I have come to the floor many times to speak out about the Castro regime's abuses of the Cuban people. Today, I come to the floor once again, this time in strong opposition to any attempt in this Chamber to pass any bill that in any way…

I certainly will not vote for any more money unless I have a clear sense that we are headed in the right direction or that we are meeting goals and our resources are being well spent.

But, if we're not all on the same page, it certainly doesn't create confidence in those of us who are asked to cast votes here for a continuing engagement.

I want to rise in support of what my distinguished colleague from New Hampshire is trying to accomplish here, which is simply to give the oilspill commission the subpoena power it needs to be able to do its job--to bring those individuals…

I want to take this opportunity to commend Chairman Dodd on S. 1619, the Livable Communities Act.

We look forward to working with you to pass this bill this year.

That should seem an enormous attraction to anyone if they are just doing the math.

Have you been able to quantify a difference in people's lives as a result of it?

I want to commend you, as well as Senators Whitehouse and Schumer, for your support for energy efficiency and green building.

The spread of green housing is not only imperative from an environmental standpoint, it can also produce real cost savings.

I believe that any strategy to address these challenges has to involve the buildings where we live.

It is good for our planet. It is good for homeowners. It can be good for our economy as well as our environment.