Tom Harkin

Just one minor correction I would make, and that is under the DSHEA law, the FDA must approve any health claims made by any dietary supplement or vitamin. The only health claims they can make are structure function claims, but they have to…

I just want to say, first of all, that I have the greatest respect, as he knows, for the Senator from Illinois. He is one of the true consumer champions in the entire Congress and has been for all of his time here. So it is kind of hard to…

I thank the Senator from Utah for his concluding remarks regarding the amendment that I assume will be offered by the Senator from Illinois, as it is cleared to be offered. I thank Senator Hatch for his great leadership on the issue of…

We are expecting that there will probably be some amendments to this bill, and that is fine. That is the way the Senate should operate. We expect all amendments to this bill will be relevant to the bill. I hope Senators on both sides of…

I have high hopes that in the days immediately ahead the Senate will proceed to the consideration of the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act of 2012. I am pleased to report to my colleagues that the Health, Education…

I ask the same question of the distinguished chairman: Would this budget have the interest rates double on student loans on July 1 from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent?

Does the Toomey budget we are about to vote on increase student loan interest rates on July 1 from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent?

Does this budget permit the interest rates on student loans to double on July 1?

I wish to address these budget proposals in one context. First of all, we have to dismiss the so-called Sessions budget that is supposedly the Obama budget--it is not. That is not even serious. Beyond that, we have four Republican budgets…

I will speak about S. 418, which we just passed. I thank all my colleagues for allowing it to go through on a unanimous consent basis. This bill awards a Congressional Gold Medal to the World War II members of the Civil Air Patrol. I…

Here we are again in the Senate on yet another day when families and students across this country are wondering if we are going to do our duty. Are we actually going to move legislation that will keep the interest rate at 3.4 percent on…

That is the bill that I introduced, the Healthy Families Act. It is geared toward that.

These challenges will not be addressed by a quick fix, but if we do not tackle these hard problems...

The challenges of working families have been a big part of this discussion.

Children need their moms and their dads to take them to the doctor.

I think it is important with Mother's Day coming up to recognize that the women and the mothers in this country need better support.

You have been a tireless and effective champion for middle class families for many decades.

I wish to announce that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will meet in open session on Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 10 a.m. in SD G50 Dirksen Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing entitled ``Beyond Seclusion and…

I wish to announce that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will meet in open session on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at 10 a.m. in SD 430 Dirksen Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing entitled ``Identifying…

I wish to announce that the Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will meet in open session on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 at 10 a.m. in SD 430 Dirksen Senate Office Building to…

I hope the Republicans will talk among themselves. I hope they will listen to the students and their families who don't want to be hung out there this week and next week and on and on and on not knowing whether they are going to have to…

I always enjoy engaging in good debate with my friend from Tennessee. He is a very thoughtful Senator, a very thoughtful member of our Committee too, and a good friend. Having been a former Secretary of Education, he has a depth and…

I wish to announce that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will meet in open session on Thursday, May 10, 2012, at 10 a.m. in SD 430 Dirksen Senate Office Building to conduct a hearing entitled ``Beyond Mother's Day…

Well, I think that is where this came from. I don't know. I would also say to my friend from Wyoming, because I was listening to him, I think it is fair, if we are going to have a vote on ours, that we ought to have a vote on yours. I…

I say to my good friend from Wyoming--and he is my good friend, and we do a lot of good work together--I wish we could have this bill in our committee. I think we could work it out. But the fact is, to raise the money, it has to come from…