- Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
- Ben Cardin (D-MD)
- Bob Casey (D-PA)
- Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
- Claire McCaskill (D-MO)
- Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
- Jon Tester (D-MT)
- Jim Webb (D-VA)
- Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
"Our busy first work period will begin in both the House and the Senate with ethics and lobbying reform so that we can change the way Congress works and do the real work we were elected to do. Next, we will take up a long-overdue increase in the minimum wage to give millions of American families an opportunity to achieve the American Dream, reform the Medicare Prescription Drug program to save seniors, the disabled, and American taxpayers money, and act on the 9/11 Commission Recommendations to fully secure our ports and borders and ensure that our first responders have the resources they need to keep America safe. "As we move into the second work period, we will work toward full-funding of stem cell research, address global warming and put America on a path toward energy independence, ease the financial burden of college tuition to increase accessibility for hardworking students and their families, strengthen and rebuild America's military, enact comprehensive immigration reform, and enact pay-as-you-go legislation so that Congress has to cover its costs just like American families do.And, on the Iraq war, Reid made it clear that a change is coming in Iraq policy and that hearings on the Bush administration's conduct of the war and manipulation of Intelligence leading to that quagmire are on the way. "The days of putting party loyalty ahead of the interests of our troops an the American people are over," said Reid. "Democrats will work with Republicans to bring oversight and accountability to the Bush Administration's conduct of the war and ensure a new policy that meets the conditions on the ground, ensures that the Iraqi government takes responsibility for its own future, and allows our troops to come home." On a day that is typically full of pomp and circumstance alone, Reid is drawing a line in the sand and telling the other side of the Senate aisle that, like it or not, the time for change is here. Said the new Senate Majority Leader: "The American people have a right to expect real leadership from Washington that delivers the needed results that will unite this country and move us forward." Let's see how Senate Republicans and George W. Bush adjust to that. You can read more from Bob at BobGeiger.com.