Right now--and we just passed a 1-month extension the other night--Medicare is supposed to cut the fees for all doctors across the country by 21 percent. Seniors know Medicare underpays right now. As one of my colleagues in the State…

Mr. President, I ask that I be allowed to speak as in morning business. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. Nomination of Arthur Elkins

I will. Amendment No. 3382 The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, there will now be 2 minutes of debate equally divided prior to a vote in relation to amendment No. 3382 offered by the Senator from Michigan, Ms. Stabenow.

Mr. President, I rise today because the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works will soon be meeting to discuss the nomination of Mr. Arthur Elkins to be the inspector general at the Environmental Protection Agency. I support Mr…

I thank the Senator very much. I agree exactly with what the Senator has said because my experience has been very similar. I served 5 years in the State senate in Wyoming, and before that I was a physician practicing in Wyoming, taking…

It could not. According to the President's budget numbers and the way this bill is written and the financial gimmickry, they want to cut physician fees for Medicare by 21 percent and keep them frozen for the next 10 years. So it is cut and…

Well, it would have affected me in several ways. It would have affected my life in that my wife Bobbi is a breast cancer survivor. She had a screening mammogram when she was in her forties-- something this Task Force on Preventive Services…

If I may, one of the phrases the Senator used about using reconciliation was ``hijacking,'' hijacking the system, hijacking the way this works. That specific word was used by then-Senator Barack Obama when he was a Senator and very much…

We are going to see that. We will see that across the board. I was at our hospital in Wyoming on Monday talking to physicians who take care of everyone, and they have great concerns because they say at that rate they can't afford to keep…

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to continue for an additional 5 minutes. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered.

It's a privilege to be here tonight on behalf of the Republican Party and on behalf of its members here in Congress. This evening we will be led by Judge Carter, Representative Carter of Texas, who is on his way to the Chamber at this…

I thank the gentleman for yielding because I have questions. My questions are the same kinds of things that my constituents are asking: Are Republicans just going to be window dressing in this event? Why were we invited if the President is…

You mentioned something that I'm curious about. In one of the little summaries that I read when I arrived back in Washington today, it said that they were reducing the penalty for noncompliant health insurance under the Internal Revenue…

I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding, and I have many of the same questions that Americans have. I was on an airplane returning to Washington, D.C., today when I learned of the President's proposal; that it was not his intention…

Mr. President, Scouting came to America 100 years ago because of a good deed. We are now entering the second 100 years of Boy Scouting. As I said, Scouting came to America 100 years ago yesterday because of a good deed. An American…

Mr. President, I wish to submit for the record a list of nearly 675 organizations that have written in opposition to Mr. Becker's nomination. These groups represent the backbone of our Nation's economy and the catalysts we will need to…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate go into a period of morning business, with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The Senator from…

Thank you, Mr. President. I am going to oppose cloture of the nomination of Craig Becker to be a member of the National Labor Relations Board. My colleagues know it is very unusual to have a cloture vote on a HELP Committee nominee, but…