Ben Cardin

The fundamental problem we have is that we are not competitive, and there is no reason why we should not be competitive.

The days of line mining are over. We need to put an end to that.

The American people understand the importance of the work that you are doing.

In the 111th Congress, Senator Alexander and I introduced the Appalachia Restoration Act. It was an effort to get a real handle on mountaintop removal, recognizing the devastating impact that mountaintop removal coal operations have on our…

It is difficult to repair the damage once it is done, and I would like you to comment about that.

A child who has suffered from lead poisoning as a result of not having safe drinking water, that child will not reach his or her full potential, and it is tragic for the individual, and it is tragic for our economy.

I would hope that all Members of Congress want clean air and clean water, but we are judged by our actions, not by our words.

It is so difficult for us to deal with critical foreign policy issues... when you do not have a confirmed representative.

I must tell you, we have been having long weekends that we could have used for nominations.

I think there are a number of concerns about what is happening inside Kiev.

Many believe that the Maidan was all about people wanting an honest government.

We have NATO allies that have done things that are inconsistent with the commitments to good governments and democracy.

And we both agree that we need a unified, stable, strong EU--that is important to the United States--an EU that can speak out and take action on our common values of democracy, rule of law, respect for human rights, economic prosperity…

The United States Must Support the EU in These Trying Times.

Clearly, Russia's engagement in Ukraine is the driving force for the instability.

I hope that our committee can take up commonsense, bipartisan proposals to address them.

I agree with that, and I think moving towards Phase III is much more of a challenge, so it does require some additional attention as to how we can make that easier for the smaller tech companies.

The set-asides in the SBIR program are critically important.

Thank you very much for your service and all your hard work to ensure the success of the Affordable Care Act.

I think we can be very assertive in certain situations, whether it be corruption or otherwise, and I think we should do that.

I think we have to follow what Senator Menendez talked about in terms of speaking out for human rights and democracy.

I think we should revoke their visas if we find them to be--you know, having abused human rights.

I think now is the time to really go to them and say together can we not stand up for democracy in Venezuela.

I could not agree with you more. And I must tell you, I think, you know, we do travel whenever we can because it is useful.

U.S. engagement on a bipartisan basis... truly achieved a miracle turnaround there.