Tom Harkin

What is at the essence of our problem is the big disparity, as Jonathan Kozol has pointed out time and time again, between those who happen to be born and live in a wealthy area and those who are born and live in a poor area.

It raises in my mind this question, again, of why that is. Why is it? I ask the Senator, where is it in the Constitution of the United States that public education in America is to be funded by property taxes? Why is this so? I asked a…

It should not depend on the roll of the dice of where you were born as to what kind of school you attend.

However, the real issue in the case before the Supreme Court and in the legislation before Congress is not about banning late term abortions. The real issue is about a systematic effort to overturn Roe V. Wade and to criminalize all…

7 years ago we ended a failed economic policy of trickle down economics. It brought ballooning deficits, a quadrupling of the national debt, high interest rates, and low growth. But we made some tough decisions and tough votes. We changed…

This has to do with pension plans. All too often when the pension plans are changed, older workers who have been there a long time see nothing added to their pensions; younger workers see their pensions grow. This is age discrimination…

I thank the Senator. He is absolutely right. The nondiscretionary budget we have to work with is $7 billion below a freeze. It is not a 14-percent increase. As the Senator knows, we took some of that BA last year and put it into this year…

I do speak strongly in favor of the underlying Robb amendment of which I am a cosponsor. Senator Robb has it right when he tries to invest in rebuilding and modernizing our public schools. States and local communities are struggling right…

Because of increasing enrollments and aging buildings, local and State expenditures for school construction have increased dramatically by 39 percent in the last several years. However, this increase has not been enough to address the…

This is a unique moment in our history. We are at the dawn of a new century. And the United States is in a period of unprecedented economic prosperity. We have the lowest unemployment rate in decades, the number of families on welfare has…

I am proud the U.S. is the world leader in the advancement of technology, providing businesses and consumers faster and better ways to work and to communicate. But even though we have made great progress in technology, much of rural and…

The Senate is going to take an important and long overdue step to stop penalizing older workers in our Nation-- eliminating the Social Security earnings penalty. This is a change I have advocated for many years. So I am very pleased we are…

I am very pleased with the provisions of the conference report concerning slots that provide for a two-step process for the elimination of airline slots, landing and take off rights at O'Hare, Kennedy, and LaGuardia Airports. Senator…

Today we will be introducing the Public School Repair and Renovation Act. This legislation will authorize $1.3 billion in grants and no interest loans to enable school districts to make urgent repairs at our nation's public schools. The…

I want to talk on the issue of agriculture and rural America, and the administration's proposal announced by Secretary Glickman yesterday for improving the farm safety net. At the outset, I am pleased that the administration has recognized…

It is exactly what we are talking about. I point out that in the administration's proposal for their farm support this year, they will use a 5-year average of gross income--gross income. Look, what about the increased price of fuel…

There is a good proposal in there on the bioenergy. But when you get to the heart of it, and what we are going to do to get away from this mindset of the Government supplying the income to the farmers--that is the heart of what the problem…

We have to get away from thinking that agriculture is some sort of a minor entity out there, some kind of a sidebar issue. Agriculture is still, if I am not mistaken, something like 20 percent of our gross national product. I think we are…

But maybe this debate does show some fundamental differences. For example, we are for openness. We believe the Federal Reserve ought to meet in the open, that it shouldn't meet in private. We believe transcripts ought to be made available…

I give the Indonesians credit. The article says that this new government commission ``. . . named six top generals--including Gen. Wiranto . . . and General Anwar for possible criminal prosecution'' and that the ``militia'' with their…

I am pleased to join my Senate colleagues in recognizing January as National Biotechnology Month. At the dawn of this new century, it is fitting for us to recognize the promise and potential of biotechnology. With the mapping of the human…

Now, my friend from Pennsylvania, for whom I have the highest respect and affinity, is right; there are a lot of good things in this bill. It reminds me of sitting down at a dinner and you have a smorgasbord of prime rib, steaks, lamb…

When you look at this table, you can see why it is such a poison pill. I am greatly troubled by the vote coming up. I have been on this committee and the subcommittee now since 1985. I have been privileged to chair it and then to be the…

I want to reflect on the passing of one of the true giants in the Senate, someone with whom I was privileged to work for the last 15 years I have been in the Senate--Senator John Chafee, a good man with a great heart and a great soul, a…

The amendment propounded by the distinguished Senator from Arkansas really would harm the NLRB drastically. The Senator from Arkansas said the caseload had gone down. That is true, the caseload did go down, I assume because we increased…