Suffering of the Syrian people has continued because Bashar al Assad and his inner circle cling to power.

Assad's contempt for his own people, enabled by Iran and Russia, is destroying his country and has created a regional crisis.

Senator Benjamin Cardin has introduced a progressive consumption tax proposal that has much in common with my plan, and I heartily endorse his efforts and his Progressive Consumption Tax Act of 2014.

The magnitude of the crisis here demands U.S. leadership and attention.

To me, the strength of America and its influence globally is in our ideals.

It was good to get rid of Saddam Hussein, but we should have perhaps done a better job of thinking about what we were going to put in place after he left.

A country's security is more than protecting its borders; it is its economic opportunities and its respect for basic human rights.

I want to drill down on the point that you made, Mr. Donilon, but also Secretary Baker, and that is the observation of the lack of good governance in the Middle East providing the wherewithal for this movement towards failed states.

We should not be so quick to come in and get rid of leaders that we do not agree with 1,000 percent of the time.

I encourage my colleagues to read the language of this amendment. It carries out current law. That is simply what it does. Current law requires this consideration by Fish and Wildlife on these projects. This amendment makes it clear that…

we are not going to be able to do anything unilaterally on that problem.

Without having a game plan, what comes next, that is not what America should be investing.

I wish to take this time to speak on an amendment I have authored, amendment No. 3871, which will be voted on shortly--at 4:30 p.m. this afternoon. I was listening to my friend Senator Alexander. I know he was not talking about my…

I rise to discuss the Zika virus and the urgent need for Congress to provide the $1.9 billion President Obama has requested to combat this health crisis. The Zika virus was first identified in Uganda in 1947. The virus is transmitted by…

I ask unanimous consent that floor privileges be granted to Michael Wolfe, who is a fellow on my staff, during consideration of H.R. 2028, the Fiscal Year 2017 Energy and Water Appropriations Act. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection…

They will never succeed in accomplishing a more peaceful, stable world, because they do not have the commitment towards democracy and good governance.

the United States must reassure our Gulf state partners and Israel of our commitment to their security.

We ended up with the Muslim Brotherhood, and that became a real problem. And now we have got a military dictatorship back in Egypt.

I do think, though, that we have to deal with some of the points that Senator Heitkamp mentioned, and that is the general frustration that is out there.

If Congress through the Tax Code, the Earned Income Tax Credit, through the Child Tax Credit, we could strengthen the ability of families to be able to have the budget they need.

I think it is important that the Small Business Committee is holding a hearing on the impact of regulations, particularly as it relates to small companies.

We are the legislative branch of Government. We are the ones who should be trying to come to a consensus here.

I thank my colleague from Pennsylvania, Senator Casey, for bringing to the attention of this body the fact that we have not met our constitutional responsibility in the advice and consent of appointments made by the President to the…

as I pointed out to my colleagues, the number of vacancies has increased during this term from 43 to 79. We have judicial emergencies in our State and many States around the Nation. So I am going to try a smaller number and see whether we…

The challenge is that we have a growing economy, but not everyone has been able to benefit by the growing economy.