John Sarbanes

If we do not meet our commitments in Afghanistan, what lessons will we draw with respect to our obligations in Iraq?

By ourselves? Is it your view that we do not need the efforts of the international community alongside our own?

Let us keep the focus on the situation in Afghanistan. That chapter is far from finished. We have an opportunity to correct at least some of the mistakes we have made in Afghanistan, but unfortunately we are not doing so. The…

On the other hand, his amendment provides an authority to act in support of multilateral action, as reflected in the adoption of a U.N. resolution, which would seek to deal with the threat Saddam Hussein presents to the region and to the…

Did the Senator recall there were two treaties, the neutrality treaty and the canal treaty itself? We went to the neutrality treaty. Floor debate began on February 6 of 1978. We voted on March 16 of 1978. So we had a period from February…

Now, as I understand it, we are facing the prospect of, in effect, terminating all debate, precluding a lot of potential amendments, and ending this matter in about one week's time, a matter of this grave import.

Given this display of dedication on the part of these public employees, why now all of a sudden are we seeking to take away from them these basic rights and protections? If someone came in and said what a dismal performance we have, and…

If I understand this chart, if you are in the top 1 percent of the wealthiest Americans, under the President's proposal you would receive a tax cut that would equal the income--not the tax cut--of approximately six earners in the lowest 20…

A year has passed since the horrific attacks of September 11th, and as we debate the shape and form of a new Department of Homeland Security, the time has come for the Federal Government to fulfill its obligations to the National Capital…

I simply want to say I am supportive of this amendment. I think this is the right way to go about it. Let me repeat, I do not think the Congress itself should be in the business of legislating accounting standards, but this amendment does…

And I understand that the terms of reference are such that it does not presuppose a particular substantive conclusion; it is, in effect, left open, or even level, however you want to describe it--a level playing field for FASB, the expert…

I simply want to say I think the subject matter with which the Senator's other amendment, that he just referred to, deals is a very important subject, and I think his observations are very much on point. Working with the other side, we are…

The Senator from Kentucky is very skilled. I watched him on these television programs. I know he is very good when the question is put to him to give the answer he wants to give, even though it is not directed to the question. Obviously, I…

I want to echo what the very able Senator from Nevada said about the Senator's eloquent address just a few minutes ago, which is reflective of the pattern that he has established--which is to go on the floor of the Senate and go to the…

I further understand that a number of professors of securities regulations and professional ethics are, in fact, supportive of this proposal. I think at an earlier time they wrote to the SEC urging the SEC itself to put some provision such…

I think they have done an absolutely first-rate job in sort of focusing the amendment, considering questions that were raised from one source or another, and adjusting it in order to meet them. I think the amendment they have now put…

I only observe that if they file a false statement of representation, they can be fined and sent to jail for up to 1 year. That is a pretty heavy remedy if you stop and think about it.

Our publicly owned companies are an essential component to the economic health of our country. As we have seen over the past few months, the continued lapses of our corporate leaders, whether they are ethical, criminal or just plain…

They do have to report publicly. They are now required to report publicly under the legislation that governs reporting and disclosure. The Senator is speaking as though there are no such requirements. The fact of it is that there is an…

That is the way to go at this problem; otherwise, it seems to me that the Department of Labor needs to do the job that it has been charged to do. I think that is what those figures amply demonstrate. I am gratified that the…

What is the explanation by the Department of Labor for this rather stunning drop in the number of audits? Was it from 1,500 to 200 in 1 year's time or 2 years' time?

If the Senator would yield, you don't have mandatory membership. You may have a requirement that you pay a union fee, but the union then has an obligation, if you are in a union shop, to represent you in the collective bargaining efforts…

It is obvious that one of the distinctions we sought to make in the underlying bill that is before us is that when a company becomes public, you then have an investor interest that has to be protected. Otherwise, manipulation destroys…

Those have been put into law. There are extensive authorities in the Secretary of Labor and the Department with respect to the unions--quite extensive authorities, I might add. We have established one statutory framework to control the…

I simply say that a statutory structure has been worked out for labor which is quite extensive and exceeds in many respects anything that applies to corporations. You can't make a judgment about whether you should do anything additional to…