Susan Collins

The real problem is the health care delivery system.

I'll have some questions about it.

Basically, we passed a new health care law which raises premiums.

I have talked with the active duty leaders in our military about what the Pentagon is doing to address the mental health needs of the active duty force.

While the Consumer Product Safety Commission is a relatively small agency, it has a critical mission of keeping the public safe from dangerous products.

We really need to find a way that allows them to ensure their products are safe, but doesn't put them out of business.

In 2008, we acted to strengthen the laws governing the safety of goods entering this country and to provide much-needed additional resources to intercept unsafe products by passing the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.

Obviously, our first priority is to make sure that all products, including toys for children, are safe.

If their policy is to go to the threshold, but not assemble a nuclear weapon, how do you tell that they have not assembled?

Many of us, however, are concerned that the sanctions that come out of the U.N. Security Council may well be inadequate to accomplish the goal of increased transparency and getting the Iranians to halt the work that they are doing.

Just last week we passed the HIRE Act, which included a tax credit offered by Senator Schumer and Senator Hatch to encourage companies to hire unemployed workers. It makes no sense for any of us to have voted for that bill and then not to…

I've always had an image of the Afghans as being very good and effective fighters.

I think that needs to be addressed, and I would encourage you to do that.

Many Federal employees place their very lives at risk on a daily basis.

The administration of this program has been far too lax, and it is not protecting retirees, participants, and future participants.

Obviously, if there is an imbalance, that is a problem at this time of great budget strain.

I have always been a strong advocate for our Federal workforce.

Let me just say that I think you need to respond to that because that is gaining currency.

Without their dedication, this vital work could not be done.

I would think that one way to ensure that we always have operational testing is for TSA to have a written policy requiring operational testing.

I think we have to be extremely careful as we proceed in this area that we do not take away the absolutely critical authority that the head of TSA must have to respond to threats.

I need to better understand how it happened that there was a dispute over so much of the payment.

I believe that we should be focused on ensuring that individuals at TSA have the right to appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board.

The attempted bombing on Christmas Day reminds us that terrorists remain committed to attacking our Nation.

It is important that we understand that to place it in context.