As a matter of fact, it turns out the FDA is the weakest link in a very weak chain. We have 12 to 15 different federal agencies responsible for food safety, 30 different laws, 40 to 50 different committees on Capitol Hill. This system is…

I wish we knew the answer. We've written the Chinese ambassador and said why won't you give them a visa to the FDA inspectors so they can go over and take a look at this plant in China? And they haven't done it. For weeks they've refused…

President Eisenhower once stated, ``Every gun that is made, every warship that is launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world…

we will return tomorrow in session to discuss the competitiveness bill now pending and to have debate only and then consider amendments, and we hope to vote on it early next week. As far as our meeting this week in the Senate, we are able…

In addition to any other amounts authorized to be appropriated for the U.S. Marshals Service, there are authorized to be appropriated for the U.S. Marshals Service to protect the judiciary $20 million for each of the fiscal years 2007…

pending before the Senate at this time is a bill to make our courts safer. This is an issue we take personally in Chicago because in 2005, one of our most respected Federal judges had her mother and husband killed in her home, murdered by…

we are a little over 100 days into the new congressional session. With new leadership, new management, there was hope--and still is--that we can find some ways to establish bipartisan cooperation. By its nature, the Senate almost requires…

I respect the Senator from Oklahoma. I respect his fiscal conservatism. I respect his belief that our budget deficit is a source of growing concern for all of us. He says we need to start with good habits. I believe we need to start with…

I was reluctant to do this, but I am going to refer to a couple of votes of the Senator from Oklahoma. His amendment was to sunset the entire Department of Homeland Security. Also, on two separate occasions he voted against pay-as-you-go…

I think the Senator has asked a good question but not the right question. When we fail to appropriate money for an authorized program, we are saying there is a higher priority. We are saying that authorized program may not be as valid or…

All of the authorization in the world notwithstanding, unless you appropriate the money from the Treasury for the project, it is just a good idea that might happen.

I wish to make clear to him and to all Members that the Senate Democratic leadership remains fully committed to earmark disclosure, but we believe his suggestion, taking it piece by piece, is not the right way to accomplish our goal…

Under these new guidelines, all earmarks will be clearly identified in the committee bill and report, including the requesting Senator, the amount of the earmark, the recipient of the earmark, and the purpose of the earmark. An earmark…

What I am suggesting is, other committees may take this up as well on an interim basis. But the bills that are going to move on the floor of the Senate are the appropriations bills. Now that the budget resolution is passed, our major…

I was fortunate enough to serve on the Intelligence Committee for 4 years... If our intelligence does not get it right, we are more vulnerable.

When we have this debate about global warming and talk about climate change, we talk about the impact it might have on a great State such as Florida over many years and other places around the world. Mr. Faris writes an article that talks…

Divestment is not the only answer, nor are stepped-up U.S. sanctions or even multilateral U.S. sanctions, but together these steps might work. Hundreds of thousands of people in Darfur have been killed, and millions have been driven from…

Today we made an important step forward for the hope of millions of patients and their families. Unfortunately, with this important step forward, there was also a small step backward. I had initially stated that I would vote in favor of S…

What has happened over last several weeks is unacceptable. What we have found is a threat to the lives of pets -- dogs and cats -- across America. A threat that should have been minimized and maybe even avoided.

What's happened over the last several weeks is unacceptable. What we have found is a threat to the lives of pets, dogs and cats, across America, a threat that should have been minimized and maybe even avoided.

I think when you have a company that discovers a problem that's killing animals and they don't report it for three weeks to the Food and Drug Administration, it is, at best, gross negligence.

with the beginning of this new Congress, Senator Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, honored my request to create a new subcommittee, entitled Human Rights and the Law. It is the first time in Senate history we have…

A great man once said, ``We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community . . . Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for…

When I was growing up in East St. Louis, I spent hours reading about faraway places, exciting adventures, and historic figures and events. I spent countless hours in the library discovering wonderful stories and developed a lifelong love…

I also wish at this moment to mention an amendment I am going to offer to this supplemental appropriation to increase funding for international peacekeeping by $50 million. It is amendment No. 784, cosponsored by--I am not offering it at…