Negotiators need to keep the focus on the biggest issues that are clogging up the works. At the top of this list is market access for agriculture.

Some of the things they're recommending were hot issues in the 1990s, and they were dropped after being pushed by predecessors of mine very strongly and just didn't get anywhere.

The report is a top-to-bottom indictment of the federal government's lack of resources, focus, and expertise in fighting the domestic war on terror.

FDA scientists and employees are by and large hardworking and committed to fulfilling the agency's mission. They deserve a commissioner who will reinvigorate the agency.

Our committee has a lot of work to do before we truly think about implementing a guest worker program in this country. I say that because our Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents drive by day-labor centers knowing that illegal aliens loiter the street corner in search of illegal work — but do nothing. I don't know how we can reasonably create a system for 10 million illegal aliens when we cannot currently handle the workload on our desks.

A little research can go a long way to stopping the con artists who try to turn this tragedy into a profit-making venture. By making sure a charity checks out, those who are giving can make sure their valuable contributions reach the countless victims of this devastating natural disaster.