The closure of Tanks 18 and 19 at Savannah River Site (SRS) is a proud accomplishment for the Site and Department of Energy (DOE).  This milestone is a great tribute to the SRS workforce and a step forward in the cleanup process.

Eight years ago, I authored a provision in the United States Senate permitting DOE to clean up and close forty-nine, one-million gallon tanks at the Site.  The measure passed by a single vote and was later signed into law by President Bush.   This common-sense decision was good for the taxpayer saving billions of dollars and good for our environment.

The future is bright at SRS with the MOX facility, but we must contain costs.  The Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF), which is key to future tank closures, is behind schedule and over budget.  This problem must be solved.  My vision for SRS in the 21^st century is to make sure we continue to contribute to our national security and nuclear deterrent force through the MOX program and SRS National Lab.

Thank you to Senators DeMint, Chambliss and Isakson, as well as the members of the congressional delegation especially Wilson, Duncan and Clyburn, and the local community for the support.   Hopefully, what we have done at Savannah River Site will be the model for cleanup throughout the country.

In 2007, Senator Obama wanted to extend the WARN ACT notices to 90 days, up from 60, to ensure workers were treated fairly.  Now, President Obama is trying to suppress the issuance of WARN notices, which will hit mailboxes right before the election.  The Obama Administration’s legal advice is dubious at best.

This is typical Barack Obama politics – being supportive of the WARN Act when convenient and against it when it creates political downside.  This is the most outcome-based White House in memory.

The WARN ACT is crystal clear when it comes to defense contractors having to issue notices of impending layoffs as a result of sequestration.  I hope defense contractors will follow the law and warn their employees about the devastating impact of sequestration.

The Obama Administration’s insistence that the attack on our consulate in Benghazi, Libya resulted from a riot inspired by a film, rather than a planned and coordinated attack, defies common sense.  It is imperative that Congress conduct an investigation into this matter, as the two scenarios are vastly different in terms of scope and depth.  A planned and coordinated assault points loudly to a security lapse, and the problems associated with such a scenario are much deeper than a violent riot over a film.

The August jobs report revealed today that the national unemployment rate dropped to 8.1 percent because another 368,000 Americans decided to stop looking for work.  The labor participation rate fell to 65.3 percent, its lowest level in more than 30 years.

A drop in the unemployment rate is usually good news, but certainly not today.  This report shows thousands of Americans are so discouraged by the Obama economy that they have given up on their job searches and are no longer looking for work.

During Barack Obama’s first term he’s accumulated over $5 trillion in debt and will soon accumulate more debt than all previous presidents combined.  And if you think it’s bad now I hate to say it’s only going to get worse.  The real Obama debt bombs have yet to be fully realized as we haven’t even begun to receive the bills for the full implementation of Obamacare.

President Obama has had four years to get the budget under control and he’s only made it worse.