I have been the easiest vote for development aid in the history of the U.S. Congress.

And this great committee, before I was fortunate enough to become a part of it, has passed the Paul Simon Water for the World Program, and I hope we will do it again.

But you mentioned water, electricity, and agriculture. And all of those I have to say are not easily identifiable as to the source.

How likely is it that this billion dollars will translate into any credit for the United States in what we are trying to do?

If that's our goal, that negotiation should have started yesterday.

Afghanistan has been a graveyard of empires. Nations that have come to this country in an effort to suppress or reform it have a long history of failure.

This is the longest war in American history, and there's no end in sight.

The road to Kabul is paved with good intentions.

I've asked this basic question: Can we achieve what we want to achieve in Afghanistan without defeating the Taliban?

I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez), the Senator from Florida (Mr. Nelson), the Senator from Vermont (Mr. Sanders), and the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Udall) are necessarily absent.

I continue to believe that it was the right vote.

I would have to seriously say that wasn't the bargain.

last night at about 9 o'clock, I received a call at my home in Springfield, IL, from Vice President Biden. It was kind of a surprising call on a Sunday night, and I was even more surprised when he said Osama bin Laden had been captured and…

we have heard some terrible stories about severe weather and the damage it is causing across the United States. My heart goes out to the people of Tuscaloosa, AL, and all the communities in the South that were ravaged by tornadoes of…

a little later today we are going to receive from the House of Representatives a spending bill which, if passed, will fund the government for the remainer of this fiscal year, which ends on September 30. Included in that vote today are two…

the month of April is set aside as Autism Awareness Month. This is a time when people and families affected by autism raise awareness about the challenges people with autism face. I am proud today to introduce with my colleagues Senators…

Congress will soon debate the budget resolution for fiscal year 2012, and one of the issues under consideration is how to contain the cost of the Medicare program. While there is significant disagreement about some of the proposals already…

I yield back all time on both sides and ask for the yeas and nays. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? There appears to be a sufficient second. The yeas and nays were ordered. The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no further…

today I am introducing legislation designed to improve educational opportunities for struggling students. The All Students Achieving Through Reform Act, or All-STAR Act, would provide Federal resources to the most successful charter…

Latin America has dropped from 14 percent of the foreign assistance budget to just 10 percent, at a time when all these issues I talked about at the beginning are rising.

These cuts could have real, negative ramifications for U.S. interests abroad, and severely damage our efforts to promote human rights, democracy, and free markets.

I believe this constant march, where we see aid to Latin America and the Caribbean move in a downward slope, is not in the national and security interests of the United States.

I have been in favor of public financing, and I still am.

I am here. I am not taking special interest money. I am accountable not to special interests but to the constituents.

In the weeks and months to come, countless advocacy groups and special interests will try mightily and savagely and heavily to exempt themselves from shared sacrifice and common purpose.