Herb Kohl

Thanks a lot, Senator Brownback.

I am most encouraged with you as a person in terms of your knowledge, your enterprise, your energy, your ambition, and I am convinced you are and will be a great Secretary of Agriculture.

I believe the FDA is going to become increasingly responsive to all the important needs in our society under your direction along with Dr. Hamburg.

Thank you. Well, Dr. Sharfstein, we want to thank you and your staff for being here today.

It's imperative that this agency is successful in its mission because literally people's lives depend on it.

Last year FDA was provided with a $150 million in supplemental funds.

Today we are going to take a hard look at the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, which is responsible for insuring the pensions of nearly 44 million Americans.

Given the state of the economy, the question of PBGC's viability is more urgent than ever.

PBGC is currently underfunded by over $33 billion, while their duty to manage and pay out benefits is expanding.

Decisions made by PBGC management and a lack of oversight and governance by previous PBGC boards have contributed to the agency's financial condition.

That is why I have introduced legislation to overturn what I believe is this misguided Supreme Court ruling.

I am the sponsor of it.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

The essence of General Petraeus' strategy in Iraq was not defeating the terrorists militarily. It was providing public safety in the cities.

Judicious and thoughtful investments in juvenile justice systems as well as juvenile programming goes a long way toward preventing crime committed by juveniles.

We cannot underestimate the value of working to keep young people from getting in trouble in the first place.

Thank you very much, Senator Feingold.

For many years, we have been asking law enforcement to do more with less, and so our ability to fight crime has been undermined as a result.

The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act has played a key role in successful State and local efforts to reduce juvenile crime.

The fact that a successful and critically important program like Title V receives so little funding is deeply troubling.

We owe a great debt of gratitude to our law enforcement officials who work each and every day to keep our communities safe by preventing crime before it happens and enforcing the law when it does.

I am pleased that the new administration has expressed a commitment to restoring much needed funding to our successful local law enforcement and prevention programs.

I agree with what you are saying. And I would like to suggest that this constant criticism of you in terms of your inability to be an impartial judge is totally refuted by the record that you have compiled as a Federal judge up to this…

Your nomination is a reflection of who we are as a country, and it represents an American success story that we all can be proud of.

But some of the court's most important landmark hearings--landmark rulings overruled longstanding precedent, like Brown v. Board of Education, which ended legal segregation.