Ben Cardin

The President included in his budget $70 million for the Bay Agreement.

Mr. Robertson, what type of assurance can you give on making decisions in a timely way for those that make their livelihood off of the harvest of the Bay?

We need to include them more.

I strongly support her nomination and hope that we will confirm her shortly.

I have known Carolyn Colvin for 30 years, Mr. Chairman, and I concur completely in Senator Mikulski's evaluations.

Carolyn is dedicated to public service and improving the lives of others.

Social Security is a critically important program to millions of Americans; it is the only inflation-proof, guaranteed lifetime income source for millions of Americans.

The permanent Commissioner is an extraordinarily important position.

She is an extraordinary person.

This issue was dealt with in MAP-21 in the committee. My friend from Pennsylvania talks about using regular order, and we did. We had a very serious debate and we had many different views and we compromised, and there is an expedited…

I think that it is clear that we want to get AGOA reauthorized.

I think it is important that a message be included in the meetings next week with African leaders that the Congress is very much engaged on strengthening the ties between Africa and the United States.

Let me mention one of the major pluses of AGOA, and that is that it has helped women.

I would urge you that, as we look at improving and strengthening AGOA, part of that should be higher expectations on the good governance issues and ways to monitor the progress that is being made in these countries in a more effective way.

It passed anti-gay legislation that I think contradicts globally understood human rights.

If there is a failure here there will be tougher sanctions and tougher isolation, is absolutely accurate.

I think we got off to a rough start between Congress and the administration. It caused, I think, more division than perhaps was in the best interest of this country.

We have to use every tool that we can to deter them and to put a spotlight on the things that they are doing.

The security of Israel is not only tied to this nuclear agreement, but it is also tied to their horrific rain of rockets that are coming down on Israel today.

A bad agreement is worse than no agreement at all.

We will also put pressure on Iran when it is warranted, whether it is in relationship to the government's abysmal human rights record, its support for terrorism, its hostility toward Israel, or its detention of political prisoners.

November 24 would not be the end of this process.

How is the impasse in Syria, the failure to be able to have a workable plan in Syria, impacting stability in Iraq?

I take it that very few of these people have returned because it is not safe at this moment?

What precautions have we taken with moderate Arab States and with our own support for the opposition in Syria...