Richard Burr: “I thank the Chair, and I thank my good friend and colleague from Maryland, Senator Mikulski. In the Senate, for those of…”

“I thank the Chair, and I thank my good friend and colleague from Maryland, Senator Mikulski. In the Senate, for those of us who have been around for a while, we understand how it works. I am not sure the media does justice to the American people in terms of how difficult it is for legislation to actually pass the Senate. As a matter of fact, the historical threshold of 67 and then 60 in agreement means that if a Senator is a serious legislator and their interest is to work on good policy--not perfect; I think Senator Alexander said we have never seen a perfect bill--then the first thought that goes through a Senator's mind as they work on a legislative agenda is, who on the other side of the aisle can I look to whom this would be appealing to from the standpoint of their interests and, No. 2, an individual who understands how to get through difficult times? I am here to say to my colleagues that Barbara Mikulski is a Senator who fills that category not just as it pertains to this legislation but as it pertains to so much because of her great depth of knowledge and, more importantly, her tenacity and her willingness to tell people no and to pursue what is right. Because at the end of the day--I think I can speak for both of us--this is not about headlines; this is about looking at a generation of kids who will be benefited by reforms to a reauthorization that hasn't happened since 1996. Historically on this issue, George H.W.…”