boxer: thank you. i also ask unanimous consent that jonathan colacant and matthew long of senator bingam bingaman's office be granted the privileges of the floor during the pendency of the travel promotion bill. the presiding officer: without objection. mrs. boxer: thank you very much. madam president, i decided to come to the floor to talk about a couple of things. one, health care reform, and the other, the stimulus package. we're seeing attacks from the party of "no," the republican party, every day on this floor, and i believe the purpose is to derail health reform. and, you know, i think it's perfectly legitimate to debate how we proceed, but i think when everything is stripped away, you're going to see again the republicans as the party of the status quo, and i have to say in relation to health care reform, the status quo has got to go because it's really hurting our people, and i will just put a couple of facts out there that are irrefutable. they're just facts, you know. the fact is that if we

boxer: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from california. mrs. boxer: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the senate proceed to the immediate consideration of s. 1358, introduced earlier today. the presiding officer: he would note for the senator from california, we are in a quorum call. mrs. boxer: i would ask that that quorum be dispensed with. the presiding officer: without objection, so ordered. mrs. bomrs. boxer: so i will rey unanimous consent request, that the senate proceed to immediate consideration to s. 1358, which was introduced earlier today. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection, so ordered. the clerk will report. the clerk: s. 1358, a bill to authorize the director of the united states patent and trademark office to use funds made available under the trademark act of 946 for patent operations in order to order furloughs and reduction in forces. mrs. boxer: and, mr. president, i ask unanimous consent that the bill be read three times a

boxer: i would make an apology to my colleague. we're here quickly to speak about a very important issue, a murder of a doctor. i didn't want it to be interruptive. but can i make another u.c. that following my remarks, that senator carper be recognized for -- mr. gregg: well, madam president, reserving the right to object. as i understand it, we're supposed to be moving to the supplemental and that there's a unanimous consent agreement which was -- has been reached and that hopefully that will be placed in order. the presiding officer: the senate is in a period of morning business. mr. gregg: well, i would to be any more unanimous consents. mrs. boxer: well, they already passed. mr. gregg: i'm objecting to the one that you just requested. mrs. boxer: for senator carper? is there any way we can assuage the senator. does he want to take the floor before senator carper? mr. shaheen: madam president, i believe i still have the floor. the presiding officer: the senator has the floor. mrs. shaheen: madam president, yesterday, along with

senator udall can going to take over and senator boxer will be next. senator hutchinson and then it's all up to senator udall from new mexico. he's going to fix the whole problem. >> senator lautenberg, on your way out the door, i just want to thank you very much for this hearing, sir. and high-speed rail is critical. it's just really critical. i want to pick up on senator thune's comments about the funding. senator thune, i just wanted to pick up on your points about the funding because it's very critical. this $13 billion standing alone just can go so far. but in my state we had an election about putting in $9 billion funding package, and the people voted aye which was kind of remarkable given the latest votes that we had. so, you know, the people there really understand it. and our system, and i think -- i bet most everybody in this room has been to my state. it will eventually connect sacramento, our state capital, to san diego in the south. that is the first phase will be between los angeles and san francisco, points in between. i also want to poi

boxer: thank you, madam president. i came to the floor to speak in support of the family smoking prevention and tobacco control act and also to express my gratitude to senator kennedy and to my colleagues who have pushed so hard for consideration of

senator boxer has indicated that she intends to move something from her committee, environment and public works by the end of the summer, and i know that the majority leader is looking to that prospect of how you could team the two bills together. i think that what we have in this energy bill is actually for the awards that are in it, there are good component pieces that really do help us to reduce our emissions, that really do get us on that right path so that we are seeing lower emissions around the country. so if we were not to pass a cap-and-trade bill this year, and we were to pass an energy bill, i think we would actually be doing something positive when it comes to what we are emitting and how we are caring for our environment. recognizing that right now, the marker that we are using for purposes other than session is the waxman-markey bill. recognizing the cost to the nation, to the consumer from legislation such as this establishing a cap-and-trade bill regime as they have proposed, i'm not convinced that our economy right now is strong enough to take us on. i am not convinced th

boxer: a very brief question because i know that we have to vote. i want to speak for a moment as a woman and from california where we have such excitement about this nomination. i know that we all agree this is a historic first, this nomination. and i think given that, and the fact that, you know, the women of this country comprise the majority and there is only one woman on the court, and we certainly have never had a latino on the bench, i'm asking my friend: does he not believe this nominee should be accorded equal treatment -- equal treatment as it relates to the others who have been nominated for the same most that's all i'm asking for. i'm not on the committee. but i'm supporting our chairman leahy here and the rest of the committee -- at least those who are moving toward this in a schedule similar to justice roberts. so i would say, once again, shouldn't we who are very excited about this nomination and want to see it move forward expect to have judge sotomayor treated in an equal fashion? mr. schumer: i think my colleague from california ma

i cannot speak to what senator boxer proposed but it is not what the president has proposed. when you look at what do you have reported out of your subcommittee although we have not seen every thought of it there is remarkable confluence of policy issues with the president 81 proposal includes a livability component he wants to see in the 80 month extension and the metropolitan mobility initiative which you also have been your bill and as it does have the issue related to cost-benefit analysis but the proposal is not a mere of the transit new starts process. no one is a mystery shin is content with how things are going with the new store process paragraph we brought that process as it was done under the last the administration to bear on projects nothing would give bill. >> that is right. >> no one is proposing to do that. he is proposing a program where we can stand up for the ability for states to choose better projects. but that may not necessarily be brought to bear. >> but we have said we have looked at our bill and we are preparing major reforms in how the process goes

boxer: thank you very much. i want to say to my friend, senator shaheen, her words were eloquent here today. and that her voice adds so much texture to the senate. in a very plain spoken way, as is her way, senator shaheen has told us that regardless of where we stand on this contentious issue of a woman's right to choose, we should be able to come together when there's violence of any sort from any quarter, right, left, or center, there is no place for violence in any of our debates. that's what makes this such a great country. we debate here. we have had difficult debates here on the issue of a woman's right to choose. yes, we have. but we decide those issues in this chamber, in the house, at the white house, and across the street at the supreme court. madam president, the supreme court has ruled very clearly in 1973 in roe vs. wade that it is legal, legal, for a woman in the early stages of her pregnancy to make this tough choice and get the health care she needs. and, yes, later in the pregnancy, if her heal

boxer: good. so, what thomas friedman, again writing his great come up, as he does, says that iran would not be such a formidable power in the world if oil wasn't so sought after in the world. now, we don't buy any iranian oil, for obvious reasons, but the rest of the world does. and the fact is, if we can create these clean alternatives, it's going to make every difference -- every difference -- in the world. so, in closing -- and i'll so pleased that senator kerry is here -- let me say this: my ranking member, jim inhofe, made a comment -- and i just want to say that we are good friends, and anything i say here, i say to him and vice versa. my ranking member said in the press -- and i don't know if senator kerry saw this -- my ranking member, senator inhofe, said to me in the press, "i should gei should get a life. get a life and stop trying to pass global warming legislation, because it isn't going it happen. and i want to say to him, very clear today, i have a life. and i am spending it gettin

. >> senator boxer? >> thank you so much mr. chairman for this important hearing and thank you all and good luck to you, administrator babbitt. i have had problems with faf safety for so many years i can't even tell you, and had nothing to do with if it was a republican president or a democratic president, i just felt the ntsb which was one of my hero agencies and government all my life, one of the agencies that tells the truth and they come right out and say that they have been ignored and ignored and ignored and gets to me and it is upsetting and i hope we will have a change with this administration and if we don't you will be hearing from me. i want you to succeed but think you need to be honest about what youeed and you know, i would ask mr. rosenker, how many years have you been on the in tsp? >> six years. >> so you have a good background. it seems over the years there from dozens and dozens of recommendations that have been ignored; am i correct by the faa regardless who is president? >> 450 are outstanding today many of

senator boxer announced today. july 22, clean bill, no changes in the policy. 18 months.15 >> let me speak to that it is not what the president proposed. >> i have to admit we haven't seen every part of it. >> it includes a live ability component. he wants to see in the 18 month ipish tiff. that would be part of this. yes, it does have an issue related for the cost benefit analysis. if we brought that to bear, nothing would get built. what the prose is proposing to do is put together a program where we can stand up the ability to choose better projects. he's not saying that was not brought to bear i guess the question becomes since we seem to be so close together in terms of the policy and stream lining, then the only difference seems to be whether it is 18 months or three years. the aversion is because they don't want to approach the revenue issue. i gave is to the chofe of staff this morning. we've heard we have run up fuel costs% because of speculators. prettytd simple. we take larry summers proposal from 1989.

so how this will play out as we move forward -- >> what risk well barbara boxer raise if she tries to effect the legislation, this during the time for the peak price of oil as she prepares for an election? is there any specific risk that she may see? >> she is a smart woman, she is thinking about all of this. >> what do you perceive as her calculation? >> if the price of oil goes up, and the attention starts to refocus, on what they pay at the gas pump, i think the calculus will change. we have all seen the list of priorities, when the individuals were asked, what is the major issue, the economy was number one, the environment or moving to -- climate change was no. 20. and if people are still losing their jobs and worried about their homes, and they are scale -- scared when they fill up their car, i do not think a calf and trade discussion, has much of a chance of success. outside of a small committee room. i do not see this happening. >> just following the question, oil has gone from $30 to $70 a barrel, to you see a repeat of the same fight that we saw last year, with republicans ca

boxer: madam president, i just want to be heard briefly. we just heard senator mccain attack this bill that's before us that primarily funds two wars and takes care of our wounded warriors, invests in new hospitals for them to be treated for their brain injuries, helps them with their child care, and singly starts us on the path of bringing our troops home from iraq -- something that president obama promised to do and changes our focus in afghanistan which has really been very scattered and focuses us on routing out the taliban who really make it possible for al qaeda to thrive. so this bill protects the american people. now, i've been very clear. i've said i want to see this afghanistan policy work. i said i'm going to give it this year for that to happen. and i hope it does happen. because we were attacked by al qaeda. we were attacked by osama bin laden. we were attacked because al qaeda had sanctuary in afghanistan, and instead of going into afghanistan the way we should have, we shortchanged that mission that i voted to go into and tur

barbara boxer has indicated that she is intending to move something from her committee, by the end of the summer. and i know that the majority leader is looking to that prospect of how you can put the bills together. what we have, in this energy bill, is actually for the words in this, there are good component pieces that really are helping us to reduce the emissions, that are really getting us on the right path, so that we can see the lower commissions across the country. if we would not pass this bill, this year, and we were going to pass the energy bill, we would actually be doing something positive, when it comes to how we are caring for the environment. recognizing that right now, the marker that we are using for the purposes of the discussion is the waxman bill, recognizing the cost, to the nation, to the consumer, from the legislation such as this, and establishing the capt. trade -- cap and trade, i do not believe the economy is strong enough to do this, i am not convinced that the families, that are losing their homes, and their jobs, worried about health care and the costs t

i just met with senator boxer. >> what do you think of what newt gingrich said? >> we will talk about that. >> ok. thank you. thank you, senator. >> thank you for coming. good meeting. a very nice person. i was as direct as i knew how to be. the judicial temperament will be covered in more details when we get more information at that time. she has accomplished a lot in her life, and i was very direct. i said i have got to decide how to play this game, quite frankly. if i used to senator obama's standard, i would never vote for her. he basically said, and you can look it up, that something to believe is what the president wins the election, they should have great authority to appoint the nominee, and the only thing you look for is whether rights will be taken off. he went on to say you have to do more. you have to look at the judge's record. and when i look at the ideology, when i look at her record and philosophy, i am deeply troubled. that is my standard. a talented person, no way that a conservative republicans would have picked her to be on the supreme court.

boxer: madam president, i just want to be heard briefly. we just heard senator mccain attack this bill that's before us that primarily >> there is still time to get your 2009 congressional directory from c-span. it has intermission on cabinet members, the congress, and senate, plus maps and how to contact committees and caucuses. you can order it online or phone. >> this week, california congressman pete stark, chair of the house ways and means subcommittee discusses legislation working through congress. he talks about a proposal that would establish a public health insurance plan to compete with private plans. >> at the end of the day, if you choose to have competition, then you choose to have a plan that is dependable and affordable, you cannot do without having a public plan which creates the competition for the private plan. yes, there will be a public plan in the bill. will people vote for it? i do not know -- who wants to go home in next year's primary and a say i voted against a plan that will provide state 30,000 people in my distri

a few hours after that, senator barbara boxer sent out a tweet urging her supporters to sign a petition to appoint a woman. i don't know if the message got as far out as the president hoped, or there may have been some who heard it and chose not to follow the request, but in any event the president may have perceived his choice to be narrowed in that if he didn't choose a woman he may be faced with a significant blash. so now out of all of this, this confusion, chaos, frenetic lobbying, judge sotomayor emerges. introducing her to the american public the president spoke of her background and characterized her as being more experienced nominee than any justice, any nominee to be a justice for a century. she has an impressive background, no getting around that. she was raised in humble circumstances in the bronx, graduated from princeton and yale, went on to serve as the assistant district attorney. she had a "private practice" litigating property practicings and was living there. there was a time when democrats chose one nominee. she then served on the district court until 1998 when she w

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if i could ask the ambassador to pass by on the way out we would appreciate that and finally senator boxer asked me to mention that she shares the concern about the imprisonment of laurel lane and she invites them to join in signing with respect to the administration's approach. senator shaheen. >> thank you, mr. chairman. ambassador basra, thank you for being here and your service. i would point out to our graduate of dartmouth and to a sprout in new hampshire. >> thank you. >> you can't steal them. he still lives with us. [laughter] >> we are working on that. according to the recently released reports, north korean exports jumped 23% last year compared to the previous year and imports jumped 33%. to follow-up little bit on what senator kec was referencing with respect to china, what do these statistics say about our ability to isolate north korea economically and what affect that sanctions had on the country? >> i think first of all, senator, it's important to note those are percentage increases of very low base levels. i haven't personally analyzed the data sufficiently to be able to te

conversations] [inaudible conversations] some of the debate on the bill included comments from senators barbara boxer and john mccain. this is about 10 minutes. >> a message to the people of pakistan and that the united states has made a long-term commitment to stand by their side in the region and at home as they battle domestic insurgency and extremists. however, the conference report also contains millions of dollars in unrequested spending that is largely unjustified and certainly non-emergency. president obama's message to congress was two keep funding focus on the news of our troops and not to use the supplemental to pursue unnecessary spending and to keep earmarks another extraneous spending out of the legislation. despite the president's insistence not to include unnecessary spending in the supplemental, the conference report contains a number of earmarks and unrequested congressional program editions. i'm disappointed in that the majority chose to use the supplemental as a vehicle to add billions in unrequested funding and policy proposals which should have been fully vented and considered o

stand here and say thank you to the majority leader for standing up on an issue that he cares deeply boxer the reimportation of drugs, because he understands, as does the presiding officer, as do all of us here who have loved ones we've cared about who've been smokers, who've a effected by tobacco and the harm and department of justice it does to our -- and the harm and damage it does to our citizenry, it is the only disease that's self-inflicted. there are more deaths each year as a result of smoking and tobacco products than alcohol, drugs, suicide, aids combined, automobile accidents. it's the greatest killer in america. and we have a dhans to make a difference on it. the day will come for reimportation. we ought to get to it. but if you do it on this bill, understand you lose both -- reimportation and the smoking bill. that's the danger. i thank the majority leader. i yield the floor. i suggest the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: the presiding officer: the senator from delaware. mr. kaufman: i ask unanimous consent the

former secretary of state colin powell, super model tyson beckford, athlete and coach, patrick ewe wing, boxer and athlete, lennox lewis and wyclef jean, performer. and the list goes on and on. as a child of jamaican immigrants, i have been an outspoken advocate for caribbean american and caribbean issues and concerns my entire public life. and probably carry forth my district's rich caribbean heritage. the success of the caribbean immigrant and their caribbean american descendence has been evident in every field of endeavor. while caribbean americans have made great strides and very historic contributions to the prosperity and strengthening of our nation, there's still lingering issues that adversely affect caribbean americans in the united states. caribbean immigrants often have very little money or access to resources when making their transition to the united states, making them vulnerable targets of immigration fraud. i have introduced h.r. 1992, the immigration fraud and prevention act of 2009, making it a federal crime to willfully misrepresent the immigration process through fraud and

democratic senator barbara boxer withdrew an award she gave to an official because she, quote, had concerns about statements bay some care officials and about claims of financial lengths to terrorism, end of quote. and other senators, including republicans jon kyl and tom coburn, have support voice with the f.b.i.'s actions to sever ties with care. i stand with the f.b.i.'s former chief of counterterrorism who has stated, quote, care, its leaders and its activities has effectively gave aid to international terrorist groups, end of quote. and perhaps most importantly, i stand with thousands of american muslims for woman care does not speak. in june, 2007, "the washington times" published a report which analyzed care's documents and found that care's membership has declined by 90% since 9/11. jasser of the american islamic forum tore for democracy said, this is the untold story in the myth that care represents the american muslim population. they only represent their membership and donors, end of quote. in 1999, the islamic supreme council of america, isca, sheik cobani spoke at a state depar

ali was 10-time heavyweight champion boxer. since he left the sport, he's engaged in many humanitarian efforts and traveled the world on good will missions. mr. cosby has spent the last five decades as a comedian, entertainer, and i would add philosopher. his life has been a testament to proper handling of race issues. this extraordinary man just went about being the extraordinary person he is he has entertained he has inspired and he has taught me, for one. for most of my life. he is the first comedian from whom i bought an album, as i recall, it was "co-russell, my brother, whom i slept with." and i throveed man ever since. got to see him recently in concert in tyler and was as excited as ever. what a delightful man. the way he causes us to realize we all have the same -- so many of the same strange enigmatic traits, fears, aspirations, hopes, his television show was certainly inspirational. he makes us laugh at our faults and makes us want to improve them. as a great american, i look forward to his being recognized there at

a few hour that was white house made that somewhat extraordinary statement, senator barbara boxer sent out a tweet on twitter where she urged her supporters to sign an online petition telling the president to appoint a woman. i don't know if the message got as far out as the president hoped or maybe some people heard it and chose not to follow his request. the consequence was the president may have perceived his choice to be nor roed in that if he didn't choose a woman or a minority he may have been faced with a significant backlash from key morgses of his constituency. now out of all of this, this confusion and chaos and this frenetic lobbying, judge sotomayor emerges. introducing her to the american public, the president spoke of her background. he has since characterized her as having more experience, being a more experienced nominee than any justice, any nominee to be a justice to the supreme court in a century. she certainly has an impressive background, no getting around that. she was raised in humble circumstances in the bronx. she graduated from princeton university and yale la

. >> yes, senator boxer. as i mentioned, i'm not sure if you were in here. i was part of the internal review team that was set up by the department of transportation under secretary peters. and we looked into this very charge. there was a question in both the american airlines case southwest case that the relationship had something to do. we certainly have reported a number of things in that report and findings and as i stated in this hearing, and in that report, we'll follow-up on that. >> but i'm not asking you specifically about this, really. it is in the context of the crash. but it's in the institutional relationships here. it's in the culture and we need to hear that that culture must change. so talk to me about how you feel about this 'cause you are -- you've been around -- my god, you went into these aircraft and you had the passengers safety on your back. >> sure. >> if anybody can change the culture over there, it's you but can you tell me, are you doing anything to change the culture? >> we're certainly trying. i've only been there -- >> i know. >

fully aware of that, and senate majority leader harry reid and senate environment chairwoman barbara boxer have already been working for a couple of months behind the scenes to try to build up the same kind of consensus in the senate. they have assumed that they're going to take a debate bill, the house bill, they have looked at the dynamic that have slowed it down in the house -- especially, for example, the real concerns of the farm state and agriculture committee democrat. they have been reaching out to those members in the senate, to the midwest and farm members. they recognize it is a long, tough haul, but it is a very high priority for democratic leaders. they are trying to build a legislative strategy before the bill even comes to their chamber. host: we will leave it there. corals, thank you for calling in. we are joined now by u.s. representative john shadegg. guest: house republicans believe this is the wrong way to go about this task, first and foremost. we had it with us that came before the energy and commerce committee before the energy subcommittee who testified that his uti

senator boxer put forth a bill that would in dustin nursing education and we also have to look at the conditions nurses work under. they have one of the highest musculoskeletal injuries because the work they do support the bill would be safe patient handling. we need to create safe work environment. it is frustrating to go home and worry about what you missed because you didn't have the time to give the care that you need so we have to make investment and create staff standards to better working conditions. most of us didn't go into nursing to make a million dollars, we went in to take care of people and i think it is important to understand as nurse is we take seriously the role of being the advocate for the patient. we are the last line of defense at the bedside so we need to meet the conditions better for nurses and invest in nursing education. >> coley we are going to be doing that. one more thing i would say is unfortunately across the country we have seen high incidences of infections in hospitals which cause sometimes death to an awful lot of patience. i happen to believe stron

it was just like a boxer when they think they have a big lead they run around the ring hoping to win the fight. next thing you know it's a split decision allah oscar de la hoya and some of his fights. it's like a prevent defense, as they say in the nfl, a prevent defense prevents you from winning. i like what land done donovan said yesterday after the game, we just want to win. fifth ranked brazil was on its heels. the u.s. led them off. the 14th ranked u.s. team deserves to play games if they can win. they knocked off spain. they should have knocked off brazil. >> beto, this is really about brazil being the tiger woods of soccer. they're just simply better. if you watch that second half, they had so many chances. they had a goal that could have argued that was called not a goal. they could have had four goals in the second half. they're just a better team, so i think when you look at it, the choice of a choke or moral victory, it's really a moral victory more than a choke. it's by no means a choke because let's say the brazilian team was up 2-0 and the u.s. came back, that would be

we seem to be in sync with you on needed policy changes and the senate, senator murray and senator boxer said no policy changes, it would be useful to begin a dialogue and see which our proposals are if you want us to move policy changes because right now the senate is saying no policy changes. >> we certainly would be happy to share the concept with a view and the senate. i think on the cost benefit -- >> when would they be shared because i asked secretary of the hood and he said it was up to omb and we know that there is big and black hole. >> i'm obviously not in a position to go out farther than he has. >> so we are basically waiting in you guys have something plans but we don't know about them and it's going to be done by basically the end of july. >> i think we have some granular a as it relates to the concepts. do we have bill language? noaa in nunn to chance and at this time but as far as the cost analysis those given our dialogue before as i understand it is not about leveling a new cost-benefit analysis on each and every state and local project, it's about standing up and abili

as senator boxer was leave she mentioned the letter between she and senator rockefeller and asked that it be put as part of the record, there's no objection, it will be ordered to be part of the official record. governor rendell, i appreciate your enthusiasm for capital budgets and also high speed rail. i wish in a way we could get the same kind of enthusiasm in the west and one of my questions here was, why no high speed rail corridor in the southwest. we have good sized population centers in el paso, albuquerque, denver, as i look at the map here, it looks like that would make sense. i'm wondering, congress, we haven't designated or haven't authorized its 11th -- we have authorized 11 high speed rail corridor, yet the department of transportation has only designated 10. i hope you're reserving that last one for the southwest. but could you tell me a little bit of the thinking on the 11th and where you are and what's the -- what your thoughts are on an el paso-albuquerque-denver corridor? >> i'm assuming that's to me. >> yes. yes it is, mr. szabo. >> frankly there's no position to ann

klobuchar: i want to thank the senator from kansas, and i know that senators feinstein, boxer, and murray will speak -- may have already and will in the next few weeks on this nominee as will many of my colleagues, but i really appreciate this, mr. president. we're very excited for this upcoming hearing and we're glad to be here as ambassadors of truth. thank you, mr. president. i yield the floor. a senator: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from kansas. a senator: thank you very much. i believe under a previous agreement i have time allotted at the present time. is that correct, if i could inquire of the chair? the presiding officer: the senator may be recognized under cloture. mr. brownback: thank you very much, mr. president. mr. president, i rise today to discuss the nomination of judge sonia sotomayor to the united states supreme court. i've had the opportunity to meet with judge sotomayor two weeks ago. i was in the senate when she was previously before this body on the second circuit court nomination. i appreciate the chance to meet with her recently. i appreciate t

thank you spirit thank you senator boxer. >> thank you and welcome and congratulations on this great nomination. you know, one of the former i think most memorable chairman of this committee, fritz hollings, is a great fan of yours. you know that. and i fear that anyone who has earned the admiration and respect of senator fritz hollings and senator lindsey graham and senator jim demint is a person of great ability. [laughter] >> and the ability to bring people together and to win their respect, really it means so much in the role that you're going to play. i am only going to ask one question and preface it by some remarks that would show where my biases is in my biases protecting children. it always has been and i know you come from that place as well. but i just want to make sure you know that in the 80s when i came to congress that all of our regulations were based on protecting 8155-poun a 185-poun. all of the tests went to the nih. there were no women in the test. there were no children in the tests. we worked together, all of us across party lines, change that and i think the be

at the age of 11 her father had aspirations he was going to be this professional boxer, muhammad ali, but he was poor. he was marginalized. he didn't have a voice. rather than joining the local gym at the age of 11 he joined the local game and found himself in the better part of his life in and out of jail cells. her mother was sent to kindergarten just like maria put by the age of seven in second grade she dropped out of school. she found herself at home helping her mother make sure everyone else had clean clothes, enough to eat and at the age of 15 she made a bad decision. she got pregnant. by the age of 20 she had three little babies, a one-bedroom apartment and a husband in and out of jail and like so many women in the audience she was proud. she didn't want government assistance or pity so she worked. and as many of you can imagine what the second grade education her options were limited. so her first job maria would watch her mom get up at the crack of dawn to go clean these big beautiful homes. homes and communities just like this. holmes maria realized at the age of five or tw

boxer: thank you, again, i yield the floor and note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call: quorum call: quorum call: