The objection is to a unanimous consent request that says there would be a vote on what you are proposing, but no one on this side of the aisle would be allowed to present alternatives for a vote. It is not a case of Democrats objecting to…
Byron Dorgan
The Public Record
Byron Dorgan is a former United States Senator from North Dakota, serving from 1992 to 2011 as a member of the Democratic Party. He was born on May 14, 1942. During his tenure in the Senate, Dorgan was known for his advocacy on issues such as agriculture, energy, and Native American rights. He played a significant role in promoting policies aimed at supporting rural communities and addressing the needs of tribal nations. Dorgan also served as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, where he focused on improving the lives of Native Americans and addressing their concerns in federal policy.
The question that is required to be asked now is, When we impose sanctions around the world, for various purposes, many of them important purposes that deal with national security and other issues, should those sanctions include the…
I do think that family farmers out there, are struggling these days against the odds and circumstances where they cannot control their own destinies at all. It is not their fault they have been devastated by crop disease. That is not their…
I am a member of the Subcommittee on Energy and Water, and I support this piece of legislation. I think Senator Domenici and Senator Reid have done a wonderful job. I want to mention a couple of things in this bill just for purposes of…
There are two lessons that we are learning here today: First, money talks; second, the tobacco companies have money and kids don't. We have heard people say this is an issue of taxing and spending. Of course it isn't. They are trying to…
If we don't finish this product now, if we don't get a tobacco bill completed in the Senate, in my judgment, we probably will never get it done. We have come a long, long ways. We are, I think, close. I don't think there is any question…
I do not think the question here is about the particular issues the Senator proposes to bring to the floor. In fact, most of them will have rather wide support. The question deals with the conditions under which they will be brought to the…
I would like to simply say that the Congressional Budget Office does us no service when it gives us half the story. The Congressional Budget Office is a fine organization, and I mean no disrespect to the work of CBO or the people who do…
I venture to say most Members of the Senate are not very familiar with this issue because the bill was brought to the floor and a mechanism to pay-for--it is brought to the floor this morning; I guess it was disclosed yesterday. As I…
I would hope that Senator Lott, the majority leader, would understand that when the Senate Commerce Committee marks up a piece of legislation and passes it with only one dissenting vote, a piece of legislation that is embraced by…
In reading this letter, I am reminded of the reasons why it is so important that our nation provide a national agricultural policy framework that not only fosters a family farm system of agriculture, but purposefully sets out to undergird…
I understand that those who put this prohibition in the budget agreement said, ``But there are areas in the budget and other areas that expend money for these programs, so these programs are not being shorted.'' Can the Senator describe…
The provision in the budget prohibits the use of any of the funds from the tobacco settlement for the range of programs, such as the program for smoking cessation, for education, to try to prevent teens from beginning smoking; is it the…
Drunk driving is killing a disproportionate number of young adults and youth in this country. In 1995, over 25,000 children under the age of 21 were injured because of drinking and driving. In 1995, while 30 percent of the driving…
In my judgment, this is very counterproductive. Some in this Chamber want to dig their heels in and say, ``Notwithstanding what the majority wants to do in this Chamber, we intend to block campaign finance reform.'' You can block the right…
I come today to the floor of the Senate saying, let us start now, let us move to the highway reauthorization bill and decide to take action as quickly as possible for the benefit of this country.
The reason I come back to the 1993 vote is that it was so controversial and so difficult for so many people. There were people here who said, ``If you do this, if you pass this bill that makes a fundamental change in fiscal policy, you are…
I understand the comments of the Senator from Mississippi. I really share his desire to move on this early next year. I think the committee has done an exceptional job. I like the highway bill they brought to the floor, the 6-year bill. If…
The one about, you know: An economist is one who can describe with all great details the workings of the world but can't remember his phone number. An economist is someone who looks at something that works in practice and wonders whether…
It is an amendment that deals with the trade deficit. It would establish an emergency commission to end the trade deficit, a commission that would be comprised of 21 members to study and analyze and evaluate the trade deficit and, over 16…
I held up the Washington Post and I cited the discussion on the floor of the Senate. The Senator from Maryland now comes to us and says, ``You know, we've got these huge deficits,'' and all these other folks say, ``Gee, we're moving in the…
This is a country that has a huge surplus with us. Instead of buying what they need that we produce here in this country with American jobs, they have been saying, ``Well, we'd like you to consider manufacturing that in China.'' That is…
On the question of Chinese airplanes--which is an interesting departure point--the Chinese are going to need 2,000 airplanes. They bought a few from us, but the fact is they have been buying from Europe as well, even as their trade surplus…
Let me say, the Senator from Texas, Senator Gramm, as always, makes an interesting and a challenging presentation. He is a very capable Member of the Senate. I will say, I listened with great interest. One of the areas I think where we…
It seems to me that if there has not been a single participant in this program--which was intended as a way to relieve the regulatory burden on those companies that have demonstrated a good safety record--then something is amiss with this…





