I think you've brought forth a bill that will really make a difference.

the United States is going to have to take a bigger role, that the United States is going to have to take a stronger leadership position

it's imperative that we build up the Afghan army as quickly as possible so that the Afghans are taking a lead

My related concern is that we're putting an American face on the effort.

One of the reasons that we are seeing some success in Iraq is not just the addition of more troops, but rather a change in strategy that accompanied the addition of more troops.

That is the most powerful component in this bill to create jobs.

That is the most powerful component in this bill, to create jobs.

I thank the chairman. Madam President, we also struck--I am chagrined to say to the senior Senator from New Hampshire--$34 million to renovate the Department of Commerce building. Now, again, undoubtedly there needs to be renovations, but…

If the bill comes back from the conference committee with a lot of wasteful spending reinserted or if it comes back in excess of the $800 billion, it will not have my support.

Some of these programs, while they're worthy of an increase in funding, simply do not belong in an economic stimulus bill.

We worked to strengthen the funding for health insurance for postal workers and retirees.

I do not know how you can ask for relief from your financial obligations and at the same time propose cutbacks in service.

It is absolutely unacceptable for you to come to Congress and say that you need relief from financial obligations, and then we hear from the GAO and from the Commission, from our own experience, that you are going backwards when it comes…

Our purpose was straightforward. We wanted to help ensure the continuation of affordable universal service.

Congress has been known in the past to put up road blocks that prevent you from operating in the most efficient manner possible.

I am very disappointed to hear you come before us today and advocate as a potential solution to this economic crisis the elimination of the requirement for 6-day-a-week delivery.

It took, as you know, Senator Collins and me some 5 years or so to get postal reform legislation enacted.

I am also very concerned about the lack of financial transparency, which was a key goal of the 2006 legislation that we authored.

What we basically need is a general understanding that the Postal Service is challenged and is going to have to make these changes.

the decision to further reduce postal services would cause an even bigger drop in mail volume that could lead to a death spiral for the USPS.

The situation in Pakistan is extremely worrisome, not only because Taliban fighters are using Pakistani bases to attack our soldiers in Afghanistan.

President Bush indicated that as troop levels in Iraq decreased, many of those forces would be redeployed to Afghanistan.

a stable shipbuilding industrial base and predictable levels of funding are critical to achieving shipbuilding cost projections.

Afghanistan stands at a crossroads, and that the progress achieved over the previous 6 years was threatened by resurgent Taliban violence.

Do you believe that Article 5 of the NATO Alliance is still credible in the eyes of the new, and old, NATO members?