I appreciate the ability for us to debate this important issue. I am wondering, as a result of what you have described, and I appreciate the sympathies for drug companies, if you then support the fact that the average pharmaceutical drug…

today two and a half times more is spent on advertising and marketing of a product than is spent on research and development. What is more startling is the fact that according to a report released today by Family USA, we have companies…

I commend our chairman, Senator Kennedy, for his work in bringing this important bill to the floor. I also commend Senator Schumer for his leadership. I say to my friend from Massachusetts, it is my understanding the leader, because of the…

next week we begin one of the most important debates that we will have, I believe, as a Senate, throughout this session and possibly for years to come. That is a debate about whether or not we are going to meet two goals that the American…

In conclusion, we know the lobbyists' voices are heard on this issue, the drug companies' voices are heard in a multitude of ways. Now is the time for the people's voice to be heard on this subject, and I urge those who are watching today…

It was with great joy and excitement yesterday that I joined with Senator Levin as we celebrated the Stanley Cup win by the Detroit Red Wings. It was a beautiful sunshiny day in Detroit, and over a million people came out to join with all…

I think of the terror a breast cancer patient feels when she is told she needs tamoxifen and cannot afford the $136 a month, which it is in Michigan, to purchase that tamoxifen. I think of the terror a family with a disabled child feels…

It is a pleasure to be here again this morning speaking about one of the most important topics to touch American families, seniors, and businesses. The entire economy, right now, is struggling with the explosion of health care costs. Most…

If I might again say to the Senator from North Dakota, I thank him on behalf of Michigan family farmers and small family-owned businesses, as well as large family-owned businesses, for putting forward what I believe is, in fact, just the…

I wanted to indicate my personal thanks to him--as well as my colleagues whom I know share this gratitude--for his willingness to come to the floor and articulate in such a precise way and an understandable way what the challenge is to…

I ask the Senator, who is the chair of our Budget Committee, about issues that are in that budget which I think are so critical for all of us, and I share with the Senator his frustration about the lack of willingness or ability to move…

I often think, in the debate on health care and this debate on prescription drugs, if we only had the same sense of urgency on this issue from a policy standpoint that we have when someone in our family gets sick or we get sick. When you…

I could not agree more. I was thinking as the Senator was speaking, we have seniors who got up this morning and literally sat at the kitchen table and said: Do I eat today or do I get my medicine? Do I pay my utility bill or do I get my…

I rise to ask our colleagues to move beyond the obstructionist position, to work together to get the supplemental passed so we can move on to other critical issues that affect our families. This is one. It is important. There are important…

I find it most outrageous that these are American made drugs, the exact same drugs. We took a group of breast cancer patients using tamoxifen, at $136 a month in Michigan, 5 minutes across the border for the same drug sold for $15. I am…

I thank our Senate majority leader. If we did not have his leadership, we would not have the opportunity to be talking about specific proposals for a comprehensive Medicare prescription drug benefit or opening the doors to Canada or in…

I could not agree more. In 1965, we set up the promise of health care for those over age 65 and those who are disabled through Medicare, a wonderful American success story. Yet because it has not been updated to cover prescriptions, it no…

as one of the Senators representing the steelworkers in the upper peninsula and throughout Michigan, I wish to indicate, contrary to my colleague who just spoke, that I can't think of a more appropriate place to talk about helping steel…

He raises such an important point about prevention. That is why I know we care so much about the issue of prescription drugs. By making prescription drugs available on the front end, that is part of that prevention, along with…

TAP is very important, especially in Michigan. In 2000, our apple growers in the southwest region of the state suffered from devastating fire blight that destroyed over 10,000 acres of apple orchards resulting in an estimated total loss of…

I believe this is a bill of which we should be very proud. It moves in the right direction. It helps our family farmers. It promotes conservation. It supports rural economic development. It is something that I believe is good for every…

I thank Senator Harkin, and congratulate him for his leadership over the past year. The farm bill is a tremendous victory on so many fronts. I want to especially thank him for the landmark inclusion of specialty crops in this farm bill.

The farm bill before us has a $2 billion specialty crop program which provides a minimum of $200 million per year in USDA Section 32 purchases for nutrition programs. This new allocation of funds will provide much needed help for growers…

I would like to discuss another critical program that we included in the farm bill for specialty crops--the Tree Assistance Program, TAP.

I rise to speak specifically to another proposal on principles that was released yesterday in the House of Representatives. We have been urging now, since I came to the Senate over a year ago, and certainly before that time, that our…