The Bush administration took the position that the President has constitutional authority as Commander-in-Chief to indefinitely detain an individual who provides support to a terrorist organization.

Every Supreme Court ruling that opens the door to abuses of power of the government or big business by overturning longstanding precedent or reversing Congressional intent puts all of our children and grandchildren at greater risk.

we could not apply this law in a fair way without creating an unfair result.

I join him in wondering just how and why those who profess to oppose judicial activism have voiced their support for these Supreme Court decisions.

I will never forget it as long as I live.

I asked him a question that went directly to the Senator's point: As we talk about reducing the deficit, isn't there a worry or concern that if we hit the brakes too soon, we can plunge even deeper into a recession, with more people out of…

I know an issue that was always important to Robert Byrd was the working men and women of West Virginia. If there was one thing that innervated him and inspired him, it was the memory of his youth and growing up in the most impoverished…

I want some clarification because I thought I heard the Senator say something. Is the Senator saying that if we offer a separate measure on the floor which reauthorizes the National Flood Insurance Program--and let's add in there, for…

one of the greatest assets in my part of the world would be Lake Michigan. If you ask the people of Chicago: What do you think is the greatest thing about the city of Chicago, in a recent survey they overwhelmingly responded it is Lake…

Then we are still at loggerheads because unemployment compensation has been offered as emergency spending throughout this recession, and now I am not sure where the Senator's pay-fors would come from, but that creates a problem.

But I look forward to other Members coming to the floor with their own memories and reminiscences of this great man who served this Nation and the State of West Virginia so honorably for so long and the fact that I was honored to serve…

Members of the Senate are coming to the floor today from both sides of the aisle to acknowledge a moment in our history: the passing of Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia. Senator Byrd was the longest serving Senator in the history of the…

I join my colleague, Senator Burris, in asking my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote in just a few moments on the nomination of Gary Feinerman to be U.S. district court judge for the Northern District of Illinois. Gary Feinerman…

The filibuster that has been waged by the Republicans in the Senate has gone on now for 2 months to stop unemployment benefits. What the minority leader just offered was a 1-month extension. We have been limping and dragging our way from…

What can we do, should we do as Congress or as the Federal Government to give talented disabled people a chance to serve their Government?

I would also like to thank Senators Patty Murray and Dick Durbin for their ongoing championship of global health.

The minority leader, Senator McConnell, is right. Deficits are important. So are facts. Let's mention a few facts on the floor of the Senate. When was the last time the U.S. Government ran a surplus? A surplus. Collected more money than it…

I hope that today's hearings will compel Congress and this Administration to act with the utmost urgency.

It is clear we must do more immediately.

in December of 2008, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act became law. The act includes a provision that I put in the bill with Senator Sam Brownback, Republican of Kansas, to address the problem of child soldiers…

The Federal Government pays interchange fees when people use credit and debit cards to pay for things such as admission to national parks, groceries, at military commissaries, tickets on Amtrak, and copays for VA medical services. In…

last night the President of the United States addressed one of the toughest issues any President has ever had to face. This is an environmental disaster of historic magnitude. It is one that could not have been anticipated. We have never…

a few weeks ago we considered a Wall Street reform bill which tried to address some of the underlying problems in our economy which led to the recession. It was an ambitious undertaking. The Senate Banking Committee, under Chairman Dodd…

I thank the Senator from Washington because she brings back an experience that I had 21 years ago, when I went to Prince William Sound in the beautiful State of Alaska. It is one of the most beautiful places on Earth but at that moment it…

We need to step back and recognize the reality of the situation: Visa and MasterCard and their big bank allies want credit and debit cards to completely replace cash and checks.