So we have all come to that agreement--Democrats and Republicans--no profit in debt reduction. It should go to lowering the rate.

I thank the good Senator for working in such a bipartisan manner. I think this truly is a bipartisan bill. This bill has been described as belonging to one party or the other, and that is wrong. Senator Burr, Senator Alexander, Senator…

So when they say it is a Republican bill or a Democratic bill, that is erroneous. That is not fair. This is truly a bipartisan effort, and we are working with all of our colleagues in my caucus--and I know the Senator is in his caucus--to…

Madam President, I rise to speak to the permanent solution that is being put forward on a bipartisan basis today, which is the Student Loan Certainty Act. Again, I wish to emphasize that this is a bipartisan solution. Senator Joe Manchin…

My understanding is to preserve the 2 minutes for the Senator from North Carolina.

Madam President, I wish to clarify for the esteemed Senator from Iowa that I intend to speak in support of the student loan certainty act which he may not be in favor of, so I wish to be clear. I ask unanimous consent to speak for up to 5…

This amendment is quite simple. It would block the Corps of Engineers from issuing rules or regulations that would charge a fee for surplus water on the Missouri River. I offer this amendment to stop an overreach by the Corps of Engineers…

I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will report the amendment. The Clerk read as follows: At the end of the bill, before the short title, insert the following: Sec. ____. None of the funds made available in this…

Mr. President, I wish to return the same compliments to the Senator from Tennessee. He brought a greater breadth of background in housing finance and the public finance sector than I did. But together, working with our other colleagues, I…

Mr. President, I know our time is about up, but I want to close and then I will turn it back over to the final comments of my colleague, the Senator from Tennessee. I want to say to my colleagues and their staff and those interested in…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senator from Tennessee and I be allowed to engage in a colloquy and speak as in morning business. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Housing Finance Reform

Mr. President, it is a pleasure to be here today with my friend the Senator from Tennessee to talk about legislation that we and eight--actually now nine of our colleagues--bipartisan legislation that has been recently introduced to reform…

Madam President, I wanted to speak in a little detail on another topic, and that is the direction we are going on the student loan crisis, I guess. It is a shame we have come to this. A year ago, I voted for the extension. We were told at…

I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will report the amendment. The Clerk read as follows: Page 15, line 4, after the dollar amount, insert ``(increased by $25,000,000)''. Page 22, line 5, after the dollar amount…

My amendment would ensure that we're placing a higher priority on completing some ongoing rural water projects in the Great Plains region and in the West. My amendment takes $15 million from the Department of Energy's administration budget…

You know, the funding priorities of this bill are simply upside down. This bill prioritizes nuclear weapons funding over research for innovative technologies that will lead to energy independence and launch a future for sustainable energy…

I want to thank Mr. Quigley for bringing forward this important amendment. There has been growing concerns, in fact, raised by the Air Force's 2008 Blue Ribbon Review regarding the effectiveness and vulnerabilities of the B61s. The B61…

I was going to comment to the gentleman that the committee work product, the bill before us, is a highly flawed bill. I certainly hope that the open process and the will of the House will significantly alter and improve upon this bill. We…