from 1997 to 2000, I served as ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee alongside Chairman Domenici, and I am proud to say that by the end of my tenure, the Federal Government had a budget surplus of $236.4 billion. Today we face a…
Frank Lautenberg
The Public Record
Frank Lautenberg was a prominent American businessman and politician who served as a United States Senator from New Jersey. A member of the Democratic Party, Lautenberg held office from 1982 to 2001 and again from 2003 until his death in 2013. He was known for his advocacy on issues related to transportation, public health, and environmental protection. Lautenberg played a key role in the passage of legislation aimed at improving safety standards in transportation and addressing public health concerns, including efforts to reduce smoking and improve air quality.
I rise to introduce the Gun Show Background Check Act of 2008. I am proud to be joined by lead cosponsor Senator Jack Reed from Rhode Island, as well as Senators Feinstein, Kennedy, Menendez, Kerry, Schumer, Whitehouse, Inouye, Levin, and…
I rise to applaud the chairman and ranking members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senators Levin and McCain, respectively, on passage of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2008. Specifically, I would like to…
I rise to discuss one provision of the fiscal year 2008 Omnibus appropriations bill which is of great importance to the security of our nation, and of particular importance to my State of New Jersey. That is Section 534, which will…
everybody knows the Senator from Oklahoma is meticulous in terms of his anxiousness to reduce the costs of Government in any way we can. That certainly is what is being attempted in this bill that Senator Lott and I have introduced. The…
Knowing the situation that we run into with the airlines where the people are stuck for hours at a time, is it a good idea to eliminate--as the Senator suggested, we are happy that we eliminated pretzels on the airlines. Is that a good…
the Senate is now back on the Amtrak bill that Senator Lott and I have been working on together for many years. I am glad we are moving closer to passing this bipartisan legislation. Our bill has had wide support with over 40 cosponsors…
I wanted to ask the Senator if he was aware that we differ on the amount of subsidy that goes into rail service food costs. It is only $80 million as we see it. How would a rejection of all loss for food eliminate all subsidies, when, in…
I think the amendment that has been offered by Senator DeMint is not one of those amendments we would accept--the notion that each ticket a passenger carries should identify the amount of subsidy that goes into that passenger's ride. I…
My amendment requests full disclosure of the costs of subsidies for each ticket. This would allow passengers and all Americans to know that when they buy a ticket, how much tax dollars go in, in addition to what they pay, to subsidize the…
If we keep that focus in mind, I think we can help our country achieve some of the goals that we need to examine. Look at the conditions that have overtaken America--I will use that word--and look back at the population. In 1970--1971…
I must say how satisfying it is that the Senate has done what America has asked us to do. I can't tell you how involved personally I have been in this for many years. Since my relatively early days in the Senate, going back decades, I have…
Getting legislation passed by this body takes a lot of work, and these folks are to be commended. Everyone knows our highways are jammed. We don't have to tell them that from here. All they have to think about is what time they get out of…
I will summarize very quickly to say that on these long rides, a person may be diabetic, may need food. It is part of what rail transportation offers, and it attracts more passengers to know that they can be comfortable and still have some…
Today is our third day on the bill. Yesterday we made very good progress. We were able to work through a number of amendments, some of which we were able to agree to and some of which we disposed of with votes. Now, this morning, cloture…
I don't think there is a city or a town in this country, a highway that doesn't experience incredible pressure from its expanded use; will the Senator agree?
That was the interpretation. The Senator said there wasn't rail service available in lots of places. I take the positive side of that statement and say let's get on with our task of providing service. While I appreciate the Senator's…
The amendment would open to privatization all of Amtrak's long-distance and corridor train routes and give Federal funding to private companies to do what Amtrak does with no additional contract oversight. We saw something with the British…
for those who served with him, the death of Paul Wellstone 5 years ago was such a shock because not only did Paul represent intellect and vigor, he also, because of his enthusiasm and high energy level, represented a youthful picture. He…
But the State of New Hampshire is also one of the beneficiaries of something called Essential Air Service, where the country takes great pains to make certain that communities are not so isolated that you have difficulty in traveling from…
we ought to crawl before we walk, to use the old adage. We have to learn it firsthand without putting the whole thing at risk.
the obvious obstinacy at getting this on the floor seems to ignore the fact that you almost can't get anyplace from here or there without enormous delays, without enormous congestion, and with pollution problems, et cetera. Is it…
Another 2 months have passed, and more American troops lost their lives overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is only right that we take a few moments in the U.S. Senate to honor them. Outside my office here in Washington, we have a tribute…
once again, it is obvious to all that Senator Lott understands what we have to do to get things done around here, and that it can't be all one way because each of us does represent a different State. We are brought here to bring in the…
I want to respond to what my friend from Mississippi has said. We have worked together in the past and we have gotten things done in the past. We know that Amtrak finally has come into its place. We have a lot of work yet to do when you…





