Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Select Committee on Intelligence be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 14, 2015, at 2:30 p.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Airland of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 14, 2015, at 2:30 p.m. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Subcommittee on Emergency Threats and Capabilities of the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to meet during the session of the Senate on April 14, 2015, at 2:30 p.m. The PRESIDING…

It is essential the Inspectors General view Congress as a partner in this oversight process.

The Inspectors General from these Agencies can and should serve as a resource for these reviews and today's hearing serves as a starting point for this oversight plan.

I am honored to be chairing this Subcommittee in the 114th Congress with my friend from Massachusetts, Senator Ed Markey, as Ranking Member.

Mr. President, on rollcall vote No. 98, I voted nay. I intended to vote yea. Since it will not affect the outcome of the vote, I ask unanimous consent that I be recorded as voting yea. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so…

I ask for the yeas and nays. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second? There appears to be a sufficient second. The clerk will call the roll. The legislative clerk called the roll. The result was announced--yeas 54, nays 46, as…

Mr. President, I rise in support of my amendment No. 607, to create a deficit-neutral reserve fund to repeal the Federal estate tax, better known as the death tax. My amendment will put the Senate on record in support of eliminating this…

Mr. President, last month President Obama released his fiscal year 2016 budget proposal. Americans could be forgiven for thinking it was created in a vacuum, since the proposal completely ignores our current fiscal reality. Six years ago…

I ask unanimous consent that the reading of the amendment be dispensed with. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The amendment is as follows: (Purpose: To establish a deficit-neutral reserve fund to prevent the…

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment and call up my amendment No. 412. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk will report. The bill clerk read as…

Mr. President, my amendment aims to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from entering into settlement agreements without seeking approval from State, county, and local governments that would…

Is there something we can do in terms of providing statutory authority so you can maybe cut through some of the red tape?

I appreciate the approach that you and the Ranking Member are taking in asking that we move forward in an appropriate fashion to address the issues.

I think the regulatory decisions they make do not just occur in that vacuum and that they have a real effect on real people that need access to capital and credit.

I would rather err on the side of being careful and covering a few banks that may not pose as much risk rather than running the risk of another crisis that plunges our economy back into recession.

I think there seems to be a sense that $50 billion was arbitrary and that it is a matter of trying to find the right number.