Byron Dorgan

I certainly think it is a step in the right direction.

I do intend to offer an amendment following the amendment offered by Senator Kyl today. I might say that, while I support reform and have long supported reform of the estate tax, I do not support total repeal of the estate tax for reasons…

If I might further inquire, I admit certain changes have occurred that have made this bill better for lower and middle-income groups more recently. But my guess is the Senator from Montana is not saying repeal of the estate tax is not in…

The only point I make is, talking about this bill as progressive, by saying if you don't consider the estate tax, it is a progressive bill.

The reason I mentioned that everyone in the Senate supports this, no one stands up in the Senate these days and says: I think it is perfectly appropriate for us to have a penalty in the Tax Code for married couples. I don't know of anyone…

I have some heartburn with statements he has made about monopolies and antitrust and so on.

I just really feel strongly that we need a Federal Trade Commission and the Chairman of that commission who is wanting to be very active and aggressive on those issues.

If you remember a couple of years ago, they created a 13th month--sort of the same tactic, perhaps by the same people.

Further asking a question, that gross debt, the debt that is owed to the trust funds, the debt that is a debt that represents a liability by Government agencies, is that real debt or is that just a number someplace? We hear people saying…

I further ask the Senator, isn't it the case that at the start of this year we heard all of this talk about, ``this is a new day, a new approach; we are all going to work together, have a great deal of bipartisanship; we are not going to…

I thank Senator Conrad. What I would like to do at the beginning is to ask a few questions and see if I can get some information from Senator Conrad. It is interesting to me, we now have this budget agreement on the floor of the Senate. We…

Without using all of my time, let me further propound a question on the subject of debt. I have here the conference report, and it says the following with respect to (5), under title I, recommended levels and amounts: (5), public debt, the…

Is it the case if the Senator from New York does not get a vote and there is a cloture vote that prevails, the Senator from New York will not ever get a vote on his amendment?

I have not been involved in this discussion out here except to understand that today, yesterday, and Friday there was a great deal of complaining about this bill moving too slowly, it is not moving along, people are concerned and…

I received a letter from a man named John. I have not contacted him, so I will not use his last name. John, from Fargo, ND, wrote the following: Dear Senator Dorgan, I am in complete shock after receiving my natural gas bill yesterday. I…

The first reaction is, we ought to pay down the Federal debt. That ought to be part of the original priority. If you run up the debt during tough times, then you ought to pay it down during good times. Second, they feel very strongly that…

I believe we are blessed in this country. We have the strongest economy in the world and the longest economic expansion in this country's history. And this is not all accidental. Some say that had nothing to do with Government, it had to…

A bipartisan bill passed the House. The Senate did not pass a bipartisan bill. It was a shell of a bill. Things have changed in the Senate, so if we had another vote on it, we would prevail. One Senator is gone; a new one is here. We would…

If the Senator's contention is there was enough money in the budget this spring for domestic discretionary, why, then, are people on his side discussing the need to increase the budget caps, the spending caps?

I think it is deplorable, really, that networks, that use the public airwaves, and have some responsibility here with respect to the public good and public interest, have decided that Presidential debates are not important enough to…

I have a number of other letters from people whose stories are just as inspiring, about their lives and the changes in their lives as a result of being able to access the education opportunities at tribal colleges.

But I just come to the floor because I fear that what is preventing us from getting to where I want the Senate to get to, and that is to have a full debate, and good, strong open votes on the issues I care passionately about. We are…

I know that. It is one thing for me to be mystified; that is probably acceptable, but I am worried when the leader is mystified.

This H-1B visa bill is important to all of us. It is important to those on the Democratic side of the aisle as well. We recognize that our economy is experiencing substantial and sustained growth, unparalleled growth, and to keep that on…

We wanted to visit a bit about the issue of a prescription drug benefit for the Medicare program. Almost everyone in this country now understands that the price of prescription drugs is moving up very quickly. Last year, the price of…