María Elvira Salazar

I rise today in honor of MAJ Andrew Olmsted, who was killed on January 3 in an attack near Sadiyah, Iraq. Major Olmsted was assigned to the 1st Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division out of Fort Riley, KS, but he and his wife, Amanda Wilson…

I rise to speak against the Alexander amendment No. 3553. I do so with some regret because he and I have worked on so many matters together in a bipartisan spirit. But on this particular amendment, he is simply wrong for two reasons. First…

The Alexander amendment, the way it would strike out the small wind tax credit provision of this legislation, would cripple the wind power potential for our country in a way that is not healthy as we embrace this agenda. We are dealing…

I urge my colleagues to figure out a way for us to move forward with the renewable fuels standard we in the Senate embrace because it is the right way to move forward with an RFS. When you look at many of the concepts we have dealt with in…

I know for most of the day today we have been speaking about the importance of the 2007 farm bill, which is about food, about fiber, and about our fuel security. It is a very important piece of legislation. We are very hopeful we will be…

I will make a few general comments about the farm bill. It is a piece of legislation which is very important to the food and fuel security of this country. I have had the honor of working with Senator Harkin and his leadership of this…

Today I am introducing the Fountain Creek Feasibility Study Act of 2007. This bill is an important piece of a larger vision to transform and restore the Fountain Creek watershed, which lies in the Arkansas River Valley between the cities…

I come here at 7:30 p.m. eastern time one more time to implore my colleagues, when we get to the cloture motion tomorrow on the 2007 farm bill, that we vote yes on that cloture motion. I fear if we do not move forward with that cloture…

This farm bill, which is the Farm, Fuel, Security Act, is something that is very important to the future of America. We are knocking on the door of Thanksgiving for all Americans, where we will all be giving thanks for the bounty we…

I want to say first of all to my good friend from Iowa, the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Tom Harkin, that there are few people who really understand the importance of rural America and agriculture in the way Tom Harkin…

on November 5, almost 10 days ago, I came to the floor to say there it was a proud day in my time as a Senator because we were moving forward with consideration of the 2007 farm bill. Almost 10 days have passed and we are stuck. In being…

Congress has passed 23 other ad hoc disaster assistance bills since 1988. Since 1988, 23 ad hoc disaster assistance measures have been passed by the Congress. Now, if this is not an indicator of the need for the creation of a permanent…

I only hope that both the minority and the majority can figure out a way of moving forward with what has been a labor that has taken up both Republican and Democrats for the last 2 years to develop what is a very good farm bill. What the…

On disaster assistance and the importance of us creating a permanent disaster assistance fund, first, we are not delivering disaster assistance efficiently to date. Secondly, we should not be relying on emergency spending to provide…

Mr. Speaker, many people are not aware that there are approximately 80,000 dams in the United States; and, of these, the Association of State Dam Safety Officials has identified 3,500 dams that are considered deficient or unsafe. In my…

Of great concern to me is that the scientific evidence indicates that the progress that has been made since the current fortification policy was adopted is distributed unevenly, and public health efforts have not been successful in…

I ask that you work with me when we get to conference to add report language to the Labor, HHS and Education Appropriations bill that would direct the CDC to conduct a study of the additional disease prevention benefits to the U.S…

Folic acid is an essential ``B vitamin'' that plays a critical role in the body's natural processes for making new cells throughout the body. As the Labor/HHS appropriations committee has indicated in its committee report, folic acid…

I introduced H.R. 783, along with my friend and colleague Mark Udall from Colorado, to expand the boundary of Mesa Verde National Park. Mesa Verde National Park protects the most notable and best-preserved cliff dwellings in this country…

I rise this afternoon to raise my voice in strong support of H.R. 3093, the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Act of 2007. I wish to thank and congratulate Chairwoman Mikulski and Ranking Member Shelby, Chairman Byrd and Ranking…

I have understood that the President has said he doesn't like the funding levels in this bill which I interpret to mean that he doesn't support funding of these very important programs.

I am aware that the President has called for elimination of the COPS Program. I am also aware that when I speak to the law enforcement community throughout the country and throughout my State, sheriffs and chiefs of police across the board…

I am frustrated that we did not reach a bipartisan consensus on a new way forward that could begin to bring an end to this conflict. When I introduced the Iraq Study Group Recommendations Implementation Act last spring with Senator…

I wish to reflect on the life and service of Navy Hospital Corpsman Second Class Charles Luke Milam. Luke was killed last Wednesday in a rocket attack near the town of Musa Qula, Afghanistan. He was 26 years old. Luke Milam was a giant of…

I was proud to have been a part of supporting the Senator from Virginia as we moved forward with the legislation that included the benchmarks that are now part of our national policy and that also required the General Accounting Office to…