Less debt and more jobs, Mr. Speaker. This remains our priority as we begin the second session of the 112th Congress. Our national debt recently surpassed economic output, meaning the national debt is now greater than the value of the…

Before Congress left Washington in December, we asked the President a simple question: Will he stop blocking the Keystone XL pipeline? Congress established laws to govern pipeline approval; the State Department published regulations; and…

I thank the gentleman. Madam Speaker, I rise today to state the obvious, that the Federal Government still spends too much and it borrows too much. President Obama has asked the Congress to raise the debt limit by $1.2 trillion. Let's put…

I rise this morning in support of a long-term extension for an important middle class tax cut for American families that are struggling in these difficult economic times to make ends meet. We've been elected by the people to do their work…

I oppose motions regarding a conference because I do not support any of the costly proposals to extend the temporary payroll ``holiday,'' which destabilizes the Social Security Trust Fund and does nothing to enact the needed long-term…

Families are doing holiday shopping, planning budgets. So are employers. Now we're being asked to accept a 2-month plan here, $166 per family, and a message of: Trust us and we'll come back. Congress needs to be doing more than rehashing…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that following my remarks, Senator Hutchison be recognized for floor remarks. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

Mr. President, I rise to speak about the payroll tax cut we have been debating and considering these many weeks and which we seem to be making some progress on today. I know we will hear more about that later today. I wish to make a couple…

Mr. President, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to recognize Guion S. Bluford, Jr. for being the 2011 recipient of the Pennsylvania Society Gold Medal for Distinguished Achievement. Mr. Bluford was born on November 22, 1942, to…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Finance be authorized to meet on December 16, 2011. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. ____________________

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. 2009, introduced earlier today. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title. The bill clerk read as follows: A bill (S. 2009) to…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bill be read three times and passed, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and any statements relating to the matter be printed in the Record…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the period for morning business be extended until 5 p.m., with Senators permitted to speak for up to 10 minutes each. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered…

The conference report accompanying H.R. 2055 clearly states that Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has the ability to create the Afghanistan/Pakistan Study Group. I worked closely with members of the House and Senate to include the funding…

I thank the chair very much for yielding. I want to thank Representative Ros-Lehtinen and her staff for, really, being very dogged and persistent, and I want them to know how grateful I am. As people are for this bill, they should know…

I was pleased this morning that The Washington Post did a story on a shameful development here in Washington; namely, that Bart Fisher, a Washington lawyer, was granted a license by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, OFAC, at Treasury…

A few months ago, Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint session of Congress in this very Chamber. He was welcomed by Members with a standing ovation. Several times during his speech, Congress responded with…

Mr. President, I rise this morning to talk about an issue that the American people expect us to take action on, and that is to provide another extension of the payroll tax cut we put into place in 2010. I want to provide a little bit of…