Cord Byrd
The Public Record
★ Featured Quote
July 13, 2026
This is such a terrible opinion. Election Day should mean just that.
— Cord Byrd
Most widely reported
by number of sources- The Senator is preeminently correct. It is a very undemocratic amendment. It is saying to the people: You are not smart enough to make a choice, so we are going to put into automatic pilot the limitation on the service of your Senators or your Members of the House of Representatives.4 sources1996govinfo.gov
- the English word ``irony'' comes to us from an Ancient Greek word meaning ``a dissembler in speech.'' The English word ``irony'' is defined as the contrast between something that somebody thinks to be true, as revealed in speech, action, or common wisdom, and that which an audience or a reader knows to be true. Mr. President, permit me to give an example. If anyone in the hearing of my voice will take out a U.S. one-dollar bill and turn that one-dollar bill over onto its obverse side, he or she will read in clear script, ``In God We Trust.'' Permit me to introduce another example. Every day of each new meeting of the Senate and House of Representatives, an official Chaplain of each of those two Chambers of Congress--or a designated substitute--will stride to the dais and address a sometimes elegant prayer to the Deity.…3 sources1995govinfo.gov
- this coming Sunday is Mother's Day, so recognized nationally. Of course, we all know that every day is Mother's Day. We should also know that simply having children does not make mothers. "Simply having children does not make mothers." That is a quotation that I have taken from John A. Shedd, a very apt quotation in today's culture. Napoleon Bonaparte said, "The future destiny of the child is always the work of the mother." All across the Nation, brunch reservations are being made, cards are being mailed, flowers are being ordered, gifts are being bought, and phone circuits will overload. It can mean only one thing, as I indicated earlier: This coming Sunday is Mother's Day. One day out of 365. Mother's Day. In a great spasm of tender sentiment, Americans will set out to honor and celebrate the women most important to them--not Hollywood celebrities, not rock music stars--if stars we must call them at all-- not fashion models, not athletes, but those who have devoted such energy and creativity to the timeless task of raising children and building families.3 sources2002govinfo.gov
- I take the floor at this time to urge the joint leadership of the Senate to delay the vote on cloture which is set this moment for 10:15 tomorrow morning. I urge the leadership of this body to consider and to help bring about an order that will vitiate that vote on cloture tomorrow morning at 10:15. I make my plea on behalf of the mothers, fathers, grandmothers, and grandfathers of this country, the fate of whose sons, daughters and grandchildren hinges upon the outcome of the vote on cloture; shutting off the debate of this Senate, shutting it down to 30 hours, with each Senator to have only 1 hour unless other Senators can be prevailed upon to seek unanimous consent to yield that Senator additional time, with the exception of the managers, the majority leader, and the minority leader, who have an additional 2 hours automatically. What is involved is the fate of the service men and women in this country who may have to go to Iraq, the fate of the reserves, the fate of our National Guardsmen and Guardswomen in this country who may have to go to Iraq. This decision is going to be made no later than 10:15 tomorrow morning unless it is changed. This is a fateful decision. It involves the treasure of this country. It involves the blood of our fighting men and women. It is too momentous and too far reaching a decision to be signed, sealed, and delivered by 10:15 tomorrow morning.2 sources2002govinfo.gov
- am I recognized? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia is recognized.2 sources2005govinfo.gov
- I want to assure all Senators that the Appropriations Committee intends to address the $3.1 billion increase proposed in the Senator's amendment when the Senate takes up the $100 billion supplemental that the President sent to the Congress this week. I have every expectation that the supplemental will be before the Senate next month. Today marks the 131st day of fiscal year 2007. We are debating H.J. Res. 20, a joint funding resolution for the nine remaining appropriations bills that were not completed during the 109th Congress. The Republican leadership, during the 109th Congress, left us with a great deal of unfinished business in the appropriations process. Only 2 of the 11 appropriations bills were enacted into law. Thirteen of the fifteen Federal departments--all but Defense and Homeland Security--are limping along through February 15 under a very restrictive continuing resolution. This is not the fault of the Appropriations Committee. Under the very able leadership of Chairman Thad Cochran, all of the fiscal year 2007 appropriations bills were reported from the committee by July 20. All of the bills were bipartisan bills, with all but one of the bills approved, 28 to nothing, in committee. Unfortunately, the Republican leadership chose not to bring domestic appropriations bills to the floor before the election and then chose not to finish those bills after the election. Instead, Congress passed three very restrictive continuing resolutions.2 sources2007govinfo.gov
Sep 10, 2024
We are equally committed to preventing election fraud and protecting the integrity of Florida's voter rolls.
Sep 10, 2024
Florida is committed to ensuring that all eligible Floridians who want to vote have the opportunity to do so.
Sep 10, 2024
We do not sit idle waiting for bad things to happen in order to correct them.
Jun 23, 2010
the State of West Virginia and the Nation's coal industry lost a very good man last week, and I lost a good friend. Mr. Stephen Young, a native of Buckhannon, WV, who had been the vice president of government affairs at Consol Energy for…
Jun 17, 2010
with great pleasure I congratulate the senior Senator from Hawaii, Mr. Daniel Inouye, for becoming the second longest-serving Senator in history. He achieved this distinction last Friday when he became only the second person to have served…
Jun 17, 2010
Sunday, June 20, is the 147th anniversary of wild and wonderful West Virginia's joining the United States as the 35th State. I am proud of all that West Virginia has offered and continues to offer to the United States. West Virginia is a…
Jun 10, 2010
anyone who has opened a newspaper or turned on a radio in West Virginia recently is aware of the ongoing discussion about the future of the coal and manufacturing industries. There is no doubt that the West Virginia coal industry and many…
May 17, 2010
I oppose the Crapo amendment because of the limitations that it would impose on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These institutions have been very helpful to homeowners in West Virginia who are seeking home loan modifications. I do not believe…
May 7, 2010
this Sunday, May 9, is Mothers Day in the United States. Many European nations have long observed ``Mothering Sundays,'' which are also part of the liturgical calendar in several Christian denominations. Catholics observe Laetare Sunday…
May 6, 2010
I oppose the Shelby amendment. In our zeal to protect consumers from egregious banking and lending practices, I fear the Senate is paying too little attention to basic constitutional tenets. The Shelby amendment proposes to create a…
Mar 25, 2010
I support the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act. America has 47 million people without health insurance, including more than 240,000 West Virginians, and the number grows every week. More than half of West Virginia's uninsured…
Mar 19, 2010
From winter, plague and pestilence, good Lord, deliver us!'' wrote Thomas Nashe in 1600, in ``Summer's Last Will and Testament,'' to which I add a hearty, ``Amen!'' At last, this Saturday, March 20, spring arrives, both by calendar and…
Mar 2, 2010
this week, March 1 through March 7, is National Peace Corps Week. It marks the 49th anniversary of this unique and important government agency. When proposing the creation of the Peace Corps to Congress, President John F. Kennedy declared…
Feb 10, 2009
these are perilous economic times. The national economy is shedding jobs at an alarming rate. Nearly 2 million jobs have been lost nationwide in the last 3 months, with 3.6 million jobs lost since December 2007. In West Virginia, our…
Jan 15, 2009
I will oppose the joint resolution of disapproval and vote to release these funds, but I do so adding my voice to those putting the incoming administration on notice. This is an enormous sum of money and authority being given to the…
Jan 15, 2009
as I think about Senator Clinton's leaving the Senate to become Secretary of State, I am reminded of the words of the great English bard William Shakespeare, who wrote that ``parting is such sweet sorrow.'' Senator Clinton's departure from…
Jan 15, 2009
on this cold January morning, I am being kept warm by four glorious words that keep running through my mind-- those four words are: ``Vice President Joe Biden.'' I love the sound of that. It is music to my ears. I have known Joe Biden for…
Jan 6, 2009
in my multivolume history of the Senate, I noted that the Senate is ``the anchor of our republic.'' It is, I wrote, ``the morning and evening star in the American constitutional constellation.'' Today, I recall those words because I am…
Jun 27, 2008
On Friday, July 4, the United States will conduct the 232nd celebration of Independence Day. On this day, we commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Flags will fly and rousing music will be heard before the…
Jun 26, 2008
1 year ago, Congress sent the President a war funding supplemental that included clear direction to bring our troops home by December of 2007. The President chose to veto that bill. If he had signed that bill, most of our troops would be…
Jun 20, 2008
this week, I was pleased to participate in a celebration of a true American hero, a West Virginia legend, and a friend, Mr. Frank Woodruff Buckles, the last surviving American veteran of World War I. His has always been a life of…
Jun 19, 2008
certain dates on the calendar carry special meaning. These are great and glorious days that are given to devoted reverence and are a cause for recognition and adoration. Thanksgiving, the Fourth of July, and New Year's Eve are a few dates…
Jun 2, 2008
I am anxious to see action on this issue, but I keep asking myself, are we doing the right thing for the wrong reasons, or the wrong thing for the right reasons? Either way, I cannot support proceeding at this time. The Senate is not yet…
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