Ben Cardin

I think people-to-people exchanges have been extremely helpful.

I do not think they believe that. Seems to me they believe that we are interested in holding China back.

Our intention is for China to continue to grow and be a constructive player in the region.

I think it is been in the best interests of the United States.

The bottom line is the United States needs to exercise leadership.

President Obama is doing that by his climate action agenda and by regulating what power plants are doing.

The scientific information on our environment is pretty clear on public health.

I thank you for your extraordinary leadership on this issue.

Now we need to move forward in that tradition. Unfortunately, we have not.

I hope we can get back to the same type of spirit that inspired you to use your talent at the EPA as we move forward to advance the public health of the people of this Country.

Quite frankly, the solution is one which will answer every member's concerns.

You have put public health first and that is what Congress intended when it passed the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.

We can and must do better in serving our nation's retirees, persons with disabilities, and surviving family members.

I am concerned about the investigation's finding that SSA is not adhering to four of the six metrics it claimed were the major determining factors when closing a field office.

It is important to ensure that the negative effects of such constraints are minimized.

I commend Chairman Nelson and the Senate Special Committee on Aging for convening this hearing today entitled 'Reduction in Face-to-Face Services at the Social Security Administration.'

Today the Water and Wildlife Subcommittee is convening a field hearing to examine the newly signed Chesapeake Bay Watershed Agreement.

I think the administration has been clear, though, what an agreement must look like.

Obviously, the best outcome would be for an agreement to be reached that accomplishes what the chairman spelled out--an agreement that eliminates a breakout capacity for Iran in a short period of time and that ensures it will not be a…

My point is we are going to reach a point where we will either do, as Mr. Modell suggested, announce that there is some interim agreement.

We must try to keep those sanctions as strong as possible, looking for a new day and a new opportunity to advance our objectives of preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear weapons state.

The international sanctions regime has been the single most influential determinant in keeping the Iranians at the negotiating table.

Well, I agree with that. And, of course, this morning's report is not very encouraging on those issues.

What course do you think is in the best interest for the United States? To continue along the path of holding Iran.

Let us try to make incremental progress in getting them to weaken their capacity as a nuclear weapons state, and let us try to keep the sanctions as tight as we can during that period of time.