Sheldon Whitehouse

I think it would be very, very wise and helpful for you to take Senator Feinstein's advice and spend some time with the Intelligence Committee report on the torture program.

I do not want to let the record of the hearing go forward with the thought that these actually are serious and responsible opinions...

We lose billions and billions of dollars every year because of the lack of intellectual property protections.

I would contend that it was not serious and not reasonable and that it left out things...

Let me also congratulate our friend Senator Graham for his extraordinary leadership. ____________________

I have about 15 minutes. What I propose to do--I do not know how long the Senators wish to take. What I propose to do is yield to Senator Graham for such time as he may need.

I see that the Senator from New York and the Senator from Colorado are on the floor. I don't know if they seek recognition. I know this has been a terrific day for them as two of the principal architects of the immigration bill we just…

So fixing that, I think, is very important.

This is a truly bipartisan issue and a truly human and humane issue.

We are also in a political environment in which something as vile and pernicious as the death panel notion was able to actually get traction and frighten people that there might actually be such a thing.

Let me join the rest of the panel in thanking you and in thanking the Ranking Member for having yet another hearing on this issue and continuing to persist for results.

We changed it from lawyerese to doctorese, and that helped at least a little bit.

We need to ensure that our healthcare system respects dignity.

I share your concern and think any reauthorization efforts need to address the data collection efforts/barriers.

Despite what some of my colleagues say, GAO did not recommend that workforce training programs be eliminated.

I do think that we overclassify. It is much easier to classify than it is to declassify.

There are three topics I want to touch on.

You have been a terrific Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Let me thank the chairman for allowing me to join him today. He has shown great leadership in this area, and I am privileged to be here with him today. I yield the floor. ____________________

That is a guarantee of total gridlock and failure. That is why it is so important that no one in this body try to use that kind of hostage-taking extremist tactic, rather than allowing the regular order to continue.

I think that one of the reasons our system was designed the way it was with the jury system there to protect individuals is because the experience of the Founding Fathers was that the Governors could be corrupted.

We have a distinctly American system of Government, one with separated powers between judicial, executive, and legislative branches.

We expect judges not to prejudge any case but to listen to every party fairly that comes before them.

We expect judges to respect precedent.

I think we expect that judges must respect the role of Congress as representatives of the American people.