I am new to the Senate. This has been a terrific debate in the best traditions of the Senate. I come to this conclusion after having listened to people I admire and respect, such as our leader, the President, the Vice President, and…

I am preparing a memo on the statement on ``Meet the Press'' with the Vice President, his relationship with Halliburton, his financial disclosure form, what he did in 1998, what he did in 2000, and what he did in 2002. This amendment is…

this is a sense-of- the-Senate amendment. I think it is very important, as we deal with the Iraqi situation, for us to address as many issues as we can about the nature of how this is going to unfold. The President has asked for $87…

I hope this sense-of- the-Senate resolution will pass unanimously. The purpose of this resolution is to try to put in perspective what has been achieved by Operation Iraqi Freedom. We have suffered greatly in this country. The Iraqi people…

I will try to be brief. We have a great team defending America right now. That team is made up of active-duty members who have made a decision to serve 4 years or maybe have a career in the military. But that team is supplemented by the…

Henry Floyd was the first person I thought of when a district court judgeship came open in South Carolina. I am pleased that the Senate has confirmed him today. Prior to becoming involved in politics, I had the good fortune of practicing…

2 years ago, our world changed forever. The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centers and Pentagon were a painful wakeup call to our Nation that we must remain ever vigilant in protecting our freedom. We must confront evil where it…

I thank Senator Daschle for the great help he has been and for his partnership on this piece of legislation. I associate myself with his remarks about the TRICARE program being extended to family members of the Guard and Reserve. During…

I rise to make a brief statement, like my colleague from South Carolina, Senator Hollings, about the passing of Senator Thurmond. This is something I really don't know how to put in words. All of us from South Carolina knew Senator…

I rise today to give due recognition to a colleague whose tragic passing is still fresh in our thoughts. Senator Paul Wellstone served 12 honorable years in the Senate for the State of Minnesota before suddenly perishing with his dear…

The participation rates are at 80,000. They are basing the current numbers on the 2002, 80,000 reservists mobilized. They are telling us that is not a true number; that, in reality, if this second option were offered, they would go from…

I compliment Senator Daschle and the folks he worked with to try to come up with the solution to the retention problem we are going to have. It is inevitable because these forces are being utilized at such rates. Senator Daschle put…

It has as a cost estimate using 80,000 reservists when, in fact, they tell us the participation rates will be three times higher than that.

Mr. President, I do appreciate the opportunity to be recognized very briefly. The reason I want to speak is to recognize the Finance chairman's great job, taking a pretty bad situation and making the best of it. It got off to a rocky start…

we are about to take the Medicare vote of the year 2003. Last year, the Senate cast 52 votes for the plan that this amendment would allow us to consider again. It failed with 52 votes because we were operating under a budget resolution…

Mr. President, there is a better day coming. It is a cloudy day right now. We are worried about our families and our troops, but there is a bright day coming. Our American servicemen will give freedom to Iraq, make us more secure. They are…

After having reviewed the documents, I am willing to agree to the modifications as offered by my senior Senator and the modification offered by the Senator from North Dakota. I am willing to do that. I think it is a good first step.

simply put, a couple things: My senior Senator seems to suggest we did something in the 1980s that has made Social Security sound. Social Security has surpluses today, but every day that goes by, those surpluses are not enough to pay the…

Social Security is not only hard to solve, it is also hard to get before the Senate. So I apologize for the confusion. I understand the concern of my colleague from North Dakota. But having a bit of time to talk about Social Security I…

The purpose in my offering this sense-of-the-Senate amendment is to take facts that have been reported by the Social Security Administration and make them part of this year's roadmap when we decide what to do to get through the budget…

They have laid out the rates of return for people born after 1980. As I have told you, they are less than 2 percent. Over time, they go down because the problem, over time, gets worse. As you pay into the system as a young worker, the…

Senator Harkin is right. This is a difficult situation. I am often asked at town meetings: Why should the government be involved in the regulation of abortion? It is a personal matter. I suppose it depends upon who you believe the…

I do not want to misquote the Senator. I do not want to put words in his mouth. I do not want to take one part of his quote to suggest it means something that it really does not. My question simply put: In June 1998, was the Senator trying…

this will be a tough act to follow. The Senator from Alabama has done a wonderful job going through the nuances of where we find ourselves and explained the career of Miguel Estrada better than I could possibly do and has talked about the…

I applaud you for going down this road. The sooner, the better for, I think, most of us.