Thomas Daschle

At about 10:15 this morning, a member of my staff opened an envelope. It became clear from the very beginning that the envelope contained a suspicious substance. My office notified the Capitol Police and the Capitol physician, who…

4 days ago, our military began strikes against terrorist training camps and the Taliban's military installations in Afghanistan. They are intended to disrupt the network of terror that spreads across Afghanistan. But these strikes are one…

one month ago today, more than 6,000 innocent men and women had their lives stolen from them in an act of terrorism so hideous and cruel that it still almost defies belief. In the days since, we have come together--not as Democrats or…

if I may respond to the Republican leader, first, I agree with virtually all he has said. There is an urgency to the airport security bill that dictates that we come to the floor this afternoon. I know Senator Hollings, Senator McCain, and…

Last week, we passed legislation to keep the airlines afloat financially. Millions of Americans still will not fly on airliners because they don't believe they are safe. That is a fact. When Americans know that the Congress of the United…

Today, the Senate takes a significant step toward opening Vietnamese markets to America's farmers and workers, normalizing our relations with Vietnam, and reaffirming our commitment to engage, and not retreat from, the rest of the world…

I don't know of a bill that deserves more urgency than this one. I don't know of a bill that ought to be the source of unity as we look at the array of challenges that our country is currently facing. This afternoon, we were given one of…

I simply wanted to come to the floor before the end of the debate to express my strong support for the Jordan Free Trade Area Implementation Act. This is the first-ever U.S. free trade agreement with an Arab country. I think at these very…

we are now learning that the terrorists who attacked our Nation this week may have been planning their hideous crimes for years. In their evil and painstaking calculations, the terrorists clearly tried to anticipate every possible obstacle…

as I think certainly everyone on the floor knows, but for those who may be viewing our proceedings and should know, our caucuses have been meeting for the last hour to review the work which has been done by colleagues on both sides of the…

Ernest Hemingway observed that ``life breaks us all, and afterward many are strong at the broken places.'' America's heart is broken. What happened on Tuesday was not simply an attack against America. It was a crime against democracy…

I want to thank Chairman Hollings and Senator Gregg for working with other senators and me to accept an amendment that will ensure that eligible beneficiaries may receive compensation under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA)…

it is with pain, sorrow, anger, and resolve that I stand before this Senate, a symbol for 212 years of the strength of our democracy, and say that America will emerge from this tragedy, as we have emerged from all adversity, united and…

I am so pleased tonight we were able to pass a measure that honors our heritage as a nation of immigrants, and provides American and immigrant families some relief from our outdated immigration laws. Today, immigrants who don't have the…

today Senator Johnson and I are introducing the Homestake Mine Conveyance Act of 2001 to enable the construction of a new, world-renowned science laboratory in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Last Year, the Homestake Mining Company…

I share the belief that the Senate should take action on this critical legislation promptly. This legislation is long overdue. The Securities Exchange Commission now collects fees from the investing public that are six times higher than…

let me congratulate the distinguished Senator from West Virginia, our chairman of the Appropriations Committee, for his eloquence and for his wisdom. I share his view on the propriety of the tax cut. I share his pride in the actions taken…

I, too, come to the floor to publicly acknowledge and thank Elizabeth for the public service she has provided to her country. Public service is not easy. It requires many, many sacrifices. It is enough to provide the sacrifices, but to do…

it is my honor to welcome Alfonso E. Lenhardt as Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. Senate. In 1789, when the office was first established, the challenges of the job were quite different than they are today. The Sergeant at Arms was given the…

I will say in all sincerity that I think he just gave the speech that I have repeated probably 25 or 30 times over the last 6 years, verbatim. I can't tell you how many people languished for not days or weeks but years. But I have said on…

it is with regret that we are filing this cloture motion this morning. Obviously, it won't ripen until Friday. I don't know that there is any debate about the importance of getting this legislation finished. This is an emergency. This is a…

The agricultural supplemental package represents, for many of our program crop farmers, a significant portion of the income they will receive in this calendar year. A large portion of the income they are depending upon rides on whether or…

We have spent a week delaying completion of our work on the Transportation appropriations bill, fundamental investments in our Nation's infrastructure. Why have we done that? Because there are those who are opposed to the regulatory…

I want to further elaborate on the comments I made just a moment ago. We made the motion to proceed to the Agriculture supplemental authorization bill because we could not get agreement to bring it up on Monday. As most of my colleagues…

The Senator has spent a good deal of time on this floor...because of objections on the other side, we have so far been unable to move the bill.