Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. National Defense

Mr. President, I rise to speak on U.S. national defense. In the last couple of years, we have made tremendous progress in strengthening our military and have effectively realigned our global posture and strategy. Under the new national…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that privileges of the floor be granted to the following member of my staff: Heidi Steele, a fellow in my office, during the pendency of the 116th Congress. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection…

Mr. President, I would like to pay tribute to Mike Davis for his incredibly hard work on my Senate Judiciary Committee staff as chief counsel for nominations. He is an Iowan, so his work ethic should be no surprise, but he went above and…

Mr. President, I come to the Senate floor to pay my respects and to pay tribute to a fellow Iowan. This fellow Iowan served for 6 years right here in the U.S. Senate. In fact, the Iowan who brings me to the floor today is my predecessor…

Mr. President, oversight is one of the most important responsibilities of this legislative branch. The Constitution requires it. Without oversight, the Members of this body cannot legislate in the best interests of their constituents, nor…

Mr. President, now I would like to speak to the issue and several issues that deal with international trade. During the last 2 years, there has been more talk about international trade in this town than at just about any other point since…

Mr. President, yesterday one of my colleagues came to the floor to talk about my objection to the unanimous consent request relating to the nomination of William R. Evanina. When I noticed my intention to place a hold on this nominee back…

Mr. President, I now would like to go to a final set of remarks--probably the final set of remarks for this Congress as we draw to a close--to summarize some of the work of the Judiciary Committee, as I have been chairman for the last 4…

This was a combined effort, one on a scale not often seen in Washington these days. I am grateful for everyone's work to bring about these historic reforms. Together, we have taken steps to reduce crime and recidivism, to strengthen faith…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that these letters be printed in the Record for S. 3649, a bill to provide for programs to help reduce the risk that prisoners will recidivate upon release from prison, and for other purposes. There…

Madam President, I come to the floor to speak about the work of the Senate on victims' rights and child protection measures and also to highlight the work of Evelyn Fortier, staff member, who has carried such a big burden in these areas of…

Mr. President, today is a good day for representative government, it is a good day for the taxpayers, and it is a good day for safe streets and strong families. It is also a good day to emphasize that many times Congress acts in a…

Madam President, I thank Senator Durbin for his kind remarks--more importantly, for 3 years of working together on this legislation, and it is great that it paid off. ____________________

Madam President, before I go to that subject, I just heard Senator Schumer speak about the bill before the Senate, the criminal justice reform bill, but he has left the floor now. I thank him for his kind remarks and his backing of that…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 730, H.R. 6615. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the title. The legislative clerk read as follows: A bill (H.R. 6615)…

Mr. President, I have asked to be notified before any unanimous consent agreement to process this bill because I oppose S. 281, the Fairness in High-Skilled Immigrants Act. High-skilled immigrants are a benefit to the United States. We…

No, I can't do that. Let's see if we can keep our bipartisan coalition together to pass a bill that the President said he is ready to sign. That is what he said at the end of his news conference. It is pretty important to understand, this…