Jeff Merkley

Now, this tax plan borrowed $1.5 trillion from our children, and then when the benefits flow out through these buybacks, only 3 percent goes to working America and $221 billion, as you say, goes to the richest Americans.

As I am standing here, I am in support of the proposal the Senator put forward, and I think every Member on this side of the aisle is. We are ready to open it up for 3 days, just as we were determined not to have a shutdown in the first…

They really want to see us reopen our community health centers and get those funded because they are so important.

I thank the Senator. I appreciate his speech and proposal. Certainly, so many of us are ready to vote right now, as we were before, to have a 3-day period in order to force intensive negotiations, because what we have seen, when the…

So the President, the House, and then the Republican leadership launched this plan to shut down the government. They succeeded. They rejected at least three times the Democratic effort to have a bipartisan proposal to keep the government…

So the whole reason we have a Trump shutdown right now-- as you pointed out, the President wanted it, but it is also because the majority leader, on behalf of the majority, also wanted to keep us shut down and refused to entertain the…

No matter how important it is to keep the government open, the majority refused to entertain any proposal toward that effect, even if it had bipartisan support.

So the citizens of the United States anticipate or expect that this body--once referred to as a great deliberative body-- would have a chance for different ideas to be put forward and different proposals to be considered. But that has not…

So, repeatedly, the majority that controls this Chamber and has locked up the amendment box--the opportunity for anyone to put forth any proposals--they have locked it up. We have asked unanimous consent to essentially unlock that and put…

And is this not essentially the same consent request that was put forward by our colleague from Montana, Senator Tester, just on Friday night?

I thank the Senator very much for laying out the history of some of the key elements of how we got here. If your unanimous consent request had been agreed to by the Republicans, we would have a vote to reopen the government; is that the…

It just seems like there is no real traction toward the vision laid out in 2254.

Eighteen months has long expired.

I understand that, earlier this year, the President directed a review of U.S. assistance to the Palestinian Authority.

The Government of Bangladesh is not trying to involuntarily return refugees involuntarily to Burma.

If confirmed, I will be a forceful advocate for unfettered humanitarian access throughout Burma.

Thank you, Senators, for the opportunity to come today.

There is lots of opportunity to grow commerce, to grow counterterrorism efforts.

Morocco is an incredibly important nation and fascinating nation with such a unique history.

I just feel compelled to note that on that particular case, it was not just that you were the head of the company.

So you would submit a detailed explanation of that for the committee?

Thank you, Mr. Tom. And I really look forward to the work you are going to do because this issue of food scarcity is affecting so many people.

I am not sure if this is the case that Somalia is the single worst case of deforestation in the last 3 decades, but it is one of the top.

You need to have fighting corruption. You need to have the government with the regional states working closely together to ensure that there is economic development, stability, fighting corruption, and working together.

It sounds like the policy of the U.S. is to not encourage or to discourage the Government of Bangladesh from proceeding with that effort?