Ben Cardin

We have no responsible party, I understand, that would pay to remove this dam.

The worst thing we can do is use very, very limited taxpayers' dollars to fix a dam that doesn't actually serve the intended purpose.

There is a need to remove dams that no longer are useful for their intended purpose.

I want to go to the attention of the lesser known dams that we have in our State that are no longer performing the function for which they were constructed originally.

They are not going to give up their desire for independence. That is clear. They want an independent state.

If we create even an inch of daylight between us and the Iraqis, we will get thrown out again.

We need to leave no opening for the Iranian-backed movement to cut us out.

It is in our national security interests to make sure that Iraq becomes a stable country and does not become an Iranian client state

Bringing the world's largest economies and largest security assistance partners together strengthens our hand as we try to get the Iraqi Government to undertake political reconciliation.

The mission to destroy ISIS's military and terrorist capabilities in Iraq must continue under a strong U.S. lead.

That is not a way that I think is conducive to setting up a partnership of trust that becomes critically important for defeating ISIS.

We tell them that they are not welcome in our country.

How are we able to be a partner if we are reducing our capacity to help in regards to development assistance and diplomacy?

I think the big question is whether Iraq can unify behind their effort to rid the country of ISIS and finally move forward politically.

I look forward to reviewing the impact of the statutory caps on seniors.

If you do not have the ability to provide the essential services, it is the vulnerable who are going to suffer.

So yes, the expansion of third-party coverage is critically important, but the quality of third-party coverage is also critically important.

And of course, that is what we are seeing under the expansion of Medicaid in the State of Maryland with many more people insured.

We are not going to improve our health-care system by telling people of means that they cannot spend money on health care.

If you move to block-grant the Medicaid program, the odds are it is going to fill a budget number, not fill a policy-driven objective.

Resources are important. And I wish every policy decision we make in this committee and we make in Congress and make at the White House was driven by what is the right policy results.

It was the U.S. leadership--it was the congressional leadership that made this issue the priority of our Nation.

When you stand up for human rights, you are standing up for what makes America the great nation it is.

It speaks to the priority that we believe that we must pay to modern day slavery trafficking.

Stay true to our principles. You know, we talk about entering into some types of arrangements that could be transactional in nature. But if they are outside the scope of our values, it will not work.