We understand Americans are hurting, that our economy is in a slump. But we also understand that if we do not deal with the national debt, we will be doing the worst thing that we could ever do to the working men and women of America: that…

If I understand the proposal, if I am a creditworthy person, I can either refinance my home or buy a new home at this lower interest rate, which today would be between 4 and 4.5 percent for a 30-year mortgage. I would have that fixed…

Mr. President, Republicans believe we ought to fix housing first, and we would like to talk about that for the next 30 minutes. Mr. Kyl, the Senator from Arizona, is here for that purpose. Senator Ensign is here, who is the author of an…

My colleague from Tennessee described a situation they have in their State--the same situation in South Carolina--where you can have a nonunion shop. People can choose to be in unions or unionize an organization. Workers can decide whether…

On Tuesday, a couple million people here and millions all over the world watched an eloquent ceremony from our Nation's Capital, the very moving speech by President Obama, and were reassured by his eloquence in a time of difficulty for our…

The DeMint amendment would take away from States the right to decide whether they want to be a right-to-work State or a State that allows for an agency shop or a union shop. Now, on this very Senate floor, in 1947, after World War II, Mr…

I voted today the same way I did in October because both the current President and the incoming President have said this is an essential insurance policy against financial catastrophe. This is not spending; this is lending money with…

those who have been listening and watching for the last few minutes got one good lesson on why Senator McConnell has been here for over 24 years. This is a day to honor him, but he spent virtually all of his time honoring someone else. It…

to summarize them, they were simply this: Why not look to the example of our higher education system and try it with kindergarten through the 12th grade? The Pell grants for kids I proposed was to give every single child from a middle- or…

I have received 600 e-mails and letters from Tennesseans in response to a request I put out asking them to share their personal stories about high gas prices. It has been my practice each week to put a few of those into the Congressional…

The first comes from Christy Long in Maynardville, TN. She works at the East Tennessee Children's Hospital in Knoxville, but she is worried about the cost of her commute. She is a diabetic. She is having trouble paying for her insulin…

this week high school students from all across the Nation have come together to celebrate National History Day at the University of Maryland. I would like to commend these students, their parents, and their teachers for demonstrating such…

So, Mr. President, given the extraordinary impact of $4-a-gallon gasoline on the people of Tennessee and the people of this country, they are looking to us in the Senate and the Congress to do something about this. I noticed there are some…

Republican Senators--men and women-- welcome this opportunity to talk about the checklist for change offered by Democratic Senators. As Senator McCain has said: We all want change. But there is a right change and a wrong change. So I wish…

I have invited Tennesseans to send me e-mails or to write letters about how high gas prices are affecting their daily lives. I am hearing from a lot of them. Pat Taylor of Morristown, TN, who is the director of the local Meals on Wheels…

I believe it is a good thing for us to talk about change. There is a right change and a wrong change. We believe in the law of supply and demand. They believe only in demand. We believe in lower taxes; they in higher taxes. We believe in…

I will give the Senator from New York an A+ for creative imagination. Here we are wanting to debate the climate change bill--which is a 53-cent-per-gallon gas tax increase proposed primarily by Members of the other side, and which includes…

As we debate high gas prices, and as we hear these stories from Tennesseans and other Americans, let's be clear what we need to do. We all want an energy future where America has achieved clean energy independence, but that is very…

I rise today, just as many of my colleagues have done, to address the urgent high fuel cost crisis. Yes, Madam Speaker, it is a crisis that is facing all Americans. From the trucker who can no longer afford to operate his rig, to the…

Finally, the best way to deal with the climate change issue would be a different agenda--one that focuses on clean energy. I would much prefer to see the Senate today talking about clean energy independence rather than the President asking…

Except that the rest of my answer to the Senator from Virginia is, any increase in revenue that came into the Government as a result of the cap-and-trade system on powerplants would then go straight back to the working people who pay their…

I thank the Chair. In our region where the Tennessee Valley Authority produces about 3 percent of all electricity in the country, estimates are that we would need 700 new megawatts of power in the next year. That is a coal plant and a…

I have proposed a cap-and-trade system on powerplants to deal with climate change. All I am saying is it would be better to keep it simple, to take the money collected and send it straight back home rather than bringing it up here and…

I first came to the Senate in 1967 as a young aide to Senator Howard Baker and was here during the last two years of the Johnson Presidency. So, I heard firsthand stories about Lyndon Johnson, the Senator, and his larger-than-life…

this is an amendment to the pending legislation which would give the mayors and chief administrative officers of cities and States the opportunity to opt out if they conclude that this law would be, in their circumstances, contrary to the…