Thomas Daschle

Well, Mr. President, I just say that, obviously, you don't need a bill to hold hearings on something that was already announced all the way back last March. Last March, the National Academy of Sciences made their announcement and the…

I can tell the Senator from Missouri that they are not receiving any assistance today from the VA.

The Senate commends the military actions taken by and the performance of the United States Armed Forces, under the direction of the Commander in Chief, for carrying out this military mission in a highly professional, efficient and…

on Tuesday, I spoke briefly about my views on President Clinton's decision to retaliate against Iraq for its unprovoked, unjustified, and brutal attack on the civilian population of Irbil, a city in northern Iraq. At that time, I also…

Let me begin by reminding my colleagues about the mission of agent orange and the Agent Orange Act of 1991. The Agent Orange Act of 1991 was passed unanimously, 99-0, with the cosponsorship of my colleague from Wyoming, Senator Simpson. It…

as a requirement of the 1991 Agent Orange Act, after a thorough analysis of all relevant scientific evidence, the National Academy of Sciences announced in March a link between agent orange exposure and the presence of spina bifida in…

First of all, as to the matter of the offset, let me emphasize, Gardner has not been used. Gardner has not been used. That is, the offset has not been allocated. The reason it has not been allocated is that we have not passed a…

That would depend, of course, on what their circumstances are. If they are Medicaid eligible, they might be eligible for a small amount of assistance in health from Medicaid, but there is virtually no assistance, as the Senator knows…

The basis of the assumptions is, as I said earlier, that the law requires the National Academy of Sciences to review all of the outstanding information, all of the scientific data that is available currently, including but not limited to…

Mr. President, according to the Congressional Budget Office, approximately 2,785 children of Vietnam veterans suffer from spina bifida, a serious birth defect that requires lifelong care. That has already been established. A March report…

Well, the law requires us to base it on the National Academy of Sciences' report, which is based on several studies. The National Academy of Sciences is required, under the law of 1991, to review the scientific literature and evidence to…

I am told by staff that this is the best estimate the Congressional Budget Office has been able to derive in consultation with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The basis of the number is simply the number we have been able to calculate of those children of agent orange veterans who were exposed to agent orange and who are now victims of spina bifida. So you have a very limited population. That…

I remind my dear friend that he voted to cause this to be the new procedure in March 1995. He voted to overrule the Chair when the Chair ruled that you could not legislate on an appropriations bill. He was one of those who said no; that we…

Certainly, but first I want to take a moment to thank the Senator from Virginia for his long-standing dedication and leadership on this issue. We have worked together on AST legislation since the 102d Congress, and again I appreciate this…

This morning, the President of the United States ordered the use of cruise missiles against key strategic targets in Iraq. President Clinton noted in his address that despite clear warnings from the United States and the international…

I am told she suggested that her stalking legislation, which passed the Senate last week after an amendment to the bill was worked out, is being held up in the House and that she referred to a commitment I made to her to try to help her…

I understand, and the chairman knows that better than anyone does. He has worked admirably to get to the point where consideration of the conference report could be taken up this afternoon in a nonpartisan way. Both the ranking member and…

the need for water development throughout South Dakota is great. As we prepare to enter the 21st century, all South Dakotans should be able to consider a high quality water supply to be a basic human right, and we should do whatever we can…

I am delighted to cast my vote for this bill--it is an important first step in ensuring health security for working Americans. Health security has always been, and always will be, a Democratic priority. It is at the top of our agenda, and…

But I cannot think of anyone who deserves more credit and more commendation for the tremendous work that it has taken to get us to this point of passage of essential health reform than the senior Senator from Massachusetts, Senator…

At the close of business today, the Senate will lose a valued and important part of the Democratic floor staff. Today, Kelly Riordan leaves the Senate to pursue a law degree at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Kelly graduated…

I want to commend him. He has taken on his responsibilities under very difficult circumstances. I cannot imagine a more challenging way with which to begin your new role than to take on the responsibilities midcourse. I must say, Mr…

after 18 months, we are about to pass welfare reform. It has been a long, divisive debate about the direction our Nation will follow on fundamental social policy. The initial bill, approved by the House last year, I think, by virtually any…

we don't need to rehash all the history on this. I think it is fair to say that there has been a tremendous amount of cooperation this month. I pledged my efforts to the new majority leader when he became leader and indicated that I wanted…