Frank Lautenberg

I agree, Mr. President. The I-70 interchange in Frederick, MD, is the type of project that is worthy of funding under the 4-R Program.

I am pleased also, Mr. President, to support this project. And I have reviewed the plans several times over these last couple of years. It increases the ability of that port to function and to expedite the movement of freight from the port…

We like it in the summer and we like it in the winter. We want to help the State of Rhode Island, the important State that it is despite its tiny size. My State is only a wisp larger, and we have about eight times the number of people. But…

it is with a sad and heavy heart that I rise to pay tribute to a great American and New Jerseyan, Justice William J. Brennan, Jr., who passed away yesterday at age 91. The thoughts and prayers of all the people of our State and country are…

today I am introducing the Worldwide Tobacco Disclosure Act of 1997. I am joined by Senators Wyden, Durbin, and Harkin. Our bill will address a loophole in current law that enables packages of cigarettes to be exported from this country…

the VA-HUD and Independent Agencies appropriations bill presents an all too common dilemma--inadequate funds and very deserving programs--and the choices we must make are very difficult indeed. I appreciate the difficult job the chairman…

This amendment would withhold 5 percent of funds made available in this bill to any country that the President determines violates United Nations sanctions against Libya. The amendment exempts development assistance and humanitarian…

50 years ago this week, a young 22- year-old rookie named Larry Doby took the baseball field for the first time as a Cleveland Indian. Although Larry did not make a hit during that first at bat, he did something more: he made history. On…

I oppose the Gramm amendment. The amendment would radically change current budget rules by allowing temporary, unspecified cuts in discretionary programs to pay for permanent tax cuts. That would violate the bipartisan budget agreement and…

I rise to join with my friend and colleague, Senator Bob Torricelli, in introducing a bill to name a U.S. post office in my hometown of Paterson, NJ after a true American hero, Larry Eugene Doby. Mr. President, 1997 marks the 50th…

this amendment says that if revenues exceed current projections, all the savings can only be plowed into more tax breaks; if you have a surplus, back into the tax breaks, not defense, not education, only more tax breaks. Even if the…

this amendment is a fast-track ticket to deep cuts in Medicare and Medicaid. It would essentially create a cap for these and other essential mandatory programs like the Medicare and Medicaid. Mr. President, we ought not punish the people…

I rise to oppose the Craig amendment. The amendment would change the pay-go system and mean that we could not provide for health insurance to children by closing unnecessary tax loopholes. You heard it from the Senator directly. This is…

I join with Senator Domenici in offering the amendment. It implements a provision in the bipartisan budget agreement that relates to the budget process. Without the support that comes from this, I think the work that had been done would be…

the Kyl amendment would allow something that is similar to balanced billing. It is, frankly, quite controversial. It does not belong, in my view, on a fast-track reconciliation bill. I hope we will oppose the amendment. Mr. President, it…

It is so easy, so easy to stand here at $135,000 a year with all kinds of benefits and everything and say, 'I am willing to sacrifice.' Go down to the factory and talk to somebody who is hanging on to his job by his fingernails, ask the…

Not aware. I cannot even believe it would be suggested, because that is such a dereliction of duty that I think everybody would be embarrassed if something like this took place. What do you mean? That a Secretary has no right to review the…

I want to commend our friend and colleague from North Dakota for being aware of what is potentially taking place here. Mr. President, this is a small example of the kind of document that you might have that has all kinds of bad goodies in…

Never, not even in the years that I spent in the private sector, and I ran a pretty good-sized company with 16,000 employees when I left. It did better after I left. It now has 30,000 employees. Never have I seen it. Never, when one works…

This amendment, as we have heard, just to repeat for a moment, has three major elements. It includes $1.5 billion to protect low-income individuals with incomes that are up to 120 percent of poverty from having to pay additional premiums…

I say thank God that the Senator from North Dakota has brought this to the attention of the Senate and to the public. My friend has done a real service in doing this. The notion that an individual working for a private living, perhaps…

Mr. President, the reconciliation bill establishes a new program known as Medicare Choice, which will give Medicare beneficiaries more options for the type of health care that they will receive in the program. Seniors will be able to…

If I may ask the Senator a question, this isn't, I take it, your idea of a particularly good way to make reforms in something as complicated as Medicare, and I could not agree with you more. This is fast-track legislation, which means--for…

The one thing that I found most disturbing about the proposals that have come in the reconciliation is the fact that suddenly we are in to a whole new area having very little to do with the mission that we have set out for us, to get a…

Yes, that is true. That was designed originally to pay, through Medicaid, for those who were up to 150 percent of poverty, any increase in premium that might occur.