The Public Record
I appreciate the answer from the Senator from Illinois. The debt, under this budget, would be completely retired by the year 2013; Medicare solvency would be extended to the year 2025; Social Security solvency would be extended through the…
Last week I joined several of my Democratic colleagues at a hearing on the agriculture crisis that is forcing many family farmers out of operation. We heard a number of witnesses tell compelling stories about how the 1996 'Freedom to Farm'…
What a contrast from the 1980s when we made the huge cuts in taxes and then ran up the huge trillions of dollars in a deficit we are still trying to pay off today. This recognizes the importance of fiscal responsibility. First and…
I rise to express my whole-hearted support for S. 1052, the Northern Mariana Islands Covenant Implementation Act, which the Senate considered and passed on Monday, and to recognize Senator Akaka, Energy Committee Chairman Murkowski, and…
a couple of days ago marked the longest economic expansion in U.S. history: 107 months. Alan Greenspan deserves credit for coordinating closely with the administration foster that growth. Mr. Greespan has been described as a master of the…
we just received word that Floyd M. Riddick, the Parliamentarian Emeritus of the Senate, passed away yesterday. As many of our colleagues may recall, Floyd M. Riddick was the Senate Parliamentarian from 1964 to 1974. He was a…
last week, to my regret, my good friend, Senator Bob Kerrey, announced that he will be leaving this Senate at the end of this year to return to private life. I'm sure my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will agree that his decision is…
As we begin this new year, Americans have every reason to be proud and optimistic. In the last decade of the last century, we saw freedom and democracy triumph around the globe. We saw Eastern Europe abandon communism and the Soviet Union…
last spring I joined my colleagues in honoring President Lyndon Baines Johnson when we hung a portrait of our former president on the one blank wall left in the President's Room in our nation's capitol. As I noted at that time, I could…
I question why we are here today voting on a bill that we know will be vetoed. If we are going to try to retain the positive environment... I think a far better course is to defeat this bill, go back downstairs, negotiate seriously with…
first, while I fully recognize the ability of the Senator from South Carolina to object to this amendment, it is certainly his right. I am disappointed. The majority leader has made, in my view, a major step forward in trying to resolve…
I have spoken many times to my colleagues in this body about the importance of agriculture in America. It is certainly one of the most valuable industries in my home state of South Dakota and is clearly essential to the economy and…
today I introduce the Medicaid Eligibility Restoration Act of 1999, which fixes a major problem recently created in the health care safety net. My bill addresses a Medicaid eligibility problem--lack of access to health insurance during the…
The accusation is the Democrats won't allow a vote on the lockbox. What is really true is we are not allowed a vote on our own amendment when it comes to the lockbox. Our view is, it is important if we are going to have a debate on the…
for the last 2 years I have been working closely with a number of my colleagues to develop a package of tax incentives to foster domestic energy alternatives and thus help reduce our growing dependence on imported oil. Along with those…
That is exactly what I am saying. I think it is important for us to depoliticize the issue to ensure we find ways to address meaningful reform that will pass and will be signed into law. I am concerned. The Senator from Nevada mentioned…
I have made an offer to the majority leader that he has been kind enough to consider; that is, he and I would table amendments that were not relevant to trade but certainly allow for at least a period of time so Senators can offer these…
I am wondering if the majority leader would entertain tearing the tree down to allow Senators to offer amendments during the time the legislation is pending, thereby at least giving Senators the right to offer amendments, because he would…
I have also heard from public health officials who are concerned that public health funds may need to be diverted to address the needs of those who should have been covered by Medicaid--as they were in the past. Some states are able to…
I appreciate the cooperation we have had on both sides of the aisle to get to this point. A number of Senators have expressed a desire to offer amendments and to change, in some way, the package as it has been presented and passed this…
The Senator from California puts her finger right on the issues I omitted, and rightfully so. One year ago, we all had a bipartisan agreement and celebrated the fact we were going to reduce class size. How ironic it is now, after all the…
It makes me wonder what people are afraid of. What in the world are Senators afraid of, bringing up and debating an amendment? We used to do that all the time. I can recall so many occasions when we had to come down to the floor and table…
We are stalled for one reason: The majority leader has again, for the seventh time now, filled the tree, precluding 45 Democrats from offering amendments. That is why we are here. And on two other occasions this year, the majority leader…
2 years ago, we passed the Balanced Budget Act. It was a monumental example of what Congress can achieve when we work together. Not only did we end 30 years of deficit spending with the Balanced Budget Act, we also extended the life of the…
let me just respond quickly. I acknowledge that. But I believe there is a huge difference between looking at the issue of stockpile and looking at the importance of the treaty per se, at the language of the treaty, and whether or not we…
Politicians like Thomas Daschle
