Madam President, I rise to call up amendment No. 284, cosponsored by Senators Kerry and Rockefeller, which is at the desk and ask for its immediate consideration. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will report. The assistant…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the following staff of the Finance Committee be allowed on the Senate floor for the duration of the debate on H.R. 4: Andrew Fishburn and Eric Roberts. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without…

I hope integration will be part of your mission moving forward.

It is no exaggeration to say that crime and violence abetted by organized crime constitute central threats to democratic governance in Central America.

Not to do so I think is unconscionable, given the sacrifices that Colombia has made to produce real progress in this area.

Let me ask--and I'll open this to anyone on the panel--when does the citizen security threat become a national security threat?

The dimensions of the citizen security crisis in Central America cannot be understated.

One of my concerns is that we always think, for example, of Central America as a transit point, and now increasingly it seems to be a production point.

I would agree with that, also suggest that there be efforts to establish a political consensus around reinstating the assault weapons ban.

It is imperative that the United States and other traditional consumers like Western Europe reduce demand.

Part of our international assistance package should be encouraging and helping those countries to develop adequate programs at home.