I am here today not only to salute these great Americans but also to talk about the urgency of bringing the issue of Wall Street reform to the Senate for open debate and final passage. We have weathered and witnessed the worst financial…

I very strongly share that point of view and that is why I so strongly supported your nomination.

Thank you for introducing the Keep Our Educators Working Act.

today I introduce with Senator LeMieux and Senator Brown of Ohio, the Teacher and Principal Improvement Act, to foster the development of highly skilled and effective educators. We are slated to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary…

first, let me join Majority Leader Reid in saluting these incredible Americans who are with us today, wounded warriors and Bob O'Malley. As someone who served 12 years in the U.S. Army, my appreciation is profound for what you have done…

So, there's no distinction between a for-profit insurance company and a not-for-profit insurance company in the way they operate.

I think, going forward, we have to be careful not only about reviewing the ratings, but we also have to be very careful about having a consistent set of reports between regulators and financial statements.

It can be an informative tool for policymakers, like yourself and State legislatures, to understand what is happening in the health insurance marketplace.

Well, frankly, we're having a discussion about firms that go to the Street and say, 'Our strategy is, we're going to deny claims and raise premiums above medical inflation.'

I rise today in support of the nomination of Lael Brainard to be Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs. I know Lael personally. She is a renowned expert in international economics, a dedicated public servant, and is…

Well, what's the base?

I also know that the Federal Government understands that investing in professional development is so important.

I ask Congress to require that States and districts conduct regular evaluations on the impact of federally funded professional development.

Senator Jack Reed's Teacher and Principal Improvement Act addresses many of these recommendations and is a necessary ingredient to strengthen the ESEA Blueprint and ensure new teacher success.

Do not be dissuaded by individuals that say it is too challenging.

One legislative proposal that would address several of our recommendations is Senator Jack Reed's Teacher and Principal Improvement Act.

principals have to be educational leaders not bus monitors, milk fund trustees.

Senator Reed has provided leadership in Congress in advancing it as well.

The resource issue is absolutely critical.

I think we have to do more in terms of neighborhood funding.

Are we making progress on that front? Is there something that we have to do either with carrots or sticks?

We took the approach that unless we stabilize the entire system, put a floor in, and then begin to see them sort of work out their problems, we were going to collapse.

I think we have to begin to think about that.

I would urge other financial institutions to do the same thing, to give us a chance.

We have 12.7 percent unemployment, and as I said in a previous meeting, we have houses that are under water.