Mr. President, before I speak today about the bill before us, I want to commemorate the life of a dear friend and a true West Virginian, Bill Stewart. Bill was taken from us 2 days ago at the age of 59, but he left behind a lifetime of…

Mr. President, this week marks the 49th annual National Small Business Week, a time to celebrate the innovations, ideas, and hard work of our entrepreneurs. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, accounting for 65 percent of new…

Mr. President, I rise to speak on the nomination of Sara Aviel to be the Alternate Executive Director to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Had the Senate conducted a recorded vote, I would have voted against Ms…

Madam President, this would be the first time Congress has ever interfered in an FDA-based, science-based approval process. If we open that, we would be opening an extraordinary can of worms. I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment…

I would suggest that it is more than just that we are drifting. I would suggest we are being drifted by politics and by the money in politics, particularly the big money the big polluters can throw into politics, not only directly by…

Mr. President, I want to take a few moments this afternoon to do something that has become a bit of a ritual with me; that is, to try to take some time each week to speak about the damage we are doing to our atmosphere, to our oceans, and…

Mr. President, I strongly oppose this amendment. I will be voting to table it, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same. It would impose another layer of regulations on an industry that already has a workable regulatory framework. It…

Madam President, today, we are considering a bill that will improve the FDA's ability to assure the safety of drugs in our medicine cabinets and medical devices in our hospitals. The FDA is an essential guardian of the public's health and…

Mr. President, the FDA asked for this knowledge and information. What am I asking them to disclose? The name of the product, the ingredients of it, and a copy of the label. If a Chinese manufacturer wants to sell a dietary supplement in…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have the same amount of time given on the other side. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Mr. President, this is a very simple amendment. If you go into the drugstore and look at the prescription drugs, every one of them has been registered with the FDA. The over-the-counter drugs have all been registered. When you go to the…

I announce that the Senator from Hawaii (Mr. Akaka), the Senator from Connecticut (Mr. Blumenthal), the Senator from California (Mrs. Boxer), and the Senator from Michigan (Ms. Stabenow) are necessarily absent.

I ask my colleagues when this vote comes before us, before we have another death in America from a dietary supplement from China, India, Mexico, or even in the United States, shouldn't we require the most basic information so we know the…

Mr. President, today we are considering a bill that will improve the FDA's ability to assure the safety of drugs in our medicine cabinets and medical devices in our hospitals. The FDA is an essential guardian of the public's health and…

Mr. President, recently Chicagoans were asked in a poll what asset of their great city they valued most. By a large margin, they chose Lake Michigan. Lake Michigan is the primary source of drinking water for more than 10 million…

Mr. President, I think that accommodation was to allow the Senator from Louisiana for 7 minutes, and I would ask for 5 minutes before the votes begin. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the Senator from Louisiana will be given 7…

I announce that the Senator from Connecticut (Mr. Blumenthal) is necessarily absent.

Mr. President, I would like to make clear for the record a matter relating to the Officer Safety Act of 2012. I thank my colleague from Iowa for working with me on this legislation. I cosponsored this bill after changes were made, in the…