the United States has always been a country of refuge for the persecuted, a protector of life and individual freedoms. This is evident in the entire purpose of our Nation's asylum program under which foreign nationals who can show a…

I rise today to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of Machias, ME, a remarkable town on the Downeast Coast that exemplifies the determination, resiliency, and courage of our Nation. It was there, in 1775, just 12 years after…

I rise this evening to discuss an amendment I have filed to the immigration bill. It is Senate amendment No. 1255. It would ensure that the funding for an important border security program known as Operation Stonegarden continues to be…

I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Amendment No. 1255

MAP-21 is only a 2-year bill instead of the traditional 6-year bill, because we were unable to find further funding.

In this time of severe budgetary challenges, we are going to need to find political consensus on how to sustainably fund surface transportation over the long term.

What other sources of revenue would be available? Are there any innovative approaches being tried by the States?

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that the Highway Trust Fund will become insolvent in fiscal year 2015.

I want to join you in welcoming our witnesses. And I very much appreciate your scheduling this hearing so that we can discuss in very concrete terms, no pun intended, the needs of our Nation's crumbling infrastructure.

I believe that we authorized $750 million for this year and $1 billion for next year, and that it's estimated that $1 billion in TIFIA funding could leverage $10 billion in actual lending capacity.

But I think, writ large around the country, one of the things we're still struggling with is, there are a lot of places where people don't want to pay tolls.

I so share the administration's belief that investment in transportation is critical to the health of our economy and to our economic recovery.

It's clear that additional investments are necessary.

But I must say that I was disappointed that the President's plan is not supported by a serious proposal to finance it.

The terrifying bridge collapse that occurred in Senator Murray's State just 3 weeks ago once again highlights the importance of maintaining our Nation's highways and bridges.

the Nation has four top cyber risks, and the first one listed is one that has been of great concern to me since we produced the bill last year that, unfortunately, could not get past a filibuster.

In that legislation, we did pay attention to the need for a more expert cyber workforce.

I just wanted to clarify that because perhaps that is one issue we could put to rest.

I do not support the sequestration process and believe we should be setting priorities

I rise today in support of the Senate farm bill, S. 954, which would make significant reforms to federal agriculture programs and important investments in nutrition, conservation, and rural development. In addition to providing a safe and…

We have publicly, privately, and repeatedly urged our Russian counterparts to cease arms sales and deliveries to Syria.

I am pleased to be joined by my colleague from Maryland, Senator Mikulski, in introducing the Positive Aging Act of 2013, which will help to increase older Americans' access to quality mental health screening and treatment services in…

I rise today to speak to an amendment to the farm bill on a subject important not only to the farmers of Maine but also to the participants in the WIC program. I am pleased that Senator Mark Udall has joined as the lead cosponsor of the…

I rise today to introduce the Servicemembers and Veterans Prescription Drug Safety Act of 2013, with my colleagues Senators Blumenthal, Boxer, Manchin, Murkowski, and Boozman. This bill would require the Attorney General to establish drug…

The Administration has made several announcements regarding existing housing programs, yet there is much more that must be done to stabilize the housing market and reinvigorate private sector participation.