In this situation, has the Department of Defense made any statements that they are planning on making some sort of a revision to this $7 billion Halliburton contract?

I am a lawyer, and those are known as weasel words because if that phrase can be included, it has no meaning. The question is whether we are going to hold the Department of Defense accountable. I ask the Senator from California this…

If I could put that in context, if the bomb in Hiroshima killed 140,000 people instantly, can the Senator even calculate how many people may be casualties from the largest nuclear weapon which is envisioned by this new piece of…

let me also say the policy implications of crossing the line toward the use of nuclear weapons and actually making them useful weapons argues most forcefully against developing such weapons. I am particularly concerned that this…

Could the Senator also tell me in relation to even more powerful nuclear weapons, the so-called bunker busters--which name, I think, does not do justice to the gravity of the weapon, the severity of the weapon we are considering--I am told…

But I cannot believe I have witnessed in my time on Capitol Hill a more historic debate than what we are undertaking at this moment. We are literally talking about whether the United States will initiate a nuclear arms race again. Nothing…

I hope it is no reflection on the seriousness of this issue. Everyone understands the global AIDS epidemic is a challenge facing our generation and our children's generation to which we need to respond. As I said earlier today, there has…

the Senator from Wyoming must be arguing with himself, because there is no argument on this side of the aisle. We agree with him. The United States should lead, but we should also ask other countries to join us, and the formula we have…

we live in a nation that pays people more to watch its pets than it pays to watch its parents in nursing homes. We live in a nation where we pay more to parking lot attendants than to those who attend our children in daycare centers. These…

Having been to Uganda and having seen the success of this program, the characterization on the floor is not correct. Secretary of State Powell has made it clear the United States approach involves all three--abstinence, fidelity, and…

I am aware of it. Virtually every State has lost jobs. We have lost over 20,000 manufacturing jobs in the last 12 months with the last Bush tax cut. Adding insult to injury is the fact that this administration resists providing additional…

Let me tell you that today we couldn't be further apart. There is such a chasm and such a divide between those who support this bill and those who oppose it. It really comes down to a very fundamental issue. It is not a question of who is…

Is it not a fact that we are only a few years away from the baby boom generation showing up for Social Security? Isn't it the height of irresponsibility for us to be dragging this Nation deeper in deficit at the expense of the Social…

Just so it is clear, I ask the Senator if the Democratic plan provides a tax credit for small businesses to pay for health insurance? The Republican plan provides no benefit for the health insurance cost to small business. That is as clear…

this past weekend my wife and I met up with some life-long friends from my home area of East Saint Louis, IL. We had a good time together. We sat around and talked about our lives and some of the challenges we face. My friends own a small…

Good. Thank you. Thanks, Mr. Chairman.

But what about the basic question? Should we have mandatory recall of contaminated food in the school lunch program rather than voluntary?

I understand that your agency has worked to improve the safety of food in schools, but when our schoolchildren are being sent to the hospital after eating the food that we provide, inspect, and regulate then obviously more needs to be done.

I would just say, you know that my passion is food safety.

I hope that USDA becomes more aggressive in pursuing trade violations.

Are there any reasons recalls of contaminated food served in the school lunch program should not be made mandatory if a voluntary recall effort fails?

I couldn't agree with you more. It is obvious that changes are needed to ensure that dirty meat processing plants can be shut down based on the results of microbiological testing.

I look forward to working with you, Senator Kohl, and my Subcommittee colleagues on the farm economy and rural sector.

Since 1990 there have been more than 100 reported outbreaks of foodborne illness in schools that have sickened more than 6,000 children across our Nation.

I would like to speak to you for a moment and ask your thoughts on the question of the safety of the food in the school lunch programs of America.