I think colleagues know the 11 Western Senators said before we left for the August break that priority one for the West this September was to fix this broken system of fighting fire.

this year is the 200th anniversary of one of the wisest decisions Congress ever made. In 1815, Congress acquired the entirety of Thomas Jefferson's personal library to replace Congress's library, which was burnt by the British Army the…

I was down here on the floor last night talking about the need for actually getting some real progress to fix the mess that the wildfire budgeting system in our country has become. I noted there have been several proposals offered…

I want to thank the distinguished chairman from Utah. As Members will see from the views I am going to articulate, we have some strong differences about how the facts ought to be interpreted, but we worked very closely together to ensure…

I will be very brief. I thank my colleague from Arkansas for his patience. I know he has things he has to have done as well. ____________________

I wish to take a few minutes in my capacity as ranking Democrat on the Committee on Finance to talk about the upcoming 80th anniversary of a great moment in our country's history-- the creation of the Social Security Program on August 14…

I rise today to discuss an issue of great importance: helping vulnerable children stay safe and cared for by strengthening their families and connecting them to kin. I would like to begin with a hypothetical. Imagine a single mom with two…

so that all are clear with respect to where matters are with the cyber security legislation, a couple of days ago it was my fear that this bill would be brought up--it is a badly flawed bill--with no opportunity for Senators on either side…

The American people overwhelmingly disapprove of the Citizens United decision.

If there is no oversight of who receives 501(c)(4) status, then political spending will be hidden even deeper in the shadows.

This mistake was completely unacceptable and inexcusable, and there are reports that there was some lying afterward.

I believe the way the IRS handled the 501(c)(4) applications was an unmitigated disaster.

I urge you to do that and to work closely with us.

Our investigation found alarming bureaucratic dysfunction. Many applicants for tax-exempt status were treated badly and deserved much better service from their government.

I will be very brief. I understand there has already been an objection. I will speak later in the afternoon or early evening in some detail about why I have significant reservations with respect to this legislation. To say--as we heard…

I ask unanimous consent that that be entered into the record.

as the Senate prepares for the month of August in our home States, I want to discuss tonight what I believe to be an urgent issue: The West is on fire. There is a really serious prospect that my part of the country is going to get hit by…

I think it is very much in the public interest that the agency clarify the rules for Americans to follow in elections.

Not 200--two. That was unacceptable mismanagement.

Using, in effect, ham-fisted methods for screening applications that basically let them just pile up.

The Inspector General's audit that spurred our inquiry found zero evidence of targeting or political bias.

What we found on a bipartisan basis was alarming bureaucratic dysfunction.

The vast majority of Americans want disclosure in political spending.

Not one employee--not one--said there was any political bias.

The agency made unacceptable mistakes in its response to congressional inquiries.