The Senator from Alabama, my good friend and former attorney general colleague, asked the question--when he was answering the last question I asked--has this constitutional procedure for determining Senate rules at the beginning of a…

Mr. President, I ask through the Chair, will the Senator yield for an additional question?

Mr. President, would the Senator yield for a question I will ask through the Chair?

Now, the constitutional principle was made, and it has been acknowledged by three Vice Presidents, it has been used a number of times in the past. The reason we are doing this, as the Senator from Alabama knows, is that the amount of…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that morning business be extended until 5 p.m., with all other provisions remaining in effect. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. RULES CHANGES

Madam President, I thank the managers of the bill, the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, and I call up amendment No. 3344. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, the clerk will report. The assistant legislative clerk read as…

Madam President, as Hurricane Sandy was bearing down on our own east coast, causing tremendous damage, a supertyphoon named Bopha was also striking the small Asian Pacific nation of Palau. The U.S. Embassy in Palau issued a declaration on…

Madam President, I rise today to express my longstanding concerns about the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. We are being asked to extend the sunset provisions in the Act until 2017. Without adoption of the amendments to include additional…

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that further reading be dispensed with. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendment is as follows: (Purpose: To provide for the approval of an agreement between the…

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor one of New Mexico's great leaders, New Mexico Speaker of the House Ben Lujan, who passed away Tuesday night after his battle with lung cancer. Speaker Lujan is the father of our colleague, and my friend…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on December 19, 2012. The PRESIDING OFFICER. With objection, it is so ordered…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the Judiciary be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on December 19, 2012, at 10 a.m., in room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building, to conduct a hearing…

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the pending amendment be set aside and that I be permitted to call up amendment No. 3344 and ask for its immediate consideration. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on December 19, 2012, at 8:30 a.m., to hold a briefing entitled, ``Accountability Review Board''. The…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on December 19, 2012. The PRESIDING OFFICER. With objection, it is so ordered. Committee on Foreign Relations

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs' Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on December 19, 2012…

Madam President, this is an amendment offered by myself and cosponsored by Senators Webb and Wyden. It would provide for the approval of an agreement between the United States and the Republic of Palau in response to Supertyphoon Bopha…

I ask unanimous consent that further reading of the amendment be dispensed with. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendment is as follows: (Purpose: To provide for the approval of an agreement…