There are a couple of things we've got to do. Number one, we have got to have good surveillance mechanisms set up not just in this country but internationally. And I already allocated about $35 million to start cooperating with other…

Number two, we've got to have a stockpile of antiviral drugs that cut down the fatalities so that even if you contract the disease, you don't die from it.

We know that there's going to be some sort of pandemic in our lifetimes. We don't know whether this will be the big one. And I hope that people realize that if we have a sense of urgency about this, and this particular bird flu doesn't end…

We know that every several decades you get these kinds of pandemics that sweep through the populations. We don't know that this particular bird flu will show up next year and we won't be ready. But we know that some time in the next decade…

We are not ready for it. If you look at the last pandemic we had on U.S. soil, that was the Spanish flu that took place in 1918, 1919, you had literally millions of deaths. And unfortunately this is one of these situations where if you had…

I am happy to defer to Senator Stevens if he has something he would like to say.

I was not aware my senior colleague from Illinois was going to speak so I don't want to unnecessarily hold up the entire Chamber.

Well, look, we just voted for $60 billion worth of funding to go down to the Gulf Coast. And I think that one of the good things about this past couple of weeks, in the midst of this tragedy, is seeing how generous the American people are…

I introduced legislation this week to say that every state, local official working with the federal government has to have a plan to get out folks who are disabled, folks who are poor, folks who don't have access to automobiles and…

I am interested in fixing the system. And I think that's what all Americans, African-Americans, as well as whites, as well as Hispanics, want to see happen is making sure we're prepared for the next time out.

Well what I can say is is that local, state, federal officials working together did not seem to have a good plan to get those folks out.

What we're doing is we're putting a CFO, a comptroller in the White House that is overseeing how this money gets spent.

How could local, state and federal authorities let this debacle happen? Who should ultimately get the blame?

earlier this week I traveled with former Presidents Bush and Clinton to Houston and met countless hurricane survivors who shared heart-wrenching stories about their experiences. Too many of the hurricane survivors have lost their jobs…

today I speak in honor of Chief Justice William Rehnquist. The Chief Justice served this Nation's highest court with distinction and honor for more than three decades, and his career in public service started years earlier. Even as he…

I rise to address what has been a heartbreaking week for all of us. As was mentioned by my distinguished colleague from Washington, I just returned from a trip from Houston with former Presidents Clinton and Bush as part of a fund-raising…

I rise to commend the chief sponsors of this bill in the Senate, Senators Domenici and Bingaman, who I think have displayed the sort of statesmanship and civility in working out this difficult legislation that I think all of us expect from…

on May 3, 2005, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced the selection of 141 outstanding American high school seniors as the 2005 Presidential Scholars. The Presidential Scholars Program serves to honor outstanding students for…

I also want to make a brief statement on amendment No. 1264, which is offered on behalf of Senator Hagel, Senator Gregg, Senator Leahy, and myself. It is a very simple amendment. It provides $13 million for the Special Court for Sierra…

as the previous speaker, I rise to speak on the Central American Free Trade Agreement. I have thought long and hard about this agreement, and I come to the floor predisposed to support free trade. In the end, I believe that expanding trade…

I speak about the plight of children afflicted by elevated levels of lead in their blood. Although it has been three decades since lead was a component of paint, the effects of lead paint continue to linger in homes across the country. As…

from June 12-16, 2005, students from the great State of Illinois were invited to Washington, DC, by the National History Day Program to present original history projects. This scholarly group of students used their critical thinking and…

during the 2 weeks or so that we have been debating this Energy bill in the Senate, the price of crude oil has climbed to a record high of $60 a barrel. Gas is now up to $2.24 per gallon. The Saudis are pumping at near-full capacity, and…

I thank the Chair. The science is overwhelming that climate change is occurring. There is no doubt this is taking place. The only question is what are we going to do about it. The previous speaker, the fine Senator from Idaho, indicated…

I thank Senator Inhofe, Senator Reid, and Senator Domenici for allowing me this time. I know Dick Durbin. I serve with him in Illinois. We have traveled together through the byways and highways of our great State. I have rarely met someone…