Thomas Daschle

Mr. President, it is with some disappointment that Democrats offer any substitute at all. The times when we work best are the times when we can find agreement in the Budget Committee, as we did last year. We were disappointed that…

the Senate will soon voice its opinion on the FY1999 Budget Resolution. The debate on this year's resolution offered the American people an excellent opportunity to observe each party's fiscal priorities. A budget resolution is essentially…

This is not in any way, shape or form an amendment designed to provide patients with more choice. This will leave seniors totally uncertain about what their Medicare will cover and let doctors determine the degree of Medicare coverage each…

I join my colleagues in introducing the Patients' Bill of Rights Act of 1998. This legislation has been developed cooperatively with Democrats in the House and Senate to address a growing concern of the American public, the quality of care…

Today is the last day of Women's History Month. Throughout the month of March, we've paid tribute to the vision of women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott and Susan B. Anthony, the founders of the first Women's Rights Convention…

Last night millions of people across the country sat in their living rooms and at friends' houses, transfixed to the television sets as the Kentucky Wildcats became the NCAA national basketball champions. One of our very own, an employee…

In numerous ways, this nation demonstrates that our children are our most valuable investment and our most precious asset. We work to improve their education, to give them greater access to high quality health care, to minimize their…

I regret that we have not been able to find a final and successful resolution to our discussions which have extended now over the course of several days. I think it is important to lay out what has happened to date and where we are so…

I would be happy to hear the majority leader's answer. My guess is, if I understand the Senator's question correctly, that they don't have an interest in school construction. They don't really have an interest in some of the amendments we…

What I hope most people will recognize is that while we have been on it 10 days, our Republican colleagues have refused to entertain one Democratic amendment in those 10 days. What they are saying is, we want you to debate this bill on our…

Mr. President, education is probably the most important issue we will address this year, particularly with regard to the array of budgetary questions that we face and we are anxious to get to the bill to begin this debate. We don't expect…

lately we have watched, marveled at and cherished several monumental athletic achievements. A young woman from Idaho, Picabo Street, abbreviates knee surgery recovery to win the gold medal in the Super-G at the Olympic Games in Nagano…

I would like to call to the Senate's attention an impressive milestone that a member of this body will reach this weekend. On Saturday the senior Senator from Kentucky, my friend and Democratic Whip, Wendell Ford, will have served the…

I share the view expressed just now by the majority leader. Certainly, our chairs and ranking members have done an outstanding job. I especially want to commend the dean of the Senate, our former majority leader, Robert Byrd, and his…

the Senate owes a great debt of gratitude to the Committee on Environment and Public Works, its Chairman (Mr. Chafee) and Ranking Member (Mr. Baucus) for developing an excellent legislative package to reauthorize the Federal surface…

Congress last year approved a $2.3 billion tax program primarily to finance capital improvements for Amtrak. This amendment applies to that legislation, which was part of the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997. Under the able and distinguished…

Given the clear benefits of the ethanol tax incentive and the fact that it does not affect federal investments in transportation projects, I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing this amendment and helping to ensure that America has…

we all believe that America is the land of opportunity. But the road to opportunity is not always an equal access road. The highway construction industry in particular has kept newcomers, like women and minority-business owners, in the…

In deciding that we needed to design a better, more rational classification system, I was moved by the fact that under the current system we are classifying an enormous amount of information each and every year. For example, in 1996 alone…

One of the most striking aspects of the Commission report is the lack of Congressional involvement in the secrecy system. Apart from the Espionage Act of 1917 and the Atomic Energy Act, which only applies to atomic secrets, there are few…

In addition to costing the taxpayer billions annually, this excessive government secrecy leads to a host of other problems. Secrecy hampers the exchange of information within the government, leads to public mistrust, and makes leaking…

Greater Congressional oversight of classification policy is long overdue. For too long, classification and declassification policy have been both developed and implemented by bureaucrats, often anonymously. Consideration of the Government…

The Government Secrecy Commission has learned from history and issued much more prudent proposals. Some individuals have raised constitutional concerns regarding this legislation, but the Government Secrecy Act (S. 712) respects the…

His first comment on the overall agreement says that the agreement: . . . gave expression to a fundamental commitment that is set forth in the resolutions of the Security Council, mainly that UNSCOM must have immediate, unconditional and…

I want to take a moment to raise one of the most critical issues facing this nation today, nuclear weapons security, and to call the Senate's attention to one of the most intelligent and courageous people involved in the debate surrounding…