Arlen Specter

Why the repeated effort to eliminate that program when every time you do, both the House and Senate come back and insist on it?

The funding for the migrant and seasonal farm workers program has been eliminated. Almost $80 million.

We are right in the middle of our new immigration bill, which is a very high priority for the President.

Shouldn't there be protections in place to protect workers, in case there is a pandemic? Shouldn't we be prepared.

Well, it looks to me as if the rejection of that petition may have been decided by someone at a lesser level than the Secretary.

Speaking of OSHA, why is the administration proposing to eliminate the $10 million OSHA program for worker training and education?

Do we have to be in the middle of the pandemic before the rules are issued?

Now we have finally found something we agree upon. That is as ridiculous as it sounds.

These reentry programs and the legislation that is pending now on second chance, these, I think, are of the highest priority.

I would emphasize that the increase in crime across the country, and especially juvenile crime, really underscores the need for those programs.

I share the concern about the budget. I know we live in an era of severe budget constraints.

These cuts will be very, very difficult to sustain, given the issues which that funding addresses.

It impacts directly upon juvenile crime. As does the $55 million cut in the Job Corps.

I regret that I have to excuse myself. We are very heavily engaged right now with the U.S. Attorneys.

We will provide the kinds of resources you need to the maximum extent of our capabilities, which is now more limited than it used to be.

What should be the governmental response, either through the Veterans Administration of the Department of Defense?

There is a willingness to spend money for incarceration.

But not for rehabilitation.

I am interested in how we get my colleagues to spend money for corrections.

Health is our principal capital asset and the work which has been done by NIH has been truly spectacular.

Senator Harkin and I have taken the lead, as is fairly well known, in increasing the funding for NIH from $12 billion to almost $30 billion.

We have, on the floor at the moment, the legislation involving the U.S. attorneys who have been asked to resign.

We are taking up the bill to change the authority of the Attorney General to replace U.S. attorneys on an indefinite basis, which has caused a lot of controversy.

Last year, we increased the budget for the subcommittee by $7 billion.

Senator Harkin and I are going to be going to the floor and asking for an increase in the budget resolution on NIH.