Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it adjourn under the previous order. There being no objection, the Senate, at 6:23 p.m., adjourned until Tuesday, April 16, 2013, at 10…

I now ask for a second reading and object to my own request en bloc. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection having been heard, the bills will receive their second reading on the next legislative day. ____________________

Mr. President, I understand there are two bills at the desk. I ask for their first reading en bloc. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will read the titles of the bills for the first time en bloc. The assistant legislative clerk read as…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m. on Tuesday, April 16, 2013; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of…

Mr. President, I follow my colleague from Oregon, the chairman of the Energy Committee, here in discussing the qualifications of the nominee for Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell. We recognize as westerners that this is an…

Madam President, in April, the participants in the 2013 Honor Flight will be traveling to Washington, DC, to visit memorials of World War II, Vietnam war and the Korean war, as well as the Lincoln Memorial on The National Mall. I would…

Mr. President, Nebraskans have every reason to be proud of Senator Fischer and her very impressive start here in the Senate. She has proven herself to be a thoughtful leader in our State, a reasoned voice in our legislature which listened…

I join my colleague in urging Members to support this amendment. All it does is require labeling of this fish, this fake fish. If you are going to be serving your family a good-quality product, you want to know it is good and it is…

Mr. President, this amendment restores a family's ability to plan ahead for health care costs and afford care. It eliminates a cap on flexible spending accounts. It also eliminates the silly requirement that Americans get a doctor's…

Mr. President, every Senator supports expanding access to health care. We may have strong differences on the best way to do it, but no one should doubt that commitment. However, we must also ensure that we protect deeply held religious…

Mr. President, I rise today to seek support for an amendment to the budget resolution that would discourage aerial surveillance of farms by the Environmental Protection Agency. Last year, we learned that EPA had been conducting aerial…

Mr. President, I rise in support of amendment No. 136, which creates a prohibition on funding for the Medium Extended Air Defense System, MEADS. This amendment is consistent with the House Appropriations, House Armed Services, and Senate…

Mr. President, I call up amendment No. 341. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the amendment. The assistant legislative clerk read as follows: The Senator from Alaska [Mr. Begich], for himself, Ms. Cantwell, and Ms. Murkowski…

Mr. President, this amendment deals with labeling genetically engineered fish, the first hybrid animal being proposed for human consumption. The FDA is reviewing this precedent-setting action not as a food but as a drug. They haven't…

Mr. President, I came to the floor, as Senator Isakson from Georgia and Senator Shaheen from New Hampshire were speaking about the biennial budget amendment and the effort they have undertaken. I just want to acknowledge their leadership…

Mr. President, I thank the Senator from South Dakota for a nice introduction. I appreciate the opportunity to speak today on the budget that has been proposed by the majority party. If I might lay a little groundwork, in addition to what…

Mr. President, I was not planning to come down here. I was at several meetings. As we all have in our offices, I have the screen view of the floor to figure out what action might be occurring or not occurring. I kept looking. The floor was…

Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the winner of the 41st Iditarod race. Mitch Seavey of Seward finished the 998-mile dog sled race in a time of 9 days, 7 hours, 39 minutes, and 56 seconds. This is Mitch's second title and I am happy…