Tom Harkin

I just say to the leader, it seems odd we have a nominee that is supported by both of the Senators from her home State, on both sides of the aisle, on the Republican and Democratic side; and I think she is not getting her due process here…

Forty-three percent of these tax breaks go to the top 1 percent, who have an average income of over $915,000 a year. This is where Governor Bush's tax breaks go. Yet Winifred Skinner--age 69, in my home State of Iowa--has to go around the…

I will say one more time, what the seniors of this country want is they want Medicare; they do not want welfare.

According to a recent study, if the experience of state pharmacy assistance programs is any guide, of the 34 million, about 625,000--less than 5 percent of those eligible--would sign up for a low-income drug plan.

Sometimes--I am not mentioning any names--sometimes we talk with colleagues about the rules. There is kind of a smirk: Oh, yes, we have business to do around here. And there is sort of--I detected it lately--there is sort of: ``Well, the…

I think if we had more of an opportunity to act as a Senate, to bring legislation out and to be able to consider bills that we might be interested in, that we wouldn't have to do them on appropriations bills. But because we are prevented…

She can help make sure that the law lives, that the Violence Against Women Act is enforced by the courts by being on the Eighth Circuit. Yet she is being held up here. I will tell you, it is not right. I hope when we take up the Violence…

I did want to engage in this colloquy because of the history of the circuit judges. But, more specifically, everybody is now talking about the Violence Against Women Act and how it needs to be reauthorized. That must be done. Yet everybody…

I can tell the Senator, no one has ever said that to me. In fact, Republicans in Iowa ask me why she is being held up. Why isn't she going through? Mainstream Republicans are asking me that. Editorials are being written in Iowa papers…

The other reason I have heard that they had had trouble with Bonnie Campbell is that she wasn't nominated until early this year. I did some further research. Again, I ask the Senator, he has a lot of institutional knowledge. I looked up…

I ask the Senator further, is it true that we have only had one circuit judge that was nominated this year, approved?

I ask the Senator further, I had been hearing that one of the reasons that it might be hard to get Bonnie Campbell through was, well, this is a circuit court and it is right before an election. You have to understand that in an election…

It is not something they need help with 10 years from now. They need it now. That is why we need to bring that legislation out here and vote on prescription drugs, helping those people out. But we are precluded from doing so. I am hopeful…

We ought to think about some way. Thinking about 'lame duck,' I don't know where that term ever came from. I have to look it up. I am sure there is some history around here about what a lame duck session means, where that name came from…

Let's take them up. Let's have a debate. Don't let anybody say with a straight face or with any credibility that it's the Democrats holding things up. Let's get to the bills. Let's get them done. Let's offer the amendments and move it…

That's it. That's what they're saying. Speaker Hastert, Speaker of the House of Representatives, at the beginning of this year promised we would have all of the appropriations bills to the President before the August recess. We are at the…

I reclaim the floor. I was hoping there might be a reasonable outcome. As I said, the Record will show earlier I said there were two problems with the amendment. One was with adulteration, which the Senator took care of. The other was the…

I have no problem with that. If that is the intent, to say--I will repeat to make sure I do not misunderstand--that the Senator's intent by using the word ``promulgate'' is to say that any future rulemaking--I want to make sure the Senator…

I had offered an amendment a couple of weeks ago to fully fund the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act so we could help the States help families with children with disabilities to send them to school to get them the best possible…

If we are for equal pay for women and men who do the same work, then this is the amendment to do it--the Paycheck Fairness Act, which was introduced under Senator Daschle's leadership. It provides stronger remedies in wage discrimination…

As a Senator from Iowa, I understand quite well the challenges to access to care posed in rural states.

I agree that the importance of LIHEAP advance funding has been demonstrated this past year as many states have faced extreme temperatures and high fuel costs. LIHEAP advance funding is an effective tool that allows states to determine…

I agree that the comprehensive school reform program has had a positive impact in many of our schools. As the bill moves to conference, I will work with Chairman Specter to restore funding for this program.

I say to my friend, offer an amendment. The Senator can offer an amendment right now to fully fund IDEA and take it out of budget surpluses. I will support him on it right now.

The Senator asks me a legitimate question. As I understand it, under the Voinovich amendment, IDEA is an allowable use under title VI. I believe that is well covered in the Voinovich amendment. Again, the Senator wants to restrict the use…