Debbie Stabenow

I also think that we should not see pension funds being used to lobby.

We need systems change to create treatment in our communities.

We have mental health parity, we have substance abuse parity laws now, Medicaid expansion, but we do not have the systems change.

I support all of the things being talked about, certainly from a law enforcement standpoint and so on. But ultimately we have to have treatment in the community.

I could not agree more. As co-chair of the Foster Care Caucus with Senator Grassley, I completely agree.

If we do not, then we are going to still be going, in my judgment, around and around and around with a lot of pieces that are important, but not the core of what happens in the community.

The Governor of Michigan sent a letter to the President asking for close to $800 million in disaster assistance to deal with all of the issues we are talking about. What we have been working to do is ask for Federal help for about 25…

We want to take it to every State that is interested and, frankly, listen to the sheriffs across the country who are tired of having people in jail who ought to be receiving mental health or substance abuse services, or hospital…

I want to thank you for all of the efforts of your department and the administration in helping us with the incredible public health emergency in Flint.

We are still hopeful. We have had difficulty coming together and getting bipartisan support here to help rebuild the pipes and so on.

We have known actually since President Kennedy passed the Community Mental Health Act over 50 years ago, that we needed a structure in place so that we were providing comprehensive health care in the community.

One of the things I hope we will look at in future hearings is the accounting changes, the laws that were changed in the last several decades that allowed overfunded pension plans to suddenly be available for various other purposes

A pension is a promise. It is a key cornerstone of how we have had a middle class and the dignity and respect of work in this country.

Is the chair aware that the dollars we have asked for require a comprehensive plan from the State and that at this point only $28 million--most going to health--has been allocated to the State?

Might I ask the Senator to yield for a question so we can share the information?

When Senator Roberts and I led the amendment to AGOA, which would expand the USDA's role in trade capacity building specifically for women-owned farms and businesses.

To strengthen them from an economic standpoint, it meant empowering women to own their own land, to be able to get loans, to be able to have inheritance rights and so on.

I am so pleased to welcome Krysta Harden, our Deputy Secretary of Agriculture, who is doing such a phenomenal job.

Our time in Africa strengthened my appreciation of our country's commitments to helping fight global hunger and food insecurity.

This program was providing children, and is still today, with their only meal of the day, and it sends a powerful message to Haitian families about our American values.

I want to applaud Senator Wyden and Senator Crapo for that because I do think when we are looking at mega fires...

This summer was yet, as we know, another record breaking wildfire season that resulted in more than nine million burned acres.

While there is not a singular solution that will fix this problem, there are several measures that we as policymakers can enact now.

This devastation is a stark reminder of the challenges we face when dealing with the issue of wildfires.

Fixing the Forest Service budget is of paramount importance and needs to be a top priority for this Congress.