Byron Dorgan

It occurred to me as the Senator talked about refrigerators, the next time you go to eat at a Mexican restaurant, remember that Fig Newtons are now made in Mexico. Why? They used to be made in the United States. But Fig Newtons jobs have…

The central question that is asked by my colleague from Connecticut is this: Should tax dollars be used to send jobs overseas? I am going to have this followed up with another amendment asking, should we provide tax breaks to send jobs…

It is extraordinary that we would call up a unit and they are gone 17 months or in some cases close to 18 months from family, home, and job.

It seems to me that one of the major goals with respect to our security here in this country is the apprehension of Osama bin Laden.

I would prefer that we try to recognize we're ramping up to a different level and it's going to be continuing for some while.

So money for the costs of the prosecution of the war in Iraq, and also activities in Afghanistan, would have come from the regular Pentagon budget from October 1 until some subsequent date, when the Congress would pass another emergency…

Well, I would expect everyone on this committee would feel that we don't want to withhold $1 that is necessary for the safety of the troops that we've put in harm's way.

They make the case that this money, the billions of dollars, should be spent on other defensive systems, which are more urgent.

They say the Pentagon has waived the operational testing requirements essential to determine whether the highly complex system is effective and suitable.

I think there is a threat of nuclear weapons against this country.

I have received a letter that was sent around on this program from 49 generals and admirals who call for postponing missile defense.

I share some of the same concerns expressed by my colleague from California.

Will we look back and say we would have better used that $10 plus billion in another area?

Are we rushing to deploy a system that has not been adequately tested?

I hope that those men and women who serve under you understand the gratitude of this committee and that this country is grateful for their service.

I think that's a critically important weapons program for us to maintain air superiority long into the future.

I'm not altogether sure, having watched the Pentagon plan in the long term, that we know what's going to happen 5 and 10 years from now with respect to our needs.

I appreciate the work that the Secretary does, and General Jumper's, and the men and women of the Air Force.

I suspect that you are taking a look at what are the anticipated future costs here with respect to deployments.

I think you have indicated in your testimony we need to be judicious about how often we deploy them and how long we deploy them, because they are citizen-soldiers.

The marines recently engaged in a contract to buy sets of what is called LAST ceramic armor for HMMWV's in Iraq.

With due respect, and I have great affection for my colleague from Arizona, he has it wrong. Let me read from the fourth paragraph of Mr. Kay's testimony given to the Senate Armed Services Committee: ``Let me begin by saying we were almost…

It is resolved that the sense of the Senate is that the President should renegotiate provisions of the Central American Free Trade Agreement relating to access to the United States sugar markets so as to grant no greater access to the U.S…

I am pretty unimpressed with the plea to do that when we understand that next week we are going to find nearly 2 days taken in a carnival situation with judgeships, when we have approved 98 percent of the judges who have been sent to us by…

The southeast region of North Dakota is very unique. It has one of the largest concentrations of wetlands. As a result, most of the research that has been conducted on conservation cropping systems does not adapt well to this region. Crops…