The Public Record
Today is National Flag Day, and it is appropriate that we all pause to honor this important symbol of American Freedom. The National League of Cities has designated this day, June 14, 2002 as second annual National Small Cities Day to call…
I thank the Senator as always for his cooperation. This is an important schedule. We know we have to finish the work on terrorism insurance. We know we have to deal with the Defense authorization bill. The Senator from Virginia and the…
too often, the crush of daily business here in the Senate leaves us little time to discuss important issues that are not directly and immediately before us. Among the many issues that deserve greater attention, none is more important than…
I am humbled and extraordinarily grateful for the generous words of my colleagues. Senator Byrd has honored me once several years ago when he was gracious enough to nominate me for the position of majority leader. Oftentimes his words are…
One year ago, America had a projected budget surplus of 2.7 trillion dollars over the next 10 years. The stock market was soaring. The question before us was one that most leaders could only dream of: ``What should we do with our…
of course we will object to that. Let me reiterate, because the Senator has noted his desire as well to deal with cloning, to deal with terrorism insurance, to deal with a number of other issues, that I know he will be prepared to…
As the chairman knows, on April 24th, in testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Air National Guard (ANG) identified the procurement of 24 additional LITENING II targeting pods as their number one priority. At the present…
Let me repeat that because people ought to be cognizant of the gravity of the bill we are considering. It is the supplemental appropriations act for further recovery from and response to terrorist attacks on the United States. It includes…
I thank the Senator for her poignant story and for again reminding us of the human face behind this issue. Those faces come so effectively to mind when one reads the words and listens to the extraordinarily difficult, agonizing decisions…
let me respond briefly, because I know the distinguished Republican leader would like to make a comment as well. With regard to the House action, of course, we wouldn't complete our work on the bill until the House has done its work. We…
Again, I compliment the distinguished Senator from Michigan. One day, hopefully in this session of Congress, you and I and all of our colleagues will be on the floor voting on a bill that will rectify that situation. We should not have to…
I find it ironic--and I am interested in the comments of the Senator from Michigan--that our seniors today appear to be voting with their feet in driving in large buses and caravans to Canada to get health care today. What does that say…
I was in Maine a couple of days ago and was reminded again of what an emotional issue it is for seniors who have no other recourse but to go to Canada to get help, who pay bills and have to decide whether it is drugs or groceries, drugs or…
It has now been over 6 years since Congress voted to increase the minimum wage. In that time, the cost of living has increased 12 percent while the real value of the minimum wage has steadily declined. In fact, by 2003, all of the gain…
the answer to that would be emphatically yes, especially given the stated desire of Members of Congress who have passed welfare reform. The whole idea behind welfare reform was to make work pay, to make work more palatable than welfare…
We opened the debate with a recognition of how critical it is in this country, with this economy, that we recognize especially the importance of our globalized markets and the need to be competitive in them. Under the strong leadership of…
It is not as well known as I wish it were. But how ironic it would be if in the same Congress that passed tax breaks for those at the very top--tax breaks worth $50,000 a year to those in the top 1 percent--we could not do something to…
Not only is it modest but it is overdue. As I noted in my opening comments, it has been 6 years since we passed an increase in the minimum wage. During that time, as the Senator's chart illustrates, the minimum wage has dramatically…
I will say for the record--and I want all to know--that I have never seen a more passionate or a more determined effort on the part of my colleagues on any issue than I have by my colleagues on this one. Senator Wellstone, Senator…
all week long the average length of time it has taken to have a vote has exceeded 30 minutes. That is just too long. There is no way we are going to continue to accomplish as much as we need to accomplish before the end of next week if we…
The Senator is correct. We have addressed this legislation in the past. As I will make known for the record, this is identical legislation to what was passed before. It is legislation we will take up either under a unanimous consent…
In 1996, two women were found murdered, their hands bound, their throats cut, just off the Appalachian trail in Shenandoah National Park. Their deaths were profound tragedies for those families and their loved ones. They also sparked a…
The fact remains, there is great uncertainty in these countries. They don't know how the Congress of the United States works. They don't know that May 16 isn't a drop dead date. It does not remove the compelling aspect of us reauthorizing…
I will just say that the Senator from Arizona is absolutely right. If all else fails, we have no other choice but to split it off. We would do so if we were not able to make progress, which is why I started out as I did urging Senators to…
I think that is, in essence, what we find the administration attempting to do when it comes to education--simply assert that they are for it and try to fool all the people all the time. But the Senator from Massachusetts points out the…
Politicians like Thomas Daschle
