Op-Eds and Speeches
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Sen. Franken Op-Ed: Bipartisan Farm Bill makes sense
Click here to read Sen. Franken's op-ed in the Rochester Post-Bulletin about the Farm Bill.
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Sen. Franken Op-Ed: Let's keep our balance around this fiscal cliff
Click here to read Sen. Franken's op-ed in the Star Tribune about the fiscal cliff.
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Sen. Franken: In memory of a friend: Wellstones passion, friendship still sorely missed
Sen. Franken with late Wellstone staffer Will McLaughlin and the late Sen. Wellstone
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Sen. Franken Op-Ed: Minnesota needs a Farm Bill before Congress adjourns
Click here to read Sen. Franken's op-ed in the Rochester Post Bulletin about the need for Congress to pass the Farm Bill.
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Sen. Franken's Speech to the Rochester Chamber of Commerce
Sen. Franken recently spoke to the Rochester Chamber of Commerece about education and creating jobs. Click here to read his speech.
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Sen. Franken Op-Ed: Keep focus on veterans every day
Click here to read Sen. Franken's op-ed in the Fargo Forum about honoring our veterans and informing employers of incentives available to them if they hire veterans.
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Sen. Franken Op-Ed: Speed up medical-device approval process to save lives
As Congress works to finalize medical-device policy, we must remember what we do will determine the future health and well-being of millions of patients in this country and across the world.
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Commencement Address, Anoka-Ramsey Community College
It really is an honor to be here with all of you today. And I'd like to thank President Stumpf for inviting me to share some thoughts with you - and for all the great work she does to make this school a shining example of what a great college can be.
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Sen. Franken Op-Ed: A college education shouldn't drive students toward bankruptcy
As more and more students take on debt to get through school, Congress must decide by July 1 whether it will allow the interest rate on subsidized Stafford Loans to double.
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Star Tribune Op-Ed: Sen. Al Franken, Ron Antony: A one-stop shop to get back to work
We have very different ideas on many important issues -- but no one, Democrat or Republican, can ignore results. And investing in workforce development is a proven strategy for improving the economy -- not to mention a great Minnesota success story.
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Wired Op-Ed: Privacy and Civil Liberties in the Digital Age
Our laws need to reflect the evolution of technology and the changing expectations of American society. This is why the Constitution is often called a “living” document.
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Sen. Franken Op-Ed: Keeping Minnesota's Farm Economy Strong in 2012
In December, when the first new Massey Ferguson Tractor built in America in many years rolled off the Agco assembly line in Jackson, Minnesota, it was a sure sign that the farm economy is helping to lead the economic recovery in our state and across the country.
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A divided Congress should agree on making our courthouses safe
In December, a defendant who had just been convicted of a crime retrieved a gun from his car and walked into the Cook County Courthouse in Grand Marais. He shot and wounded the prosecuting attorney and a witness; a bailiff was injured during the encounter. The courthouse did not have a metal detector, and the gunman was not screened.
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Sen. Franken's Remarks to the Duluth Greater Downtown Council
We just marked the end of 2011 – a year lots of people are more than happy to put behind them. Even in Duluth, a place blessed with incredible natural resources and one that has fared relativelywell in the recession, families and businesses are feeling the hurt, and the anxiety.
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Creating Jobs by Investing in Our Future
When Scott County partnered with Honeywell to upgrade insulation, lighting, windows and energy-management systems in six government buildings, everybody won.
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Sen. Franken's Veterans Day Op-Ed
On Veterans Day in 1985, President Reagan spoke of those who laid down their lives for our country. “Most of them were boys when they died,” he said, “and they gave up two lives – the one they were living and the one they would have lived.”
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Sen. Franken's Statement ON Net Neutrality
I rise today to urge my colleagues to vote against a motion to proceed to Senator Hutchison's joint resolution of disapproval, which would repeal the FCC's net neutrality rules. As many of you know, I have repeatedly said that net neutrality is the free speech issue of our time.
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Huffington Post Op-Ed: Net Neutrality is Under Attack… Again
This week, the free and open Internet millions of Americans have come to depend on is under attack.
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Star Tribune Editorial: Franken: In energy use, less is more -- much more
When Scott County partnered with Honeywell to upgrade insulation, lighting, windows and energy-management systems in six government buildings, everybody won.
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Duluth News Tribune: Senator's view: No Child Left Behind can be fixed
If we want a stronger economy tomorrow we need to give our kids a good education today. That was the idea behind No Child Left Behind: to ensure that every American child can graduate from high school prepared for the jobs of the 21st century.