Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 31, 2013, at 10 a.m., in room SR-418 of the Russell Senate Office Building. The PRESIDING…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 31, 2013, at 9 a.m., in room SH-216 of the Hart Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing entitled…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Indian Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 31, 2013, in room SD-628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, at 2:30 p.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 31, 2013, at 10 a.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 31, 2013, at 10 a.m. in room SD-608 of the Dirksen Senate office building…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Environment and Public Works be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on July 31, 2013, at 9:30 a.m. in room 406 of the Dirksen Senate office building, to conduct a…

First of all, let me thank Chairman Royce for offering this urgent and necessary bill, and Eliot Engel for his good cooperation on this important bill. The Iranian government is estimated to be a little more than a year away from…

I want to thank, first of all, you for your very kind remarks, but also for moving this legislation very swiftly through the full committee, along with Eliot Engel's full support, and the chairwoman emeritus, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Thank you…

Madam President, once again I wish to reiterate my strong support for Tom Perez, a man eminently qualified to serve our country as the next Secretary of Labor. Tom Perez was cleared by the HELP Committee over 2 months ago and should have…

I have to say that I am so sick and tired of the time that the House Republicans continue to waste on their anti- ObamaCare message--repeal, defund, obstruct. You pick the tactic. Our country has some pressing issues that we should be…

The Senate is not in order. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Iowa is recognized.

I oppose H.R. 2231, the Offshore Energy and Jobs Act. By requiring offshore oil and gas drilling in the Atlantic Ocean, this bill threatens New Jersey's coastal environment, fishing, tourism and the associated jobs and economic activity…

Mr. President, I come to the floor at the end of a long but fruitful bipartisan process. I come here thinking of what this bill will mean for families. I come here thinking of my family, of my mother, who came from Cuba, who worked hard…

I want to talk about the special interests--not oil companies--us. Let's talk about us and what we get out of this. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, correct me if I'm wrong, Mr. Chairman, the administration is committed to ensuring that…

I have a great deal of respect for Chairman Hastings. He's a fair, civil individual. But this bill is off the charts. At least the last one that we voted on had some redeeming qualities--some redeeming qualities. We know there's more oil…

Mr. President, I know many of my colleagues are very talented attorneys. I am reminded of the adage that when you are a lawyer, if you have the law on your side, you argue the law. If you have the facts on your side, you argue the facts…

I ask for the yeas and nays. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The yeas and nays have been requested. Is there a sufficient second? There is a sufficient second. The clerk will call the roll. The bill clerk called the roll.

Madam President, I wish to make some observations. I know several of my other colleagues will continue to pursue their views on the floor. I did not intend, when I was asked to sit in for Senator Leahy for a while, to say anything. But…