It is my honor to appear before you today to introduce my friend Arne Duncan, who is the choice of President Obama to serve as Secretary of the Department of Education.

Arne knew that these schools were failing their students, and he never blinked.

Arne, I don't think I have ever complained to you about a school that I have visited. But that high school is out of control.

We need to focus on reforming our education system to better serve our students.

Today, Chicago enjoys a reputation as a model of school system reform, and I credit Arne's leadership.

I think there is a sense among Members of Congress that we are facing an extraordinary set of circumstances in America today. The fact is, many of the things he just said I agree with completely. If I am not mistaken, one out of every…

I want to join Senator Reid and all of my colleagues in congratulating Senator Robert Byrd on reaching yet another historic milestone in his lifetime of public service. In the history of the U.S. Senate, only one Senator, Robert Carlyle…

as the 111th Congress begins, the most important item on our agenda is to help end the worst economic crisis America has faced since the Great Depression. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to develop and approve an…

You have people like Dick Durbin, who is running for reelection, you have people like Harry Reid, they have sizable black constituencies.

I have just learned of the death in Iraq of an extraordinarily brave woman from my State of Illinois who died this week in a bombing in the Sadr City section of Baghdad. Nicole Suveges was a civilian assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team…

I have repeatedly come to the floor to talk about the genocide in Darfur, a tragedy that is now entering its sixth year, with little end in sight. Senator Snowe and 27 other Senators joined me last month in writing to the President saying…

The Medicare Program is literally a life-and-death program for 40 million Americans. For 40 million Americans who are either over the age of 65 or disabled, this is their health insurance program. It was created back in the 1960s. When it…

I wish to honor a man who has spent the greater part of his life as an advocate for quality public education. Reg Weaver has said, ``There is no feeling like seeing children's eyes brighten up as they discover the world of opportunity.''…

when our National Guard and Reserve members return from active duty, the last thing they should have to worry about is struggling to catch up on the bills. Sadly, acute financial challenges are often exactly what greet our bravest men and…

President Bush is in Iowa today to see first-hand some of the devastation that more than a week of severe flooding has inflicted on that State. It is the President's first visit to the Midwest since the floods began more than a week ago…

That is not fuzzy math. This 68 million acres would be the size of my home State of Illinois and its adjoining State of Indiana together. That is how much they currently have under lease to drill for oil that they are not touching.

if you travel into Maryland or Illinois or anywhere across America and ask people what is on your mind, they are going to tell you it is gasoline prices. Why? Because they have to fill the tank each week and cannot believe how much they…

That is clearly what they are doing. Anyone who has had a crying baby knows what a pacifier is. You try to get the pacifier in the baby's mouth so they will calm down. They may still be hungry or crying for some other reason, but you try…

the Senate Republicans had their chance last week to move to any measure relative to Medicare and they chose instead to filibuster and to fail to produce enough votes to move to the debate. This effort here is simply trying to create a…

I wish to say a word in response to my earlier objections and note the bill related to Medicare, presented by the Senator from Kentucky, the Republican minority leader, failed to include critical provisions that we had in our earlier…

There is 68 million acres currently under lease to oil companies, Federal land owned by the people for which oil companies are paying money each year for the right to drill for oil, 68 million acres and no drilling taking place. So when…

this month the Senate Democrats have tried to confront many problems which face families across our Nation. From lowering taxes and addressing high gasoline taxes to ensuring quality health care for America's seniors and providing a…

Have no doubt, drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge isn't going to have a dramatic impact when it comes to the world's supply of oil. Even the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration admits that. By the time the…

this Father's Day weekend I celebrated by buying a dehumidifier. I live in the Midwest, and we have had a lot of rain, but I am lucky because my problems with a damp basement are minor--very minor--in comparison to what people all across…

I came to the floor at the beginning of this week to make a simple point: as oil prices have reached $139 per barrel in recent days, the truth is that no one--not the oil industry, not the futures exchanges, not the regulators, not even…