I don't want things to be misrepresented. I want everybody to have a full understanding. The challenges in the HELP Committee do reflect the difficulty. When you are talking about safety, not just of cheaper drugs, if you give somebody a…

Tomorrow is the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah, and it is also called the Jewish New Year. It is one of the holiest days of the year in the Jewish faith for the Jewish people. Rosh Hashanah marks the anniversary of the creation of the world…

I do want to bring people up to date--and I will be brief--on where we are with the Senate intelligence reform initiatives in light of the 9/11 Commission. Over the next several days, we will have a very busy week. It is cut a little bit…

In the 3 years since 19 terrorists hijacked 4 planes and changed the course of American history, we have learned much about our vulnerabilities, our strengths, and the steps we must take to protect ourselves. Tomorrow, America will…

this is an amendment worked out in a bipartisan manner with the chairman and the ranking member of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee and the ranking member of the Finance Committee. I thank Senators Cochran, Byrd, and…

this morning we in the Senate honor the memory of the victims of the September 11 attacks. Tomorrow, all Americans will take time from the regular course of their weekend to do the same--to reflect in their own personal way on the terrible…

earlier this morning, Chairman Cochran offered on my behalf a bipartisan amendment that was adopted. Combined with the second degree bipartisan amendment I offered to Senator Baucus's amendment, we have provided almost $700 million in…

I very briefly want to speak to a meeting that the leadership, not just elected leadership but leadership and interested parties, both Democrats and Republicans, had yesterday with the President of the United States, with the Senate and…

I have heard from countless Tennesseans about their adamant desire to be able to deduct sales tax from their Federal income tax. Again and again it comes back to a matter of equity and fairness. Mr. Henry Branch from Goodlettsville, TN…

in this body, occasionally we have such moments we share as colleagues, and they are probably more rare than any of us would like. The rarity is really centering around what we have heard, and that is a juxtaposition, a coming together of…

I want to very briefly comment on an observation that when I got home last night a lot of the media networks were talking about; that is, yesterday the U.S. military deaths in Operation Iraqi Freedom surpassed 1,000. Each one of these…

What is absolutely critical, from a leadership standpoint on both sides of the aisle, is to have a framework so we can accomplish the Nation's business and move America forward.

FEMA is out of money--FEMA is out of money--beginning in about 12 hours. So without trying to go through each request by each Senator, certain criteria can be applied. FEMA will be out of money tomorrow. We are talking about FEMA…

A, we need to respond and we need to respond quickly, as the Senator from Florida and I were talking about. From a FEMA standpoint, this money is needed now. Everybody with FEMA down there is working hard. They should not have to be…

Mr. President last week, Kurdish security forces captured 15 militants in Kirkuk. Among them is a man purported to be second in command of Ansar al-Islam, an Iraq-based terrorist group linked with Al Qaeda. Meanwhile, Iraqi security forces…

Economic developments of the United States have generally been quite favorable in 2004 and that this favorable situation increasingly supports the view that the expansion is self-sustaining. On the same day the chairman presented his…

I do want to congratulate Senator Gregg, chairman of the HELP Committee, and ranking member, Senator Kennedy. This is a piece of legislation that people can trace. Several years ago, the Institute of Medicine did an outstanding report. We…

This particular piece of business has to do with patient safety. For me, it means a lot because I can see up close both the importance of this legislation, and have watched it legislatively as it has traveled through its various iterations.

on a separate topic, I want to take a few moments before going out on recess, looking back over the last several weeks and sharing with my colleagues some of the very positive things we have been able to accomplish, positive issues and…

we do want to assure everyone that while mistakes, failures, and missed opportunities occurred in the past, as their report chronicles, the United States still has a very good system to protect the country. There are thousands of dedicated…

I take a moment to honor Rebecca Sadler, who is this year's winner of my annual 6th Grade Essay Contest. Rebecca is from Brentwood, TN, and attends Woodland Middle School. This year's topic was ``A Salute to Community Heroes.'' Rebecca…

Senator Daschle and I received the 9/11 Commission report earlier today. It looks as if the Commission did a thorough job and that their writeup is fair and balanced. It is certainly well-documented. Tom Kean and Lee Hamilton deserve our…

over the past few months, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle have come to the Senate floor in a vain effort to convince America that we are worse off than we were 4 years ago. They offer a pessimistic litany of distorted…

The devastating impact of the crisis can be seen most clearly in seven African countries, including Malawi and Mozambique, where babies born in 2002 are not expected to live past 40 years because of the prevalence of HIV. Without going…

I am very pleased we are moving forward today with passage of the Haiti Economic Recovery Opportunity Act. Congressman Clay Shaw in the House and I have been working on Haiti trade legislation for some time. I thank Congressman Shaw for…