This massive tax bill has been negotiated by many people of good will. I have had some serious issues with portions of the package. I have expressed those on the floor of the Senate on behalf of the constituents I represent. I think I have…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record a Times-Picayune editorial dated today in support of this and a New York Times editorial of March 2, as well as a letter of support from Secretary Donovan and Secretary…

I am getting calls, and I am getting about 50 percent for and 50 percent against. The State of Louisiana is a little different than the State of Vermont. Many of the calls coming in from around the country are against giving--well…

I commend to my colleagues this report entitled ``Income Inequality and the Great Recession'' from Senator Schumer and the Joint Economic Committee. This week, the U.S. Census Bureau will release new statistics on income inequality in the…

I was one of 12 Democrats--there are only 7 of us left--in the Chamber today who voted for the Bush tax cuts. We were for the middle class and the poor and the wealthy. Everybody got income tax relief, capital gains tax relief, dividend…

Overwhelmingly, people are calling in and saying, Is that really happening? In fact, my office told me today that actually 10 people called who had incomes over $1 million, which I found very interesting, to say they supported my position…

And there is a limit to what they can consume. What the Senator from Vermont is saying and what I am saying--I want to be very clear, because the Senator and I don't agree on every piece of legislation. He tends to be a little bit more…

Income inequality has skyrocketed. Economists concur that income inequality has risen dramatically over the past three decades. Middle-class incomes stagnated under President Bush. During the recovery of the 1990s under President Clinton…

I wanted to share this with the Senator. It is in the 2000 census data. Someone was testifying about why this recession was taking so long to get over. They were giving figures about the status of the economy and the wealth or incomes of…

Every person in uniform is only getting a COLA this year of 1.4 percent. Did anybody over there not think about this when they raised their hand to say let's give it to millionaires? Those in the military most certainly deserve a bonus…

I think it is important to debate them here, on TV, and in townhall meetings. That is what democracy is all about. But she said to me: Senator, we are so frustrated. Nobody ever hears anybody say they want to cut spending, or they want to…

Exactly. And I am for more accountability. If some of my colleagues on the other side think some of that money is being wasted or we are not getting our bang for the buck, don't come with an across-the-board cut to Pell grants, come with a…

I thank the Senator from Vermont for his eloquent and passionate presentation for hours this morning. He clearly has presented to this Chamber and to the American people some stark realities that are unpleasant. Some people might even find…

I am not against tax cuts. I voted for them many times in my life when we had surpluses. I have even been pressured to vote for things, and have done so, when we didn't have the surpluses, but they were targeted and focused and there…

I was going to ask the minority leader, Mitch McConnell, who just insulted many of us by saying we don't care about small business or the economy, and as the chair of the Small Business Committee, I was going to ask him this: Since…

I thought it was important to speak briefly on my hold on Jack Lew. Jack Lew is a terrific nominee, and he has the support of many people in this body for his new position, and we are grateful to him for wanting to be the budget director…

I added a requirement to the Wall Street Reform Bill that before the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau can even publish a rule, it must convene a small business panel to scrutinize it.

I am committed to working with my colleagues to protect small business owners from this burden before it goes into effect in 2012.

I think frankly, more than just having confidential or private conversations with the IRS and Treasury, I think you should submit public comments on this very question to the Department.

I want to be very clear that the intention of holding this hearing is not to attack the Americans With Disabilities Act.

It concerns me that OSHA is undermining the cooperative relationship by taking these steps that are going to be additionally onerous to small business.

I will continue to advocate for an aggressive regulatory reform agenda that requires the Federal Government to fully consider small business economic impact during the rulemaking process.

That is why this past Monday I cosponsored the Bipartisan Small Business Paperwork Relief Act.

It is long overdue that we require the Federal Government to finally consider the indirect economic costs in addition to direct economic costs of Federal rules and regulations.

I am committed, and the members, at least on the Democratic side and I hope the Republican side as well, to reducing unnecessary administrative and regulatory burdens.