Some are saying we need an opioid czar. I hope you will join me in advising the President that this is a bad idea.

Yesterday, the President said he supported the Alexander-Murray agreement becoming law by the end of the year.

The Democratic Leader called it a 'good compromise,' and said it has the support of, 'all 48 Democrats' in the Senate.

I wanted to come by and congratulate all of the nominees, and especially to say a word about Jeff Smith.

These are sound decisions that will benefit ratepayers and our region for years to come.

TVA has been the utility that has led all other utilities in opening new nuclear reactors.

I am here today to introduce Jeff Smith, one of the nominees to serve on the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Board of Directors.

Having someone with that background is very important.

Innovation in gene editing technology can lead to breakthroughs in medicine and agriculture.

We have a responsibility to ensure that innovation in gene editing technology is safe and effective.

I thank her for that.

Based on his hands-on experience, his strong academic credentials, his mentorships, his practice of law, and the time he has had here the last few months, he is very well qualified.

Thank you for allowing me to come. First, I want to thank the Committee for supporting the Tennessee Wilderness Act this morning.

I wish to submit a statement on this legislation for the Committee record and express my hope that the Congress can enact on it while Senator Corker is still a member of the United State Senate, which means this year.

I want to congratulate my Democratic colleagues for being on time.

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will please come to order.

President Trump has said repeatedly he doesn't want to bail out insurance companies.

I'm very encouraged by what has happened since we introduced that a week ago, especially by the report of the Congressional Budget Office yesterday.

We must embrace free expression, open discourse, and challenging questioning and resist its suppression.

In plain English, that means less taxpayer money for Affordable Care Act subsidies if we pass our legislation.

I talked with the President last night, and he encouraged the process, which he asked me to begin, and said he looked forward to considering it.

I want to thank Senator Murray for her leadership and being a straightforward, tough negotiating partner on our efforts to present to the Senate a limited, bipartisan bill to stabilize the insurance market during 2018 and 2019.

The hope is, now that we have put a proposal on the table, that the Senate will consider it, that the house will consider it, and the President will consider it.

Over the last 7 years, we have endured this political stalemate over the Affordable Care Act, with most of the disagreement being over, as I said, a very small part of the health insurance market where 6 percent of Americans buy their…

Without a third Republican member to break the tie, the Board is unlikely to revisit the many Obama-era decisions.