Mr. President, I want to speak on these very strange days in Washington, in this Congress. This esteemed body's approval rating is at 9 percent, and I am having a hard time finding the 9 percent. It seems to me that the only thing we are…

I say to my friend from Illinois, what he says is absolutely correct. We have so many people, especially in West Virginia and Illinois, who depend on Social Security. In fact, in West Virginia, for 62 percent of the people who receive…

I think we are very strong in support of the Bowles- Simpson, basically, the template that it laid out. It is the only one that is bipartisan. As you can see, it stayed bipartisan with the Senator and I, and it will remain bipartisan. It…

I thank the Bowles-Simpson committee, Mr. Bowles and Mr. Simpson, for what they have done a year ago, bringing it to our attention, bringing a pathway to fixing the financial problems we are dealing with. We are concerned about the next…

Mr. President, I rise today in support of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, the critical piece of legislation we are now working on that will strengthen our national security, provide for our troops and their families, and…

Mr. President, I rise today to express my disappointment that the Senate was not able to reach agreement to consider an important amendment on the Defense authorization bill that would allow women in the military access to the same health…

Mr. President, I would like to ask for the attention of my colleagues on two amendments that I have filed to S. 1867, the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012. Each of these amendments relates to the Navy's proposal to build a new…

Madam President, I rise to speak in regard to several amendments to the Defense authorization bill. First is in regard to the nuclear triad and the important role it plays in defense of our Nation and security of the world and also in…

The amendment declares that the United States should maintain a triad of strategic nuclear delivery systems which includes missiles, bombers, and submarines. It also declares that it is the sense of the Senate that the President should…

Despite what you might hear in this body, I believe that there are some regulations that we all can support. The National Traffic Safety Board concluded that pilot fatigue contributed to the crash of Continental Airlines Flight 3407, which…

Last week, like millions of Americans across this country, my family and I gave thanks for our blessings, our Nation's freedom, and for the food on our table--provided by the hardworking farmers of our country and from my district. Now I…

First of all, I rise to offer an amendment that would reinforce our commitment to protecting the employment rights of our brave servicemembers. We've all seen this show before, Mr. Chairman. Let's not insult the intelligence of the…

I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 8, line 2, strike ``and''. Page 8, line 20, insert ``(except those designated parties described in…

I demand a recorded vote. The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Minnesota will be postponed. {time} 1620 Amendment No. 4 Offered by Ms. Jackson Lee of Texas…

I respect the chairman and the gentleman's opinion on this, but I want to be very clear. The only people this applies to is violators of veterans' workplace employment. These are veterans returning home who choose to have union…

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the current amendment be set aside so I might speak briefly regarding amendment No. 1126.

Wonderful. The second request is withdrawn. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Amendment No. 1126

Madam President, I rise today to speak in support of amendment No. 1126 to the current pending legislation. The purpose of this amendment is to make clear that the United States shall not detain for an indefinite period U.S. citizens in…