for the past dozen years, the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala, with financial support from the United States and other countries, has worked in collaboration with Guatemala's Public Ministry. That partnership has…

as the longest serving Member of the Senate and also the former chairman of the Judiciary Committee, I feel compelled--and I normally don't come down and speak about these things--but I want to warn about the destruction of long-held norms…

3 years ago yesterday, Berta Caceres, an indigenous rights activist in Honduras who had been a vocal opponent of the construction of a hydroelectric dam that threatened the territory of the Lenka people, was murdered in her home. That…

this morning, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health, and Human Services and Related Agencies held a hearing on the opioid epidemic and how States are responding to the crisis. I was pleased Beth Tanzman, the executive…

the White House recently unveiled the Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, W-GDP, an interagency plan to increase women's global labor force participation and advancement in the workplace, improve access of women…

I want to briefly discuss the situation in Egypt, a country where unchecked repression has come to define the government of President el-Sisi. The 2011 Egyptian revolution brought hope of a democratic future for the country, but it has…

just a couple of short weeks ago, we finally finished the fiscal year 2019 appropriations bills, and I greatly appreciate those who worked with us to get that done. I want to talk today about the need to reach a new 2-year budget deal. We…

These admirals and generals, many of whom I know and a lot of whom I do not, have been here with Republican and Democratic administrations, but they are all people who have served our Nation and care about our Nation. They are part of a…

I thank my distinguished colleague from Rhode Island. I could not help but think--as I saw the picture of John Chafee, with whom I had the honor of serving here in the Senate--of John Chafee's close friendship with Robert Stafford, who was…

what is the legislative situation? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The pending question is on the Miller nomination.

I thank the Presiding Officer. I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

President Trump declared a national emergency 2 weeks ago. He did this in order to build a pet project of his. In the process, he said it was his intent to siphon billions of dollars that Congress had appropriated to help our men and women…

the reality, of course, is that apprehensions at the southwest border have dropped 75 percent since 2000. The reality is that many of the southern border communities have violent crime rates that are lower than our national average. The…

in his tortuous attempt to make a case for billions of taxpayer dollars to wall off our southern border, President Trump claimed that a wall would stop human trafficking, which has been touted as a priority of this administration. On…

I want to commend Senator Klobuchar for introducing the Freedom to Export to Cuba Act, of which I and Senator Enzi are cosponsors. I urge other Senators to join us. This bill is about ending the anachronistic prohibitions in U.S. law that…

as someone who has been here for some period of time, I was glad to see Republicans and Democrats, both in the House and the Senate, come together in the past few weeks, especially this week. We ignored the distractions and tweetstorms…

I conclude by saying it takes a lot of long days and it takes a lot of long nights to produce a bill of this magnitude. I appreciate their hard work. I think we may have others who will want to speak. Mr. President, how much time do we…

I applaud the Senator from Illinois, the senior Senator from Illinois, for his comments. He knows what it is to have immigrants in your family, as do I. I was fortunate to have a little more understanding as my paternal grandparents…

like many of my fellow Americans I listened to the President's State of the Union Address 1 week ago, and while there are any number of the President's false or misleading assertions that I could refute, I want to take a minute to…

I read an article about Sarducci's celebrating 25 years in Montpelier. Marcelle and I have enjoyed eating at Sarducci's since it first opened and are thrilled with what Carol Paquette and Jeff Butterfield have done with the restaurant. I…

on Thursday, January 24, a good friend of mine, former Daily News photographer Harry Hamburg, died. Both Marcelle and I were in shock at the news. Harry is one of our dearest friends, and Marcelle and I loved him. I have lost count of the…

over the past few years, the national headlines have been dominated by stories about the high cost of pharmaceuticals. We have seen jaw-dropping examples of companies raising the cost of their products overnight, pricing too many families…

the McConnell amendment expresses the sense of the Senate regarding the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria and Afghanistan, an action I have long supported. Many Senators, including several of the cosponsors of the amendment, have…

I remain concerned about the frequent and abrupt leadership changes at the White River Junction VA Medical Center in my home state of Vermont.

no matter how intractable something might seem, the Senate is the Senate, and we should be the conscience of the Nation, and we can work things out. One of my closest friends in this body is the distinguished senior Senator from Alabama…