I agree with my chairman that we should be here solving problems instead of throwing salt on old wounds because we have a great challenge ahead of us. There comes a time when we talk about all kinds of interests, but the national interest…

I rise in support of a measure that I introduce today, with the support of my colleague, Senator Wyden. We worked closely on the CAN SPAM bill together, and after four years of effort finally saw its successful passage last year. I am…

I thank the managers of this difficult bill for the hours and days of work that have gone into this bill. This legislation is the most difficult the Senate will deal with this year. It goes without saying that there are more moving parts…

Mr. Chairman, we have had this debate before. We had it in subcommittee, we had it in committee, and the same rhetoric is here on the floor today. The opposition and the Woolsey amendment would roll back time and take us back prior to 1998…

I want to say one thing, and that is that the general premise of this bill is in the right direction. The emphasis is on renewables and things we can do that are good for the environment and still produce energy. All this other chaff and…

I think if we look at this bill and we look at all aspects of the bill, it is a good bill. Never let the perfect get in the way of the good. This is a solid bill that needs to be passed in Congress. I think one of the components of the…

It is a historic time to be in Congress. We are at the brink of passing landmark legislation that is long overdue in our country. This week, just in a day or two or three, we are going to take up on this floor H.R. 1, the Medicare Reform…

That is a large swing. We are talking a 10 percent, 11 percent swing over the next 2 years.

we are quickly approaching a season known for giving thanks and goodwill. Next week is Thanksgiving. Far too often, we fail to recognize those who work year-round to improve the lives of the less fortunate. This Friday, the Golden Harvest…

this is a special day today. I just want to take note of it now. It is a special day, the birthday of someone Americans all know. He is one of our senior citizens who has his birthday today. When this animated character burst on the scene…

That is very important. Finally, I would just add that I hope NSF will make every effort to include the EPSCoR states in its new cyber infrastructure activities. NSF did a very fine job a few years ago in helping secure high-speed…

9 times out of 10, whenever we get in trouble in this body it is in dealing with definitions up front. That is our problem now. I know they are trying to work out some way over there to define certain parts of this, but there has to be…

Mr. President, if anyone in this body said the Government could invest $40 million and, in less than a year, generate commitments to invest or leverage $1.2 billion in job-creating, productivity-enhancing and life-improving infrastructure…

the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 added new a new provision of the Rural Electrification Act giving the Rural Utilities Service, (RUS), Administrator the authority to make loans ``to expand or improve 911 access and…

This provision gives the Administrator flexibility to use underutilized funds for this high priority purpose. As a member of the Agriculture Appropriations Committee, I will seek Conference report language to clarify that funding would be…

The Rural Utilities Service, through its talented staff of engineers, operations specialists can play an important role in ensuring that emergency responders can communicate in rural and remote areas. The Burns-Clinton provision in this…

The emergency communications amendment will help ensure that rural America does not fall on the wrong side of a public safety divide.

I join my colleagues in noting the magnitude and urgency of this issue. As chairman of the Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, which funds wildland firefighting, I know firsthand how disruptive this borrowing cycle can be on federal…

I thank Senator McCain, the chairman of the full Committee on Commerce, for his diligence and insight on this, and the ranking member, Senator Hollings. He laid out the facts. I will not rehash everything he said because his numbers are…

I might add, Senator Leahy and I serve as cochairs on the Internet caucus. We understand the ramifications of this new medium that has come upon us, its importance, and all it has to offer. Of course, getting rid of spam is one of those…

Yesterday the mental health community of southeast Georgia celebrated a victory. After the outgoing Human Resources commissioner proposed the closure of Georgia Regional Hospital in Savannah last month, the Georgia Board of Resources voted…

we just got back from Iraq last Saturday. I just want to share with you a couple of thoughts that I had while I was there and coming back because once you go and you look and you see and you feel what is going on in that country--I am…

If one visits Iraq--especially the neighborhoods, which are just like some of the neighborhoods across this country--one will see poverty that is rampant, as well as poor living conditions. These neighborhoods are no place that I know that…

That is the genius of our country, when we look at it. We have always lived for the next generation. Our mothers and fathers wanted us to be educated better than they were. I was raised on a small farm in the Midwest before I went to…

last week the Department of Commerce signed the sixth amendment to a memorandum of understanding between the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers, ICANN, and the Commerce Department. The first agreement was signed in 1998 to…