I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Lautenberg), the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez), the Senator from Washington (Mrs. Murray), and the Senator from West Virginia (Mr. Rockefeller) are necessarily absent. The PRESIDING…

Madam President, I am reluctant to break up this conversation among my fellow Republican Senators because they seem to be at odds, but I do want to remind all of the Senators--and I think the Senator from Arizona has alluded to this--we…

Madam President, I haven't yielded the floor as yet, and I think the Senator from Texas had a question for me.

Mr. President, last week was National Police Week, and last Wednesday was National Peace Officers Memorial Day. On Monday, May 13, 2013, I joined my colleague, Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri, at a ceremony in St. Louis to honor six…

I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Lautenberg) is necessarily absent. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote? The result was announced--yeas 99, nays 0, not voting 1, as follows…

The tragedy that hit Oklahoma earlier this week--killing innocent people and children and destroying homes, businesses, and schools--just reminds us of how vulnerable we are to the forces of nature. It wasn't the first time the wind blew…

I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Lautenberg) is necessarily absent. The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Blumenthal). Are there any other Senators in the Chamber desiring to vote? The result was announced--yeas 45, nays 54, as…

Madam President, I salute the Senator from Arizona for his intuitive, wise analysis of this situation. I am sorry we still have an objection from the Republican side of the aisle to go to a conference committee with Republican House…

I will yield the floor, because others wish to speak, but I will say that at this point in time we have passed a Senate budget resolution. We were challenged by the Republicans to do it, and we did it. It wasn't easy. It was a close vote…

I will in one moment, as soon as I finish replying to the Senator from Texas. So the notion this debt ceiling is something we can casually say whether it is approved and extended makes no difference--it makes a big difference. And whether…

But to condition the granting of the unanimous consent request to go to conference on the concern du jour of whichever Senator comes to the floor is unproductive. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee.

Yes. The Senate majority leader is on the floor, and he has said if there is to be a motion to instruct conferees on the debt ceiling, for example, then we can have a vote on the floor of the Senate. That is the regular order.

I am sorry, I am mistaken, and, thankfully, have been corrected. It is not a filibuster. It would call for using the House resolution of 50 hours of debate and another vote-arama to go through the regular order of things. It is not a…

I yielded for a question, and I will respond. Then you may ask another, if you wish. It is the regular order of things to ask for unanimous consent, and it is the usual and customary way the Senate works so that we don't have to repeat all…

This is our first task, caring for our children. It is our first job. If we don't get that right, we don't get anything right. That is how as a society we will be judged.

Our journey is not complete until all our children are cared for and cherished and always safe from harm.

If there is just one thing, one thing that we could do that would save just one child, don't we have an obligation to try?

We have not engaged in preventive detention without subjecting all of our actions to the laws of war.