Senate Proceeding 02-24-09 on Feb 24th, 2009 :: 0:21:00 to 0:27:40
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0:20:43 to 0:21:07( Edit History Discussion )

Bernard Sanders: quorum call: mr. sanders: mr. president? from vermont. mr. sanders: mr. president, i have not -- senator would note we are quorum call. mr. sanders: i would ask that the presiding officer: without objection, the senator is recognized. mr. sanders: let me begin by saying that i have not supported all of president obama's nominations.

0:21:00 to 0:27:40( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Bernard Sanders

0:21:08 to 0:21:28( Edit History Discussion )

Bernard Sanders: but i am on the floor today to very proudly a enthusiastically support the nomination of hilda solis to be our next secretary of labor. as a former member of the house, i have had the honor and privilege of working with congresswoman solis on a number of very important issues over

0:21:29 to 0:21:49( Edit History Discussion )

Bernard Sanders: the years. i consider congresswoman solis not only an outstanding member of that body but also a very good friend. and in my view, there are very few members o congress who have spent as many years as she has in the fight to

0:21:50 to 0:22:10( Edit History Discussion )

Bernard Sanders: expand the middle class, in the fight to address the problems of poverty, in the fight to make sure that all of our fellow americans have health care as a right. and i believe very strongly that hilda solis will make an excellent, excellent secretary of the deptment of labor.

0:22:11 to 0:22:32( Edit History Discussion )

Bernard Sanders: when i left the house to the senate, i was delighted to work with congresswoman solis to create the green jobs workforce traing program. this important ini not only lead to the creation of decent-paying jobs all over this

0:22:33 to 0:22:53( Edit History Discussion )

Bernard Sanders: country but will also help us combat the surge of global warming and our dependence on foreign oil and help us move aggressively away from fossil fuels. mr. president, as you well know, millions of americans from california to the state of vermont are caught uin the

0:22:54 to 0:23:16( Edit History Discussion )

Bernard Sanders: worst economic crisis this country has faced since the great depression. our people by the millions are losing their jobs, our people are losing their homes, they are losing their health insurance, they're losing their pensions, they are losing their ability to send their kids to college, and perhaps, most significantly,

0:23:17 to 0:23:38( Edit History Discussion )

Bernard Sanders: they are losing their hop their belief that the american dream is still alive, that their kids will have at least as good, if not better, standard of living than mr. president, millions of american workers in recent years have seen their wages go down,

0:23:39 to 0:23:59( Edit History Discussion )

Bernard Sanders: and they're working longer hours for lower wages. during some 7 million american workers have lost their millions are unable to find quality child care, despite the fact that husband and wife are both working, and they just don't know what to do with their

0:24:00 to 0:24:21( Edit History Discussion )

Bernard Sanders: kids. and millions of americans are wondering right now whether the dream of clege education will in fact be available to their kids. what has happened over the last eight years, as the middle class has shrunk, poverty has increased while the gap between

0:24:22 to 0:24:42( Edit History Discussion )

Bernard Sanders: the v everybody else has grown wider. mr. president, the united states of america can do better than that. instead of seeing the middle class shrink and poverty increase, we've got to see poverty go down and the middle class expand.

0:24:43 to 0:25:04( Edit History Discussion )

Bernard Sanders: mr. president, the american people and the workers of this country are entitled to have a secretary of labor who will stand with them, who aggressive in fighting for the rights of workers from california to vermont. the truth of the matter is, is

0:25:05 to 0:25:27( Edit History Discussion )

Bernard Sanders: that no secretary of the labor, no matter how may be, is going to the important problems facing our country. but what working people have a right to know is that they will have a secretary of labor who in fact understands what labor is about and is on the side of

0:25:28 to 0:25:48( Edit History Discussion )

Bernard Sanders: working people. a secretary of labor who is committed to protecting workers throughout the country from unscrupulous employers, who try to steal their pay and threaten their health and safety to pad the bottom line and enrich the c.e.o.'s on top. and god only knows we have seen a lot of that over the last

0:25:49 to 0:26:12( Edit History Discussion )

Bernard Sanders: eight -- a lot of that over the last eight years. for far too long we have had a labor department that was more interested in protecting the actions of bad, unscrupulous employers than protecting the needs of hard-working employees. that has glot to change. and when president obama

0:26:13 to 0:26:33( Edit History Discussion )

Bernard Sanders: nominated hilda solis secretary of labor, i think he sent a signalll over this country that that is going to change, that the rights of workers are going to be protected. there is perhaps no more challengg time to be secretary of labor than at this very moment. the problems that workers are

0:26:34 to 0:26:56( Edit History Discussion )

Bernard Sanders: experiencing are enormous, but frankly i cannot think of any person who is more up to the task at hand than hilda are impeccable. most of all, she will be a tireless advocate for working families throughout this for millions of american workers

0:26:57 to 0:27:17( Edit History Discussion )

Bernard Sanders: struggling to make ends meet, congresswoman solis is indeed a breath of fresh air. mr. president, strongly supporting the secretary of labor nominee hilda solis, and i hope all of my colleagues will as well. mrpresident, i yield the floor and note the absence of quorum. the presiding officer: the

0:27:18 to 0:27:23( Edit History Discussion )

Bernard Sanders: clerk will call the roll.