Arlen Specter

With the Memorial Day Recess and the cancellation of my west coast fundraising trip due to my recurrence of Hodgkin's, there was time to review and reflect on the issues and comments on the New England Patriots' videotaping and to prepare…

It is my hope that we will reconcile all these interests and move ahead, but I think it is very important that we not search for a goal we cannot attain and end up doing nothing. We know the maxim that the perfect is the destroyer of the…

I sought this time to talk very briefly about the Bingaman-Specter bill which is aimed at solving the problem of global warming but is somewhat more moderate than the Warner-Lieberman bill. I have long been concerned about the problem of…

If the Judiciary Committee did report out the Durbin amendment favorably, and my amendment on a second degree was defeated along party lines, it is true there is primary jurisdiction in the Judiciary Committee. But when this matter comes…

When we have foreclosures across the country on variable rate mortgages and no action is being taken to deal with them--let me ask the Senator from Connecticut: If we consider the action which has been taken by the Fed on Bear Stearns and…

Metaphors are meant to be extreme. We cannot quantify a crumb as opposed to a loaf of bread. But no one would say this is half a loaf. The criticism of this bill has largely come from the chairman of the committee who has said it does not…

I do that to avoid having a principle established where lenders in the future will be unwilling to loan money for mortgages if they think the bankruptcy court has the authority to reduce the principal over their objection. But if the…

I voted against the Allard amendment because I am not prepared to accept the blanket assessment by OMB as to which programs are effective or not effective. In my judgment, Congress should make the assessment as to which programs are…

The conclusive response to the argument by the Senator from Illinois is that my bill allows the court to reduce the principal on a mortgage--a so-called cram down--if the bank agrees and if it is indicated by the facts. What the Senator…

Mr. Vatis, do you think there ought to be a balancing test?

It would grant the government's claim on the determination by defining 'state secret' as any information that, if publicly disclosed, would be reasonably likely to cause significant harm to the national defense or foreign relations of the…

Do you think there ought to be a balancing test?

I believe that the pending legislation is very salutary because it brings the court into the picture to make a determination on whether there is a state secret.

We have to be very careful when we exclude the judicial process in the determination of these issues.

We are living in an era of extraordinary expansion of executive authority.

Regrettably, the congressional oversight factor has been totally ineffective in restraining the expansion of executive authority.

I do not doubt or deny the need for the expansion of executive authority, but I think there has to be a check and a balance.

This amendment substitutes the Government for the party defendant in place of the telephone companies. It is designed to maintain some check and balance on the executive because Congress has been totally ineffective to do so. It…

The legislation and oversight and judicial review since 9/11 have provided a historic confrontation among the three branches of Government on the basic doctrine of separation of powers. When I say it is historic, I do not believe that is…

I support the motion to invoke cloture because I believe it is necessary to deal with the fight against terrorism, and I think the Government has made a case for some expanded powers, although I think we have to weigh them very…

I praise Senator Feinstein for her work on the confirmation of Judge Mukasey. As is customary for Senator Feinstein, she is present at all the hearings, at all the Judiciary Committee business, and comes to the meetings extraordinarily…

The Lifespan Respite Care Act is a worthwhile piece of legislation that will impact almost all American families. I will work with the chairman to provide funding for these activities.

I share my colleague's strong and enthusiastic support for this important program. I will continue to support the existing funding levels for the Mentoring Children of Prisoners Program when we conference this bill.

I thank the Senators from Wyoming and Oklahoma for their concerns about the NIH public access policy, which I share. I will work with the chairman to closely monitor the policy's implementation.

As a longstanding advocate of prevention and education programs, Senator Salazar, I believe that the CDC should conduct critical public health research regarding our current folic acid fortification policies, so that we have a chance to…