The Public Record
Tom Harkin is a former U.S. Senator from Iowa who served from 1985 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, Harkin was known for his advocacy on disability rights and health care reform. He played a significant role in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act and was a strong proponent of mental health services and education initiatives. Throughout his tenure, Harkin focused on issues affecting working families and rural communities in Iowa.
I ask unanimous consent that Molly Ganley, Katrina Rogachevsky, and Thomas Hecht of my staff be granted floor privileges for the duration of today's session. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________
here we are, it is October 14, and the government has been shut down for 2 full weeks. We are about 3 days away from a debt ceiling deadline. I keep hearing rumors that a deal is close. I certainly hope that is true, that we do make some…
I thank the Presiding Officer. Mr. President, we are here on Saturday, and we just had a very significant vote in the Senate. The vote was on whether we would move to a bill, fully debatable, to raise the debt ceiling without any strings…
I understand that we are in session for Senators to speak for up to 10 minutes? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is correct.
Does the Senator from Wyoming still have the floor? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wyoming has the floor.
My friend from Wyoming mentioned the fact that we should bring up appropriations bills. As someone who has been a member of the Appropriations Committee for quite a long time, I would remind my friend from Wyoming that earlier this year…
I ask unanimous consent to be allowed to speak before I object to the unanimous consent request. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection to the request? Without objection, it is so ordered.
the Senator from Florida, now wants to fund the Head Start Program. That is all well and good. We all recognize how invaluable the Head Start Program is. But I must say that listening to this request and the previous request and the other…
parliamentary inquiry: Are we under a 10- minute time limit? Is that correct? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is correct. ____________________
Erik Fatemi, the clerk of my appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, is leaving the Senate this week after 12 years of sterling service. On behalf of Senators from both sides of the aisle who have…
more and more interesting figures are coming in to my health committee from around the country with regard to what is happening around the Nation in terms of the health care marketplace, ObamaCare. The Republicans said it was going to be a…
I have been informed that I spoke incorrectly a few minutes ago when I said the credit union was closed. I guess one office is closed someplace, but another office is open and they will take calls. So I guess the office in the Hart…
I thank the Senator. She is very kind. I have at least another 5 to 7 minutes to go. I have some data from CDC that I want to put in. So I thank her very much. I have been talking about the Centers for Disease Control and what the shutdown…
Under what order are we proceeding? The PRESIDING OFFICER. There is a unanimous consent agreement that Senators will speak for 10 minutes.
first of all, in all this mess there is some good news. The Affordable Care Act is up and running, and the people of America are responding in remarkable numbers. Remember how the Republicans said this is bad, it is a failure? They kept…
I have more to say about the Centers for Disease Control, but I guess I will have to seek my 10 minutes later on in the day. I thank the Chair. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Hampshire.
I ask unanimous consent to speak for 10 more minutes. Mr. President, it is not just our current workforce that is impacted by this stalemate. The government shutdown is also threatening to shut the door at Head Start classrooms. This…
I thank the Senator for his input and his questions. I think the Senator has highlighted the kind of situation that begs credulity. People around this country must wonder, Have we taken all leave of our senses here? People say we should…
But I must say to my friend that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is out there keeping diseases from spreading, containing them where they break out, putting in prevention measures all over this country. They too are…
As chair of the HELP Committee--that great committee upon which the Presiding Officer also sits and a valuable member of that committee--I was just informed by our staff that as of this last hour, over 2.8 million people have gone on…
I say to my friend from Illinois, I would be delighted to sign on to that letter because I am acutely aware of what is happening at NIH, but I might also tell my friend from Illinois that I would also like to include the Centers for…
I say to my friend, it is shameful. It is not befitting a great nation. Maybe they would like us to be a Third World country. I see this and I don't understand. The Senator from Illinois is right: Where is their shame? But where is their…
I wish to announce that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will meet in executive session on Wednesday, October 2, 2013, at 10 a.m. in room 430 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building to mark up S. ______, Children's…
If I can walk around here, why can't I walk down there? It makes no sense.
Well, here we are Mr. President. I guess this is like the movie ``High Noon.'' The two sides are walking down the street. I just hope, like in the movie ``High Noon,'' the good guys win. In other words, I hope reason and judiciousness and…
Politicians like Tom Harkin
