today I am introducing the Wildlife Conservation and Anti-Trafficking Act which will work to protect threatened or endangered species, reduce human rights violations, and limit the illegal operations of international criminal…

this November, my hometown of Portland marks a somber occasion: the 30th anniversary of the murder of Mulugeta Seraw, a 28-year-old Ethiopian college student, by racist skinheads. This horrific case galvanized the city, as well as the…

I want to take a few minutes to honor the 65th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice Agreement, which brought the active hostilities of the Korean war to an end. Americans don't talk much about the Korean war today. As a result, too many…

I rise today to comment on the confirmation of three nominees to the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, often called the PCLOB. The PCLOB is a vital oversight mechanism, empowered by Congress to investigate and write public…

while it is perhaps not in line with official and genuine Senate protocol, I also want to use this opportunity to congratulate my good friend in the Chair on the wonderful events of last weekend for his family. Mr. President, I have come…

the deeply misguided vote to move forward on Brett Kavanaugh's nomination has taken the Senate a step closer to a moment that will cause enormous pain for millions of Americans, particularly women and survivors of assault. Some may say…

through the Wilderness Act of 1965, Congress reserves the authority to designate as Wilderness Areas certain Federal lands with remarkable natural and ecological values. Over the last 53 years, the Wilderness Act has been referred to as…

the Senate has just cleared the most sweeping package of bills to address the opioid epidemic to date. These fresh policies will make a difference on the ground. In my view, there are promising ideas dealing with some key important…

today the Senate passed a preconferenced Federal Aviation Authority bill without amendment offered or accepted by myself or my colleagues. I voted against this bill primarily for three reasons. First, this FAA reauthorization does not…

when it comes to Medicaid, there is no question the program is front and center in the fight against the opioid epidemic. Medicaid is the single largest payer of substance use disorder services in the Nation, paying for a third of all…

I believe something like privatization should be left for the Treasury Department and for the legislative branch.

For my part, Mr. Saul, if confirmed this year, I will support taking up the second nomination without delay in the next Congress.

Middle-class paychecks aren't keeping up with rising living expenses and health-care costs.

There was a line of people that stretched around the building.

I understand that the chairman feels strongly about this issue, but, respectfully, I do not share his view.

There have been regular meetings with those folks.

In my view, the Social Security Administration faces three key challenges: improving the disability adjudication process, including reducing wait times and appeals backlogs; modernizing the IT infrastructure; and increasing executive and…

On my watch, we are not going to lose these critical opportunities for serving our constituents.

For many years, I and other members of the Finance Committee have relied on accurate data from SSA to understand the agency's needs.

It's responsible for administering benefits to over 69 million seniors, people with disabilities, and other Americans.

I am comfortable with the data that was provided to support the proposition that SSA's core operating budget has shrunk by 10 percent since 2010 after adjusting for inflation.

I take this very seriously.

cuts to Social Security are the exact opposite of what is needed now.

I am going to go to the mat to prevent harmful attacks on Social Security.

There is nothing more important than the personal contact in these 1,200-plus offices spread throughout our Nation.