I am glad we could get that straight. Let me first thank all of our colleagues who are here to pay honor to the senior Senator from Maryland, Senator Mikulski. This is March Madness in basketball. Sweet 16 is starting. We are very proud in…

I know there are a lot of us who want to pay our tribute and respect to the senior Senator from Maryland, Senator Mikulski. I want to make sure everybody has their opportunity. Are we operating under a consent order?

These standards are an important step for protecting public health and improving the Nation's economy.

Maryland's ambitious approach did not harm the State's economy. In fact, energy companies reported substantial economic benefits from implementing the new standards.

The Mercury and Air Toxics Standards can help us better protect our kids, our citizens, and our waters.

Air pollution threatens those with asthma and respiratory problems and results each year in 12 million lost work days, 14 million lost school days, and 5,000 deaths.

We need a vehicle like the Magnitsky bill, for example, that sends a message to Russia that we are serious about human rights and that we will deny visas and block assets of persons who are human rights violators.

When we asked for help from Russia at the U.N. Security Council to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, and to help prevent the killing of innocent citizens in Syria, we got 'nyet' in return.

Do you not see the correlation between the consequences of a Russia that does these things and the domestic concerns that we have that actually affect your businesses?

the failure to bring the Government to account for their violations of international law, we are paying a heavy price for that.

you are really helping us focus on this humanitarian disaster.

The United States has to show the leadership, has to have tough sanctions.

Tracking that money, tracking that wealth, would have a major impact on the comfort of their leaders.

We can deny al-Bashir the opportunity to hide his wealth, it will have a major impact.

Sanctions are important if they can be enforced internationally.

I ask unanimous consent for 1 additional minute. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the Senator from Maryland is recognized.

I, too, join in thanking our two witnesses for everything you are doing to make a difference in the lives of people who are being victimized.

Some of us have joined together what is known as the Magnitsky bill, which deals with human rights violators.

let me concur in everything Senator Stabenow said in opposition to this amendment. There are many reasons to oppose it, but let me add one additional reason, in that it violates the agreement we reached on the debt ceiling on the budget…

Darfur happened under our watch, which was a failure of the civilized world to take appropriate action.

There has been strong U.S. leadership in this region for a long time, but still the humanitarian disasters continue under our watch.

I thank Senator Murray for her comments, and I concur in her observations. What we have seen on women's health care issues in this body is how some are trying to turn the clock back on the progress we have made. I was listening to my…

I know from my own State of Maryland that families and communities are still hurting from the effects of lending discrimination and foreclosure abuses.

My own State of Maryland has become a model for the Nation in strategies for combating foreclosures.

Let us keep working to fulfill the promise of the American dream for all our citizens.