thanks to Senators Dodd, Baucus, Shelby and Grassley and their staffs, we have had some good bipartisan work on this housing bill. This bill will help communities, homeowners, and the homebuilding industry. This bill is not a silver…

I would say that on the amendments filed--I think there are about 9 or 10 pending amendments--all but one are not germane. The one that is germane, I believe, is Senator Snowe's amendment. It is my understanding that Senator Murray may…

this is an important week not only because we are going to finish the housing bill this week but also because General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker will testify. There are a number of questions they must be asked by Members of the…

I appreciate my friend, the Republican leader, coming to the floor and objecting to this rather than having someone do it. He gave his explanation, and I appreciate that. It would have been easy for anyone on the other side to object, and…

I want the Record to be spread with the fact that this is a fine legislator, a good human being. The people of Illinois are so fortunate to have this man who cares so much about people. In front of all of my colleagues, Democrats and…

the Senate is evenly divided: 51 Democrats, 49 Republicans. Is the bill that is going to be the subject matter of the housing debate perfect? It is not perfect. But with the Senate as evenly divided as it is, we have to work on a…

we are in a situation that is hard for me to comprehend, but that is where we are. We have an amendment pending, the Durbin amendment, and we cannot get a vote. That is unfortunate. We have been told by the minority they want a 60-vote…

the U.S. Army will soon say farewell to one of its most honorable officers, COL Michael P. Barbero. The colonel will retire after 26 years of service to the Army and to the Nation. For the last 5 years, I have come to know him as Chief of…

the smoke is housing crisis foreclosures. The fire is the general economy because the housing crisis has caused the economy to be in a state of distress. The chairman of the Banking Committee, Senator Dodd, made such an outstanding…

the first indication we have to move forward and have a productive work period is to see if we can do something to help the beleaguered people who are losing their homes as we speak. We have the opportunity to do that tomorrow. For those…

To say that the Bush-Cheney spin machine lacks credibility is an understatement as it relates to the war in Iraq. Last week, the President marked the beginning of the sixth year of this war by delivering more of the same disconnected…

76 years ago, Franklin Roosevelt, who was then the Governor of New York, was engaged in a fierce Presidential campaign. The country was reeling from the stock market crash of 1929. Consumer confidence in banks had plummeted. The Great…

I rise today in appreciation of the life and lasting legacy of civil rights activist and labor leader, Cesar Chavez. Cesar Chavez came from humble beginnings, born on March 31, 1927, in a small farm outside of Yuma, AZ. Through his…

I would say to everyone, there is no one trying to take advantage of anyone. If there is a problem we will be happy to work with you. This is a finite list. If there is some misunderstanding, we have two of the most generous, patient men I…

I had the good fortune to serve in the Senate with one of the real characters of this Senate, Howard Metzenbaum. A smile has to cross my lips when we talk about Howard Metzenbaum because he was someone who really was a Senator. He had read…

OK, we need a vote. Listen, I am happy to vote. But I sure hope we can work to change the rules, Mr. President, next go-around. But we have not changed them yet. We keep talking about it. So, anyway, the one thing that brought a little bit…

just to show that we are trying to work with the President's Chief of Staff, as I indicated earlier, we put this in. Even though it wasn't part of the original agreement I had with Mr. Bolten, we added Doug Shuma, Commissioner of the…

everyone has expressed appreciation to a lot of people, but the people in front of the Presiding Officer have been here all day, all night, and now it is morning time. They get very little recognition or attention, but on behalf of the…

Whereas the United States is heavily dependent on foreign sources of oil that are concentrated in tumultuous countries and regions; Whereas the national security and economic prosperity of the United States demand that the United States…

I have spent a lot of time today with the President's Chief of Staff, Josh Bolten. I have said before, he is a very pleasant man. We worked for a long time today trying to work ourselves through the nominations. I think we made great…

there has been progress made on a farm bill. We can't leave here without doing a farm bill. I think it is something we need to do. We worked hard. We have agreed on how much money it is going to take. I had a meeting yesterday with Senator…

the Democratic budget is about three things: jobs, jobs, jobs. It is about green-collar jobs, jobs rebuilding America, jobs relating to education and job training. The one thing my friends on the other side of the aisle never talk about is…

I had the good fortune to meet earlier today with the head of the Peace Corps. His name is Ron Tschetter--a wonderful man who was approved overwhelmingly not that long ago by the full Senate. The Peace Corps is one of the programs that is…

let me say a few words about a number of issues today. I think we have had a productive week. I did wish to say a few words about the FISA bill--the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Both the House and the Senate have passed bills to…

every morning when I get up, I go out and do my exercise. It takes about an hour. I usually listen to public radio. I am anxious to hear the news in the morning to see what has happened. This morning, hearing the morning news was very…