Speeches

Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the nomination of Dr. Heather A. Wilson to be the Secretary of the Air Force. The Secretary of the Air Force is an important and influential position within our national security structure.  As the head of... Read More

Mr. President, the Senate has decided on a purely partisan basis to resolve the impasse over Judge Gorsuch's nomination by invoking the "nuclear option."  For the first time in our history, nominees to the Supreme Court of the United States may... Read More

Mr. President, there are few moments in the life of a nation when the people are presented with a single choice that directly affects what equality before the law will mean for the next generation. The opportunity to grant a lifetime appointment to... Read More

Thank you, Senator Collins, for calling this important hearing today to provide the Maritime Administration, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and the D-O-T Inspector General with an opportunity to discuss their efforts to address sexual assault and... Read More

Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the deep and growing concerns about Russia’s interference in the U.S. 2016 presidential elections and the implications of Russia’s broader malign activities for our national security.  On... Read More

Thank you, Chairman Collins.  I want to commend you for your leadership of the THUD Subcommittee.  I know we both look forward to this committee and the work of this committee, and I thank you again for your leadership.  We at the... Read More

Mr. Reed: Mr. President, I rise in strong opposition to the nomination of Scott Pruitt to be the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. President Trump has made it clear that he wants to savage environmental protections, and his... Read More

Mr. REED: Madam President, I rise in opposition to the nomination of Steven Mnuchin to be Secretary of the Treasury. No Cabinet official can have such a profound impact on our economy, on family budgets, on taxes, and on consumer protection as the... Read More

Mr. REED: Mr. President, I rise in opposition to the nomination of Betsy DeVos to be the Secretary of Education. This is not a position I take lightly. I have never opposed the confirmation of a nominee for Secretary of Education. I also have... Read More

Mr. REED: Mr. President, I rise to discuss why I intend to oppose the nomination of Rex Tillerson as the Secretary of State. This is not a decision that I make lightly. I have no doubt that Mr. Tillerson has been a successful businessman, managing... Read More

Mr. REED: Mr. President, I rise in opposition to the budget resolution that the Senate will vote on this week. We are nearly half way through the fiscal year, and the Republicans have offered this budget resolution not to set a path forward for... Read More

Mr. REED - Madam President, I rise to discuss the National Defense Authorization Act. After several months of debate and negotiation, the House and Senate Armed Services Committees have arrived at a completed conference agreement. This... Read More

Mr. REED - Mr. President, today I am introducing the Bankruptcy Fairness Act, with the goals of bolstering financial stability in the United States and requiring the necessary analysis to assess the consequences of potential changes we might make in... Read More

Thank you, Chairman Collins, for your leadership and for holding this important hearing on the future of self-driving vehicles. I want to thank all of our witnesses for taking the time to share their expertise on this issue with us... Read More

Mr. REED: Mr. President, today I join many of my colleagues here in encouraging the Senate to continue working on solutions to protect our planet from the growing threats of climate change. First, I would like to thank Senator Sheldon Whitehouse... Read More

Mr. REED. First, let me commend the Senator for this extraordinary and principled discussion that the Senator has led, along with Senators BLUMENTHAL and BOOKER. I do have a question, and it stems from some of the comments I have received from the... Read More

Mr. Reed: Mr. President, I would like to make some brief remarks with respect to the Reed amendment that is pending on a vote. Senator Mikulski would like to also. I note the chairman is here, but I would ask unanimous consent that when I finish... Read More

MR. REED: Mr. President, I rise to discuss my amendment, which would provide partial relief from the caps imposed by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015 on both the defense and non-defense portions of the budget for fiscal year 2017. The Chairman has... Read More

Mr. Reed: Madam President, I rise to discuss the fiscal year 2017 national defense authorization bill, which was passed out of the Armed Services Committee on May 19 by a vote of 23 to 3. I want to begin by thanking Chairman McCain, not only for his... Read More

Mr. REED: Mr. President, let me thank the chairman for her consideration. I rise in support of the Zika supplemental amendment offered by Senators Murray and Blunt, as well as the amendment offered by Senator Nelson. The threat of the Zika virus is a... Read More