Bob Menendez

I think they are the unsung heroes of national security and national interest promotion for our country.

I do not see any real effort to have the Foreign Service reflect the face of America.

It has a national security imperative

Projects like this are critical for our mobility, our economic strength, particularly in our region, our security, and our safety.

Program reforms are not going to fix our transit systems alone if we are not willing to make the necessary investments

I am glad to hear that. I know that you will have to run after me on that part, so I look forward to working with you on that issue.

Well, I agree you need the right standards. But even when we have had standards that some of us might agree to, we have not had the enforcement mechanisms that actually pursue it.

I think we all have the same goal in mind, and that is jobs for our families and markets for our businesses that together build a stronger American economy.

I think a barrier to trade is also the inability to enforce the provisions of our trade agreements, which I think have sadly not gone in the direction that I would like to see.

For me, trade bills have been about protecting and providing opportunities for my State's workers and our businesses, in a world where competition is not always fair and it is not always open.

While many of us do not know yet how we will judge the final Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, I am sure you know that one of my priorities remains that we reach 12 years of data protection for biologics within TPP, as currently…

I hope that today's last-minute hearing is not a sign that TPA will be forced through this committee without the open, broadly germane opportunity to first consider the bill.

If we agree that trade is an issue with major domestic and geo-strategic implications for the United States, then we should at the very least have another hearing after reading a TPA bill, which presently is not before the committee.

I am concerned that we are rushing too quickly to fast-track trade agreements that will have major economic consequences.

At the same time, it can be tempting to blame regulation for broader market challenges or to use unrelated problems as a pretext for rolling back consumer or financial stability protections.

What is happening in food aid in our Nation, for a few special interests that benefit only marginally, is a national disgrace--a national disgrace.

Democratic U.S. Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey pleaded not guilty today in federal court.

I'm angry and ready to fight.

To me, that is not theoretical. It just makes common sense.

As we saw in the financial crisis, risk can build anywhere in the financial system regardless of the types of entities involved or the jurisdictional boundaries of regulators.

As the Committee considers proposals to change financial stability measures, it is important, in my view, to distinguish between those that are aimed to reduce costs or prevent unintended consequences, which I would be inclined to support…

I recognize, as someone who sat here during that whole period of time and was part of the Wall Street reform legislation, that no legislation is perfect, and the Wall Street Reform Act is no exception.

We should be open to calibration, however, in both directions, areas where protections may need to be strengthened and areas where the law may need careful tailoring to reduce costs of compliance and unintended consequences.

I hope we can strike the right balance between reducing compliance costs without undermining regulatory objectives.

As many have noted, identity theft and tax schemes are some of the fastest-growing crimes in the United States.