The first responsibility of any government is to protect its people. Yet we live in a time when Americans feel extraordinary insecurity. We are at an elevated level of threat warning. The CIA Director says al-Qaida is 'resuming the…

We could have a $400-plus billion deficit. I did calculate it. I think the maximum Pell Grant for a young, bright high school senior from a low income family, wanting to improve his or her life and career with a college education, they get…

I believe judges have no greater responsibility than to ensure fair treatment and equal justice under the law. I also believe one of our greatest responsibilities as Senators is to advise and consent on the President's nominees to the…

I find it astounding that we are cutting taxes for some of the wealthiest people in America, and at the same time, telling soldiers at Fort Hood in central Texas, right next to the Crawford ranch, you have to go off and fight for our…

If the gentleman will let me ask one last question, and then I will defer to other members that want to speak on the largest deficit in the history of America, there are a lot of Americans that believe that this largest proposed deficit in…

As we continue securing America against terrorist attacks, we need to give more attention to the security of large buildings, especially skyscrapers and arenas. There are approximately 500 skyscrapers in the United States that are…

this administration has made new rules that are the biggest rollback of clean air protections in history. The amendment from me, Senator Lieberman, Senator Jeffords, Senator Reid, Senator Daschle, and others says: Before the administration…

This amendment is about doing a very simple thing: it is about keeping our air clean so that kids won't have asthma attacks and so seniors won't have heart attacks and so Americans won't lose their lives before their time. For months the…

as a parent of two small children, I have been told that children pay more attention to what their parents do than what we say. Tonight, I hope the American people will use that commonsense principle in judging Congress. It is not what we…

Every judicial nomination that comes before this body is critically important. However, I take a particular interest in appointments to the Fourth Circuit, which includes my home State of North Carolina. The Fourth Circuit needs qualified…

I have listened to this discussion and wonder what the American people might be asking themselves about this inside-the-beltway discussion of budget resolutions, continuing resolutions, and deeming resolutions. Let me bring it back home to…

today the members of the Senate are focused on Iraq. There's no task more serious than deciding whether to send our young men and women into harm's way. My position is clear: The time has come for decisive action to eliminate the threat of…

I believe we must vote for this resolution not because we want war, but because the national security of our country requires action. The prospect of using force to protect our security is the most difficult decision a Nation must ever…

today I rise not as a Democrat, but as an American who shares the belief with President Bush that, once and for all, the time has come to end the threat of Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction. For that reason, I intend to…

from the time I was a small child my parents taught me that our church was a sacred house of worship, a spiritual place where people of faith could meet, honor God and thank Him for our many blessings. Now as a father, it is my hope that…

while American servicemen and women are fighting the war against terrorism in Afghanistan tonight, and preparing for possible war against Iraq, it seems to me that the House could at least extend its present 3-day work week in order to…

as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I firmly believe that the issue of Iraq is not about politics. It's about national security. We know that for at least 20 years, Saddam Hussein has aggressively and obsessively sought…

first, I say thank you to my colleagues and my friends, Senator McCain and Senator Kennedy, who have worked so hard on this legislation. Senator Kennedy worked long and hard on this before a number of us, including Senator McCain and…

I hope the Senate, given this opportunity, will do something about providing a drug benefit for all those Americans who desperately need it. This is obviously a compromise, but great work has gone into this effort and it is important we do…

Let me say, first, from the discussion that we have been having all over America, and on the floor of the Senate for the last few weeks about trying to reinsert some responsibility and accountability because of the fundamental notion we…

The Senator asked two very good questions. First, I think it is a terrific idea for us to look at the insurance industry, its practices in general, and what effect McCarran-Ferguson has on those practices. The Senator describes a large…

I thank, along with all my colleagues, Senator Sarbanes for the extraordinary work he has done on this bill. We are proud of him. America appreciates very much what he and others who have worked with him have done. I also thank Senator…

Coreen Costello was a pro-life Republican and mother of three when her pregnancy turned tragically fatal for her child. Her doctors preserved Mrs. Costello's fertility with a procedure being outlawed in this bill. She then became pregnant…

This debate taking place in the Senate is about people's lives. We have senior citizens who desperately need a prescription drug benefit. This is what they want. They want one that is affordable and reliable. It is no more complicated than…

2 weeks ago as America celebrated the birth of our Nation, one of its greatest military leaders passed away. General Benjamin O. Davis Jr., 89, the legendary commander of the Tuskegee Airmen, died at Army Reed Medical Center on the Fourth…