David Thomas

a year ago we started the Iraqi freedom activity. I will talk a little bit about what has been accomplished this past year, to recognize all those who have done so much to have a successful operation there. We are moving toward…

let me say, first, I am pleased we are able to move forward. We are working on a bill that has to do with trade, one in which we are under the pressure from the WTO to get finished in a certain length of time or it is going to be very…

I express our Nation's deepest thanks and gratitude to a young man and his family from Meeteetse, WY. On February 5, 2004, SPC Billy Jess Watts was killed in the line of duty while preparing to deploy to Iraq to serve his country in the…

I join my partner from Wyoming in supporting what is one of most important bills we will have before us; that is, medical liability, the opportunity for us to do something about the cost of health care. As I go about town meetings in my…

Absolutely. We have heard a great deal from our transportation people before Christmas, wanting this. This was supposed to have been done in September, when the fiscal year began. They wanted to be in to make the contracts then so that…

I do rise to talk some more about the issue that is before us, the issue we have been talking about now for 10 days, and that, of course, is the highway transportation infrastructure bill that is now before us. I thank the chairman of the…

Well, of course, in order to have summer construction, it is necessary that now the Transportation Department be able to know what their funds are going to be, what their ability to contract will be, so that they can do it very soon, so…

I will discuss a subject other than what is before the Senate, but before I do that I am pleased we are moving forward with the highway bill. I am on both committees, the Environment and Public Works Committee, as well as the Finance…

I am glad this conversation is going on. Certainly there isn't anything before us that is more immediate in need and more important than this highway bill. Not only is it a matter of infrastructure, of course, that we necessarily need, but…

Mr. Speaker, I called up this bill for seniors and for taxpayers. This evening you are going to hear some very harsh rhetoric. But what I really want to do is remind everyone here that since Republicans became the majority in this House in…

I think we need to take a little time to talk about the purpose of this bill. All we have heard, frankly, is criticism. All we have heard is people being negative about the things that are there. The fact is, what we need in this Congress…

The fact is we do need an energy policy. We haven't had one for a very long time. It has been something we have been working on now for 3 years. The other side of the aisle was unable to get one for the last year, and we worked right up to…

Mr. Speaker, despite protestations to the contrary, this country has remained dependent on foreign energy sources, leaving our Nation vulnerable to rogue nations. Mr. Speaker, Americans have faced price spikes at the gas pump and high…

the FAA conference report before us this evening is critical because it provides funding for crucial safety, security and capacity projects at airports across the country. I strongly believe that all Senators should support this cloture…

I am convinced there needs to be a system in the Senate we can depend on and work with, that we can bring it to a vote and decide yes or no. There has to be that system. That is what this is all about. There seems to be a lot of talk, of…

we all rise to recognize this day. As we think about it, I suspect there is no other day of recognition that has as much bearing on the freedoms we enjoy as this day of recognizing veterans. It is so important that we take time to…

I rise to speak on country-of-origin myths versus facts. No. 1, Myth: U.S. consumers do not care about country-of-origin labeling. Facts: That is not what people in Wyoming and national surveys indicate. Consumers overwhelmingly support…

I just want to urge the Senate to pass this Healthy Forest legislation and invest more in preventing deadly wildfires. The latest thing we have seen, of course, is in California. That was not unexpected. These woods had insect infestation…

China is now a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The WTO is not a club that just anyone can join--a country must be deemed ready and economically mature. China's accession signifies that it is expected to meet the obligations…

In memory of the anniversary over the weekend of the death of our friend Paul Wellstone, I rise to reiterate my support for the mental health parity legislation on which he worked tirelessly. I am a proud original cosponsor of S. 486. The…

I have a couple of points I had intended to make. It was brought up before that this system, as it exists now, doesn't require savings. That is not the case. You don't grant a contract unless there are going to be savings. They talked…

the Senate has just adopted an amendment which approves congressional oversight of public-private. It is a good thing for us to do. We urge the Senate to oppose the Mikulski amendment because it attempts to amend the problem by going back…

This is a Thomas-Voinovich amendment. We worked on this together. I will cover a little bit about what it does. This is a reporting requirement addressing a number of the concerns various Senators have had about competitive sourcing. The…

I will take the remainder of our time to talk a little bit about jobs, an issue that has been highest on our agenda on this side of the aisle for a good long time, and continues to be. First, I have to react a little bit to some of the…

I had the honor to travel last week with the Senator to Iraq and to Afghanistan. Frankly, it was a very interesting meeting, one that makes us feel a little differently, being on the ground, than it is when we hear what we hear. I wish to…