My friend from Wyoming mentioned the fact that we should bring up appropriations bills. As someone who has been a member of the Appropriations Committee for quite a long time, I would remind my friend from Wyoming that earlier this year…

Does the Senator from Wyoming still have the floor? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wyoming has the floor.

A balanced budget amendment would bring that discipline. That's what the president fears. If he opposes a balanced budget amendment to our Constitution, I realize he doesn't get to vote on it. But if he opposes it and says I won't…

I want to separate them and I want to resolve this issue with the CR and I think there is not an emergency on the debt ceiling. We are spending less than 10 percent of our revenue to service our debt and this alarm about default is just…

I'm not one that said I'll never vote to raise the debt ceiling but I think it should be comparable to the issues we have.

The president cannot be allowed to legislate by executive edict. And we are in the check and balance situation. It's about the institution. Is the institution going to hold its ground and actually be the legislative body?

Madam President, as my colleagues have done on several occasions, I come to the floor also to speak on the shutdown and the pending effort to find a compromise we can finally get to the President of the United States. Today, specifically…

I do not know where this settled law legal theory comes from. I would note that some of my colleagues have ignored this theory during previous health care debates. In 2003, Congress passed a law, a bipartisan law, called the Medicare…

Madam President, could I have 2 more minutes, please. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection? Without objection, it is so ordered.

Mr. President, I have been informed that I spoke incorrectly a few minutes ago when I said the credit union was closed. I guess one office is closed someplace, but another office is open and they will take calls. So I guess the office in…

Mr. President, Erik Fatemi, the clerk of my appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, is leaving the Senate this week after 12 years of sterling service. On behalf of Senators from both sides of the…

Mr. President, more and more interesting figures are coming in to my health committee from around the country with regard to what is happening around the Nation in terms of the health care marketplace, ObamaCare. The Republicans said it…

Mr. President, parliamentary inquiry: Are we under a 10- minute time limit? Is that correct? The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is correct. ____________________

I ask unanimous consent to speak for 10 more minutes. Mr. President, it is not just our current workforce that is impacted by this stalemate. The government shutdown is also threatening to shut the door at Head Start classrooms. This…

Mr. President, first of all, in all this mess there is some good news. The Affordable Care Act is up and running, and the people of America are responding in remarkable numbers. Remember how the Republicans said this is bad, it is a…

I thank the Senator. She is very kind. I have at least another 5 to 7 minutes to go. I have some data from CDC that I want to put in. So I thank her very much. I have been talking about the Centers for Disease Control and what the shutdown…

I have more to say about the Centers for Disease Control, but I guess I will have to seek my 10 minutes later on in the day. I thank the Chair. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New Hampshire.

Under what order are we proceeding? The PRESIDING OFFICER. There is a unanimous consent agreement that Senators will speak for 10 minutes.