Ben Cardin

We do require a Social Security number, but we cannot refuse to adjudicate a passport if someone does not provide a Social Security number.

The passport is the gold standard for identification in this country.

That obviously is a significant breach in the security system of our country.

We think everyone has an obligation to--particularly lawyers.

Voting rights, of course, are fundamental.

Earlier today, I joined some of our colleagues before the Supreme Court in oral argument on the Voting Rights Act and its constitutional challenge.

I think he is eminently qualified.

Well, I thank you. That is a very meaningful response, and we all do know about those causes.

We would urge the nominees to try to answer those questions as promptly as possible.

If I could just put into the record that paragraph that Judge Davis referred to from the opinion, which reads...

The record will remain open.

What is your attitude about philosophy or partisan politics as it relates to the hiring and promotion of career attorneys?

We look to the Federal Government, the Justice Department, as providing the strength to fight those issues.

The hearing is adjourned.

The EPA has found that increasing greenhouse gas concentrations pose a threat to human health due to a number of factors including more deaths attributed to heat and the increase in vector-borne diseases.

Climate change will likely have an impact on our Nation's treasure, the Chesapeake Bay.

Much of the testimony has been informed by the latest, peer-reviewed science and represents a consensus of the scientific community on the nature of the climate system's warming.

I want to thank Chairman Boxer for her work in keeping the focus on sound science as this debate continues.

I consider this to be our most important responsibility in making sure that actionable intelligence information is gathered in a way that is made accessible to those who can prevent terrorist activities in our country.

This Subcommittee will also have to deal with the PATRIOT Act. Several provisions of the PATRIOT Act will expire this year, and Congress will need to consider extending those provisions or modifying them.

If there is not a red flag nationally about a problem that would warrant notifying Montgomery County, but Montgomery County has part of a scenario but not everything, how does it fill in the blanks without having greater access than I…

I intend for this Subcommittee to play an active role in that regard.

The choice between security and liberty is a false choice, as nothing is more likely to endanger Americans' liberty than the success of a terrorist attack at home.

But today we start with what I think to be one of the most important functions of Government, and that is to keep our people safe.

I do not know whether the local law enforcement has enough dots to connect, and they may very well need to access the national data bank in order to get the missing dot that makes the connections.