reality does not.

It is deeply troubling that the GAO investigators were able to access secure facilities at U.S. ports during covert tests by presenting counterfeit or fraudulent TWIC cards.

I wanted to ask, as I understand it--and whoever's most appropriate to answer this question--that part of the screening process would be to match it up against the terrorist watch list.

Mr. President, I rise today to highlight the Veteran's Health Equity Act, a bill I am introducing with my colleague from the Granite State, Senator Jeanne Shaheen. I am pleased to support this bipartisan legislation that addresses an issue…

It seems to me that that would be a better way to rank it and rate it, based on risk of activity.

I think it's very important. Because, obviously, one of the issues we wanted to address, post-9/11, was the coordination among agencies.

As we look at what it will take to sustain the Afghan security forces at their current levels, obviously we're on an unsustainable course, given that, at the current level--or the target level, it would require about $10 billion a year.

Well, that only works, though, if you've got an election or a system of democracy that actually works and is not corrupt in the way that the elections ultimately work.