Ben Cardin

We have to do everything we can to delay and preferably prevent them from accomplishing the goal of being able to reach the United States or the West with these weapons.

But even as we think about potential measures and actions necessary to safeguard the United States and our allies, there should also be no doubt about our determination to work with the international community through peaceful diplomatic…

I do not share this guarded optimism. I hope I am wrong.

For Congress to allow that type of assistance, we need to know and have confidence that we can account for how the aid is being used since we are not present in the country to be able to do that.

I think the planets are lining up. It is going to happen, I hope.

What we need to do is continue to support the Republic of Korea.

One of the best ways we can do that is to strengthen and continue to strengthen our relationship economically and militarily with South Korea.

We have, in the past when we have imposed sanctions, tried to figure out ways that we can get direct aid to NGOs that we have confidence in to provide the type of humanitarian aid that is appropriate.

I think this is a significant development. It is somewhat stunning that this has not been the case in the past.

It is clear that North Korea is moving aggressively on its nuclear weapons program.

We need to begin to create the conditions, God willing, for reunification, which is impossible today.

If you would keep my office informed as to the resources being devoted to these efforts and the progress that is being made, we would very much appreciate it.

I am concerned that you are implementing discriminatory policies similar to those that were put in place decades ago for mental health services--policies that say this is 2nd-class health care rather than part of the essential benefit…

I believe we all hope to get a permanent policy on the therapy caps so we do not have to deal with it every year.

We would rather have a policy that we do not like but we know it is there than no policy at all.

We need more people working. When we cut those types of programs, we are just adding to the unemployed.

I think that these actions are a step in the right direction and very much in keeping with the sort of approach that the ranking member, Senator Corker, and I called for in the North Korea Nonproliferation and Accountability Act of 2013…

It is important for our economy to have private savings.

I think the laws are well-intended. I think, on the ground, they are not working exactly as we all intended.

We need that desperately today.

We expect at the end of the day these projects will move forward.

I think he expresses the frustration of many members of our committee when we have worked to get funding for a project, only to find it is not funded in the Corps' programs or it takes a lot more years to get started than we had…

We have more solutions than we do have problems.

I would just urge you to work with us. This is an extremely important environmental challenge of what happens during every major weather event.

I really want to thank Senator Boxer and our Ranking Member, Senator Vitter, for making WRDA a top priority in our 113th Congress.