On the recordMarch 20, 2012
It's inconceivable to me that with all the challenges we have that are facing our Nation, this body is taking up legislation today having to do with a 32-acre parcel of land in Virginia. Is this really the best we can do at a moment when our economy is still underperforming? At a moment when we're still sending brave Americans to die in an immoral war that's gone on for nearly as long as my grandson Teddy has been alive? We still have more than 8 percent unemployment in this country. We still have families and entire communities wondering what happened to the American Dream. We have people losing their home through no fault of their own. We have people wondering how they're going to pay next month's bills, never mind the daunting cost of sending their child to college. We have families wondering why the very health care reforms they needed are about to go on trial at the U.S. Supreme Court. We also have people who, more than ever, are depending on safety-net programs like Medicare and Medicaid, which have a big fat target on their backs put on by the Republican budget plan that was just unveiled today. A good start would be to pass the Senate transportation bill to rebuild our infrastructure and put our people back to work. And then, how about getting down to the business of ending the war in Afghanistan, which is killing our people, undermining our national security, and diverting the money that we need to meet human needs right here at home.…
