I'm looking to stregnthen further mine safety and will be looking for vehicles to build upon cole mine health and safety.  What we did already is only a start, as we agreed when the bill was passed.  I look forward just as fervently to raising the minimum wage.  We shouldn't even adjourn until we increase the minimum wage.

Going into September, the priorities for me certainly include the telecomm reauthorization.  I hope we do border security-first legislation, and do some work on restricting the growth in spending and removing some programs that have outlived their usefulness.

House Republicans have cut and run from one of their top national priorities, as the congressional cafeteria Freedom Fries and Freedom Toast reverted back to their original, unpatriotic nomenclature - French Fries and French Toast.

"Clearly, this turn of events has cast our nation out of the frying pan and into the fire," said House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. "Considering the Republican Party has based its foreign policy and homeland security strategy on the naming of fast-food items, it is shocking that they would waffle on one of their most pressing agenda points."

In March 2003, Congressmen Bob Ney and Walter Jones bravely shoved aside time-wasting issues, such as putting together a realistic plan for victory in Iraq, in order to peel the façade away from a critical threat that was hiding in our midst. Thankfully, these brave, selfless solons led the charge on fried spuds and egg-battered toast and mashed the problem in its tracks.

Now the perils of pommes frites and pain perdu have reared their head once again to chip away at our national character. One can only hope that the Republicans will have the courage to once more grab this hot potato and put the concerns of the American people to rest. We need to send a loud, clear, crisp message to the world. With ketchup.

When it comes to our security, we don’t have time to waste. We don’t have money to waste either. Sadly, this administration is wasting both. Last week, a bipartisan congressional report was released that showed a glut of wasteful spending and gross mismanagement as a result of no-bid contracts with the Department of Homeland Security. In addition to wasting billions of dollars, these contracts also showed that several homeland security programs are inadequate. This points to a two-fold failure in DHS, characteristic of how this administration and Republican-led Congress have handled homeland security: wasted money and inadequate security measures.

The report noted that 32 DHS contracts worth $34 billion have “experienced significant overcharges, wasteful spending, or mismanagement.

The Republican vision for the future is a safer, healthier and more prosperous America.

The Republican-led Congress is making real headway in securing America's homeland, securing America's prosperity and securing America's values.

In the Senate this year, we've passed legislation to prevent a $70 billion tax increase on the American people and continue record economic growth, improve health care quality through electronic medical records, secure our homeland by strengthening our borders, expand the energy supply through new exploration in the Gulf of Mexico and fund the War on Terror.

As the legislative session winds down, much is left to be done. This week presents another opportunity for senators to join together in addressing the pressing needs of the American people. We must pass a strong, fiscally responsible Defense appropriations bill that funds our military and supports our troops serving overseas. We must past legislation reforming our nation's pension system and providing retirement security for millions of Americans. And we must pass legislation that includes a permanent solution for the Death Tax, an extension of valuable tax incentives, and an increase in the federal minimum wage. Combining these measures offers a timely and effective way to address issues important to both sides of the aisle.

I ask my colleagues to put politics aside and pass these three bills making our country safer and improving the lives of millions of Americans.

Last week, when I met with Salva Kiir, the President of Southern Sudan, one of the main concerns he expressed to me was that the sense of urgency the problems in Sudan merit within the international community was disappearing.  He said the appointment of a special envoy to Sudan by the United States could change that perspective.  I could not agree with him more.

Former Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick did an excellent job as the government’s point man in Sudan where he helped to forge the peace agreement in Darfur.  However, Zoellick’s recent departure from the State Department has left a huge void and now there is no longer a high-raking State Department official dedicated to working on the complex issues involved in Sudan.

Yesterday, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) and I held a press conference on Capitol Hill to call for the administration to fill this void by appointing a special envoy to Sudan.  The president needs a special envoy – who has his full trust and authority – on the ground in Sudan to push the peace process forward in Darfur and bring lasting peace and stability to this war-torn African nation. We need to push the Bush administration until that becomes a reality.

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We must courageously face this real Achilles heel, which is our porous border being vulnerable to terrorists. A major nuclear or biological terrorist incursion could do this nation an almost unimaginable harm. All other matters related to the immigration debate mean nothing, if we do not face this ominous threat.

James Zogby's reflexive condemnation of Israel's actions against Hezbollah and US support for Israel is particularly disheartening because Hezbollah and its prime backer, Iran, are a threat not only to Israel but to Lebanon itself and the entire region.

Where was Zogby when Hezbollah, a terrorist group openly committed to Israel's destruction, was accumulating, via Syria and Iran, 13,000 missiles ready to be launched at Israel? Where was Zogby when UN Security Council resolution 1559, demanding the dismantling of Hezbollah and its replacement in southern Lebanon by the Lebanese army, was never implemented? Where was Zogby when Hezbollah cynically placed its missiles in civilian areas, even in civilian homes, deliberately forcing Israel into a cruel dilemma: defend its people and risk Lebanese civilian casualties or avoid such casualties and letting the Hezbollah rockets fall on Haifa, Tiberias and other Israeli cities. Israel, as the moral, democratic society that it is, tries mightily both to protect its people and minimize Lebanese casualties despite Hezbolah's manipulation. Tragically, that didn't succeed in Qana for which Israel is profoundly sorry.

In the end, though Zogby won't admit it, the Arab world needs an Israeli victory over Hezbollah and Iran as much as Israel and the US. Maybe then, Lebanon can truly become one nation and be rebuilt and the region can begin to change for the better.

Throughout history, wars have been fought over non-renewable natural resources. In a world focused on using renewable energy, these conflicts could be avoided and greater stability achieved. But we need to convince consumers to adopt renewable energy. To do so, we need to make renewables cost effective and improve their performance.

The U.S. was once the leader in solar technologies, but last year, only 11 percent of the photovoltaic generating capacity was manufactured here; and we have fallen behind our global competitors, such as Germany and Japan, which saw solar installation increase as a result of significant incentive programs.

But all is not lost, because nature gives us an advantage - the United States has far greater potential for solar power than many of our international rivals. We have tremendous growth potential, in the development renewable energy technologies such as solar, biofuels, and wind. We must leverage this potential today to eliminate our dependence on foreign energy sources, maintain our global competitiveness and for the sake of our environment.