Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 1, 2012, at 2:30 p.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered…

Mr. President, we are engaged in the business of the Senate, and it is not always discernible that it is the business of the people. What we see taking place these days is a principle mantra of Republicans on the campaign trail seeking…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on Thursday, March 1, 2012, at 9:30 a.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Foreign Relations be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on March 1, 2012, at 10 a.m., to hold a hearing entitled, ``Syria: The Crisis and Its Implications.'' The…

A young Christian pastor sits today in prison in Iran--separated from his wife and young children, facing the death penalty--because he will not lie about his beliefs. He will not lie even to save himself. He will not lie even to spare his…

Mr. President, I rise to oppose the Blunt amendment which simply goes way too far. The President has struck the right balance in his decision to address religious institutions' concerns when it comes to providing women's health services…

On February 27, 2012, I missed the one rollcall vote of the day. Had I been present I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote No. 73, on the Motion to Concur in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 347-- Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds…

I am pleased that today, I am witnessing a glimmer of hope that bi-partisanship based around enacting job creating legislation and helping the middle class is possible. This is something that has been sorely missed throughout the 112th…

Mr. President, today I wish to honor the life of Whitney Elizabeth Houston who passed away on Saturday, February 11, 2012. Whitney Houston was a shining star born in the great city of Newark, NJ, whose life will be celebrated locally and…

Today's payroll tax conference agreement will provide $1,000 in the pockets of more than 160 million Americans and ensure that approximately 3.5 million Americans will continue to benefit from much-needed unemployment insurance. We've also…

I thank my great friend from California for his leadership, former Attorney General of California, one of the most decisive and wonderful debaters in the House of Representatives and a great champion of life. Mr. Speaker, President Obama's…

Mr. President, on Saturday, February 11, 2012, New Jersey lost one of its proudest daughters and our country lost one of its brightest stars when Whitney Houston died at the untimely age of 48. Whitney Houston's New Jersey roots run deep…

On rollcall No. 50 I was at an important hearing of the Health Subcommittee. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

I wasn't planning on coming to the floor this evening; but when I heard my Republican colleagues' Special Order that was just completed, I couldn't help but come down because I think I have to correct the record on many of the statements…

Mr. President, let me begin by recognizing the hard work and dedication of my friend from South Dakota, Chairman Johnson, and for his tireless leadership on this legislation that made this possible. Let me also recognize the ranking…

I missed the one rollcall vote for the day. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall vote No. 49, on Approving the Journal. ____________________

We were all in on this for good or for bad, and we could level the same criticisms about bailing out the auto industry. Some banks took advantage of it and played it straight; some did not.

I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, thankfully we're in a leap year, because we have 2 weeks to the day to come to an agreement to extend the payroll tax cut, the doc fix, and the important unemployment benefits. We can't let…