I did not vote for Dodd-Frank for several reasons, but one central concern was that the rules outlined in the legislation would have the effect of driving business overseas.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

At the heart of the problem is the lack of a long-term funding source.

But if either of you would care to comment on that----

Maintaining a transportation infrastructure is just critical to our nation's commerce.

Our transportation infrastructure is in desperate need of a facelift.

Let me express a concern I have about the proposed creation of a national infrastructure bank.

as we all know, in the next few weeks we are going to have to be faced with a decision about what to do with the debt limit, and of course there has been a lot of discussion around here as well as between the White House and the…

I think it has dramatically changed and continues to change agriculture in rural America.

Bio-based products hold an exciting future for agriculture and potentially can help the United States to recapture chemicals and manufacturing jobs.

I want to echo some of the remarks made by my colleague from Alabama regarding a budget. He is the ranking Republican member on our side on the Budget Committee. It is ironic that we are on the floor of the Senate this week, as we were…

My colleague is absolutely right. There was tremendous interest this year. If we look at the last election, the 2010 election, a lot of the people who were elected in the House and Senate were elected because they ran on a message to their…

like many of my colleagues, I was back in my State for the Fourth of July celebrations, and what struck me about those visits I made and visiting and interacting with people--and I remember riding my bike around my neighborhood on the…

our Nation has an over $14 trillion debt and unless we can get a handle on it--I have a chart which I think shows what our future will look like if we stay on the current trajectory. You can see that the path leads higher and higher in…

I ask unanimous consent to enter into a colloquy with my colleague from Nebraska. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

I appreciate the comments of my colleague from Nebraska. As a former executive--both as mayor and Governor--he, obviously, has had to make the hard decisions necessary to get the books to balance both in the city of Lincoln and the State…

I thank the Senator from Nebraska for his observations. In a minute I want to turn to the ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee to talk about setting priorities, because that is something we are not doing here. I do want to point…

I appreciate that. That was a great description by the Senator. The Senator from Ohio hit upon all the relevant issues, if we are going to get the economy going, creating jobs again--talking about getting trade deals done, and energy…

I appreciate my colleague's observations regarding his State, which is a pivotal State when it comes to whether we are going to see the economy recover. It is a State that feels the impact right away when you have a down economy and job…

as we all know, the most important issues that are facing our country today are the economy, job creation, the national debt, and excessive government spending. One of the things that is having a huge effect on job creation and the economy…

I ask unanimous consent to enter into a colloquy with my Republican colleagues for up to 20 minutes. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

As you know, it is an area of dire need and the consequences of waiting are going to be, as I mentioned, pretty profound for the people on the Reservation.

I think this is an important subject given the current fiscal and budget and deficit crisis the nation is facing.

it's going to be difficult for Republicans to support Mr. Bryson's nomination until the Administration submits those free trade agreements.

the Commerce Secretary has got to be a strong advocate for trade and open markets for America's farmers and manufacturers.