But Congress does not show the same interest in taking steps before these crises occur to make sure that our country is actually prepared when disasters strike.

I have sent multiple letters to HHS, to DEA, to ONDCP, asking that they reduce these barriers, but so far, these agencies have taken virtually no action to expand research opportunities.

Democrats are going to continue urging bipartisan work to ensure women everywhere have the ability to plan their pregnancies, especially in light of this virus.

The most effective work for keeping Americans safe does not happen when the cameras are rolling and the world is focused on the latest outbreak.

Thank you very much for holding this hearing. It is powerfully important.

Families' health and safety should not be a zero sum game.

In 2013, CMS reported that more Medicare beneficiaries received prescriptions for generic Vicodin, a powerful opioid, than any other drug.

it is irresponsible not to study the science. We cannot be afraid of conducting basic medical research.

It requires real money. It requires new mandatory funding for the NIH.

I believe it is critical that in Zika-affected countries we do everything we can to ensure women have access to the full range of reproductive health care, including access to family planning services.

I am very hopeful that here in Congress we can put the politics aside and work together to ensure that we do provide much needed tools and support.

The way I see this, Congress is strangling medical research.

For our investment to be meaningful, that money must be used to improve education.

The new education law gives States a lot more flexibility in determining how to educate our kids while it also establishes a Federal baseline to ensure that the States actually use Federal dollars to support teachers and students who most…

Congress entrusted this responsibility to the Department to make sure that when the States receive billions of taxpayer dollars to improve education for our most vulnerable kids that those States actually use that money for our most…

I think that one of the most important safeguards in this new law is a bipartisan provision that Senator Gardner and I wrote that requires the States to report better data about how their kids are doing.

If we want better outcomes, we need better data to figure out where we're failing to reach our students and where we're succeeding.

Democrats in Congress along with the President fought hard to ensure that the new law includes real accountability.

It seems like that is the least that the Fed can do to help the public understand its position.

I think that is what you said in your testimony.

Living wills are one of the primary tools that Congress gave to regulators to make sure that the taxpayers will not be on the hook if another giant bank fails.

across the street at the Supreme Court, four simple words are engraved on the face of the building: ``Equal Justice Under Law.'' That is supposed to be the basic premise of our legal system: that our laws are just and that everyone--no…

on Thursday, 12 countries will sign a massive trade agreement to change the rules for 40 percent of the world's economy, but the Trans-Pacific Partnership will not go into effect unless Congress approves it. I urge my colleagues to reject…

2 weeks ago, Senate Democrats announced our commitment to end the crushing burden of student loan debt. Our campaign is called ``In the Red'' because we agree with what President Obama said during his final State of the Union: ``No…

I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered. Student Loan Debt