Susan Collins Quotes (86 Quotes)

I have been fighting formula fights all year. We can't make the mistake that only large urban areas are at risk.

It is incumbent upon us to respond to the unique needs of military women and ensure they receive proper care during the first year following childbirth.

Katrina was a disaster that scientists, emergency management officials and political leaders had anticipated for years, yet the initial response was woefully inadequate,

FEMA has become a symbol of a bumbling bureaucracy in which the American people have completely lost faith. There are many good people who work at FEMA. But they have lacked the leaders, the tools, the systems, and the budget to be effective.

So far, I have seen no evidence of improper influence with members of the administration, but I am sure that question will be fully explored in these hearings.

demonstrates that many of the widespread failures throughout the levee system were not solely the result of Mother Nature.

It's difficult to understand the lack of preparedness and the ineffective response to something that had been anticipated for years.

Senator Graham's amendment complements Senator McCain's amendment. At the same time, his amendment prevents detainees who are not U.S. citizens from filing habeas corpus lawsuits in federal courts.

It's going to take billions of dollars, but I want to make sure that money is not wasted.

My committee is going to ask the hard questions of government at all levels. Our purpose is not to fix blame, but to fix problems,

That contributes to a loss of public confidence in how the war is going. It doesn't feel like progress when we hear today that there is only one Iraqi battalion fully capable.

With education costs continuing to rise at both public and private institutions, I believe that increases in grant aid are needed.

It was a 'pay first, ask questions later' approach, ... The inspector general's report identifies a number of significant control weaknesses that create a potential for widespread fraud, erroneous payments and wasteful practices.

What is evident already is that the company appears to have deliberately misled investors and its employees and customers about its financial strength. That in and of itself is very troubling.

My personal discussions with Judge Roberts, as well as his responses during the Judiciary Committee hearings, have convinced me that he respects precedents and will apply the law and Constitution fairly,

Soaring prescription drug costs have placed a tremendous strain on family budgets. They have also imposed a heavy burden on employers - both public and private - who are struggling to provide affordable health insurance coverage to their workers.

ask the hard question needed to understand what went so wrong.

An increase of this magnitude demands more certainty that our food supply is safe.

I don't underestimate the uphill battle that we face, but my hope is that a strong vote in the Senate will give us momentum in the House. The fact is that this money is from next year rather than new spending will also help.

As tuition rises, the road to higher education in America gets steeper and harder to climb for lower and middle-income families.

I simply do not believe that you can sue your way to quality health care.

troubling concerns that the Army Corps' ongoing repair and reconstruction efforts have been insufficient.

go to the very largest oil companies at a time when they're experiencing record profits.

I asked him whether it made a difference to him if he disagreed with the initial decision but it had been reaffirmed several times since then, ... I was obviously referring to Roe in that question. He assured me that he has tremendous respect for precedent and that his approach is to not overturn cases due to a disagreement with how they were originally decided.

I hope that is a turning point. But there is increasing skepticism. We've had a lot of events that appeared to be turning points, but the violence continues.

I applaud schoolteachers, librarians, and most of all, our parents, for their commitment to teaching America's children the joys of reading.

Many communities throughout the nation still do not have the communications infrastructure in place for first responders to communicate with one another during an emergency.

It is ... discouraging to hear today that there is only one Iraqi battalion that is fully capable, ... It doesn't feel like progress.

Perhaps they need review, but I think we need to look at the health and safety issues.

This, Mr. President, is literally a matter of life and death. At Christmastime, when I was home in my hometown of Caribou, Maine, two elderly women were hospitalized with hypothermia. This is not theoretical. It is not theoretical when there is ice in the toilet and our elderly and low-income are at risk of illness.

Katrina does represent a significant change, and I think we'll have to explore carefully whether the only option we have to increase the effectiveness of response ... is to break the normal line that keeps the military out of certain civilian activities.

Under its current business model, the Postal Service's financial future is not viable.

It's very troubling to this committee that the forensic teams looking into failure of the levees have not received complete and total cooperation from the Army Corps,

When help is needed, you are there and you take action, ... Thanks to all of you for the service you provide.

You would think four years after 911 with billions of dollars spent to improve our emergency preparedness that the response to Katrina would be far crisper, far better coordinated and not marred by failures at all levels of government,

This is extremely important to me, and I'll be back with this issue in determining how I should vote.

In light of the attacks on mass transit systems in other countries, shouldn't we be beefing up?... Clearly more could be done.

In the environment we're in right now with tight federal budgets and the demands of responding to Hurricane Katrina, it is particularly disturbing to learn that a federal agency is not being a more careful steward of the taxpayers' dollars. There's also a

Vice Admiral Thad Allen is a strong choice, ... He is a highly respected leader who should be very effective in improving the coordination of assistance for the hundreds of thousands of individuals and their families who were affected by the hurricane.

I have great confidence in Judge Roberts legal scholarship, his integrity, and his commitment to the rule of law. His decisions will be guided not by his own personal view of what the law should be, but rather by a disciplined review and analysis of what the law is. The overwhelming bipartisan support that Judge Roberts received today speaks volumes about his qualifications. He is the right person for the job.

If there was ever an agency in need of oversight, FEMA is it. It's a very big management job, and because of the nature of the work they do, they have only one chance to get it right.

cover any disclosure of information without restriction to time, place, form, motive or context including a disclosure made in the ordinary course of an employee's duties.

I hope that Mr. Brown's decision to step down will help put the focus squarely where it belongs, on relief and recovery efforts,

With billions of dollars to boost disaster preparedness at all levels of government, we would have expected a sharp, crisp response to this terrible tragedy, ... Instead, we witnessed what appeared to be a sluggish initial response.

Taking the time to read to children is not only a worthwhile investment but also a wonderful experience. I have visited 119 schools in Maine, and these visits are among the most rewarding experiences in my career in public service.

contributes to a loss of public confidence.

Our current system is inadequate for a catastrophe of this magnitude. This has simply overwhelmed local, state and federal systems. We need a new approach when we're confronted with a natural disaster or, I would say, a terrorist attack that has these kinds of consequences.

We have an unprecedented opportunity to really make a difference for our senior citizens.

We should use the commission's recommendations as a thoughtful and informed guide. That does not mean that this committee will be a rubber stamp, ... The final shape of our restructuring legislation will be determined by what we learn at these hearings.

The first obligation of government is to protect its citizens,