it was 10 years ago that we all got together and passed a bill to help women, when they go back to work, to be able to pump breast milk at work. We have 80 percent of women who are having babies today striving to breastfeed. Half of the…

a huge thanks to my colleague from Alaska, Senator Murkowski, who has partnered with me in this effort. We have worked through the flexibility needed in every setting, and I must say the railroads weren't the folks who came to us and said…

The Chinese Communist Party is intent upon committing cultural genocide. This must end.

Increasingly, this oppression threatens the religious, cultural, linguistic, and historical identity of the Tibetan people.

So, a very complicated process, subject to court challenges. We have been at this since 1989, and EPA has failed us now for 3+ decades.

Thank you very much. With your permission, we will submit the entire testimony for the record.

The threat posed by asbestos affects all Americans the same. It doesn't matter what party they belong to, and the solution should likewise protect all Americans.

In closing, given what we know today, asbestos is public enemy No. 1 and must be banned now.

Good. I will just note that as Mr. Simon testified, now two-thirds of the production is done by the new cell membrane.

Any expert will convey that there is no level of exposure to asbestos that is safe for the human body.

like millions of my fellow Americans, I contracted COVID-19 from a close contact. Fortunately, because I am vaccinated and boosted, my symptoms were mostly mild. However, as a growing number have also experienced, after taking Paxlovid and…

It is way past time that America joined the other developed nations and end the importation and use of asbestos in manufactured products.

So in a situation like 9/11, when there was legacy asbestos from the building materials in the air, could fire fighters have breathed in hundreds or thousands of fibers in a short period of time?

Thank you, Chairman Merkley, for supporting the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act, which is rooted in medical evidence that establishes causation between asbestos and cancer.

I believe it is far past time that we follow the lead of the rest of the developed world and protect our citizens from this deadly toxic substance.

So my point is that we know that we have a commodity in this marketplace that is produced at a market price effectively.

No. They took over two-thirds of the industry.

For generations, we have known the harmful and lethal effects of asbestos and the grave threat it poses to public health.

I will note that the process is new. It is relatively untested. It has all sorts of new complexities.

Here in the United States, however, we have failed to do the same.

And the way to look at it holistically is to say let's quit importing it, like 60+ major developed nations have done.

As I started to have folks educate me about this, what I had not realized until I was involved in this bill...

I know that you have been immersed in this issue for a long time.

But those companies that transitioned, did they go out of business because of these higher costs you are referring to?

I remain concerned about increasing access to income-driven repayment (IDR) plans.