When we talk about poverty in America, I think a lot of thoughts go through our minds.

Your point is not just that people are dying, or suffering, or losing limbs because they can't get to a doctor.

Do you think, when children in Denmark have a 3.6 percent rate of poverty, compared to 21 percent plus in the United States, our poor kids are freer than those enslaved children in Denmark?

There is no medical reason why everyone shouldn't attain that.

Getting people employed, and consequently healthy, is what your constituents want from you now.

What is especially tragic and reprehensible is that with the kind of childhood poverty rates we are seeing today, unless we turn this vicious circle around, we are dooming a significant part of an entire future generation to unnecessary…

As a result of the greed, and recklessness, and illegal behavior of Wall Street, we are now... in the worst recession since the Great Depression.

Poverty is a death sentence, but it's not just because of the lack of medical care.

There are some in Congress who wish to decimate the existing safety net.

What does it mean for the future of the country--that 21 percent of our kids are living in poverty?

We are No. 1 in child poverty among the industrialized countries.

All we need is the political will. I'm hoping you will create that.

I trust you don't believe that those countries that have substantially lower childhood levels of poverty... are socialist tyrannies.

I always hesitate to quote somebody who's not here.

This also comes at a time when the United States has, by far, the most unequal distribution of wealth and income of any major country on Earth.

We consistently rank at or near the bottom on measures of health.

Thank you for this opportunity to speak for those without a voice, who have died or will die as a result of our country's unwillingness to acknowledge that health care is a human right and to provide affordable, high quality health care to…

I think it's a moral issue, whether you say, I'm going to compare the health of the poor now to the health of the poor 25, 50 years ago.

I wish to pick up on a point the senior Senator from Vermont made earlier today. Both he and I have had the opportunity to travel throughout the State of Vermont to visit many of our towns which have been devastated by one of the worst…

I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Leahy). Without objection, it is so ordered. Flooding in Vermont

as I suspect you know, Vermont has been hit very hard by Hurricane Irene. The storm caused widespread flooding, resulting in a number of deaths, the loss of many homes and businesses, and hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to…

What is the problem, Mr. Chairman, in your judgment, about taking these recommendations and starting an immediate discussion to see what we like or don't like?

The function of the NRC is not to represent the nuclear power industry.

I want to say a few words to my fellow Vermonters and anyone who might be interested as to why I will be voting against this deficit-reduction package when it comes to the floor. The reason is pretty simple. This deficit-reduction package…

I will just start again by telling you how I begin my thinking.