Debbie Stabenow Quotations

As Michigan's voice on the Senate Finance Committee and Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, I will continue working to make sure the next generation of advanced technologies and alternative fuel vehicles are made right here in America.

Agriculture looks different today - our farmers are using GPS and you can monitor your irrigation systems over the Internet.

Global warming creates volatility. I feel it when I'm flying. The storms are more volatile. We are paying the price in more hurricanes and tornadoes.

We need to make college affordable in price, and also have lower-cost student loans and more available grants for students.

As a Michigan senator, I feel a special responsibility to protect the Great Lakes. They are not only a source of clean drinking water for more than 30 million people but are also an integral part of Michigan's heritage and its economy.

Democracy is about voting and it's about a majority vote. And it's time that we started exercising the Democratic process.

At a time when we are losing manufacturing jobs in this country, we should be doing everything we can to help our manufacturers stay competitive. They are the backbone of our economy.

Privatizing Social Security doesn't make sense, and it's out of step with the fundamental value of ensuring that after a life spent working hard and contributing to the greatness of our nation, every American should have a secure retirement.

The administration's reckless plan doesn't do one thing to ensure the long term security of social security, rather it undermines our economy. We need a budget and a fiscal policy that reflects the values and interests of America and restores fiscal discipline.

We want to develop innovative ways to promote savings so more Americans can save for their future, but first we need to reject privatization schemes and work together to strengthen Social Security.

Lawmakers need to be held accountable and should feel the impact of a government shutdown just like many other Americans will.

Five thousand people every day lose their home because of a medical bankruptcy. Most of them had insurance.

It's interesting that there are only two groups of people in our country who are not held accountable for their behavior or decisions. One is exempted by the constitution, and that is foreign diplomats. The other, through a loophole, is HMOs.

The levels of poverty in 1933's rural America were unimaginable to us now. The 1933 Farm Bill, which introduced unprecedented government control over agriculture, was a reaction to the specific problems facing producers at that time.

The Republicans have a very traditional focus over and over again whether or not it's worked.

So when folks talk about the deficit and leaving the deficit for our children, we will never get out of debt had this country until people get back to work, until they have good-paying jobs, and in between times, we will not move this economy forward until we are helping people be able to keep going in this recession.

Commodity prices are at a record high. In 1933, the world's population was just over 2 billion people. Today, there are 7 billion mouths to feed - many of them depending on American agriculture.

For years, I have worked diligently to develop and implement a 21st century manufacturing strategy that will create jobs in the new clean energy economy.

I think that we have a number of different health care challenges in our country, and certainly addressing the uninsured is one, and the second is making sure that those with health insurance actually get the care that they assume they'll have available to them if they get sick.

Quality afterschool programs provide safe, engaging and fun learning experiences to help children and youth develop their social, emotional, physical, cultural and academic skills.

The Patients' Bill of Rights is necessary to guarantee that health care will be available for those who are paying for insurance. It's a part of the overall health care picture.

Social Security is not just the foundation of America's retirement dignity and security, it ensures the economic stability and strength of our families and our state's economy.

We are now paying the cost of people who move jobs overseas as taxpayers, and people are appalled when they hear that.

The Farm Bill is one of the only bills that provides substantial deficit reduction that passed the Senate this year. It only makes sense that this deficit reduction bill would be included in a larger deficit reduction agreement.

We believe we need to tackle this problem with the same sense of urgency felt by our seniors who are forced to choose between medicine and food.

The reality for us in America is that we will never get out of debt with more than 15 million people out of work.

Medicare premium increases are unaffordable for many seniors as they struggle to keep up with the high cost of prescription drugs, record gas prices and their daily expenses.

need assurance that they are not being preyed upon by unfair and potentially illegal pricing.

I was stunned to see that Delphi's first offer to its workers calls for an unprecedented elimination of health care and pension benefits, and wages as low as $9 an hour,

I wish they were not in Michigan as an extreme group. I like to run my own campaign.

I believe that Rosa Parks is a true American hero and should be honored, lying in honor in the Capitol.

I can't imagine we would send troops into battle overseas and the radios didn't work,

I think what we see is a conscience vote on all sides and people of good will making their own decisions,

I think the most important issue for all of us is our economy and jobs and creating opportunities for young people to be able to get the education that you need to be able to afford to go to college.

really unfair for states to lose the opportunity to provide tax incentives to be able to bring in jobs. They've been effective tools.

The American taxpayer needs the best deal possible.

We've lost 400,000 jobs in Michigan because of downsizing.

We have come a long way. There is a long way to go, but I think the decisions are better made as women are participating.

You know, in China, they say, come on over, we'll build the plant for you. Of course, then they steal your patents, but the reality is that they are aggressively trying to take our jobs. Every other country is. They know that to have a middle class, you have to make things.

This is critical to the region. Every other major city has public transportation going downtown. We have a world-class airport now, and this could be an important additional piece to the airport development. This is a significant investment and one that should be seen as a significant long-term commitment to making this a reality.

We need to build on the success of Social Security by developing bold and innovative ways for Americans to build wealth and save for retirement. I believe we can work together in a bipartisan manner to accomplish these goals.

The biggest challenge is to convince a woman that it's not her fault. My daughter is 25; my stepdaughter is 22. As a mother, I want them to know that if a boyfriend is abusive, you cannot ignore it ?- 'Oh, he's been drinking,' or 'He had a bad day.' There is no excuse for a man hitting a woman. Ever.

We must continue to be diligent in protecting Americans' civil liberties while preserving critical law enforcement tools we need to keep America safe.

Global warming causes volatility. I feel it when I'm flying.

Forget about whether global warming exists. My focus is on jobs.

Doesn't matter if you're a Democrat or a Republican in Michigan. We want jobs in Michigan.

This report highlights the urgent need for the president and the EPA to enforce our treaty with Canada and stop the trash right now.

There has to be a major restructuring of how we fund health care and all that takes is political will.

We need to encourage drug companies to spend more on medical research than market research.

Everybody talked about doctors being in charge of medical decisions, talked about schools and safety and equality for our children. Now the question is, how do we follow through on that for the good of the country.

There's no connection between the donations and the letter,

These drugs meet all FDA requirements for manufacturing, safety and purity.

This is a question of being responsible and having the right values and priorities, ... I think adding massive debt to the people of our country is not responsible.

This is important because it directly relates to what Americans have to pay for prescription drugs. We know that the growing availability of generic drugs translates into savings.

This is about whether we will support our troops and not allow the process to be hijacked.

And I have to say, what motivates me every day and I know my Democratic colleagues is to remember that every day 14,000 people get up in the morning with insurance that go to bed at night without it and most of them because they lost their job.

At a time when so many Americans struggle to pay for the prescription drugs they need, we must look for ways to lower the price of those drugs.

All of your intellectual horsepower is going to be needed,

The lack of this communication for America's first responders has put them and put all of us -- all of our communities -- in danger,

The last thing we should be doing is cutting the resources our local police officers depend on to fight violent crime.

I support making sure that there are legal protects for everyone.

The concern right now is that families are paying for insurance, or getting insurance from their employer and trusting that health care will be available for their families. In too many instances now, the care they need isn't available.