SUSAN COLLINS

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.

We can never fully repay the debt of our proud nation to those who have laid down their lives for our country. The best we can do is honor their memory, ensure that their sacrifice is not in vain, and help provide for their families.

What we've been hearing over and over again is that the reason Republicans are opposed to the surtax is because of the concern of its impact on job creation. Well, if you carve out employers, you take away that argument.

I do not want to impose additional taxes on the employers at a time when our economy is very fragile and we want to encourage them to hire.

These are challenging times at home and around the world. We will have to work together in a bipartisan spirit and with our international partners if we are going to achieve progress and peace now and for future generations.

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.

Well, first let me say that I think health care reform is important. It has to be a priority. And our system is broken. The Finance Committee bill is the best effort yet, due in large measure to the efforts of my colleague, Olympia Snowe, but it's not there yet. It falls short.

I'm pleased the administration is endorsing the need for legislation dealing with the chemical sector. In the past, the administration's position has been ambiguous.

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.

What I find is with all due deference to - deference to our male colleagues, that women's styles tend to be more collaborative.

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

Like the canary in the coal mine, the climate changes already evident in the Arctic are a call to action.

I often envy my colleagues on the right and the left for whom no vote is hard.

Your people invented guilt, but my people perfected it.

In evaluating any given claim of misconduct, we will be ill served in the long run if we abandon the presumption of innocence and fairness, tempting though it may be. We must always remember that it is when passions are most inflamed that fairness is most in jeopardy.

My conclusion about Mr. Trump's unsuitability for office is based on his disregard for the precept of treating others with respect, an idea that should transcend politics. Instead, he opts to mock the vulnerable and inflame prejudices by attacking ethnic and religious minorities.

We need a massive investment in infrastructure in this country.

It is important that we enact immigration reform.

As America is growing older, there are more and more families caring for older parents and grandparents, and it's extremely expensive.

I always look for judges who respect precedent.

Predictions of a disappearing political center are a warning of a bleak future that we can avoid only by adhering to our nation's founding principles.

On the Medicare/paygo spending cuts, I strongly oppose that and have asked what is the plan to avert that. Senator McConnell assured me that will not be allowed to happen.

I concluded that Donald Trump lacked the temperament, the judgment and the self-discipline to heal the divisions in our country - which are very real - and to be commander in chief.

We need to heal this country.

We must always remember that it is when passions are most inflamed that fairness is most in jeopardy.