Senator Larry Craig, R-Idaho http://craig.senate.gov Senator Larry Craig's Washington Report Senator Larry Craig's Washington Report Senator Craig produces a twice-monthly news show from Washington, DC. EN (c) 2007 lec http://craig.senate.gov/i/pcast3.jpg http://craig.senate.gov Senator Larry Craig's Podcast Larry E. Craig it@craig.senate.gov Politics no Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC Senate expands the government’s spying powers in modified Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Committees begin to review President’s budget requests. Senate expands the government’s spying powers in modified Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Committees begin to review President’s budget requests. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr022108e.mp4 Tues, 26 Feb 2008 11:39:00 CST no 3:43 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC 2008 Idaho Wildfire Summit 2008 Idaho Wildfire Summit http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr012508e.mp4 Fri, 25 Jan 2008 11:39:00 CST no 3:01 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC Senators heading to Indonesia to participate in United Nations Climate Change Conference. Snapshots: The story behind the famous Senate Bean Soup. Senators heading to Indonesia to participate in United Nations Climate Change Conference. Snapshots: The story behind the famous Senate Bean Soup. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr112907e.mp4 Thu, 29 Nov 2007 11:39:00 CST no 5:17 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC Show of force between legislative and executive branches regarding spending bills. Defense bill enacted and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education vetoed. Congress overrides presidential veto on Water Resources Development Act. Show of force between legislative and executive branches regarding spending bills. Defense bill enacted and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education vetoed. Congress overrides presidential veto on Water Resources Development Act. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr111507e.mp4 Thu, 15 Nov 2007 11:39:00 CST no 3:22 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC Senate boosts science and math education programs; Congress approves new ethics rules; and special feature on the "Artist of the Capitol," Constantino Brumidi. Senate boosts science and math education programs; Congress approves new ethics rules; and special feature on the "Artist of the Capitol," Constantino Brumidi. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr080907e.mp4 Thu, 9 Aug 2007 11:39:00 CST no 5:53 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC Debate on National Defense Authorization Act pushed to September. Better treatment for soldiers with brain traumas. Senate simplifies financial aid process. Unprecedented wildfires in the West. Debate on National Defense Authorization Act pushed to September. Better treatment for soldiers with brain traumas. Senate simplifies financial aid process. Unprecedented wildfires in the West. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr072607e.mp4 Thu, 26 Jul 2007 11:39:00 CST no 5:01 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC President Bush nominated a former staff member of mine, Kristine Svinicki, to be a Member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This is a video at her hearing in the EPW committee. President Bush nominated a former staff member of mine, Kristine Svinicki, to be a Member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. This is a video at her hearing in the EPW committee. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/epw071707.mp4 Tue, 17 Jul 2007 11:39:00 CST no 9:36 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC Senate in tug-of-war over troops in Iraq. Foreign investments to be reviewed by intelligence agencies. More safeguards around freedom of speech. Simplifying the tax code. Senate in tug-of-war over troops in Iraq. Foreign investments to be reviewed by intelligence agencies. More safeguards around freedom of speech. Simplifying the tax code. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr071207e.mp4 Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:39:00 CST no 6:56 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC I have been a longtime supporter of a flat and fair tax. I have been a longtime supporter of a flat and fair tax. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr062607e.mp4 Tue, 26 Jun 2007 11:39:00 CST no 1:32 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC Senator Craig honors fallen U.S. soldiers buried in European cemeteries. Senate approves emergency funding bill. An in-depth look into immigration reform proposal. Senator Craig honors fallen U.S. soldiers buried in European cemeteries. Senate approves emergency funding bill. An in-depth look into immigration reform proposal. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr053107e.mp4 Thu, 31 May 2007 11:39:00 CST no 3:04 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC Senate tackles immigration reform a second time around. AgJOBS, the agricultural component of our immigration plan. Initiative to expand insurance coverage for injured veterans. Senate tackles immigration reform a second time around. AgJOBS, the agricultural component of our immigration plan. Initiative to expand insurance coverage for injured veterans. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr051707e.mp4 Thu, 17 May 2007 11:39:00 CST no 2:52 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC Senate reviews bills to change national energy policies. VA Committee pushes measures to benefit soldiers with traumatic brain injuries. Senators Craig and Shelby propose simplifying process to submit taxes. Senate reviews bills to change national energy policies. VA Committee pushes measures to benefit soldiers with traumatic brain injuries. Senators Craig and Shelby propose simplifying process to submit taxes. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr050307e.mp4 Fri, 4 May 2007 11:39:00 CST no 4:27 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC This is a recorded greeting that Senator Larry Craig made for the Hispanic Youth Symposium in Sun Valley, Idaho. This is a recorded greeting that Senator Larry Craig made for the Hispanic Youth Symposium in Sun Valley, Idaho. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/hys.mp4 Fri, 27 Apr 2007 11:39:00 CST no 6:29 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC Senator Larry Craig recorded a message for the Idaho State Association of Letter Carriers. Senator Larry Craig recorded a message for the Idaho State Association of Letter Carriers. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/postal.mp4 Fri, 26 Apr 2007 11:39:00 CST no 4:59 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC A look ahead: Issues the Senate will deal with in following weeks. Also, springtime in the nation's capital: Cherry Blossom Festival and Idaho Princess Kendra Waitley. A look ahead: Issues the Senate will deal with in following weeks. Also, springtime in the nation's capital: Cherry Blossom Festival and Idaho Princess Kendra Waitley. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr041907e.mp4 Thu, 19 Apr 2007 11:39:00 CST no 3:47 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Idaho to Washington, DC Senator Craig speaks about immigration to the Boise City Club Senator Craig speaks about immigration to the Boise City Club http://craig.senate.gov/clips/city_club_speech_apr_2007.mp4 Thu, 5 Apr 2007 11:39:00 CST no 24:30 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC Senator Craig adresses a gathering of the Friends of the NRA. Senator Craig adresses a gathering of the Friends of the NRA. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/craignra.mp4 Sat, 31 Mar 2007 11:39:00 CST no 6:40 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC Larry and Suzanne Craig participate in a March of Dimes fundraiser where they compete with other political couples in a cookoff. This year they cooked and served stuffed piquillo peppers, a traditional Basque dish. Idaho has a prominent Basque community. Larry and Suzanne Craig participate in a March of Dimes fundraiser where the compete with other political couples in a cookoff. This year they cooked and served stuffed piquillo peppers, a traditional Basque dish. Idaho has a prominent Basque community. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/basquedinner032707.mp4 Tue, 27 Mar 2007 11:39:00 CST no 2:30 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's Floor Speech on the Iraq Supplemental Yesterday (March 27), the Senate cast a historic vote to withdrawal our troops from a field of combat. I believe that this vote was a mistake of enormous proportions. Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about the dangers of Congressional micromanagement of war and the dangers of a precipitous withdrawal from Iraq. Yesterday, the Senate cast a historic vote to withdrawal our troops from a field of combat. Mr. President, I believe that this vote was a mistake of enormous proportions. Now both the Senate and House have included language in an emergency supplemental funding bill to micromanage the war and take the authority from our commanding officers and our Commander-in-Chief. The President has rightly expressed his concern over this legislation, stated that he will veto this legislation, and I will vote to uphold his veto. Mr. President, the Commanding General in Iraq, General Petraeus, had a large part in drafting this new plan forward. Yet now, numerous Senators have called to override his expertise and pull out our troops before this plan has time to work. We are not a body of Generals, but of policy makers, and therefore we should not be in the business of setting arbitrary deadlines for retreat, deadlines which are rejected by our military Commanders and the Commander-in-Chief. It is the responsibility of the civilian leadership to set the political goals of an engagement, but leave the strategy decisions to the experts, the military leadership. It is clear to me that the Majority Leadership in the House and Senate see fit to preempt our military experts and inject their own political ideals into our nation's military strategy. I believe that such actions are a great disservice to our men and women fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, and I will continue to oppose their continued efforts to command our military tactics from the U.S. Capitol Building. This bill contains critical funding for our military to ensure that our soldiers do receive the body armor, up-armored HUMVEES and other necessary equipment to keep them safe in combat and allow them to seek out and destroy our enemies. The Majority party is using this bill to play politics and score points with their base, delaying these necessary funds from reaching our troops. It is absolutely regrettable that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle voted to include this defeatist language on this critical funding bill for our soldiers. Mr. President, I have heard a lot of my colleagues speak out against this war because of the duration of the war, that we have been in Iraq longer than in World War II, and that because of the duration of our efforts, we should simply retreat and come home. The fact is, Mr. President, we are not engaged against a standing Nazi German army. While the United States continues to base large numbers of soldiers in Europe and on the DMZ in South Korea, we are told by some of our colleagues in the Majority that we need to remove our footprint from Iraq completely and immediately, and allow these radical fundamentalists to butcher each other in our wake and create a new safe haven for terrorism in the Middle East. Our soldiers in Iraq are fighting an insurgency that wears no uniform and fights with remote-controlled devices so they remain hidden on the battlefield making the job of our soldiers that much more difficult, but also making it that much more important that our government continue to support their mission. No, Mr. President, this is not World War II. But the seriousness of this war is just as critical to the security our country and the world. I have stood on this floor several times this year, Mr. President, talking not only about the implications to Iraq if we were to suddenly pull our troops out without a stable government and security forces in place, but about the implications to our own national security and the larger Middle East. If we were to pull our troops out tomorrow, the kind of humanitarian crisis we would see in Iraq, which would spill into neighboring countries in the form of violence and refugees, would be astronomical. What then, Mr. President? Do we send more troops back in? Do we rely on an ineffective United Nations to send in corrupt officials and peacekeepers in an attempt to regain some sort of control? No, I do not believe that the United States should nor can afford to do that, and I will not cast a vote on this floor to allow that to happen. Stability in Iraq, my colleagues say, is merely a pipe dream. However, we have already seen this new strategy start to work. Violence is down in Baghdad and the insurgence and terrorists are pulling out of the Capital city and fleeing to the outskirts. Without a stable Baghdad, the Iraqi government cannot rule. Our soldiers, aided by the reinforcements sent to Iraq by President Bush, are working very hard to provide the stability they so desperately need. Like every Member of this chamber, I believe that we need a political solution to the situation in Iraq. However, a political situation cannot be met if there is not stability in the Capital city of Baghdad. Some of my colleagues believe that if we pull our troops out of Iraq immediately, the violence will cease and the government will stand up. It is my belief that the exact opposite will occur. As I mentioned, our success in Iraq does not contain itself within the borders of Iraq. Our moderate allies in the Middle East are also counting on our success in the region to ensure that radical States, like Iran, do not expand their powerbase to the entire Middle East. Without success in Iraq, and stability in the Middle East, our security and that of our allies will be in serious jeopardy. We are already seeing what an instable leader of Iran is capable of doing. After defying UN resolution after resolution, the Iranian government is moving forward with the enrichment of uranium; a move that could someday soon give them nuclear weapons. Can we trust the Iranian government not to use those weapons against Israel, a country that their President has blatantly states should be �wiped off the map, or Europe, or elsewhere around the world? No, I do not believe we can trust their government to live peacefully with nuclear weapons and our presence in the Middle East, along with success in Iraq, will go a long way to prevent that and keep the Iranian government contained. To those who contend that the United States does not have a very real interest in the Middle East and in a stable Iraq I would say you are wrong. We have both security and economic interests in this part of the world and we cannot ignore that fact. I have been actively engaged our nation�s energy debates to break our dependency of foreign oil. However, I recognize that this is not a problem that can be achieved over night. Our nation has a real dependency of Middle Eastern oil, and a destabilized Iraq or a Middle East dominated by Iran, would cause serious turmoil in the world�s oil market and the economies of the United States and the world. I am working very hard to move our economy away from this dependency on foreign oil, and move towards more domestic production; but I also realize that if we leave Iraq before it can be stabilized and allow the Middle East to fall into the hands of radical fundamentalists, our economy will be in very real trouble. We live in very serious times, a world where our enemies do not observe internationally recognized sovereign boundaries or governments, but instead choose to rule by terror and fear. If we allow these tactics to govern our way of life instead of standing up to them, we are essentially inviting the fight to our own backyard. We have the battleground established and we are taking the fight to our enemies; yet we are being pushed by the democrats to pull back from the fight, come home to our shores and hope that our enemies do not cross the oceans and follow us home. In our modern world, the vast Pacific and Atlantic oceans are not the barriers they once were, and we need to ensure we do not end up fighting our enemies at home, when we could fight them abroad. Mr. President, I would like to close by saying again, unequivocally, that I believe the vote yesterday to retreat from Iraq was a serious mistake. Our enemies now look upon the United States as a country with no resolve, a country that will cut and run when things get tough. That, Mr. President, I firmly believe is a very dangerous message for this country to be sending to our enemies and our friends. The Congress has a responsibility to conduct oversight over wars and to provide the necessary funding for our soldiers; but Congress does not have, nor should it have, the responsibility to dictate war strategies and tactical decisions. Those decisions should and must be left to the Commander-in-Chief and our expert military Commanders. The President has made very clear that this bill will be vetoed, and I will vote to uphold that veto. The Senate cast a dangerous precedent yesterday with a vote to play General in war, and I hope that future Congresses choose not to go down this path. Mr. President, I yield the floor. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/fs032807.mp4 Wed, 28 Mar 2007 11:39:00 CST no 5:37 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC Senators Craig and Dorgan propose measures to cut down fuel costs. Sen. Craig also introduces bills to give health care choices to veterans and to assist small businesses when essential personnel are called to active duty. Senators Craig and Dorgan propose measures to cut down fuel costs. Sen. Craig also introduces bills to give health care choices to veterans and to assist small businesses when essential personnel are called to active duty. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr032207e.mp4 Thu, 22 Mar 2007 11:39:00 CST no 3:32 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Craig and Al Gore talk about nuclear power and the environment I discuss nuclear power and energy issues with Al Gore. I discuss nuclear power and energy issues with Al Gore. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/craigepw032107.mp4 Wed, 21 Mar 2007 11:39:00 CST no 7:04 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Al, Gore, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig My legislation would give any service-connected disabled veteran the choice to go to any medical facility in the United States. My legislation would give any service-connected disabled veteran the choice to go to any medical facility in the United States. Mr. President, I rise today to talk a little bit about recent events reported in the media surrounding the care and housing providing to our returning, injured service members from Iraq and Afghanistan. Walter Reed, of course, is an Army run facility. And as such, it does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Veterans' Committee, which I am proud to lead along with my Chairman, Senator Akaka. Never-the-less, the American public - rightly - does not care who runs the place or who oversees it in Congress. Collectively, VA and DoD make up a system of services provided to active and former members of our Armed Forces. Of course, we have all read about the poor conditions in Building 18 at Walter Reed. I am not here on the floor today to defend poor physical infrastructure. It is bad, a free press reported it, senior officials were held accountable, and it is being fixed. I am here instead to talk about how the justified uproar over the conditions at Walter Reed seems to have provided an opportunity for some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to hone in on a new strategy for criticizing the war. The strategy appears to me to be one of "questioning the competency" of those who work in our federal system caring for our wounded service-members. Now, I don't want to accuse anyone of politicizing the care and treatment of our most deserving citizens. But, I have to wonder when I hear my friends on the other side of the aisle using a slight variation on one of their "catch-phrases" from the 2006 elections. I`ve heard one of my colleagues lament the "culture of command" in the military as the reason for poor conditions at Walter Reed. Mr. President, I don't really know what the "culture of command" means, other than it sounds a lot like phrases used during the last election. But this time they are using that playbook with the care provided by the 220,000 dedicated employees of the VA health care system. Speaking of which, Mr. President, I want to caution my colleagues who have used the case of the young veteran from Minnesota who tragically took his own life a few weeks ago as example of what is wrong with the VA health care system. Some of us on the Veterans' Committee have been briefed thoroughly about all of the facts in this case. And while HIPPA prevents VA from defending itself in this situation, I am not so constrained. That said, I do not intend to reveal at this time the facts surrounding this case. But, I believe all of my colleagues would tone down their rhetoric on this example if all of the facts known to me were known to them. Still, there is no question that every individual instance of poor care or treatment is a tragedy. And, every one of them should be investigated. There should be accountability at the highest levels. And there should be consequences if VA is found to have been responsible for inappropriate treatment. But, I have to say that using anecdotes of horribly unfortunate situations, such as the Minneapolis tragedy to castigate an entire system of health care and the people who provide is not fair. Over the past two weeks, more than one Member has come to the floor or spoken in the press about how the VA system is failing our wounded service men and women. Frankly, Mr. President, perhaps we have failed them by not taking actions to make those wounded in service the priority that we say they are. Instead, all I hear from Members on the other side is: we haven't given VA enough money. In fact, I hear we are preparing to throw $5 billion at the VA in the Supplemental Appropriations bill. I find that to be a very interesting especially when I consider that this Senate just three weeks ago passed an FY 2007 Joint Funding Resolution written wholly by the new majority. ------Just three weeks ago!! Mr. President, this is what some of my colleagues had to say about the money provided in that bill for VA's health care system. One Senator from the Majority said "we have included an increase of $3.6 billion. so that the VA can continue to meet the growing demand for health care for our veterans." Another said "if we do not pass this resolution, which includes needed funding for the Veterans health care system, we will have no one to blame but ourselves" And still another Senator from the Majority had this to say arguing for passage of the FY 2007 Resolution "We need a VA budget for the current year that meets their needs." Yet, now I hear that the VA is chronically under funded. The first chance the new Majority had to provide all of the funding they believed was needed was three weeks ago. And apparently they neglected to do so. Frankly, I think the budget for 2007 was an excellent budget. And I voted for it. So, I am not going to run away from that right now. And I certainly don't know if I can support throwing $5 billion at it because the media is watching. Instead, I have a different idea. Mr. President, I don't want to wait for a Commission to report to me on the findings of their review of the VA health care system. Those findings will be important, of course. And I thank Senator Dole and Secretary Shalala for their willingness to once again serve. But, I say that we already have our own commission and our own investigators on the ground every single day. They are the veterans who use the VA health care system. And overwhelmingly they are proud of their health care system. In fact, I am so confident that the vast majority of our veterans feel that way that I announce today that I will introduce legislation to give ANY service-connected disabled veteran the choice to go to any medical facility in the United States. Mr. President, I understand that it may sound like I am agreeing with my Democratic colleagues and that I have lost faith in the VA health care system. Nothing could be further from the truth. Why? Because I believe the vast majority of our veterans will choose to stay right where they are - in the VA! Our veterans know that VA is not a bunch of nameless, faceless bureaucrats who deserve to be vilified at the drop of a political hat. Instead our veterans see everyday the caring dedicated men and women who treat them as they should be treated,-- with respect and compassion. Veterans overwhelmingly will continue to come to the VA because of its people. They are some of the most caring individuals in government. And they provide some of the highest quality of care in the country. So, I believe in empowering our veterans with this selection because I believe our veterans will select VA. It's not just me who believes in VA. For the seventh year in a row VA's health care system outscored the private sector in the University of Michigan's Consumer Satisfaction Survey. * 91% of VA's patients rated VA as having good customer service. * 84% of VA's patients were satisfied with their inpatient care compared to the private sector average of just 73%. * 82% are satisfied with their outpatient care compared with just 71% on average in the private sector. You might say "well then 10 or 16% were not satisfied and that's a disgrace." I agree. We should strive for 100% satisfaction. But, what we should not do is force our most deserving citizens to stay in a system for their health care while we talk about how to study it or while we throw money at it and declare we've done something. Mr. President, I want to be clear. I think the number of veterans who don't trust VA for their care is small. But, I also think that if they've been injured while serving this nation, then we should not force even a small number of them to keep coming to us if they don't trust us. We have all of the objective studies, articles, and reviews that say we're good. Now, let's find out what our veterans think. If they leave in droves, then we'll learn something. But if they stay, as I think they will, then we'll learn something too! So, I say to my colleagues if you don't believe that our doctors and nurses are providing the best care in the best facilities right now, then I invite you to join me in giving those with service-connected disabilities the option to pick up tomorrow and go to a facility they trust. Don't just stand up and throw money at it. Stand in the well of the Senate and vote to empower our heroes by providing them with immediate relief. Mr. President. I yield the floor http://craig.senate.gov/clips/fs030807.mp4 Thu, 8 Mar 2007 11:39:00 CST no 18:18 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC Senate focuses attention on 9/11 legislation to improve homeland security. Senator Craig introduces bill to extend payments to timber-dependent counties.. Senate focuses attention on 9/11 legislation to improve homeland security. Senator Craig introduces bill to extend payments to timber-dependent counties. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr030807e.mp4 Thu, 8 Mar 2007 11:39:00 CST no 3:55 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC Senator Craig addresses situation of timber-dependent communities; Northwest senators oppose proposed raise in energy rates; Initiative to reform to Endangered Species Act introduced; Judge Norman Randy Smith confirmed. Senator Craig addresses situation of timber-dependent communities; Northwest senators oppose proposed raise in energy rates; Initiative to reform to Endangered Species Act introduced; Judge Norman Randy Smith confirmed. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr022207e.mp4 Thu, 22 Feb 2007 11:39:00 CST no 2:55 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's Valentine's Day Speech from Washington, DC Senator Larry Craig, (R-ID) talks about Valentine's Day and his family Senator Larry Craig, (R-ID) talks about Valentine's Day and his family http://craig.senate.gov/clips/fs021407.mp4 Wed, 14 Feb 2007 11:39:00 CST no 1:48 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC Senators at odds over Iraq resolution, Minimum Wage Bill cleared, President's budget review begins Senators at odds over Iraq resolution, Minimum Wage Bill cleared, President's budget review begins http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr020807e.mp4 Thu, 8 Feb 2007 11:39:00 CST no 3:29 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC President Bush addresses joint session of 110th Congress, Sen. Craig's reaction to State of the Union, Senate passes ethics reform, Craig discloses funding for Idaho projects even before required. President Bush addresses joint session of 110th Congress, Sen. Craig's reaction to State of the Union, Senate passes ethics reform, Craig discloses funding for Idaho projects even before required. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr012507e.mp4 Thu, 25 Jan 2007 11:39:00 CST no 4:33 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC The Iraq Study Group's report, the veterans' bill, and art in the U.S. Capitol The Iraq Study Group's report, the veterans' bill, and art in the U.S. Capitol http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr121406e.mp4 Thu, 14 Dec 2006 11:39:00 CST no 6:19 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC Before closing session: Senate adopts measures to benefit veterans. Sen. Craig highlights achievements in town meeting in Marsing, Idaho. Before closing session: Senate adopts measures to benefit veterans. Sen. Craig highlights achievements in town meeting in Marsing, Idaho. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr101206e.mp4 Thu, 12 Oct 2006 11:39:00 CST no 3:09 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC Senate discusses Secure Fence bill. Senator Craig speaks about the agriculture industry's labor needs. Senate discusses Secure Fence bill. Senator Craig speaks about the agriculture industry's labor needs. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr092806e.mp4 Thu, 28 Sep 2006 11:39:00 CST no 3:21 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's speech on the Senate floor from Washington, DC This year the Senate passed a comprehensive immigration bill. Parts of it I agreed with and parts I disagreed with. Mr. President, I come to the floor this afternoon to speak about the issue which is before us at the moment; that is, H.R. 6061. We voted on a motion to proceed to debate today and invoked cloture on that motion by getting a substantial number of votes. Now we are in the next phase of the rule process in which we would actually move to the bill, debate it, and possibly amend it. I voted this morning to move this bill forward because I believe it is important for the American people to understand that we are very serious about border control. If this bill serves that purpose, then that is a step in the right direction. It is not my intent to come here and say it is a bad bill. It is my intent to come to the Senate floor and talk about what we have done to date in the area of border security and that a piece of paper, a piece of legislation, does not a safe border make. It establishes the legal basis for which we build upon a foundation for safe border and border action, but it is the financing of it, it is the funding of the necessary construction, the supplying and the training of Border Patrol men and women, and creating the devices and vehicles necessary to effectively monitor and control our borders that build a safe border. Step 1 is a very critical process this Senate, and the Congress itself, has been involved in for some time; that is, the recognition of a broken immigration system and an unsecured border structure in our country that has allowed, over two decades, possibly 8 to 10 million foreign nationals to come into this country illegally. America didn't awaken to this issue until after 9/11. It awakened because it found that some who had come, legally and illegally, were intent on delivering the citizens of this country an evil act, and that happened. Not only did it kill nearly 3,000 of our fellow country men and women, but it launched this country into a new dimension of foreign policy that we had not been involved in or as intent on as we should have been a long while ago--a war against radical Islamic fundamentalism and the tools they use in that war known as terrorism. That is where we are today. It has swept our country. It is the political debate of the day. It is the frustration of the American citizen to try to understand why we are where we are today and what we are doing and why young men and women bearing the uniform of the United States of America are dying in a foreign land or foreign lands. All of this issue is really one. It is a combination of understanding the world we live in, and that is a world that is not as safe as we would like it to be, and there are very real enemies out there. But it is also understanding a new world that we live in right here on the North American Continent and one that we have ignored for years; that is, creating secure borders and defining and designing a well-run immigration program that responds to our needs and our economy and, at the same time, is fair and responsible to those foreign nationals who would like to come to our country to work. I began to work on this issue not just a year ago, not just 2 years ago, but in 1999. I first looked at it through the eyes of American agriculture when they came to me and said: Senator, we have a problem. We have a very big problem. The H-2A program that supplies foreign national workers to agriculture doesn't work. It is broken. It is bureaucratic. It is nonfunctional and doesn't meet our seasonal needs. As a result, that Federal H-2A guest worker program only supplies about 40,000 to 45,000 workers. But we need and have over 1 million in our workforce who are foreign nationals and, frankly, they are illegal, and we know they are. It ought to be fixed because we don't want to base our economy as American agricultural producers on an illegal process because someday it may do us damage. So I began to work, along with several others, to try to build and propose changes within the immigration laws to create a legal guest worker program. We were doing that in 1999 and 2000. And in 2001, as we all know, America's roof literally fell in as we were attacked by the terrorist elements of radical Islamic fundamentalism. America became angry and frustrated. We began to find out that our immigration process was broken. I knew about it. I was working on it at the time. What I kept saying to my colleagues in counseling them is, as we secure our borders, let's also redo our immigration laws to identify the illegals who are in our country--treat them justly and fairly but identify them--to see if some of them deserve to stay here and work, while at the same time making sure we have a system that in the future recognizes the need for immigrant labor in our economy and specific to agriculture. We worked on that a long while. This year the Senate passed a comprehensive immigration bill. Parts of it I agreed with and parts I disagreed with. I voted for it to move the process along because I thought it was critically necessary because I didn't want to get the cart in front of the horse. I wanted the horse in front of the cart, and the horse in front of the cart is border security as a first line of defense in monitoring and controlling illegals in our country. The second line is a legal process which makes sure that those who are here are legal, and those who want to come to work in our economy are legal. And if you don't do them both in tandem, I think you create phenomenal problems for our country and our economy. While we have been doing all of this, some would say we have done nothing on the border. That is why we need to pass H.R. 6061. If they are saying that, they are not looking at the facts, and they don't recognize what has happened. Let me read some of the facts of what we are doing. We have increased funding by $7.97 billion--billion--for border, port, and maritime security. We spent $34 billion on the border and port and maritime security to date. We have added 3,736 new Border Patrol agents, out of a total of 14,000, whom we are training and supplying over the next 5 years. And it was the Craig-Byrd amendment of 2 years ago, at the time of appropriations on the floor, when real dollars went into the program--$500 million a year--to train those border patrolmen that we are talking about right here at this moment. So if you detain and arrest foreign nationals who are illegal in our country, what do you do with them? You have to hold them. We didn't have anyplace to keep them. We have now added 9,150 new detention beds out of a total of 27,000. We are now building 370 miles of fences in the congested urban areas along our southwestern border with Mexico. We are doing it right now. The legislation before us simply talks about it. Concrete is being poured, wire is being strung, and double fencing is being created as we speak. Why? Because many of us thought it necessary 2 or 3 years ago to get started in this process that is critically important right now. In the area of border tactical infrastructure and facility construction--and by that we are talking about surveillance equipment, electronics, sensing devices--$682 million is being spent. The numbers go on and on and on. Why I am here talking about this is because we are today building a border system to secure and control our borders. Just before the Easter recess, I was one of those privileged to be at the White House to talk to our President about our chairmanships. I am chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee. And that afternoon the President said to me: Well, Senator Craig, how are things in Veterans? I said: Mr. President, I don't want to talk about veterans today. I want to talk to you about something that I think is critical and necessary that we do now. He said: What is that? I said: I think you need to declare a state of emergency on our southwest border, nationalize the Guard, assemble our National Guard on the border and close it. He looked at me with a bit of surprise. He said: How can you propose that? You are the advocate of AgJOBS, Senator Craig. You are the guy out there promoting reform in immigration right now. I said very simply and very clearly: Mr. President, we have to build credibility with the American people that we have lost because our borders are not secure and we have not controlled them. Now, all of us and all who may be listening know the rest of that story. There are now 6,000 Guard men and women deployed to our southwest border, and that allows us to more effectively utilize the Border Patrol along our border and to spread our Guard out into the broad expanses of a 2,000-mile border which are maybe less dangerous than the congested areas where the greatest numbers come across. Our Guard men and women are not policemen. Our border patrolmen are. They are trained. They are officers of the law so they can detain and arrest. But at the same time, the combination of using our border patrolmen, our National Guard men and women, and our Border Patrol is the right combination. The reason I talk about this and set this idea in front of my colleagues is to express what is really going on out there; that is, this country is investing heavily on the southwestern border as we speak. We are spending billions of dollars. Fences are being built, and there are literally thousands of our men and women on that border securing it. Is it working? Yes, it is working. Is our border closed? No, it is not. It is a 2,000-mile border across arid, desolate, and oftentimes extremely rugged terrain, and we will have to continue to invest to do that. Let me tell my colleagues and show my colleagues the proof of what I am saying. The border is closing. My colleagues will remember that cart-and-horse analogy I used a few moments ago, where if we didn't close the border and get a comprehensive legal process to bring migrant workers into our country for the sake of agriculture and other industries, we could do real damage to our economy. So the border is closing, but we haven't passed a comprehensive reform bill. In fact, the politics would suggest we can't get there right now. And most assuredly, the U.S. House of Representatives, in my opinion, did the wrong thing this summer. They went out and condemned the work product of the Senate when they should have been at a conference table trying to work out our differences. They should have been trying to solve the very real problem that is now embodied in all of these press releases which are pouring in from across the country that speak of the crisis in American agriculture. It is a crisis born out of the reality of what I have just talked about: that a border that should be closed and secured is, in fact, closing and being secured. Let me start with Idaho: ``Potato Growers Struggle Without Immigrant Labor.'' The potato harvest is now just starting in the State of Idaho. The packing sheds will soon be full as that marvelous Idaho baking potato begins to sell in the world market. There aren't enough people available this year to help harvest those potatoes, and many of those people who are not available are migrant workers. The reason they are not there is because they can't get there. The legal system can't function quickly enough to get them there, and those who were coming illegally aren't coming because the border is closing. Another press release: ``Potato Growers Face Labor Shortage.'' That is just in Idaho where tragically enough, and in a real sense, we probably have 30,000 or 40,000 illegal foreign nationals working in agriculture and other work areas every year, and our unemployment rate is 2.5 percent, which means we are at full employment. But we need that kind of labor, and it is not coming. Now let me continue--but only for a moment because other colleagues are here on the Senate floor to talk about this issue--down through these press releases. My colleague from California is on the Senate floor. She represents the largest, wealthiest agricultural region in our Nation known as the great San Joaquin Valley. There is no other agriculture like it in the world. If you haven't been there and visited, it is simply worth your time. Every fresh fruit and vegetable known to any consumer in this country is grown in the great San Joaquin Valley. I have always marveled at that agriculture. It is also true the Senator from California and the San Joaquin Valley probably host more illegal workers than any other area in our country. What is happening there today is that crops are rotting in the fields. Fruit is not being picked. Vegetables are not being harvested. That kind of agriculture that is intensively hand labor agriculture is suffering. I am told by some we could literally lose the raisin industry of our country, and that would be a tragedy if the politics of the Congress will not allow us to get to a legal system to allow that type of workforce to exist in our country today. I could walk my colleagues through hundreds of press releases and the stories now being told by American agriculture of nobody there to help them pick their crops, to supply the marvelous vegetable stands of the produce sections of America's retail food industry with the abundance that we have all known. We saw it start in February in Yuma, AZ, in the great Imperial Valley where billions of dollars' worth of vegetables are picked in February and March to supply us--lettuce and celery and all of those kinds of things that we are used to. A third of it didn't get picked this year. That is a crop that is worth $3.2 billion at the farm gate, and a third of it rotted in the fields because we in Congress couldn't get our act together. That is a tragedy and it is a shame. It is believed between now and the end of harvest, or between now and next year, American agriculture could literally lose billions of dollars' worth of fresh produce that would go to the supermarket shelves of our country for all of us to eat, all of us. And if it isn't there and there is a limited amount, you know what happens. The price starts heading up. Those producers of those products tell me they have advertised in their communities, they have pled with people to come out and work. They said they would increase their salaries substantially. But nobody is there to do the work. Americans do not do stoop labor anymore. It is a reality that we ought to face. Yet we have not been willing to face it. Yes, we need a fence and we are building it. Yes, we need border security and we are accomplishing it, and we have not finished. Clearly, for the safety and security of this country our borders are more important than nearly anything else. But if you cannot feed your country, if you are going to lose your agriculture, if you are going to cause bankruptcies that are no fault of the farmers themselves, then you are doing some very real damage--along with your unwillingness to recognize the reality of a law that no longer works and a work product we are trying to accomplish at this moment. We will probably have to go through an election. We will probably have to get the politics of the election out of the way before the House and Senate will come to the reality of the problem that is clearly before us today because we are just a week and a half from adjournment or recess until after the election. The kind of comprehensive work that we should have been doing in August and we should have been doing in September turned into politics and not constructive work. I hope the House bill in front of us is not an extension of those politics and politics alone. I hope it really is meant to fit into a total package of border control and comprehensive immigration reform that allows this country and our economy and our hard-working agricultural people a legal, transparent, and open guest worker immigrant labor force. We need it. We have always needed it. We should not be denying its reality today. The Senate attempted to accomplish that. We argued mightily on immigration reform on the floor of the Senate for nearly a month, and we do not all agree because it is in itself a very contentious issue. It has all aspects of the American culture and the American emotion tied into it. But as we studied it I think a majority recognized the reality of doing the right thing. The horse and the cart have to be connected. Border control and border security is the first line of defense, and a legal structure behind it that gives employers a legal, identifiable workforce is necessary and appropriate, and they have to be connected. Let me close with this thought: We do not reform immigration laws in this country, we let them go. Politically we will not handle them. But we will continue to tighten a fence until our 2,000-mile land border is complete and the border closes. There will be a new phenomenon emerge in the port of Los Angeles along the coast of California, and they will be called ``boat people.'' Because those who want to come here to work, once we have created the fence across the land surface that they now trek, will find another way to get here. Somebody in a fast speedboat will charge $1,000 a head and they will pick them up in Mexico and shoot them around the water and across the waters and into the coastline. My point is simply this. You have to have two things that work here to make it work. You have to have border security and you have to have a law, a law that works, so when that employer hires a foreign national, the ID card is real and they know they are hiring a legal person. I am not going to put American agriculture or any other law-abiding employer at risk when they need people to get the harvest out unless we do so in a way that says we will sanction you if you hire somebody who is illegal, but we are going to make sure that you have a workforce that is legal and has the kind of transparency of ID and uncounterfeitable documents that are critical and that are in the Senate bill. Those are some of the issues we need to talk about and we are going to ignore now until after the election. Here are the press releases. Billions of dollars will be lost in American agriculture this year and American consumers will pay an increased price for the quality produce they buy on the fresh fruit shelves of our country. It is a reality. It is happening as we speak. I thought it was important that I come to the floor to talk about it. Most want to simply ignore it because the politics of the issue is simply too difficult to deal with. It is not too difficult to deal with. We can do both as a great nation. We can secure our borders. We can improve our immigration laws. We can provide a legal and necessary guest worker/migrant worker program for the segments of our economy that speak to that type of workforce. It is our responsibility. I hope we do not shirk it or turn our back on it. American agriculture, along with a lot of other segments of our economy, will suffer if, in fact, we do not have the political will to accomplish the right and responsible issue and things at hand. I yield the floor. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/fs092006.mp4 Fri, 22 Sep 2006 11:39:00 CST no 24:23 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC Senate approves legislation to secure nation's ports; reviews success of insurance program for wounded soldiers and increases funding for treatment of military brain injuries. Senate approves legislation to secure nation's ports; reviews success of insurance program for wounded soldiers and increases funding for treatment of military brain injuries. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr091406e.mp4 Thu, 14 Sep 2006 11:39:00 CST no 3:23 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's Town Meeting Highlights I held twelve town meetings around Idaho in August. I've selected some questions and answers from these meetings to share with you. I held twelve town meetings around Idaho in August. I've selected some questions and answers from these meetings to share with you. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/pc091406.mp4 Thu, 14 Sep 2006 11:39:00 CST no 32:59 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC Senate opens zone in Gulf of Mexico for oil exploration. Snapshots: A tour through the Old Senate Chamber. Senate opens zone in Gulf of Mexico for oil exploration. Snapshots: A tour through the Old Senate Chamber. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr080406e.mp4 Thu, 3 Aug 2006 11:39:00 CST no 4:24 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC Congress decides parameters of Stem Cell Research, VA Department concludes 75th Anniversary Celebration, VA Senate Committee address backlog in U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Congress decides parameters of Stem Cell Research, VA Department concludes 75th Anniversary Celebration, VA Senate Committee address backlog in U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr072006e.mp4 Thu, 20 Jul 2006 11:39:00 CST no 3:54 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC Senate discusses troop withdrawal date; University of Idaho opens scholarship program for disabled veterans. Senate discusses troop withdrawal date; University of Idaho opens scholarship program for disabled veterans. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr062206e.mp4 Thu, 22 Jun 2006 11:39:00 CST no 3:52 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's floor speech, June 14, 2006 "First and foremost, if we can't and won't finish the job we set out to do, we will be forever questioned and challenged by those who seek us harm. Simply put, we are at a defining moment in our nation's history." MR. PRESIDENT. I rise today to address the recent developments in Iraq and to speak to the American public about the war and our efforts in the Middle East. Before I begin, let me quickly state this: Like many Americans across the country, I have, and will always maintain steadfast and strong support for our men and women in uniform. Further, also like many Americans across the country, I, too, have had my moments of doubt regarding our progress in Iraq and have at times felt overwhelmed by the challenges our country, the coalition, and the Iraqi people face in establishing a stable country in a volatile region. However, seeing through the "fog of war," recent events have drastically changed the way I perceive this war. With the recent annihilation of Zarqawi it is unquestionable proof that support for Al Qaeda in Iraq is dwindling. And it is dwindling at the hands of former supporters of Al Qaeda who not only led coalition forces to Zarqawi, but will also turn others like him over to Iraq and U.S. forces in the near future. Further, it is unquestionable proof that our men in uniform are on the hunt and that Iraqi forces are quickly coming on-line in defense of their fellow citizens of all faiths. Still, some in this country, and even some in this very body want to cut and run from Iraq. I say absolutely not, and not on my watch. The message of turning away from these recent successes and turning away from Iraqi men, women and children, who are on the verge of freedom for the first time, sends an ill-fated, doomsday message to the Iraqi people. Most importantly, however, it sends the wrong message to the terrorists about the will, fortitude, and patience this country was founded upon. First and foremost, if we can't and won't finish the job we set out to do, we will be forever questioned and challenged by those who seek us harm. Simply put, we are at a defining moment in our nation's history. Therefore, it is imperative that this country, and the people of this country, stand up and send a message to the terrorists and to the Iraqi people that we will not be deterred and we will finish the job we set out to do. Right now the new Al Qaeda leader in Iraq is on the run, living in fear, and surely certain that the same fate awaits him that recently fell upon his predecessor. Further, the demented and delusional men surrounding this new leader are also living in fear clearly aware that at any moment a soldier from Twin Falls, Idaho or Manchester, England or a soldier from the Kirkut region in Iraq will capture or kill them. Removing U.S. forces, that are standing side-by-side with Iraqi and coalition forces, will effectively and instantly remove the fear that we have now embedded within Al Qaeda members now on the run in Iraq. I am certain that those members in this body advocating for the U.S. to pull out fully understand and appreciate the role foreign assistance played in helping our colonies become the great republic it is today. Without French military and economic assistance the will of the American Revolutionaries would have been broken long before our final push was fought to gain a free, independent, and sovereign republic. To cut and run today, especially in light of our recent successes, would be equivalent to the U.S. colonies fighting without French assistance. Simply put, without foreign military assistance to this country none of us would be standing here today in the world's greatest deliberative body and the bell of liberty would never have rang. So, today, I ask my friends on the other side of the aisle to step up, look in the mirror, and recall how our very own country was established. Failure to stay the course on this endeavor is short-sighted, hypocritical, and goes squarely against the principles and the very reason this country was conceived and founded upon. Mr. President, we have much to be thankful for today. As such, I urge my colleagues to help give the Iraqi people what this country so desired in 1776, freedom. I yield the floor. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/fs061406.mp4 Wed, 14 Jun 2006 11:39:00 CST no 5:53 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC In Europe and North Africa: Senate VA Committee members salute fallen American soldiers; VA information theft; new website in Spanish. In Europe and North Africa: Senate VA Committee members salute fallen American soldiers; VA information theft; new website in Spanish. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr060806.mp4 Thu, 8 Jun 2006 11:39:00 CST no 4:34 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC Immigration reform almost a reality, as Senate debates multiple amendments. Immigration reform almost a reality, as Senate debates multiple amendments. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr052506.mp4 Thu, 25 May 2006 11:39:00 CST no 2:54 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Larry Craig's news from Washington, DC Plans for oil drilling in Cuban waters, Dirk Kempthorne's confirmation hearing; and proposals to increase funding for V-A medical research and build new rehabilitation centers. Plans for oil drilling in Cuban waters, Dirk Kempthorne's confirmation hearing; and proposals to increase funding for V-A medical research and build new rehabilitation centers. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr051106.mp4 Thu, 11 May 2006 11:39:00 CST no 5:02 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Craig's May 3rd Budget and Energy Speech Senator Craig talks about energy, drilling in ANWAR and the emergency supplemental. Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I thank my colleague from Alaska for her dedication and the Chair's dedication to the development of ANWAR. We can all look back at the time when this Congress actually passed it and it was vetoed by President Clinton. If that had not happened, today ANWR would be producing and would be feeding at least a million barrels a day of oil into the system, and the refineries at Anacortes, WA, would be operating at full capacity. My guess is that gas would not be $3 at the pump, and we would be in a much stronger position worldwide today if we were allowed to produce. It is a supply-and-demand issue. We all know that. We are going to create greater transparency in those markets so that the American people can rest assured that there is no gouging. We, the same, want to understand that. But I think that when that is understood, if that is what we find, then the world begins to really look at why $3, why $3.10, why $4? Why is demand outstripping supply, and all of those types of things? It is so darned important. Mr. President, as most of my colleagues know, congressional recesses are not times during which Senators and Congressmen do nothing. In fact, recess is a critical time for citizen legislators like ourselves. Recess is an opportunity for many of us to go home and live for a little while under the laws that we have passed. We talk with our neighbors. We visit local restaurants, grocery stores, and spend a lot of time with constituents all across our states. We hear what the people think about our work. I must say that while I was in Idaho over the Easter recess, the feedback I got on spending by this Congress was not good. We have before us another emergency supplemental funding bill. The chairman of the Senate Budget Committee has called these emergency funding bills ``shadow budgets.'' I agree with his view. We are simply funding outside of the regular budget process the known costs of our war on terror. That has to end. In the case of hurricane relief, I understand the need to provide emergency funding as quickly as possible, and I know we cannot always budget exactly for an emergency. However, I am increasingly frustrated with this Congress's refusal to make any adjustments to other spending priorities to account for the need to rebuild the gulf coast. We are now into our fourth emergency supplemental in less than a year for the rebuilding efforts along the gulf coast. It is time that we start paying for some of this spending. Before I left for the recess, I voted in favor of the emergency supplemental appropriations bill that was before the Appropriations Committee. I cast a ``yes'' vote with some hesitation, in light of the concerns I have just mentioned. The bill I voted for would have provided $96 billion in emergency spending, mainly for our efforts in the war on terror in Afghanistan and Iraq and the continued reconstruction of the badly damaged gulf coast region. The President submitted a request to Congress for $92.2 billion. Yet I was voting to add $4 billion to the amount requested by the President. But I voted yes because I recognize that not all wisdom is found at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. Congress has a responsibility to scrutinize and improve upon the administration's request. And we certainly have the right and the responsibility to add or subtract from that request based on needs that we identify. I believe the bill I voted for in committee did just that. Chairman Cochran and Senator Byrd held hearings on the administration's request. They identified shortcomings and they changed the bill to address those needs. So I supported $96 billion as the level of funding needed to address urgent needs across this country related to our war on terror and our disaster recovery efforts. Unfortunately, a series of amendments adopted by voice vote by the committee after I left have pushed the cost of the legislation now before us to over $106 billion. That is $14 billion above what the administration requested and $10 billion above what Chairman Cochran and ranking member Byrd recommended to all of us. Every Member of this institution has to draw the line and decide how much is too much. In my mind, and in the minds of many Idahoans, this level of funding is simply too high. In fact, last week I joined with 34 of my Senate colleagues in sending a letter to President Bush saying we will vote to support his veto if the price tag of this bill does not come down. Enough is enough, and I am proud to stand with my colleagues and say so. The people of Idaho are honest, hard-working Americans who will continue to staunchly support our military and compassionately lend a helping hand to our fellow citizens on the gulf coast. That message has been loud and clear to me over this and other congressional recesses. However, when Congress tries to take advantage of their patriotism and generosity, the people of Idaho deserve to know that their Senator will stand up and say no. I believe that this bill is irresponsible, and that is why I am standing up and saying no. I want to be clear so that all of my colleagues and my constituents understand my position and why I am voicing my frustration with this bill. My frustration is not about supporting our military. I support our military and I am committed to providing them with the tools they need. My frustration is not about supporting recovery efforts in the gulf coast. I am committed to helping the people in that region rebuild and move on with their lives. My frustration is with the Senate spending billions upon billions of dollars in such an irresponsible manner. The people of Idaho have charged me with being a good steward of their taxpayer dollars, and they expect me to work hard and make sure those dollars are being spent wisely. This bill does not do that. We can meet the needs of our military, the gulf coast, and other national priorities in a fiscally responsible manner. We have to be willing to make tough decisions and tighten our belts. Together, we can get spending under control and regain the confidence of the American taxpayers. Mr. President, I also wish to talk a little bit about the budget as it relates to where we are on the supplemental, along with this important issue of energy because, when I was home over the recess, as most of us were, the public was talking about a lot of issues. They were talking about energy, although it hadn't spiked the way it is spiking now. But they were also talking about deficits and responsible spending on the part of Government and making sure we do it right. And it is tremendously important that we do. The supplemental is too big at this moment. The President has sent us a message, as he should have--and I support that message--that we have emergencies, and we ought to address emergencies. But we ought not put on emergency budgets those kinds of expenditures that could well be utilized and brought into the appropriate budget. I have said to our chairman--and I respect his work, and I am on the Appropriations Committee--that we have to bring this supplemental down a bit and get our deficits under control. We have a war, we have Katrina, we have a national disaster beyond anything we have ever faced. Americans understand belt-tightening. They also understand sharing. This is about belt-tightening; it is about sharing. It is not about funding every idea that comes along, as worthy as it might be, against making sure that we get Louisiana and we get Mississippi responsibly financed in a redeveloping, restructuring mode--not excessively--and that we make sure our men and women in Iraq are appropriately funded. Those are the critical issues. My time is limited, but I have said to our chairman and I say it again: It is important we understand that the $92 billion to $96 billion range is where we have to get this supplemental, and I am going to work hard with the chairman to do it, to do it appropriately, to be selective in that which we fund but to be responsible in that which we send to the President in our work with the House to assure that we have the emergencies funded. Supplemental emergency funding ought not be a shadow budget. Here we are now in our fourth emergency supplemental within a budget cycle. I don't think our budget system works very well if we can't do better than that and argue that everything is an emergency and, therefore, somehow it doesn't fit under the caps. That is not the way our public and our taxpayers who finance this big government of ours want us to operate. Somehow we have to get that under control. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/fs050306.mp4 Wed, 3 May 2006 11:39:00 CST no 4:04 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig The Washington Report: April 27, 2006 The economy and health insurance are addressed in this week's Washington Report. The economy and health insurance are addressed in this week's Washington Report. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/wr042706e/wr042706e.mp4 Thu, 27 Apr 2006 11:39:00 CST no 3:23 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig The Washington Report: April 13, 2006 Senator Craig on how the nation benefits from immigration. Details of the Martinez-Hagel proposal. Senator Craig on how the nation benefits from immigration. Details of the Martinez-Hagel proposal. http://craig.senate.gov/releases/wr041306e/wr041306e.mp4 Thu, 13 Apr 2006 11:39:00 CST no 4:37 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Craig on Mike Tracy's Retirement Senator Craig talks about Mike Tracy Mr. CRAIG. Madam President, today I come to the floor to recognize the retirement from my staff of Mike Tracy, my director of communications. Mike started working for me 10 years ago. When I first met him, he said: ``Finally someone works here with less hair than me.'' Mike's head shines pretty brightly on a clear day. Mike is always fond of saying that his job is not rocket science. It is not science, he is right. It is art--and Mike Tracy is a master at the art of communications. He is a man who finds a challenge and tackles it head-on. His tenacity is legendary. When he heads into a battle with me, Mike is always out on the front line with the flag flying high. He is a man who loves America and is not afraid to let people know it. When you are around Mike, you cannot help but be boosted by this man's passion. I am sad to see Mike Tracy leave my staff, but he goes on to a new challenge, and I know he will tackle that challenge with the same tenacity he approaches life and has for 10 years approached the job he does for me. I wish him the best of luck and thank him for his service to me, to the State of Idaho, and to America. Mike Tracy, have a great life in your next job, as I know you will. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/fs040606.mp4 Thu, 06 Apr 2006 11:39:00 CST no 01:44 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig Senator Craig on Immigration Reform Senator Craig talks about Immigration Reform Mr. CRAIG. Mr. President, I become very frustrated when it is evident that nobody wants to do what is the will of the Senate. It is a historic responsibility when you bring a piece of legislation to the Senate, which is to allow Senators, Democrat and Republican, to work their will with offering amendments that are, hopefully, germane and responsible to be debated and voted on. Why would I want any amendments? I have all I want in the bill. The Judiciary Committee included agricultural jobs, a guest worker revised program, and a program that will deal with illegal undocumented workers already in country that relate to agriculture in the bill. Would I want anymore amendments? In fact, the Senator from Georgia has already offered an amendment against me. One of my colleagues on this side of the aisle has openly said he wants to kill the AgJOBS provision in this bill, and he has a multiple of amendments he wants to offer. I am willing to let him offer them. I am willing to debate him. I think I can defeat him. I hope I have the prevailing argument. But what is at hand here is a very important piece of work done by the Judiciary Committee, S. 2454. I am not going to suggest it is perfect in every way. The amendment process does refine and direct the will of the total Senate instead of the will of a single committee. I suspect the chairman of the Judiciary Committee would be hard pressed to say this bill is flawless, it is perfect, it is without reproach. That is not what my phone calls are saying. That is not what the public is saying. In fact, the public in many instances disagrees with the provisions I have put in the bill. What is important is exactly what the other Senator, Senator Isakson, said. This is one of our major domestic issues. It is an issue of national security. It is an issue of border control. It is an issue of recognizing the diverse economies of our country and the need for an employment base that is legal, documented, and controlled. It is a matter of immigration. To suggest we are going to play games with who is on first and who is on second about who makes an amendment, who offers an amendment--why is the other side so nervous and frightened that somehow this bill might be changed a little bit? Better or worse, I don't know. I think all who have spent time on this issue and know the issue are certainly willing to debate it or we wouldn't be with the issue. We would simply be running politically away from it as this Congress has done for a good number of years. But the American people, in frustration, in anger, in fear, are now saying deal with it, control your border, our border, our Nation's border. Define and prescribe, background check, inspect those who cross it, at the same time, recognize that a certain type of employee is critically necessary in American agriculture to do the tough, hard, backbreaking work in the fields of America or to change the beds in our resorts or to work in certain forms of manufacturing or in oil patch. Now, that is at that level of work, and that is an entry-level job, and it is critical to our economy that we have them. Americans, on the large part, have chosen not to do that kind of work anymore. But I recognize the need to recognize American citizens who do, and in my AgJOBS reform of the H-2A program, we create a national labor pool and recognize, first, if someone who is an American citizen is seeking that kind of employment, we make sure they are eligible and eligible first. It is Americans first in this instance, as it should be. At the same time, there must be a clear recognition that there are now millions in this country, yes, here illegally, but all of them working, and working hard, and paying taxes, and not getting the benefit of those. Why? Naturally, they are not citizens. We understand that. They probably ought to go home when they are through working, and 90 percent of them want to go home. But the irony is, as we continue to control our border, we create an impenetrable line, as we should, and those who have moved back and forth across that border historically no longer can do that. Well, it is an interesting thing. It is an interesting issue. The House tried to deal with it in one way--I do not think appropriately, I do not think responsibly. I am not suggesting it is not responsible to control the border. We are doing that in this bill. But I believe we are doing it in a much more sensitive and humane way. The border has to be secured or what we do here will not work. You cannot try to control and identify and direct employment traffic, if you will, in this country if you cannot control the flow of the traffic. That is part of what we are all about in trying to deal with this issue. There are those who would say: Round them up and throw them out--round up 8 million, round up five times the size of the population of the State of Idaho and somehow identify them and treat them as legally as you have to under the law and get them out? We cannot do that, will not do that. It is impractical to do that. That is what this bill has struggled to accomplish. But let's stop and suggest that if this is the issue we all believe it is, why are we fearful of amendments? Why has the other side sleepwalked us for the last 2 days? We ought to have voted on 3, 5, 8, 10 amendments by now. What are we fearful of? I have my provision in the bill, but let Senator Chambliss amend it. Let him try. Let us debate it. Let us see the differences between what he believes and what I believe. We both agree on so many things as it relates to the agricultural employment base, but we disagree on some things. There is nothing wrong with that kind of healthy debate. I do not fear it. I will not fear it. And I must say to my colleague from Illinois, when you tried to make the straw person the Senator from Arizona, there is an expression south of the Mason-Dixon line that is simply said: That dog don't hunt. Find a new straw person. This one does not work. I yield the floor. http://craig.senate.gov/clips/fs040506.mp4 Wed, 05 Apr 2006 11:39:00 CST no 08:13 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig The Washington Report: March 30, 2006 Immigration: Agriculture industry speaks out and details of immigration reform bill approved by Senate Judiciary Committee. Immigration: Agriculture industry speaks out and details of immigration reform bill approved by Senate Judiciary Committee. http://craig.senate.gov/releases/wr033006e.mp4 Fri, 31 Mar 2006 11:39:00 CST no 03:53 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig The Washington Report: March 16, 2006 No enrollment fee for veterans, initiatives to boost scientific education, job figures and resolution to honor "Safe Place" program. No enrollment fee for veterans, initiatives to boost scientific education, job figures and resolution to honor "Safe Place" program. http://craig.senate.gov/releases/wr031606e.mp4 Thu, 16 Mar 2006 11:39:00 CST no 03:24 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig The Washington Report: March 3, 2006 Senate passes revised Patriot Act, VA Committee reviews veterans budget Senate passes revised Patriot Act, VA Committee reviews veterans budget http://craig.senate.gov/releases/wr030306e.mp4 Fri, 3 Mar 2006 11:39:00 CST no 03:28 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig The Washington Report: February 16, 2006 Modifications on PATRIOT Act, Employment status of young veterans, Budget proposal for nuclear research, Statue of Freedom snapshots Modifications on PATRIOT Act, Employment status of young veterans, Budget proposal for nuclear research, Statue of Freedom snapshots http://craig.senate.gov/releases/wr021706e.mp4 Thu, 16 Feb 2006 11:39:00 CST no 05:13 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig The Washington Report: February 2, 2006 Senate confirms Samuel Alito to U.S. Supreme Court. President Bush delivers State of the Union address. Senate confirms Samuel Alito to U.S. Supreme Court. President Bush delivers State of the Union address. http://craig.senate.gov/releases/wr020206e.mp4 Thu, 02 Feb 2006 11:39:00 CST no 02:43 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig WASHINGTON, D.C. - Idaho Senator Larry Craig praised the approval of Judge Samuel Alito today to serve as an associate justice on the United States Supreme Court. Alito was approved by a bipartisan majority of Senators, 58 to 42. "Today we have sent a man to the Supreme Court who is not only an experienced, hardworking and thoughtful judge, but also an outstanding human being," Craig said. "I believe he is exactly the sort of man the Founding Fathers had in mind as they framed the Constitution. Judge Alito's colleagues, from across the political spectrum, have praised him for his honesty, integrity and adherence to the law. "When I met with him, I was impressed by his temperament and character, and his performance before the Judiciary Committee confirmed my assessment. Judge Alito will be a phenomenal Supreme Court justice, and I commend President Bush for nominating him." Yesterday, efforts to filibuster Alito's nomination came up well short, as debate was ended by a strongly bipartisan 72-25 margin. Comments on Judge Samuel Alito Senator Craig's comments on the confirmation of Judge Alito http://craig.senate.gov/releases/craig013106.m4v Tue, 31 Jan 2006 11:39:00 CST no 11:05 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government Senator Larry Craig The Washington Report: December 15, 2005 End of the year review End of the year review. Plus: Capitol Christmas tree lightling ceremony! http://craig.senate.gov/releases/wr121505.m4v Wed, 18 Jan 2006 11:39:00 CST no 07:03 Larry Craig, Idaho, Politics, Washington, Government