I offer this amendment, and I will talk more about it later. But it is a limitation on the amount of acres that one landowner could put into CRP. The CRP is a well-intentioned program, but it has been changed. I guess it evolved. It has…

I am supportive of what the Senator from South Dakota is trying to do. I associate myself with the remarks made by my good friend from Wyoming. Unless we deal with contracts, this matters not because, in other words, they will just…

I look upon the support we give American agriculture, no matter what segment, as an insurance policy. The figure was that the sugar program costs the American taxpayers some $460 million a year, something like that. That is in the…

The subject of the letter is whether the federal government can save even more money than it has been saving with the use of the Smart Pay Card program. This matter was brought to the attention of Senator Baucus and myself by Michael B…

I challenge my colleagues and Americans by asking why just a few can deny a State such as Alaska its ability to develop and market its own natural resources, not only for the good of the economy of Alaska but also at a time when this…

I have heard several comments this morning with regard to energy, yet I am still in a fog about why we are even discussing this legislation. Americans should know that September 11 not only changed the entire Nation but it also changed the…

we are in the closing weeks of the 1st session of the 107th Congress. We are in a defined recession and at war, and we seem to be talking about everything except those two items, and we are not doing anything about them. As we talk about…

Today I recognize the Civil Air Patrol as they celebrate their 60th anniversary this year. I rise to commend the many men and women serving in our armed forces. These brave souls are stationed around the world and on the front lines…

I will pledge to my colleagues in this Senate and also to the flying public that I will do everything I can to make it work because we have spoken. If we really wanted to maximize security at airport facilities across the Nation, we took a…

some time has passed since the tragic events that took place in New York, Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania. Nevertheless, I want to reflect upon the events of that day and draw attention to the tremendous good that has evolved in the face…

multiple, confusing and inconsistent State tax rules impose an incredible burden on interstate commerce and the economy, and therefore it is imperative that the Senate move quickly to extend the moratorium on Internet access taxes and to…

There are some of us who did not and will not sign the conference report. I will make my statement this evening, but we have not seen the bill and will not see it until the morning. I think it is asking a little bit of those of us who have…

We know there are areas of responsibility. Who best can have access and be a model for us, without expending a lot of money or building a new bureaucracy? We know we have to have passenger lists and we need intelligence. Who best to do…

I ask the Senator, we passed the airport security law in this body and we changed the authority--moving the authority from the Department of Transportation to the Department of Justice. That was my amendment. I contended at that time that…

Section 316 of the Senate bill that was included in the conference agreement with a slight modification says as to prohibition of oil and gas drilling in the Finger Lakes National Forest of New York: no Federal permit or lease shall be…

I join my friend from West Virginia in asking the Senate to support the Interior and related agencies conference report. This has been sort of a labor of love. It has been 3 months of putting this piece of legislation together and many…

The events of September 11 changed a lot of things--where we place emphasis and how we do business in this town. We are changing who is directly responsible and directly accountable for airport security. When I first looked at the…

I want to say to all those folks who would be critical, this does not make it mandatory for a weapon to be on the flight deck. This says they are able to take one if they are comfortable with one. I point to American Airlines Flight 11…

we have been talking about aviation security. While the chairman of the Commerce Committee is still in the Chamber, I want to get a few things straight. The amendment that is hanging out there for this piece of legislation has nothing to…

I thank the Senator for his time and appreciate that we quit monkeying around and that we get it done. But in those areas that really concern us about airport security, we are pretty close. We can agree on that. So I think we ought to keep…

I cannot find the words I want for Mike Mansfield--their meaning--and put them together like our good friend from West Virginia. He knew Michael almost as long as I did. But Mike has moved on. His work here on Earth is done. His legacy…

I was going to stay out of this, but the Senator is correct; nothing will stimulate travel more than a strong sense of security. It has to be visible. People have to see the measures that are being taken to make it viable and to give them…

I thank my good friend from Wyoming. When we examine this issue, we find several approaches we have to take a look at. We do want to move forward on it because there is a sense of urgency, if not in this body, in America. Last weekend when…

How loaded was that? I think there are still disagreements among leadership. I could not do that personally. If it were in my power--which it is not--I am a soldier around here and everybody in the world is smarter than I am--I am ready to…

ironically, on September 11 of this year, I was involved in a press conference looking at a report card to Congress on the deployment of E-911, the national emergency number. Last year, we passed that bill and the President signed it, with…